Not Carbon. Not Sorry.

Pure speed. Pure adrenaline. A celebration of Cannondale’s aluminium racing heritage and the thrill of riding right on the limit.

PARTNERS
Jack Berg
Cam Yarrow
Thermal Spring Track

ROLE
Brand Strategy

Campaign Direction

Creative Direction

Decades of pushing aluminium

Feel it in the first turn

01 — STRATEGY

Make metal matter again.

Cannondale built its racing heritage on aluminium. For decades, it pushed the limits of what the material could do, from how light a frame could be to how it felt under a rider.

CAAD14 was a chance to return to those roots and celebrate what riders love about aluminium. The response when you put the power down. The feel of the road through the frame. The character of a bike built to go fast.

Riders, collectors and builders had kept that enthusiasm alive for years. The launch gave us a way to celebrate their loyalty and introduce a new generation to CAAD.

IDEA
Not Carbon. Not Sorry.

OUTPUT
A global product launch campaign celebrating speed, heritage and community.

02 — THE CAMPAIGN

Speed Metal brought the raw thrill of riding fast to life.

The acceleration. The corners. The split-second decisions. That moment when instinct takes over.

Working with Jack Berg, Cam Yarrow and Thermal Spring Track, we built the campaign around the feeling of riding flat out.

03 — THE LAUNCH

The Cult of CAAD.

Some bikes have fans. CAAD has a following.

For the global launch, we looked back through Cannondale’s vintage ads, drawing on the irreverence with which the brand had championed aluminium from the start. That same attitude ran through Not Carbon. Not Sorry.

We also connected with the riders, collectors and builders who had made CAAD a cult favourite. Through Meet the Aluminati, we shared stories and custom builds from superfans like Marcel, better known as CAADASTROPHE, who had kept that spirit alive long before CAAD14 arrived.

CAMPAIGN CONTENT

Advertising | Legacy | UGC