When EF Education First unveiled its collaboration with skateboarding super-brand Palace, the part of the internet dedicated to cycling pretty much broke.
There was profound admiration, there was disgust, and there were varying degrees of bewilderment. Our ex-Desire editor and all-round style guru Stuart Clapp deemed it a success, evidence that it's still possible to have a bit of fun in pro cycling.
Cannondale were kind enough to send us one of their team bikes, this one belonging to Lawson Craddock, and we immediately pulled out a DSLR to get a few snaps.
Look out for a more in-depth piece on this SystemSix in the near future, but for now – please feast on some of these pics.
A departure from the SystemSix's normal colourways, we are big fans of the fluoro flash of the fork and matching bartape. Fluoro highlights seem ripe for a comeback.
Unsurprisingly, Craddock's bike is slammed to the max. The SystemSix enjoys a fairly aggressive front end. It has a shorter headtube, albeit only 2mm in a 56cm size, than the equivalent Trek Madone or Specialized SL7.
While we enjoy the stickers, a true custom paint job would be really special. We can't help feeling there's some more creative integration of the Palace duck and the SystemSix's seatstays to be had.
Rapha's branding fits nicely and it's well worth checking out the clothing collab that accompanied the bike.
The SystemSix's loud derailleur hanger is a great match for the overall aesthetic. It's a bike that seems innately over-excited.
Vision Metron 5 clincher wheels and a set of Vittoria Corsa Graphene 2.0 28mm tyres makes this something of a departure from traditional tubular wheels and skinny tyres. An everyman amongst pro steeds.
We can't wait to spend some more time with the SystemSix, so please look out for a deep dive into the design and the Palace collaboration in the near future.
