Cannondale vs Trek: the good, the bad and the ugly

Oct 28, 2024 8 min

Cannondale vs Trek: the good, the bad and the ugly

There’s no two ways about it: both Cannondale and Trek are world-renowned bike brands that sell high quality bikes. If you’re toying between the two, how do you decide?

Both brands have been around for decades and have long histories of pushing the bike industry forwards through innovation and design. They have similar bike models and are no strangers to the top step of a WorldTour podium. So, when it comes down to it, which brand is best?

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Cannondale vs Trek: history and origins

Both Cannondale and Trek have cemented their place in the market with their successes.

History of Cannondale - from trailers to TT bikes

Cannondale began life in 1971 initially to manufacture concrete housing (believe it or not!). Business partners came and went over the years but their first bicycle-related innovation came in the form of a trailer. It was well-received and the company became the world’s largest manufacturer of lightweight bicycle bags. Yes, bikepacking has been around a long time now!

It wasn’t until Todd Patterson joined the company that Cannondale manufactured its first bike and it was released in 1983. Since then, they’ve gone from strength to strength challenging what’s possible with bike design.

Today, you’ll see their brand name across a range of road bikes, mountain bikes and time trial bikes. Their aim: disrupt and innovate.

History of Trek: Oregon to the world

Trek is one of the giants in the cycling world with strong family values. For almost 50 years, they’ve been a trusted brand to millions all over the world and they’re still owned by its employees and the family that founded it all those years ago.

They started to crack the market in the 1980s producing their first aluminium and carbon fibre road bikes. Trek expanded its headquarters to keep up with demand and invested heavily in carbon manufacturing equipment and expertise. They became a household name by the early 90s and bolstered their product offerings with parts, accessories and cycling kit.

In 1992 they released their first full-suspension mountain bike and a year later they released the world’s lightest production mountain bike.

By the late 1990s, Trek could be seen on the world stage sponsoring the United States Postal Service professional team which included Lance Armstrong.

Now, they sponsor an array of teams of riders from multiple cycling disciplines: Lidl-Trek road cycling team and Trek Factory Racing in MTB and cyclocross.

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Cannondale vs Trek: road bikes

Cannondale and Trek are both well known brands in the road bike market. They both sponsor WorldTour cycling teams, they both have the same range: racing bikes, lightweight bikes, TT bikes.

Let’s dive into each brand’s offerings.

Cannondale road bikes

Cannondale has the following road bikes in their range:

SystemSix: a carbon fibre aero road bike with disc brakes
SuperSix: the all-round carbon race bike available in a range of specs to suit every budget
CAAD: an aluminium race bike with a cult reputation
Synapse: a carbon or aluminium endurance bike

There really is something for everyone with Cannondale. Their road bikes are proven time and again on the world stage with the EF Education-EasyPost team. One thing that really sticks out with Cannondale road bikes is the company’s choice of colour schemes. Perhaps marmite to some, Cannondale’s colour schemes often result in riders standing out in a sea of black frames.

Cannondale’s cheapest road bike is around £900 for their entry-level bike. At the other end of the spectrum, you’re looking at £12,500 for the top specced road bike.

See Cannondale's road bikes on buycycle now!

Trek road bikes

Trek has cleverly named each of the bikes in their road bike range as an anagram of the same word.

Domane: an endurance road bike including one model with rim brakes
Madone: Trek’s carbon aero race bike with disc brakes
Emonda: an alloy or carbon all-rounder road bike, discontinued in 2024

Trek has historically grouped its road bikes into three clear categories with little overlap between them. This makes it much easier for riders to narrow down the choice to find a bike they’ll love. These days, you just have the choice between the Trek Madone vs Domane, however, after the lightweight Emonda was deemed to be surplus to requirements with the latest Madone already a very, very light bike.

Trek road bikes start at a slightly lower price point than Cannondale’s at just £750. At the upper end, you can spend over £16,000 for your dream machine.

See Trek's road bikes on buycycle now!

Cannondale vs Trek: mountain bikes

Whether you’re looking for a hardtail mountain bike or a full-suspension MTB, cross-country MTB or trail MTB, both Trek and Cannondale have solid options.

Cannondale mountain bikes

Cannondale has a wide range of mountain bikes for all kinds of riders. Their three most popular MTBs are:

Scalpel: a cross-country MTB available as a full-suspension bike or hardtail
Habit: all-rounder MTB available in both hardtail and full-sus
Jekyll: an enduro race bike that comes alive when you point it downhill

Of these models, the most affordable is the Habit HT (hardtail) which sits around the £1,500 mark. For those looking for a full-sus MTB the Habit 4 is a great option.

For those who want to hone their XC skills, the Scalpel is the bike you’ll want. Ridden by Alan Hatherly to victory at the 2024 XCO World Championships, this bike wins.

At the more gnarly end of MTB racing, the Jekyll will tick a lot of boxes for gravity riders.

See Cannondale's mountain bikes on buycycle

Trek mountain bikes

As one of the early innovators in the mountain bike world, Trek has an impressive range with many of them no stranger to the top step of the podium:

Supercaliber: Trek’s cross-country race bike available as a hardtail with the Procaliber
Fuel EX: all-rounder full-suspension trail bike.
Remedy: a more burly trail bike with 10 mm more travel than the Fuel
Slash: Trek’s race-winning enduro MTB

Trek has invested heavily into their mountain bike technology and professional race teams and the results speak for themselves. With British XCO sensation Evie Richards constantly at the pointy end of the XCO World Cups, the power of the Supercaliber is obvious.

At the gnarly end of MTB racing, Hattie Harnden is showing everyone how it’s done on board the Slash.

See Trek's mountain bikes on buycycle

Cannondale vs Trek: LAB71 vs Project One

Both Cannondale and Trek have a segment for riders who want to add flair to their bikes.

LAB71 is reserved for the top-end Cannondale bikes and features the highest grade carbon and components. They’re the bikes of the pros.

Project One is Trek’s brand for customised bikes. Riders can choose their frame colour and parts (groupset, wheels, and so on). Each bike is handbuilt with the highest attention to detail.

Final thoughts: which bike should you buy between Cannondale or Trek?

Cannondale and Trek have extensive ranges of road bikes and mountain bikes. You really can’t go wrong with either brand.

Buy Cannondale if you…

…want a well-built bike from a brand that champions innovation. Cannondale is always looking ahead to what’s next, as demonstrated by their Lefty fork (an upside-down single-sided suspension fork) on some of their mountain bikes.

See Cannondale's bikes

Buy Trek if you…

…want a trusted household name with reliability and high quality at the core of what they deliver. Trek is a long-standing family company supporting pro riders of all disciplines to drive their bikes forwards.

See Trek's bikes

Cannondale and Trek at buycycle

buycycle has a range of Cannondale and Trek bikes to suit everyone. If you can’t find one now, save a search and we’ll notify you when something arrives. Shopping second-hand allows you to get better value on your dream bike. The beauty of buycycle is you can purchase with confidence: we’ll refund you if you’re not happy with your bike when it arrives.

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