Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty 3 | Topstone Neo Carbon With Lefty Models OF 2024

Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty 3

In 2016, I went through a few times riding Cannondale’s Slate around Tucson, Arizona. The Slate was a bit of a odd thing at the time: rock gear as we know it nowadays was in its earliest stages, and the Slate was an aluminum-framed, 650b as it were, “New Road” bicycle with 30mm-travel dual-crown Lefty Oliver suspension fork. I thought the Slate was near to something curiously, but on the street, it was a pig compared to a street bicycle, and off-road it was hamstrung by its too-tall equipment and too-slick tires. I moreover thought the Lefty’s spring and damper execution slacked distantly behind what RockShox and Fox advertised at the time. The Slate had things to like, but it too appeared like it required more time to bake.

ALSO READ THIS :How to ride an electric bike  uphill

Four more long hours to prepare, clearly. In numerous self-evident ways, the Topstone Carbon models with the unused Lefty Oliver are the otherworldly successors to the Slate. But they are more completely realized than the Slate ever was.

The Unused Lefty Oliver

The Topstone Carbon’s 30mm raised suspension is viable, but it asks for something up front to adjust out the ride. That something is presently here: a slimmed-down adaptation of Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho upside-down, single-crown, single-sided, suspension fork.

ALSO READ THIS :Electric Bicycle Riding Tips and Tricks

The Lefty Oliver found on the Topstone offers 30mm of air-sprung and powerfully damped travel. The claimed weight for the carbon form is 1340 grams, whereas the aluminum adaptation weighs 1610 grams. It will fit up to a 650x47mm tire or a 700x45mm tire.

It employs a standard 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 inch decreased steerer, and if you like its look, you can purchase the carbon form in the aftermarket for $1,500 and update your existing Topstone Carbon. As distant as staying it on other rock bicycles, note that the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of counterbalanced, which might do offbeat things for your bike’s taking care of if it was outlined around a shorter balanced fork (a ordinary rock fork would be 45mm counterbalanced, provide or take a few millimeters). This is how it stacks up against other rock suspension forks: Fox’s 40mm travel 32 AX ( 700x40mm or 650x47mm clearance) weighs almost 1315 grams and offers for $819, whereas Lauf’s 30mm travel Coarseness SL fork weighs 850 grams and offers for $990 ( 700x45mm or 650x53mm clearance).

The Lefty Oliver weighs 1610g in the aluminum adaptation (appeared), or 1340g in the carbon version.

Though it’s the most brief travel Lefty, it offers the signature highlights of Cannondale’s special suspension fork. That incorporates the three-sided interface between the upper and lower legs claimed to avoid turning, the three sets of needle heading the fork rolls on as it cycles through its travel, and the decreased stub-axle that the restrictive bolt-on center fits over. The single leg plan does have a striking space challenge. The Lefty packs both the spring and the damper into the same leg—suspension forks from Fox and RockShox put the spring in one leg, and the damper in the other.

Compared to Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho mountain bicycle forks, the Oliver gets a special spring and damper tune. The spring is tuned to keep the fork riding close to the best of its travel—with as it were 30mm accessible you need each bit prepared. The damper has a bit of a “platform” tune planning to constrain development from rider inputs—should provide it more of a conventional unbending fork feel on smoother surfaces. There’s moreover a lockout for hardpack and asphalt, but a blowoff backs it in case you whack a bump.

As far as geometry goes, the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of rake, the same as the Topstone Carbon’s inflexible fork. This ties into Cannondale’s OutFront geometry concept, which sets a good-for-nothing head point with a longer counterbalanced fork for to thrust the front wheel forward for a longer wheelbase and less toe-overlap, but keeps path in check (a road-like 57mm in most sizes) to keep a light controlling feel. It’s a touch longer than an inflexible fork— I measured the Lefty Oliver’s hub to crown and got 407mm, which is 12mm longer than an Enve G-Series rock fork.

Worth the Weight?

Here’s the thing about suspension: It weighs more than not suspension. But if done well, it has consolation, footing, speed, and control benefits that an unbending bicycle can’t match.

But the weight and complexity is something to consider. The lightest Lefty Oliver weighs over 1300 grams. An inflexible carbon rock fork weighs 500 to 600 grams (Enve’s rock fork is 520 grams, claimed). The Oliver has seals and orientation, and a damper that needs overhauling and you can’t mount things to the Oliver for bicycle pressing or long rides.

