Cannondale CAAD12 Disc 2016

Cannondale have some great stuff out this year and the CAAD12 Disc Dura Ace is no exception. We shot pictures of this one at Bespoke Gresham Street.

The "neon spring" colour grabs your attention straight away as you begin to take in the geometry and the lines. The absence of a rear brake bridge, the shapes of the chain stays, the narrow 25.4 seat tube... This is a great looking bike.

Then you notice the spec. Dura Ace mechanical with hydraulic disc brakes using Cannondale's own Hollowgram crank, this off the peg bike has some serious kit on it.

Mavic Ksyrium Disc wheels are a decent off the peg choice, coming with Mavic Yksion Elite tyres in 25c, adding extra comfort . The matchy-matchy Arione saddle is a nice touch, keeping the standard of components high. The bright colours of the paint job really help show off the sculpted rear triangle. Aluminium really doesn't look like it used to.

Internal routing is clean.

The Hollowgram crank looks great as well giving solid performance with a 52/36 Spidering. The CAAD12 is no slouch.

It's unusual to see such a highly specced aluminium bike maybe, but you can see why it makes sense. With the advances in alloy frame technology you can now get a light, great riding frameset at a much lower price than a carbon frame, allowing you to get better components. While alloy has a lively, punchy feel, it's far removed from the brittle feeling ride of the aluminium frames of yesteryear. Though not the buttery smooth ride of ti, steel and some carbon out there, aluminium still makes a lot of sense for a lot of people.

Coming in at £2499.00, it's hard to ignore with spec like this.