It’s no secret that lately there’s an ever-increasing variety of classes into which a bicycle can match, from the apparent monikers of ‘street bike’ and ‘mountain bike’ to the extra ambiguous phrases just like the best commuter bikes and ‘health bike’. The Cannondale Quick 3 is marketed because the latter, however what precisely is a ‘health bike’ and what’s it designed for?
At first look it seems prefer it suits properly into the best hybrid bikes available on the market in the intervening time, with its chunky however slick tyres, flat handlebar and disc brakes. However, identical to I’d describe a hybrid bike as a mixture of a street bike and mountain bike, I’d describe a health bike just like the Cannondale Quick 3 as a mash up of a hybrid and a street bike; nonetheless designed for upright city using, however with extra of a concentrate on pace and effectivity. As a flat bar bike it’s clearly not designed for the roadie, however it positively borrows extra parts of its design from the best road bikes than the standard hybrid.
I’ve spent the previous couple of months using the ladies’s particular mannequin virtually day-after-day, from operating errands round city, to main group rides and spending lengthy intervals of outing and about. Read on for what I consider the Cannondale Quick 3.
Design and specification
The body is constructed from SmartForm C3 aluminium, and is paired with a full carbon fork to maintain the general weight down and add some stiffness and effectivity to the journey. The ladies’s model of the Quick 3 is available in a gorgeous metallic emerald inexperienced, all black elements and ending equipment, and aesthetically it’s easy and attention-grabbing, particularly because of the a number of 360-degree reflective accents built-in into the paintwork. The Cannondale emblem, seat stays, seat publish and fork blades all characteristic reflective parts in quite a lot of patterns and blocked out sections, serving to to mild up the bike in low visibility situations.
There are mounts for mudguards, a rear rack, and two bottle cages throughout the entrance triangle, and for £850 / $1,075, the specification is pretty good worth too. The drivetrain is a mixture of 9-speed Shimano Altus and Acera elements, combining a 48/32 Prowheel crank with an 11-34T Sunrace cassette, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, and Schwalbe Spicer 700 x 35mm Ok-Guard reflective tyres. All these options level to the intention for the bike to ship quick and cozy paved efficiency.
The ladies’s particular mannequin comes with the very same unisex contact factors — a Cannondale Fitness Ergo Double Density saddle and Ergo Fitness Dual Density Lock-On grips — and solely differs barely in geometry. The unisex mannequin comes up bigger, with a better standover and longer efficient high tube size. Its measurement vary contains Small – 2XL, whereas the ladies’s fashions are available in XS – Large. There are slight variations within the numbers for the ladies’s and unisex sizes which overlap, so you should definitely test totally for the suitable match. Generally, the ladies’s mannequin is prone to work higher for folks with a shorter stature and attain. If you’ve got an extended attain and inseam, you would possibly fare higher with the unisex vary.
In addition to the standard options you’d look forward to finding, the Cannondale Quick 3 additionally packs a few further punches to offer some fitness-related perks for its audience. First and foremost, it comes geared up with Cannondale Wheel Sensors, which let you connect with the Cannondale app and monitor your journey information. Furthermore, the Intellimount stem can maintain any SP-Connect suitable telephone circumstances, making it simple for riders to affix their telephone in place to create a dashboard. Combining these two options lets you hold monitor of metrics like your pace and mileage, whereas the Cannondale app additionally gives reminders when your bike’s due for a service, in addition to eco reviews, with details about what number of gallons of gas you’ve saved and CO2 diminished by using as an alternative of driving.
Performance
From the outset I used to be actually pleasantly stunned by the journey really feel of the Cannondale Quick 3. Known for its aluminium frames, Cannondale has produced a health bike that accelerates shortly and delivers a stiff however comfy journey, enabling you to select up the tempo when you must with out experiencing undue arm fatigue.
Handling is extraordinarily responsive, because of the model’s OutFront steering geometry (which pairs a 55mm fork offset with a slack head tube angle of 71 levels), with the journey feeling very enjoyable and zippy.
From pootling round city to heading out on longer rides, I’ve discovered myself beating some private information and even managing to overhaul my accomplice on the climb residence which, truthfully, is type of an enormous deal for me. The bike simply needs to be quick, and it doesn’t require an enormous quantity of effort to let it.
