Price Paid:
$2040.00
at Kozy, Chi, IL Model Year:
2006 Bike Setup:
Other contenders:
06 Trek 5200-$2400. Nice finish and parts but I didn’t like the geometry. And I was admittedly a little prejudice against being another trek rider.
06 Felt F55 - $1900. Very fast bike. Full Aluminum but nicer parts. In the end I just didn’t want Aluminum. Too harsh.
05 Giant TCR Limited $1700. Full carbon but just didn’t fit well.
Frame - Six13 Pro (Carbon downtube, rest AL)
Wheels - Mavic Kysrium Elites
Component - Ultegra
Summary:
After 1,000 miles I am happy with the bike and would recommend it.
Selection process.
After an intensive search and testing process I finally settled on the 2006 Cannondale Six13 Pro 2 Compact. Color black, size 58cm for $2040. Purchased in May 2007.
It is my first road bike and wanted something that was fast and comfortable.
I have a hybrid/flatbar road bike (2004 Marin Mill Valley) that is fine for rides of 15 miles and under. I do use the hybrid bike for an occasional bike commute of 10 miles to work. But I needed something that I could use for longer rides of 20 – 30 miles on Forest Preserve paved bike trails. Oh did I mention I wanted to go faster. Its more fun.
I don’t race and have used the bike just for recreation and exercise. I had planned on doing a longer charity ride but never did. And had even considered a century but I don’t see that happening either. My average ride length is 20 miles and I usually get in about 50-60 miles a week. I’ve put about 1000 miles on the bike this summer. The longest ride I’ve done was about 40 miles. My neck doesn’t like rides over 30 miles.
Fit was an issue. Though I am 6’3”, the 60cm+ bike stretched me out too much. I must have short arms. Anyway the 58s fit better. And since the Cannondales seem to fit a little bit bigger than other frames the Cannondale 58 was the best fit.
Strengths:
Pros: fast, light, comfortable, usa handmade frame, nice paint job. Gears, brakes, frame have had no issues and performed great. Weaknesses:
Cons: doesn’t soak up road bumps as well as full carbon. But the only real problem were the wheels. The wheels (Mavic Kysrium Elites) would not stay true. Almost every ride I had to true them. Maybe they’re not meant for 190lb riders. I eventually took them off and put on some Shimano R550 wheels that I had on my hybrid bike. The elites are supposed to be stiffer and believe me they are. As soon as I put the R550s on, the road bumps and buzz was significantly reduced. It felt like a full carbon bike. However I lost some giddy-up going from the elites to the R550s. But it was a tradeoff that I liked because I didn’t have to true the wheels anymore.
- Also I didn’t care for the saddle. Not good for the ‘boys’. I switched to a specialized toupe.
If I could do it again:
- Maybe I would save up a bit more so I could afford the Six13 Team frame to get more of the Carbon cushion. Or to upgrade the wheels from the start.
- I also would not get the compact crank. Coming from triple gearing on my hybrid I thought it would be needed. But after 1,000 miles I almost never switch to the lower gears and am rarely on steep hills. And I have missed the high gears on flats for speed a few times.
Similar Products Used:
06 Specialized Tarmac Comp$1800. I almost went with this one. It was $200 less than the Six13. It was more comfortable in terms of soaking up road bumps than the Six13. It is full carbon which was a plus. It was a little heavier than the Six13. And it was a grade lower in components. Aksium instead of Elites. 105 instead of Ultegra. In the end, it was speed, style and the handmade USA frame that put the Six 13 on top. The Six13 has more acceleration and I just liked the look of it a bit more. Luckily this and the Six13 were in stock at the same shop so I could compare them head-to-head.
06 Felt F4C$2100–From website research this way my favorite. I liked the style, paintjob, full carbon and ultegra. I took it on a couple test rides and it was sluggish compared to the other bikes. And the brakes blew. But I could have lived with that. Not impressed with the ride performance.
06 Specialized Roubaix Comp $1800. Comfortable but just not aggressive enough geometry.
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