Cannondale
ALTHOUGH WE NEVER FORGET OUR HERITAGE, CANNONDALE HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE OUR BIRTH IN A CROWDED LOFT ABOVE A PICKLE FACTORY IN 1971.
The company grew quickly during its early years. We introduced the cycling industry's first bicycle trailer, the Bugger, and added successful cycling apparel and accessory lines while earning a strong reputation for innovation and quality.
That reputation proved invaluable when Cannondale introduced its first bicycle, a Touring model, in 1983. We raised the cycling world's eyebrows by building our bicycles around handcrafted, oversized aluminum frames that were both lighter and more flex-resistant than the steel models that dominated the industry at the time. We quickly followed up this success with a road racing model and a mountain bike model in 1984. Our creative reputation encouraged both bike dealers and customers to join the revolution, and widespread industry skepticism quickly gave way to a host of imitators. In 1997, Cannondale was the first company to feature large, oversized aluminum bike frames on cycling's biggest stage, the Tour de France. With a reputation for shaking up the industry, we continued to push the entire cycling community with the release of our first carbon/aluminum frame, the six13 that was the predecessor to the award winning SuperSix EVO and Synapse platforms that are diving in the corners of Cols and creating an elevated ride experience for every level of cyclist.
On the mountain bike side, Cannondale started the dual suspension revolution way back in 1990 by introducing the Delta V E.S.T., the industry's first dual suspension bike, and followed it up with the equally radical Super V and Scalpel platforms. Our technologies like HeadShok, Lefty, innovative suspension and optimized aluminum and carbon design directly translated into race victories and riding that continually pushed the limits of what's possible on a bike.
Many of the ideas that keep Cannondale products on the cutting edge come from our sponsored athletes on the company’s professional racing teams. The feedback provided by our riders fuel a near constant stream of both new innovations and technology that provides best-in-class performance from a Cannondale.