One of the side benefits of the Lefty plan is you can alter a level without expelling the wheel from the bicycle. But if you do require to evacuate the front wheel, the Oliver has a quick-release brake caliper mount that’s simple to utilize, idiot proof, and appears amazingly strong. Top of note: the Oliver takes a flat-mount caliper(so do Lauf’s forks) which the Fox AX suspension fork does not.

Suspension has benefits, but is not without compromise.

But suspension has veritable benefits that can counterbalance the included weight for a few riders, and in numerous circumstances. We went through this with mountain bicycles, and presently it might be gravel’s turn. The suspension rock bicycle may never surpass the category like full-suspension mountain bicycles have in their world. Still, suspension rock will, and ought to, exist as a practical elective that exceeds expectations in a few conditions—just like the hardtail mountain bicycle does today.

And if you’re not a fan of the extra weight, cost, and support punishments suspension causes, or the non-traditional looks, don’t stress. We’re a long way from suspension—front or full—overtaking the rock category. There are bounties of conventional inflexible rock bicycles to buy.

Topstone Neo Carbon With Lefty Models

Coinciding with the dispatch of the Lefty Oliver is the dispatch of the e-versions of Cannondale’s Topstone Carbon rock bicycle. In the USA, there are three class-three models beginning with the $5,800 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3, and topping out with the $9,000 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 1. In the center is the Topstone Carbon Neo 2, $6,500, which has an inflexible carbon fork.

The Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 ($3,750) employs the aluminum Lefty Oliver, a Shimano GRX 1×11 drivetrain, and has a standard aluminum bar and stem, and aluminum rims.

ALSO READ THIS :Ribble Continuance SL

Reviewed: Cannondale’s Topstone Neo Carbon 3 Lefty

The Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3 weighs about 40 pounds, has an engine that helps up to 28mph, knobby tires, and is basically a full suspension bicycle. It’s not beautiful, it’s a bit peculiar, but it’s a super great time.

The star of the show—the Lefty Oliver—works exceptionally well. As publicized, rider inputs don’t actuate much movement, and it remains tall in its travel. As a result, the control feels approximately the same as a rock bicycle with an inflexible fork, and I didn’t feel the fork sinking through its travel when cornering on harder surfaces.

The Oliver isn’t as supple off the beat like a mountain bicycle fork, and it takes a greater bump to start travel. For this reason, it’s simple to underinflate the fork if you’re used to how a mountain bicycle fork feels. Underinflation leads to a trap entryway impact: the Oliver holds itself up, but at that point blows through its travel when the stage is overcome. With the right sum of weight, the Oliver moves off its stage easily and does incredible work smoothing out numerous bumps—better than the Topstone’s raised suspension. It gives discernibly more braking footing, cornering footing, and generally control, as well as moved forward consolation. Combined with the 30mm of raised travel, the Topstone Neo is an exceptionally smooth bicycle in numerous situations.

But the Oliver has fair 30mm of travel, and when hung on the front of a 40-pound e-bike that helps up to 28mph, well, it’s simple to utilize all that travel up (indeed with the 10psi of extra weight Cannondale prescribes when running the Oliver on an e-bike). In spite of the fact that it worked well on single hits and numerous of the bumps found on numerous rock streets, I found it was rapidly overpowered by an arrangement of braking bumps and square-edged rocks. It’s distantly prevalent to an inflexible fork, but I too feel like it is distant from the final word in rock front suspension. I did not get a chance to ride the Oliver on the much lighter acoustic Topstone, in spite of the fact that I suspect it may feel superior without the extra mass of the ebike flying around.

One thing that is without address in spite of the fact that, is its controlling accuracy. It’s hefty and feels sharp and exact, indeed on the front of an overwhelming ebike. Its fore/aft firmness is particularly uncommon: nary a jerk or squirm from the front conclusion indeed when difficult on the brakes.

The execution of Bosch’s engines is well built up. The Topstone Neo’s Execution Line Speed has great snort and runs easily and sensibly discreetly. It’s freaking quick as well: climbing up a decently-steep slope at over 20 mph quickly. But this motor—most regularly utilized for street bicycle models—is so capable that it gets to be a bit of a modest bunch off-road. It can be challenging to oversee footing on looser surfaces, and it can quicken so rapidly that it feels like the acknowledged bull in a china shop on more tightly trails. The bicycle was smoother taking care of and simpler to ride in a few circumstances by turning it down to its least help modes.

