Market: With the Bad Boy 2017, Cannondale is introducing a new version of its urban classic, which remains true to itself on the one hand, but makes a leap forward in some details. So it not only gets a completely new aluminum frame, but also a rigid Lefty in all equipment variants and clever, permanently integrated lighting.
In 2000, Cannondale's bad boy saw the light of day and laid the foundation for what we now call the Urban Bike collectively. Initially more of a hardtail with road tires, the long-running favorite went through numerous stages of evolution and more and more adapted to its area of use, which is in larger and smaller cities around the world. The bad boy will soon be celebrating his 17th birthday and the new model makes one thing clear: he's growing up.
The admittedly not particularly exciting color concept of the Bad Boy will not change in 2017 either: the new model is plain and black, from the frame to the attachments to the fork. However, it is precisely with the fork that we come across one of the most striking innovations for the coming year: All four equipment variants come with a rigid Lefty fork, which was already used in this form on the Contro-E e-bike. This gives the Bad Boy 2017 a typical Cannondale visual touch. From afar, the new Bad Boy is reminiscent of the gravel bike Slate presented last year. This is also due to the tire or wheel size: As with the Slate, the Bad Boy now also uses 27,5″ in combination with 40mm or 35mm tires.
But a lot has happened in other respects as well: In addition to the fork, the road racer also gets a completely new frame. They still rely on aluminum and use the OPI production process already known from other bikes: the down tube and the head tube are formed from a single block - due to the lack of a weld seam, this not only looks good, but also saves weight and punches positively reflected in terms of rigidity. The top tube has an inconspicuous rubber insert from 3M on both sides, which not only protects the bike from scratches when it is parked or leaned against, but also reflects it in the dark due to its special nature.
In any case, the lighting concept is still worth a few words. The two top models Bad Boy 1 and Bad Boy 2 come with fully integrated front and rear lights. Five red LEDs are located in the seat post and ensure good visibility. While you could already see it in one way or another in the past, you have come up with something really special with the front light. An LED light strip runs down almost the entire length of the Lefty fork and makes the Bad Boy unmistakable even in total darkness. Incidentally, both batteries can be removed quickly and charged via micro-USB.
The top model can also come up with a special extra: A low-maintenance Gates belt drive is used here in conjunction with an Alfine 8-speed hub from Shimano. Exactly the right thing for frequent and all-weather riders.
Cannondale Bad Boy 2017: models and prices
Website
www.cannondale.com
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