Adam Chamberlin
Head of digital development for Mackman Group. Aging consummate athlete attempting to run, bike and enjoy the outdoors.
Having worked in the cycling industry prior to a global pandemic I took up running to spend more time with my family. Since then I have caught the 'long run' bug and challenged myself.
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Bookmarked New Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX The best Cannondale gravel bike in 2025
Cyclist New Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: The best Cannondale gravel bike in 2025 Cannondale has been into gravel cycling pretty much since its onset in the mid-2010s. During that time, the brand has offered some unique solutions to the demands of gravel, such as the Slate with its 650b wheels and Lefty single leg suspension fork. The third iteration of its Topstone Carbon gravel bike was launched in March 2025. There’s also an alloy Topstone, which fills the entry-level gravel bike niche. But as with other brands, such as Specialized with its Diverge and Crux and Canyon with its Grizl and Grail, Cannondale offers two distinct flavours of gravel bike. The world of gravel is becoming increasingly differentiated. So while the Topstone covers the range of uses from general adventure gravel riding to backwoods adventures and bikepacking, the SuperX, also launched in early 2025, is oriented towards gravel racing and cyclocross use, borrowing frame design and aero features from the SuperSix Evo road race bike. Here, we’ll run through the main features of the third generation Topstone Carbon and the new SuperX, highlighting how the two Cannondale gravel bikes are different. We’ll then set out the different specs available for each and their prices, before finally making some suggestions to help you to choose the best Cannondale gravel bike for you. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: Key features at a glance Cannondale Topstone Carbon frame with rear suspension and internal storage Alloy frame option with carbon fork 52mm 700c tyre clearance One spec with Lefty Oliver 40mm travel fork Cannondale SuperX Shares design features of the SuperSix Evo road race bike Aero tube profiles 48mm 700c tyre clearance Standard and LAB71 framesets available Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: suspension Cannondale A key differentiator between the Topstone Carbon and the SuperX is in the presence or absence of active suspension. While the SuperX has aero tube profiles similar to the road-going SuperSix Evo and limited mounts, the Topstone carbon has more differentiated gravel bike design features, such as the dropped drive side chainstay and a full set of mounts. The Topstone alloy is somewhat in between, with all the mounts of the carbon model, but without suspension features. The Topstone Carbon includes Cannondale’s low mass, low maintenance KingPin rear suspension system. This provides 30mm of travel at the seatpost and 10mm at the rear axle via flex zones in the carbon layup and a bushing in the seatstay-to-seatpost junction. Cannondale says that this provides additional traction over a conventional rear axle design. When he reviewed the previous generation Topstone Carbon 2 in 2022, Cyclist tech editor Sam Challis said, ‘The Topstone positively glides over broken ground and provides considerably more traction on loose tracks than more conventional rigid bikes. The Kingpin pivot design is excellent. It provides much of the benefit of proper suspension without the usual downsides of increased maintenance and heavier weight.’ He did note some bobbing when riding on tarmac, however, due to the undamped travel. There’s just one spec of the Topstone Carbon available with the single leg Lefty Oliver suspension fork. This was updated for the third generation Topstone Carbon and now provides 40mm of tuneable active front suspension. All other specs are equipped with a standard carbon fork with gear mounts on the fork legs. In common with many competing gravel race bikes, such as the Specialized Crux and the BMC Kaius, the SuperX foregoes active suspension features in favour of lighter weight and mechanical simplicity. Instead, it relies on the tyres’ volume and a severely thinned out bottom half of the seat tube to cushion its rider from the trails. Related Posts Best gravel race bikes 2025 reviewed Best gravel adventure bikes 2025 reviewed Specialized Diverge vs Crux: The best Specialized gravel bike in 2025 Gravel groupsets reviewed: Shimano vs SRAM vs Campagnolo Canyon Grizl vs new Grail: The best Canyon gravel bike in 2025 The best gravel bikes 2025 reviewed Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: geometry Topstone alloyTopstone CarbonSuperX Frame sizeLG5656 Seat tube length553518546 Seat tube angle73.1°73.1°73.3° Head tube length180142153 Head tube angle71.0°70.7°71.0° Effective top tube length572564558 Bottom bracket drop757669 Chainstay length435420422 Frame reach394383385 Frame stack610597575 Wheelbase106510361034 Trail656765 Front centre641628621 All dimensions in millimetres except frame angles The Topstone and the SuperX have different geometries, reflecting their different expected usage. There are some differences in geometry between the Topstone Carbon and the alloy Topstone too. The alloy bike has a longer wheelbase, longer front centre, longer frame reach and longer chainstays than the carbon Topstone. The latest Topstone has an increased bottom bracket drop over its predecessor, which is now close to the alloy bike and should, along with the other differences, favour stability. The SuperX’s geometry now closely matches the Topstone Carbon in most respects, although its frame angles are slightly steeper. It looks less similar than it actually is, thanks to the near-horizontal top tube versus the Topstone’s headtube’s much greater slope. Cannondale emphasises its OutFront geometry on its gravel bikes. This lowers the head tube angle and increases the fork rake to reduce the front wheel trail, which Cannondale says makes for stability at speed along with agility. In reality, Cannondale’s numbers are in the mid-range for front end geometry for gravel bikes. Some, such as the Argonaut Supernaut GR3 go significantly slacker. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: standards Cannondale has a history of using less common set-ups on its bikes. It was the originator of the PressFit bottom bracket, for example. But the latest generation of its bikes largely follows a more traditional set-up. While the first generation Topstone Carbon and the SuperX’s predecessor, the SuperSix Evo SE, followed some atypical standards, Cannondale has reverted to a standard BSA threaded bottom bracket, standard rear wheel geometry and standard thru-axles on the Topstone Carbon, alloy Topstone and SuperX. These design choices should make component replacement and upgrades easier. Cannondale Although the third generation Topstone Carbon frame is compatible with Cannondale’s SmartSense lighting and radar system, powered by a single central battery, Cannondale is not selling any specs with the system fitted. It’s not selling SmartSense aftermarket either, so it looks as if it’s quietly retiring the system. Instead, you get in-frame storage, matching many of the latest generation of the best gravel bikes, although the SuperX doesn’t have this feature. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: groupsets Cannondale Cannondale specs a range of different groupsets across its Topstone range, reflecting the wide range of price points at which the bike is sold. The carbon bike now gets internal cable/hose routing, making for a cleaner looking front end and also enabling you to fit a bar bag more easily without the risk of snarling cables. The SuperX too gets internal routing, in its case in the cause of improved aerodynamics. Higher specs of the Topstone are equipped with either Shimano GRX 2×12-speed groupsets (with one 1×12 GRX option) or SRAM 1x mullet builds. Switch to the lower priced alloy Topstones and mechanical SRAM Apex XPLR and Shimano GRX 11-speed and 10-speed feature. The two lower specs have Shimano Sora 9-speed and finally Microshift Advent X, the latter with a wide range 11-48t 10-speed cassette. The top spec LAB71 SuperX has a SRAM Red XPLR AXS 1×13-speed groupset, while the two lower specs are equipped with 2×12-speed Shimano GRX Di2 and mechanical GRX 2×12-speed shifting. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: sizing Cannondale sizes the Topstone alloy bikes from XS to XL, rather than by frame size number. It states that riders from 147cm to 203cm tall should find a suitable bike size. The Topstone Carbon and SuperX both have 48, 51, 54, 56, 58 and 61 frame sizes available. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: wheels and tyres Cannondale As you’d expect, there’s a range of wheelsets specced as you go through the specs and pricepoints for the Topstone. The top two specs are equipped with Reserve 40|44 carbon rims on DT Swiss hubs, while lower down the range, WTB i25 alloy rims are specced. The SuperX gets the same Reserve carbon rims on DT Swiss hubs for the two higher specs, while the base spec has DT Swiss G1800 alloy rims on DT hubs. SuperX bikes are all fitted with 40mm Vittoria Terreno T50 tyres, while the Topstone Carbon has Vittoria Terreno Dry 45mm tyres in the top spec and WTB Raddler 44mm, Riddler 45mm or WTB Resolute 42mm tyres lower down the range. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: ranges compared Next, we’ll run through the entire UK ranges for each of Cannondale’s gravel bikes, from the most expensive to the entry spec for each, with a brief spec run-down including frame, groupset and wheelset. Cannondale Topstone bike range Cannondale Topstone Carbon LTD Di2 Frame: Topstone Carbon Fork: Topstone Carbon rigid Groupset: Shimano GRX RX825 Di2 48/31T / 11-34T, 12-speed Wheels: Reserve 40|44 GR carbon rims on DT Swiss 240 hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 45mm Bars: Easton EC90 AX carbon Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo X3 Seatpost: SAVE Carbon Claimed weight: 8.9kg (size 56) Price: $7,300 / €7,499 Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS Frame: Topstone Carbon Fork: Lefty Oliver Carbon, 40mm travel Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS/GX Eagle T-Type, 42T / 10-52T, 12-speed Wheels: Reserve 40|44 GR carbon rims on Lefty 50 (F), DT Swiss 370 (R) hubs Tyres: WTB Raddler TCS Light 44mm Bars: Easton EC70 AX carbon Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo X5 Seatpost: SAVE Carbon Claimed weight: 9.8kg (size 56) Price: $6,500 / €6,999 Topstone Carbon 2 AXS – 1x Frame: Topstone Carbon Fork: Topstone Carbon rigid Groupset: SRAM Apex AXS/GX Eagle T-Type, 42T / 10-52T, 12-speed Wheels: WTB KOM Team i25 TCS on Formula hubs Tyres: WTB Riddler TCS Light 45mm Bars: Cannondale 2 ShortDrop alloy Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo X7 Seatpost: Cannondale 2 carbon Claimed weight: 9.9kg (size 56) Price: $4,300 / €4,299 Topstone Carbon 2 GRX – 2x Frame: Topstone Carbon Fork: Topstone Carbon rigid Groupset: Shimano GRX RX820, 48/31T / 11-34T, 12-speed Wheels: WTB KOM Team i25 TCS on Shimano TC500 hubs Tyres: WTB Riddler TCS Light 45mm Bars: Cannondale 2 ShortDrop alloy Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Fizik Terra Argo X7 Seatpost: Cannondale 2 carbon Claimed weight: 9.9kg (size 56) Price: $4,000 / €3,999 Topstone Carbon 3 GRX – 1x Frame: Topstone Carbon Fork: Topstone Carbon rigid Groupset: Shimano GRX RX820/610, 40T / 10-51T, 12-speed Wheels: WTB ST i25 TCS on Shimano TC500 hubs Tyres: WTB Riddler TCS Light 45mm Bars: Cannondale 3 alloy Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Selle Royal SRX Open Seatpost: Cannondale 3 alloy Claimed weight: 10.3kg (size 56) Price: $3,400 / €3,299 Topstone Carbon 3 GRX – 2x Frame: Topstone Carbon Fork: Topstone Carbon rigid Groupset: Shimano GRX RX820/610, 46/30T / 11-36T, 12-speed Wheels: WTB ST i25 TCS on Shimano TC500 hubs Tyres: WTB Resolute TCS Light 42mm Bars: Cannondale 3 alloy Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Selle Royal SRX Open Seatpost: Cannondale 3 alloy Claimed weight: 10.2kg (size 56) Price: $3,400 / €3,299 Cannondale Topstone 1 Frame: Topstone SmartForm C2 alloy Fork: Topstone Carbon Handlebars: Cannondale 3 alloy Groupset: Shimano GRX RX810 46/30t, 11-34t 11-speed Wheels: WTB ST i23 TCS rims on Formula hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 35mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante Delta Price: £2,200 Cannondale Topstone Apex 1 Frame: Topstone SmartForm C2 alloy Fork: Topstone Carbon Handlebars: Cannondale 3 alloy Groupset: SRAM Apex XPLR mechanical 40t, 11-44t 12-speed Wheels: GXD 1.0 on Formula hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 38mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante Delta Price: £2,200 Cannondale Topstone 2 Frame: Topstone SmartForm C2 alloy Fork: Topstone Carbon Handlebars: Cannondale 3 alloy Groupset: Shimano GRX RX400 46/30t, 11-34t 10-speed Wheels: WTB ST i23 TCS rims on Formula hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 37mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante Delta Price: £1,800 Cannondale Topstone 3 Frame: Topstone SmartForm C2 alloy Fork: Topstone Carbon Handlebars: Cannondale 3 alloy Groupset: Shimano Sora GS 46/30t, 11-34t 9-speed Wheels: GXD 1.0 on Formula hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 37mm Saddle: Fizik Aliante Delta Price: £1,400 Cannondale Topstone 4 Frame: Topstone SmartForm C2 alloy Fork: Topstone Carbon Handlebars: Cannondale 3 alloy Groupset: Microshift Advent X 40t, 11-48t 10-speed Wheels: GXD 1.0 on Formula hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno Dry 37mm Saddle: Cannondale Stage CX Price: £1,200 Cannondale SuperX bike range Cannondale Lab71 SuperX Frame/fork: Lab71 SuperX, Series 0 Carbon Groupset: SRAM Red XPLR AXS 42, 10-46T, 13-speed Wheels: Reserve 40|44 GR rims on DT Swiss 180 hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno T50 40mm Bar/Stem: Cannondale SystemBar R-One Saddle: Fizik Vento Antares 00 Claimed weight: 7.4kg (size 56) Price: £12,500 / $15,000 / €14,999 SuperX 2 Frame/fork: SuperX Carbon Groupset: Shimano GRX RX825 Di2 48/31, 11-34T, 12-speed Wheels: Reserve 40|44 GR rims on DT Swiss 370 hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno T50 40mm Bars: FSA SL-K Compact Carbon Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Prologo Dimension AGT T4.0 Claimed weight: 8.5kg (size 56) Price: £6,550 / $6,900 / €6,999 SuperX 3 Frame/fork: SuperX Carbon Groupset: Shimano GRX RX820 48/32, 11-36T, 12-speed Wheels: DT Swiss G1800 rims on DT Swiss 370 hubs Tyres: Vittoria Terreno T50 40mm Bars: Cannondale C2 alloy Stem: Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy Saddle: Prologo Dimension AGT STN Claimed weight: 9.1kg (size 56) Price: £4,250 / $4,200 / €4,499 Cannondale LAB71 SuperX frameset The LAB71 SuperX is also available frameset-only, priced at £4,950 / $5,500 / €5,499. Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: which should you choose? Cannondale The Topstone and Topstone Carbon are designed to be general use gravel bikes, with a bias towards the more gnarly end of the gravel spectrum. Opt for the Topstone Carbon and you’ll get rear compliance without significant weight. They’re designed to handle bikepacking duties too, while the Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS provides a more extreme gravel set-up. In contrast, the SuperX is aimed at gravel racers and cyclocross use. It foregoes even the lightweight suspension of the Topstone Carbon in favour of aero tube profiles and reliance on the tyres to provide traction and compliance. If you’re into fast gravel this might be the better choice. The 48mm tyre clearance combined with 33mm tyres means that the SuperX has plenty of clearance to handle muddy cyclocross races as well. The LAB71 SuperX is as spendy as gravel race bikes get and its price exceeds even the S-Works Crux, so it’s probably only an option for the gravel pros and the most serious amateur gravel and cyclocross racers. If you can stand the extra kilogram-plus in weight, the lower spec SuperX bikes are a more wallet-friendly option though. The Topstone range is more versatile and provides a wider choice of specs too, so if you’re looking for a less expensive gravel bike or extra luggage mounts then this may be the better bike for you. Read our 2025 Cannondale Topstone and Cannondale SuperX launch stories for more details to help you to choose. The post New Cannondale Topstone vs SuperX: The best Cannondale gravel bike in 2025 appeared first on Cyclist.