But with so much control and speed on tap, it does burn the battery. Cannondale claims a most extreme extent of 79 miles from the 500Wh battery. But that will go down, way down, as you turn up the help, or point it tough. In don mode—2nd to most noteworthy assist—I burned a full charge in almost 49 minutes on a 12.6-mile climb with 32oo feet of gain

The raise conclusion of the Topsone flexes to offer 30 mm of travel

The construct on the demonstration I tested—the lowest-priced Topstone Carbon Neo—was incredible. The Shimano GRX drivetrain moved as it continuously does: smooth, quick, exact, calm. The plate brakes were too smooth and simple to control, with a bounty of control to moderate this monster down. On asphalt, the WTB Unfaltering tires feel lovely quick and roll discreetly for such a knobby tire. On earth and rock, they give fabulous footing and great cornering grasp with an exceptionally unsurprising breakaway. The tires and WTB edges too appear lovely though—a great thing since on a 40-pound course 3 e-bike, you’re going to hit things hard.

But I’m a bit bewildered why the e-version of the Topstone with Lefty gets 42mm tires whereas the unpowered Topstone with Lefty gets 47mm tires. I’d like to see the fatter tires on the e-bike as well. I’m too at a misfortune to get it why the e-Topstone doesn’t get a bento-box mount on the beat tube like the unpowered version

Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty 3

In 2016, I went through a few times riding Cannondale’s Slate around Tucson, Arizona. The Slate was a bit of a odd thing at the time: rock gear as we know it nowadays was in its earliest stages, and the Slate was an aluminum-framed, 650b as it were, “New Road” bicycle with 30mm-travel dual-crown Lefty Oliver suspension fork. I thought the Slate was near to something curiously, but on the street, it was a pig compared to a street bicycle, and off-road it was hamstrung by its too-tall equipment and too-slick tires. I moreover thought the Lefty’s spring and damper execution slacked distantly behind what RockShox and Fox advertised at the time. The Slate had things to like, but it too appeared like it required more time to bake.

Four more long hours to prepare, clearly. In numerous self-evident ways, the Topstone Carbon models with the unused Lefty Oliver are the otherworldly successors to the Slate. But they are more completely realized than the Slate ever was.

The Unused Lefty Oliver

The Topstone Carbon’s 30mm raised suspension is viable, but it asks for something up front to adjust out the ride. That something is presently here: a slimmed-down adaptation of Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho upside-down, single-crown, single-sided, suspension fork.

The Lefty Oliver found on the Topstone offers 30mm of air-sprung and powerfully damped travel. The claimed weight for the carbon form is 1340 grams, whereas the aluminum adaptation weighs 1610 grams. It will fit up to a 650x47mm tire or a 700x45mm tire.

It employs a standard 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 inch decreased steerer, and if you like its look, you can purchase the carbon form in the aftermarket for $1,500 and update your existing Topstone Carbon. As distant as staying it on other rock bicycles, note that the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of counterbalanced, which might do offbeat things for your bike’s taking care of if it was outlined around a shorter balanced fork (a ordinary rock fork would be 45mm counterbalanced, provide or take a few millimeters). This is how it stacks up against other rock suspension forks: Fox’s 40mm travel 32 AX ( 700x40mm or 650x47mm clearance) weighs almost 1315 grams and offers for $819, whereas Lauf’s 30mm travel Coarseness SL fork weighs 850 grams and offers for $990 ( 700x45mm or 650x53mm clearance).

The Lefty Oliver weighs 1610g in the aluminum adaptation (appeared), or 1340g in the carbon version.

Though it’s the most brief travel Lefty, it offers the signature highlights of Cannondale’s special suspension fork. That incorporates the three-sided interface between the upper and lower legs claimed to avoid turning, the three sets of needle heading the fork rolls on as it cycles through its travel, and the decreased stub-axle that the restrictive bolt-on center fits over. The single leg plan does have a striking space challenge. The Lefty packs both the spring and the damper into the same leg—suspension forks from Fox and RockShox put the spring in one leg, and the damper in the other.

Compared to Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho mountain bicycle forks, the Oliver gets a special spring and damper tune. The spring is tuned to keep the fork riding close to the best of its travel—with as it were 30mm accessible you need each bit prepared. The damper has a bit of a “platform” tune planning to constrain development from rider inputs—should provide it more of a conventional unbending fork feel on smoother surfaces. There’s moreover a lockout for hardpack and asphalt, but a blowoff backs it in case you whack a bump.