Although aluminium frames can typically really feel fairly harsh on uneven surfaces (and let’s face it, the roads within the UK are something however easy in lots of components of the nation), the mix with 35mm tyres helps to take in a number of the street chatter and cushions the journey considerably. I’ve been capable of comfortably journey the Quick 3 virtually all day, operating errands round city and taking longer detours to benefit from the good climate we’ve been having, and never endure for my efforts afterwards.
The blended Acera and Altus groupset is probably not probably the most premium shifting cash should purchase, however it does a nice job on one of these bike, shifting easily by way of the gears, of which there is a pretty first rate vary to assist with undulating landscapes. Meanwhile the Tektro hydraulic disc brakes supply highly effective and graduated stopping, and the Schwalbe tyres have so confirmed to be grippy even within the moist and immune to punctures regardless of my penchant for taking them on every day rides by way of glass-strewn metropolis centre streets.
In phrases of journey place, the Cannondale Quick 3 places you in a relaxed and comparatively upright posture, which is smart for this sort of using: it helps you see and be seen in visitors, and allows you to journey for longer with out feeling any pointless pressure.
A word about sizing: I normally journey a small or further small bike, relying on its geometry, although when arranging to get a pattern of the Quick 3, I used to be suggested by the Cannondale crew to measurement as much as a Medium. It’s price noting that the Quick sizes up pretty small, partly because of the barely sloping high tube and the OutFront geometry making a decrease standover and shorter attain. I’ve fairly lengthy legs for my small stature (156cm peak with 78cm inseam) and I discovered the medium to suit me fairly nicely, although I did want to chop a few inches off the seatpost to get the saddle peak proper. If you purchase the Quick, you should definitely pore over the numbers earlier than you commit, and ideally take one for a take a look at journey first.
Verdict
I’ve had a variety of enjoyable using the Cannondale Quick 3; it lives as much as its identify. It accelerates shortly and effectively, maintains first rate output on the street, feels very comfy for an aluminium and carbon frameset, and is flexible sufficient to satisfy quite a lot of wants. Commuters and concrete cyclists can connect some mudguards and a rear rack for year-round using with baggage, then take it on a speedy and enjoyable journey on the weekend. The included wheel sensors and connectivity through the Cannondale app will please lots of people who get pleasure from monitoring their journey information and controlling and customising numerous features by way of their smartphone, which they’ll simply mount to the stem with an SP-Connect case. All in all it’s a really purposeful but additionally very enjoyable journey.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design and aesthetics | Simple, metallic emerald inexperienced paint with plenty of reflective detailing | 9/10 |
| Components | Mixed drivetrain elements together with Shimano Altus and Acera, Prowheel and Sunrace. Excellent Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and Schwalbe tyres. | 7/10 |
| Performance, dealing with and geometry | Super speedy and environment friendly, comfy, exact dealing with, enjoyable and zippy | 9/10 |
| Weight | Weighing 11.5kg it is fairly on par with bikes on this market | 8/10 |
| Value for cash | Pretty good worth for cash, excessive efficiency and included wheel sensors for straightforward app compatibility, though the elements might be improved | 8/10 |
| Overall ranking | 82% |
Logbook: Cannondale Women’s Quick 3
- Temperature: 10 to twenty levels C
- Weather: Sun, rain, wind, chilly, heat
- Road floor: Mostly paved with a little bit little bit of gravel and canal towpath
- Route: Multiple routes round Bristol and the South West
- Rides: 50+
- Mileage: ~300km
Tech Specs: Cannondale Quick Women’s 3
- Price: £850 / $1,075
- Sizes: XS, S, M, L (ladies’s) / S, M, L, XL, XXL (unisex)
- Weight: 11.5kg (measurement M with pedals)
- Frame: SmartForm C3 Alloy
- Fork: Carbon
- Shifters: Shimano Altus, 9-speed
- Front derailleur: Shimano Acera
- Rear derailleur: Shimano Altus
- Crankset: Prowheel, 48/32
- Cassette: Sunrace, 11-34 9-speed
- Brakes: Tektro HD-R280 hydraulic disc, 160/140mm rotors
- Wheels: Cannondale Disc
- Tyres: Schwalbe Spicer, 700 x 35c, Ok-Guard, reflective strip
- Saddle: Cannondale Fitness Ergo Double Density (unisex)
- Seatpost: Cannondale 6061 Alloy
- Stem: Cannondale 3 with Intellimount
- Handlebars: Cannondale 6061 Alloy
- Extras: Cannondale Wheel Sensor
https://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/cannondale-womens-quick-3/
