2017 Cannondale Slate Apex Road Bike

You can always rely on Cannondale to break the mould with outrageously fun bikes. The Cannondale Slate Apex cyclocross/gravel bike is the perfect embodiment of this outside-the-box thinking that the American brand is so loved for.

Designed from the ground up – with a clean slate, as it were – Cannondale wanted to build the most fun and all-round capable road bike they could. The answer was an all-new SmartForm C1 Premium aluminium frame designed for 650b wheels, with short chain stays, a slack MTB-style head angle and a long front-centre. This gives the bike a fun & snappy back end which begs to be playfully thrown around, along with a stable & well-balanced front end to cope with off-road riding.

There’s a good reason Cannondale opted for slightly smaller 650b wheels on the Slate. With a 42c tyre, the rolling radius is almost identical to a 700x23c tyre, bestowing the bike with road-bike-like acceleration, albeit with a big balloon tyre with oodles of grip, traction, and bump-absorbing properties. With the Save Plus Micro-Suspension System built into the frame’s rear triangle, you get even more bump-eating comfort from the Slate.

A fun & playful frame is no good without suitably quick components. The Cannondale Slate Apex comes with a rigid one-piece lefty fork and 1x11 speed SRAM Apex gearing, with a matching SRAM S350 chainset and SRAM Apex 1 HRD hydraulic disc brakes. The result is a wonderfully minimalistic looking bike, which will but a whopping smile on your face every time you set off, slow down, take a turn or change a gear.

2017 Cannondale Slate Apex Road Bike

Key Features:

• SmartForm C1 premium alloy frame is lightweight, and designed specifically for 650b wheels
• Cannondale Solo Rigid ‘lefty’ fork, made from one-piece of alloy for the best strength-to-weight ratio
• SRAM Apex 1x11 speed gearing shifts rapidly, with no fuss
• SRAM Apex 1 HRD disc brakes
• 650bx42c Slate Folding tyres – the same circumference as 700x23c, with big volume grip & comfort
• Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X Large
• Colour: Blue Collar

The Cannondale Slate Apex 2017 Features are:

Frame: Slate, SmartForm C1 Premium Alloy, Di2 ready, SAVE PLUS, BB30a 

Fork: Cannondale Solo Rigid, OPI One-Piece Alloy, 1.5" steerer

Headset: Tange Seiki Head Shock Integrated

Bars: Cannondale C3, butted 6061 Alloy Butted 6061 Alloy, Compact

Stem: Cannondale C1, 6061 Alloy, 1.5", 31.8, -5 deg. 100mm

Speed: 11

Rear Mech: SRAM Apex 1

Shifters SRAM Apex 1 HRD

Chainset: SRAM S350-1, BB30a, 44T

Bottom Bracket: SRAM BB30 Bearings

Chain: SRAM PC 1110, 11-speed

Front Brake: SRAM Apex 1 HRD

Rear Brake: SRAM Apex 1 HRD

Rims: Mavic XM419 Disc, 650b, 28H, tubeless compatible

Front Hub: Lefty 50 Road front, Formula 142x12mm thru rear, 28h

Rear Hub: Lefty 50 Road front, Formula 142x12mm thru rear, 28h

Spokes: DT Swiss Competition

Tyres: Cannondale Slate Folding TRS, 650x42c, by Panaracer, tubeless ready Front, Cannondale Slate Folding TRS, 650x42c, by Panaracer, tubeless ready Rear

Seatpost: Cannondale C3 Alloy 27.2 X 350mm

Pedals: Not Included