As far as geometry goes, the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of rake, the same as the Topstone Carbon’s inflexible fork. This ties into Cannondale’s OutFront geometry concept, which sets a good-for-nothing head point with a longer counterbalanced fork for to thrust the front wheel forward for a longer wheelbase and less toe-overlap, but keeps path in check (a road-like 57mm in most sizes) to keep a light controlling feel. It’s a touch longer than an inflexible fork— I measured the Lefty Oliver’s hub to crown and got 407mm, which is 12mm longer than an Enve G-Series rock fork.

Worth the Weight?

Here’s the thing about suspension: It weighs more than not suspension. But if done well, it has consolation, footing, speed, and control benefits that an unbending bicycle can’t match.

But the weight and complexity is something to consider. The lightest Lefty Oliver weighs over 1300 grams. An inflexible carbon rock fork weighs 500 to 600 grams (Enve’s rock fork is 520 grams, claimed). The Oliver has seals and orientation, and a damper that needs overhauling and you can’t mount things to the Oliver for bicycle pressing or long rides.

One of the side benefits of the Lefty plan is you can alter a level without expelling the wheel from the bicycle. But if you do require to evacuate the front wheel, the Oliver has a quick-release brake caliper mount that’s simple to utilize, idiot proof, and appears amazingly strong. Top of note: the Oliver takes a flat-mount caliper(so do Lauf’s forks) which the Fox AX suspension fork does not.

Suspension has benefits, but is not without compromise.

But suspension has veritable benefits that can counterbalance the included weight for a few riders, and in numerous circumstances. We went through this with mountain bicycles, and presently it might be gravel’s turn. The suspension rock bicycle may never surpass the category like full-suspension mountain bicycles have in their world. Still, suspension rock will, and ought to, exist as a practical elective that exceeds expectations in a few conditions—just like the hardtail mountain bicycle does today.

And if you’re not a fan of the extra weight, cost, and support punishments suspension causes, or the non-traditional looks, don’t stress. We’re a long way from suspension—front or full—overtaking the rock category. There are bounties of conventional inflexible rock bicycles to buy.

Topstone Neo Carbon With Lefty Models

Coinciding with the dispatch of the Lefty Oliver is the dispatch of the e-versions of Cannondale’s Topstone Carbon rock bicycle. In the USA, there are three class-three models beginning with the $5,800 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3, and topping out with the $9,000 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 1. In the center is the Topstone Carbon Neo 2, $6,500, which has an inflexible carbon fork.

The Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 ($3,750) employs the aluminum Lefty Oliver, a Shimano GRX 1×11 drivetrain, and has a standard aluminum bar and stem, and aluminum rims.

Reviewed: Cannondale’s Topstone Neo Carbon 3 Lefty

The Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3 weighs about 40 pounds, has an engine that helps up to 28mph, knobby tires, and is basically a full suspension bicycle. It’s not beautiful, it’s a bit peculiar, but it’s a super great time.

The star of the show—the Lefty Oliver—works exceptionally well. As publicized, rider inputs don’t actuate much movement, and it remains tall in its travel. As a result, the control feels approximately the same as a rock bicycle with an inflexible fork, and I didn’t feel the fork sinking through its travel when cornering on harder surfaces.

The Oliver isn’t as supple off the beat like a mountain bicycle fork, and it takes a greater bump to start travel. For this reason, it’s simple to underinflate the fork if you’re used to how a mountain bicycle fork feels. Underinflation leads to a trap entryway impact: the Oliver holds itself up, but at that point blows through its travel when the stage is overcome. With the right sum of weight, the Oliver moves off its stage easily and does incredible work smoothing out numerous bumps—better than the Topstone’s raised suspension. It gives discernibly more braking footing, cornering footing, and generally control, as well as moved forward consolation. Combined with the 30mm of raised travel, the Topstone Neo is an exceptionally smooth bicycle in numerous situations.

