New Cannondale CAAD14 returns to its racing roots with “stiffness, explosiveness, and razor sharp handling”

Cannondale has announced the release of its new CAAD14 aluminium road bike, with a focus on a “return to [its] performance roots”.

Where the previous CAAD13 sought to straddle the gap between race bike and practical, cost-effective endurance bike, the CAAD14 has been “pared down”, according to Cannondale, to deliver a purer race-bike experience.

Accordingly, the bike lacks mudguard mounts, but features the mod cons of a modern race bike, including 32mm tyre clearance, fully integrated cable routing and a Universal Derailleur Hanger. 

The geometry is marginally more aggressive than even the SuperSix EVO’s, reflecting the bike’s focus on racy fit and handling.

There are three models, with prices starting from £2,995 / $2,499 / €2,499, rising to £7,500 / $7,499 / €7,499, plus a frameset, available from today.

A return to racy roots

The CAAD14 represents a significant shift in approach to Cannondale’s popular aluminium bike platform. 

Where the CAAD13 effectively sought to create a SuperSix Evo-imitating entry point to road-bike ownership, the new bike is positioned as a “celebration of aluminium”, with more than a nod to CAAD bikes of yesteryear.

Andreas Krajewski, Cannondale’s road category marketing manager, says: “CAAD13 lost sight of what makes CAAD, CAAD. [The CAAD13] looked like a SuperSix Evo, and it sold well, but it failed to put a spotlight on aluminium – it failed to stir the soul.”

Given the CAAD13 itself represented a revamp of the platform towards the SuperSix EVO, and the bike reviewed strongly, the CAAD14 represents a bold return to its roots that may surprise some.

Go hard or go home

The most striking change is to the frame’s tube shapes – gone are the truncated aerofoils, with a return to more rounded profiles. Cannondale suggests these shapes make the most of the inherent qualities of aluminium to deliver “stiffness, explosiveness, and razor sharp handling”.

The aesthetic is therefore traditional (albeit with a modern twist), but senior industrial designer Tanner Van De Veer says that while his team considered designs with more complex tube shapes, they quickly found that “[these] wouldn’t translate to aluminium”, instead choosing to “focus on maximising the properties of the frame material itself”.

Cannondale says it has doubled down on the CAAD14’s aggressive stance by raising the junction of seat tube and seatstays, while opting for an oversized head tube and enlarged junctions with the down tube and top tube.

Despite Cannondale saying it has moved away from the SuperSix EVO for source material, the geometry is remarkably close to the flagship carbon race bike’s – and even slightly more aggressive. 

A size-56cm frame, for example, sports an identical 73-degree head tube angle, a 1mm shorter reach (392mm) and 5mm shorter stack. The seat tube angle is 0.6 degrees slacker, which makes the effective reach a little longer.

Cannondale says a size-56cm frame weighs 1,280g in its ‘raw’ form, which comes with the CAAD14 1-spec bike (see below), and 1,410g when painted. The fork is claimed to weigh 397g.

Mod cons and simplicity, but no mudguard mounts

Cannondale has dropped provision of mudguard mounts, in a move reflective of the CAAD14's more focused race-oriented design.

Clip-on mudguards remain an option, of course, but this means those who might have thought of the CAAD14 as a permanent winter training bike may now reconsider.

That said, the bike is now bang up to date with modern trends, with clearance for 32mm tyres (up from 30mm), a Universal Derailleur Hanger and a move from the press-fit BB30A bottom bracket standard to a 68mm BSA threaded design. 

The full-carbon fork continues to use Cannondale’s Delta steerer design, offering full internal routing inside the headset bearings, but has shoulders remodelled to fit with the oversized head tube, and a blind thru-axle dropout. 

Given the frame sports a standard 1-1/8in upper headset bearing, upgrading the cockpit should prove relatively easy. 

On the top-spec CAAD14 1, Cannondale has specced the one-piece Momo-designed SystemBar R-One, which was replaced as the SuperSix EVO’s premium cockpit choice last month. The other two full-spec bikes feature two-piece cockpits. 

Reflective of the more traditional, rounded tube shapes, the seatpost is now a standard round 27.2mm-diameter model, secured in place by an external collar.

Cannondale CAAD14 pricing and availability

The Cannondale CAAD14 is available now in three complete builds, alongside a frameset costing £1,750 / $1,799 / €1,799. This includes a Cannondale Save Carbon seatpost.

Cannondale CAAD14 1

• Price: £7,500 / $7,499 / €7,499
• Frameset: Cannondale SmartForm C1 Premium, aluminium
• Groupset: SRAM Force XPLR AXS
• Cockpit: Cannondale SystemBar R-One
• Wheelset: Reserve 57|64, DT Swiss 370 LN hubs
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR (29mm)
• Power meter: Yes, SRAM/Quarq

Cannondale CAAD14 2

• Price: £4,250 / $3,999 / €3,999
• Frameset: Cannondale SmartForm C1 Premium, aluminium
• Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS
• Cockpit: Vision Trimax Aero handlebar, Cannondale C1 Conceal stem
• Wheelset: DT Swiss E1800 Spline, DT Swiss 370 LN hubs
• Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro IV (28mm)
• Power meter: No

Cannondale CAAD14 3

• Price: £2,995 / $2,499 / €2,499
• Frameset: Cannondale SmartForm C1 Premium, aluminium
• Groupset: Shimano 105 R7100
• Cockpit: Vision Trimax Compact handlebar, Cannondale C1 Conceal stem
• Wheelset: Cannondale RD 2.0 Disc, Shimano TC500 hubs
• Tyres: Vittoria Zaffiro (28mm)
• Power meter: No