CANNONDALE CAPO

Let me take you back to a different era. If you were born after 1985, you?re going to have to just read on and take my word for it. This was a time when new Labour was still old. When women had large perms, and so did the men. With slip ons, stay pressed, and a mullet, you really did cut the mustard (remember DJ Pat Sharp).

Cycle lanes in London were little more than an undesignated area on the far left of any road that you used at your peril. Cycle couriers could be seen daubed in war paint, sporting converse boots, and Lycra shorts that looked like they had been designed using a highlighter pen.

MTBs had just arrived in the UK. They were available in one size only, and that was big. ?Active geometry? would have been an insult saved for the swat in your maths class. Certain things were the same though; several brands were much sought after. Alongside Klein and Gary Fisher, Cannondale made some of the most prized machines on the street. And long before the Di Luca lime green Super Six, the bikes looked very much like the new Limited Edition Capo model.

But underneath the new/old paint job there exists a steed that represents perhaps the latest approach to urban riding. This is a utilitarian single speed bike designed for flat city streets, where you just jump on and go. Leave your expensive ten-speed wonder machine at home. The drivetrain on the Capo probably costs less than its tyres. With its retro styling it looks less desirable to thieves too.

Maybe thanks to couriers, in recent years there has been an explosion in the popularity of track bikes used in town. Ride the trend with the Capo, because despite coming off the shelf fitted with a single speed freewheel, thanks to the horizontal dropouts you can, of course, fit a fixed wheel sprocket and try it for yourself. Another feature firmly derived from the noughties is the carbon forks. These save weight, and provide comfort on road surfaces that are hopefully slightly better than those in the eighties.

The bike is based on Cannondale's proprietary CAAD5 aluminium Optimo track frame.

The gearing is 48t chainring at the front and a 17t freewheel at the back. Wheels are a combination of Formula hubs and Mach 1 rims shod with Maxxis Fuse 700x25c tyres. Cannondale C2 carbon-wrapped seat post, Selle San Marco Ponza Lux saddle, own brand stem and bars complete the package.

The Capo will be available in sizes 48-63cm and the Race Red model with Lightning White details is a limited edition. Just 200 bikes will be shipped to Europe. The price is £549.00.

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