But the Oliver has fair 30mm of travel, and when hung on the front of a 40-pound e-bike that helps up to 28mph, well, it’s simple to utilize all that travel up (indeed with the 10psi of extra weight Cannondale prescribes when running the Oliver on an e-bike). In spite of the fact that it worked well on single hits and numerous of the bumps found on numerous rock streets, I found it was rapidly overpowered by an arrangement of braking bumps and square-edged rocks. It’s distantly prevalent to an inflexible fork, but I too feel like it is distant from the final word in rock front suspension. I did not get a chance to ride the Oliver on the much lighter acoustic Topstone, in spite of the fact that I suspect it may feel superior without the extra mass of the ebike flying around.

One thing that is without address in spite of the fact that, is its controlling accuracy. It’s hefty and feels sharp and exact, indeed on the front of an overwhelming ebike. Its fore/aft firmness is particularly uncommon: nary a jerk or squirm from the front conclusion indeed when difficult on the brakes.

The execution of Bosch’s engines is well built up. The Topstone Neo’s Execution Line Speed has great snort and runs easily and sensibly discreetly. It’s freaking quick as well: climbing up a decently-steep slope at over 20 mph quickly. But this motor—most regularly utilized for street bicycle models—is so capable that it gets to be a bit of a modest bunch off-road. It can be challenging to oversee footing on looser surfaces, and it can quicken so rapidly that it feels like the acknowledged bull in a china shop on more tightly trails. The bicycle was smoother taking care of and simpler to ride in a few circumstances by turning it down to its least help modes.

But with so much control and speed on tap, it does burn the battery. Cannondale claims a most extreme extent of 79 miles from the 500Wh battery. But that will go down, way down, as you turn up the help, or point it tough. In don mode—2nd to most noteworthy assist—I burned a full charge in almost 49 minutes on a 12.6-mile climb with 32oo feet of gain

The raise conclusion of the Topsone flexes to offer 30 mm of travel

The construct on the demonstration I tested—the lowest-priced Topstone Carbon Neo—was incredible. The Shimano GRX drivetrain moved as it continuously does: smooth, quick, exact, calm. The plate brakes were too smooth and simple to control, with a bounty of control to moderate this monster down. On asphalt, the WTB Unfaltering tires feel lovely quick and roll discreetly for such a knobby tire. On earth and rock, they give fabulous footing and great cornering grasp with an exceptionally unsurprising breakaway. The tires and WTB edges too appear lovely though—a great thing since on a 40-pound course 3 e-bike, you’re going to hit things hard.

But I’m a bit bewildered why the e-version of the Topstone with Lefty gets 42mm tires whereas the unpowered Topstone with Lefty gets 47mm tires. I’d like to see the fatter tires on the e-bike as well. I’m too at a misfortune to get it why the e-Topstone doesn’t get a bento-box mount on the beat tube like the unpowered version

Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty 3

In 2016, I went through a few times riding Cannondale’s Slate around Tucson, Arizona. The Slate was a bit of a odd thing at the time: rock gear as we know it nowadays was in its earliest stages, and the Slate was an aluminum-framed, 650b as it were, “New Road” bicycle with 30mm-travel dual-crown Lefty Oliver suspension fork. I thought the Slate was near to something curiously, but on the street, it was a pig compared to a street bicycle, and off-road it was hamstrung by its too-tall equipment and too-slick tires. I moreover thought the Lefty’s spring and damper execution slacked distantly behind what RockShox and Fox advertised at the time. The Slate had things to like, but it too appeared like it required more time to bake.

Four more long hours to prepare, clearly. In numerous self-evident ways, the Topstone Carbon models with the unused Lefty Oliver are the otherworldly successors to the Slate. But they are more completely realized than the Slate ever was.

The Unused Lefty Oliver

The Topstone Carbon’s 30mm raised suspension is viable, but it asks for something up front to adjust out the ride. That something is presently here: a slimmed-down adaptation of Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho upside-down, single-crown, single-sided, suspension fork.

The Lefty Oliver found on the Topstone offers 30mm of air-sprung and powerfully damped travel. The claimed weight for the carbon form is 1340 grams, whereas the aluminum adaptation weighs 1610 grams. It will fit up to a 650x47mm tire or a 700x45mm tire.

It employs a standard 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 inch decreased steerer, and if you like its look, you can purchase the carbon form in the aftermarket for $1,500 and update your existing Topstone Carbon. As distant as staying it on other rock bicycles, note that the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of counterbalanced, which might do offbeat things for your bike’s taking care of if it was outlined around a shorter balanced fork (a ordinary rock fork would be 45mm counterbalanced, provide or take a few millimeters). This is how it stacks up against other rock suspension forks: Fox’s 40mm travel 32 AX ( 700x40mm or 650x47mm clearance) weighs almost 1315 grams and offers for $819, whereas Lauf’s 30mm travel Coarseness SL fork weighs 850 grams and offers for $990 ( 700x45mm or 650x53mm clearance).

