sram etap hydro disc brakes on ted king cannondale supersix evo road bike

Spotted on Ted King’s Twitter account is his new bike, a Cannondale SuperSix Evo outfitted with SRAM eTAP electronic shifting and…hydraulic disc brakes. It’s the second pro bike we’ve spotted with them (or, ex-pro in this case), the other being the prototype Canyon bike of Katusha pro Alexander Kristoff. Even at full size, it’s hard to tell that the calipers look any different (despite hearsay that suggests they’ll be more closely based on the Guide or Level mountain bike brakes than the current road brakes).

The lever hoods, however, definitely look different. The top section looks much deeper, which suggests either a larger reservoir and master cylinder, or simply a new pivot and piston arrangement. It could even mean a linkage driven piston heading into the master cylinder for a more refined lever feel, much like the Swinglink cam system found on upper end Guide brake levers.

Oh, and yeah, that appears to be an all new Cannondale SuperSix Evo road bike, too. There’s not currently a disc brake version of the SuperSix in their 2016 lineup, meaning we’ll likely see this introduction later in the year as a 2017 model. It appears to retain quick release skewers rather than thru axles, which keeps with the model’s pro racing pedigree. While we’re speculating, those pedals seem awfully tiny, too. King’s sponsored by Speedplay, but unless it’s just the grainy Twitter photo, these look…different. Not shown: Maple syrup drippings on the top tube.

10 COMMENTS

  2. i was thinking- this sequential etap stuff – how the hell are you supposed to downshift while trailbraking with the front brake lever?

    • Put blips on the drops. You could even run extra-long blips from one side to the other so you could trail brake with the left hand while shifting to a larger cog with your right hand.

    • ??? You pull the lever with index and middle finger and press the lever with your third finger.
      Or pull with middle finger and press the shift lever with your index.

      Its not difficult.

  7. Must be a fake account. No pro racer would ever say discs are awesome. He better get guards on those rotors before he decapitates somebody.

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