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Cannondale Carbon  

High modulus carbon is the key phrase when you want the ultimate in stiffness and lightness in a bike frame.  So, what is high modulus carbon?

"Modulus" when applied to composite frames = ability of a material (in this case, carbon filaments) to deform under load.  The more resistant to deformation (stiffer) a carbon filament is, the higher its modulus (msi).  According to Easton, the four most commonly used moduli are: 

According to an earlier Isaac Cycles website Q&A page:

"If you look at a carbon filament under a scanning electron-microscope you will notice that the surface is rough and flawed. Therefore only the core of the filament can bear tensile loads. The rough surface is superfluous, but contributes to the weight. High-Modulus carbon is simply the same filament with the useless surface stripped off."

Higher modulus filaments require more processing, so they are more expensive.  Higher modulus filaments are stiffer, but also more brittle, so Cannondale's Hi-Modulus frames use 95% high modulus filaments for the top tube, and 90% high modulus filaments for the down and seat tubes.  The remainder of the filaments are medium modulus, for durability.

Cannondale uses medium modulus filaments for their non-Hi-Modulus frames, which typically weigh about 100gm more than the same frame built with Hi-Modulus tubing.

Cannondale carbon includes:

Cannondale Aluminum

At the 2009 Green Mountain Stage Race, the Cannondale CAAD9 was the only aluminum frame that had a significant presence.  From the summit of Appalachian Gap, we watched the finish of the Mad River stage, and we estimated that one out every ten riders was on a CAAD9.  That's one heck of an endorsement from your fellow riders.