The Lefty Oliver weighs 1610g in the aluminum adaptation (appeared), or 1340g in the carbon version.

Though it’s the most brief travel Lefty, it offers the signature highlights of Cannondale’s special suspension fork. That incorporates the three-sided interface between the upper and lower legs claimed to avoid turning, the three sets of needle heading the fork rolls on as it cycles through its travel, and the decreased stub-axle that the restrictive bolt-on center fits over. The single leg plan does have a striking space challenge. The Lefty packs both the spring and the damper into the same leg—suspension forks from Fox and RockShox put the spring in one leg, and the damper in the other.

Compared to Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho mountain bicycle forks, the Oliver gets a special spring and damper tune. The spring is tuned to keep the fork riding close to the best of its travel—with as it were 30mm accessible you need each bit prepared. The damper has a bit of a “platform” tune planning to constrain development from rider inputs—should provide it more of a conventional unbending fork feel on smoother surfaces. There’s moreover a lockout for hardpack and asphalt, but a blowoff backs it in case you whack a bump.

As far as geometry goes, the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of rake, the same as the Topstone Carbon’s inflexible fork. This ties into Cannondale’s OutFront geometry concept, which sets a good-for-nothing head point with a longer counterbalanced fork for to thrust the front wheel forward for a longer wheelbase and less toe-overlap, but keeps path in check (a road-like 57mm in most sizes) to keep a light controlling feel. It’s a touch longer than an inflexible fork— I measured the Lefty Oliver’s hub to crown and got 407mm, which is 12mm longer than an Enve G-Series rock fork.

Worth the Weight?

Here’s the thing about suspension: It weighs more than not suspension. But if done well, it has consolation, footing, speed, and control benefits that an unbending bicycle can’t match.

But the weight and complexity is something to consider. The lightest Lefty Oliver weighs over 1300 grams. An inflexible carbon rock fork weighs 500 to 600 grams (Enve’s rock fork is 520 grams, claimed). The Oliver has seals and orientation, and a damper that needs overhauling and you can’t mount things to the Oliver for bicycle pressing or long rides.

One of the side benefits of the Lefty plan is you can alter a level without expelling the wheel from the bicycle. But if you do require to evacuate the front wheel, the Oliver has a quick-release brake caliper mount that’s simple to utilize, idiot proof, and appears amazingly strong. Top of note: the Oliver takes a flat-mount caliper(so do Lauf’s forks) which the Fox AX suspension fork does not.

Suspension has benefits, but is not without compromise.

But suspension has veritable benefits that can counterbalance the included weight for a few riders, and in numerous circumstances. We went through this with mountain bicycles, and presently it might be gravel’s turn. The suspension rock bicycle may never surpass the category like full-suspension mountain bicycles have in their world. Still, suspension rock will, and ought to, exist as a practical elective that exceeds expectations in a few conditions—just like the hardtail mountain bicycle does today.

And if you’re not a fan of the extra weight, cost, and support punishments suspension causes, or the non-traditional looks, don’t stress. We’re a long way from suspension—front or full—overtaking the rock category. There are bounties of conventional inflexible rock bicycles to buy.

Topstone Neo Carbon With Lefty Models

Coinciding with the dispatch of the Lefty Oliver is the dispatch of the e-versions of Cannondale’s Topstone Carbon rock bicycle. In the USA, there are three class-three models beginning with the $5,800 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3, and topping out with the $9,000 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 1. In the center is the Topstone Carbon Neo 2, $6,500, which has an inflexible carbon fork.

The Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 ($3,750) employs the aluminum Lefty Oliver, a Shimano GRX 1×11 drivetrain, and has a standard aluminum bar and stem, and aluminum rims.

Reviewed: Cannondale’s Topstone Neo Carbon 3 Lefty

The Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3 weighs about 40 pounds, has an engine that helps up to 28mph, knobby tires, and is basically a full suspension bicycle. It’s not beautiful, it’s a bit peculiar, but it’s a super great time.

The star of the show—the Lefty Oliver—works exceptionally well. As publicized, rider inputs don’t actuate much movement, and it remains tall in its travel. As a result, the control feels approximately the same as a rock bicycle with an inflexible fork, and I didn’t feel the fork sinking through its travel when cornering on harder surfaces.

The Oliver isn’t as supple off the beat like a mountain bicycle fork, and it takes a greater bump to start travel. For this reason, it’s simple to underinflate the fork if you’re used to how a mountain bicycle fork feels. Underinflation leads to a trap entryway impact: the Oliver holds itself up, but at that point blows through its travel when the stage is overcome. With the right sum of weight, the Oliver moves off its stage easily and does incredible work smoothing out numerous bumps—better than the Topstone’s raised suspension. It gives discernibly more braking footing, cornering footing, and generally control, as well as moved forward consolation. Combined with the 30mm of raised travel, the Topstone Neo is an exceptionally smooth bicycle in numerous situations.

But the Oliver has fair 30mm of travel, and when hung on the front of a 40-pound e-bike that helps up to 28mph, well, it’s simple to utilize all that travel up (indeed with the 10psi of extra weight Cannondale prescribes when running the Oliver on an e-bike). In spite of the fact that it worked well on single hits and numerous of the bumps found on numerous rock streets, I found it was rapidly overpowered by an arrangement of braking bumps and square-edged rocks. It’s distantly prevalent to an inflexible fork, but I too feel like it is distant from the final word in rock front suspension. I did not get a chance to ride the Oliver on the much lighter acoustic Topstone, in spite of the fact that I suspect it may feel superior without the extra mass of the ebike flying around.

One thing that is without address in spite of the fact that, is its controlling accuracy. It’s hefty and feels sharp and exact, indeed on the front of an overwhelming ebike. Its fore/aft firmness is particularly uncommon: nary a jerk or squirm from the front conclusion indeed when difficult on the brakes.

The execution of Bosch’s engines is well built up. The Topstone Neo’s Execution Line Speed has great snort and runs easily and sensibly discreetly. It’s freaking quick as well: climbing up a decently-steep slope at over 20 mph quickly. But this motor—most regularly utilized for street bicycle models—is so capable that it gets to be a bit of a modest bunch off-road. It can be challenging to oversee footing on looser surfaces, and it can quicken so rapidly that it feels like the acknowledged bull in a china shop on more tightly trails. The bicycle was smoother taking care of and simpler to ride in a few circumstances by turning it down to its least help modes.

But with so much control and speed on tap, it does burn the battery. Cannondale claims a most extreme extent of 79 miles from the 500Wh battery. But that will go down, way down, as you turn up the help, or point it tough. In don mode—2nd to most noteworthy assist—I burned a full charge in almost 49 minutes on a 12.6-mile climb with 32oo feet of gain

The raise conclusion of the Topsone flexes to offer 30 mm of travel

The construct on the demonstration I tested—the lowest-priced Topstone Carbon Neo—was incredible. The Shimano GRX drivetrain moved as it continuously does: smooth, quick, exact, calm. The plate brakes were too smooth and simple to control, with a bounty of control to moderate this monster down. On asphalt, the WTB Unfaltering tires feel lovely quick and roll discreetly for such a knobby tire. On earth and rock, they give fabulous footing and great cornering grasp with an exceptionally unsurprising breakaway. The tires and WTB edges too appear lovely though—a great thing since on a 40-pound course 3 e-bike, you’re going to hit things hard.

But I’m a bit bewildered why the e-version of the Topstone with Lefty gets 42mm tires whereas the unpowered Topstone with Lefty gets 47mm tires. I’d like to see the fatter tires on the e-bike as well. I’m too at a misfortune to get it why the e-Topstone doesn’t get a bento-box mount on the beat tube like the unpowered version

Cannondale Topstone Neo Lefty 3

In 2016, I went through a few times riding Cannondale’s Slate around Tucson, Arizona. The Slate was a bit of a odd thing at the time: rock gear as we know it nowadays was in its earliest stages, and the Slate was an aluminum-framed, 650b as it were, “New Road” bicycle with 30mm-travel dual-crown Lefty Oliver suspension fork. I thought the Slate was near to something curiously, but on the street, it was a pig compared to a street bicycle, and off-road it was hamstrung by its too-tall equipment and too-slick tires. I moreover thought the Lefty’s spring and damper execution slacked distantly behind what RockShox and Fox advertised at the time. The Slate had things to like, but it too appeared like it required more time to bake.

Four more long hours to prepare, clearly. In numerous self-evident ways, the Topstone Carbon models with the unused Lefty Oliver are the otherworldly successors to the Slate. But they are more completely realized than the Slate ever was.

The Unused Lefty Oliver

The Topstone Carbon’s 30mm raised suspension is viable, but it asks for something up front to adjust out the ride. That something is presently here: a slimmed-down adaptation of Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho upside-down, single-crown, single-sided, suspension fork.

The Lefty Oliver found on the Topstone offers 30mm of air-sprung and powerfully damped travel. The claimed weight for the carbon form is 1340 grams, whereas the aluminum adaptation weighs 1610 grams. It will fit up to a 650x47mm tire or a 700x45mm tire.

It employs a standard 1-1/8 to 1-1/2 inch decreased steerer, and if you like its look, you can purchase the carbon form in the aftermarket for $1,500 and update your existing Topstone Carbon. As distant as staying it on other rock bicycles, note that the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of counterbalanced, which might do offbeat things for your bike’s taking care of if it was outlined around a shorter balanced fork (a ordinary rock fork would be 45mm counterbalanced, provide or take a few millimeters). This is how it stacks up against other rock suspension forks: Fox’s 40mm travel 32 AX ( 700x40mm or 650x47mm clearance) weighs almost 1315 grams and offers for $819, whereas Lauf’s 30mm travel Coarseness SL fork weighs 850 grams and offers for $990 ( 700x45mm or 650x53mm clearance).

The Lefty Oliver weighs 1610g in the aluminum adaptation (appeared), or 1340g in the carbon version.

Though it’s the most brief travel Lefty, it offers the signature highlights of Cannondale’s special suspension fork. That incorporates the three-sided interface between the upper and lower legs claimed to avoid turning, the three sets of needle heading the fork rolls on as it cycles through its travel, and the decreased stub-axle that the restrictive bolt-on center fits over. The single leg plan does have a striking space challenge. The Lefty packs both the spring and the damper into the same leg—suspension forks from Fox and RockShox put the spring in one leg, and the damper in the other.

Compared to Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho mountain bicycle forks, the Oliver gets a special spring and damper tune. The spring is tuned to keep the fork riding close to the best of its travel—with as it were 30mm accessible you need each bit prepared. The damper has a bit of a “platform” tune planning to constrain development from rider inputs—should provide it more of a conventional unbending fork feel on smoother surfaces. There’s moreover a lockout for hardpack and asphalt, but a blowoff backs it in case you whack a bump.

As far as geometry goes, the Lefty Oliver has 55mm of rake, the same as the Topstone Carbon’s inflexible fork. This ties into Cannondale’s OutFront geometry concept, which sets a good-for-nothing head point with a longer counterbalanced fork for to thrust the front wheel forward for a longer wheelbase and less toe-overlap, but keeps path in check (a road-like 57mm in most sizes) to keep a light controlling feel. It’s a touch longer than an inflexible fork— I measured the Lefty Oliver’s hub to crown and got 407mm, which is 12mm longer than an Enve G-Series rock fork.

Worth the Weight?

Here’s the thing about suspension: It weighs more than not suspension. But if done well, it has consolation, footing, speed, and control benefits that an unbending bicycle can’t match.

But the weight and complexity is something to consider. The lightest Lefty Oliver weighs over 1300 grams. An inflexible carbon rock fork weighs 500 to 600 grams (Enve’s rock fork is 520 grams, claimed). The Oliver has seals and orientation, and a damper that needs overhauling and you can’t mount things to the Oliver for bicycle pressing or long rides.

One of the side benefits of the Lefty plan is you can alter a level without expelling the wheel from the bicycle. But if you do require to evacuate the front wheel, the Oliver has a quick-release brake caliper mount that’s simple to utilize, idiot proof, and appears amazingly strong. Top of note: the Oliver takes a flat-mount caliper(so do Lauf’s forks) which the Fox AX suspension fork does not.

Suspension has benefits, but is not without compromise.

But suspension has veritable benefits that can counterbalance the included weight for a few riders, and in numerous circumstances. We went through this with mountain bicycles, and presently it might be gravel’s turn. The suspension rock bicycle may never surpass the category like full-suspension mountain bicycles have in their world. Still, suspension rock will, and ought to, exist as a practical elective that exceeds expectations in a few conditions—just like the hardtail mountain bicycle does today.

And if you’re not a fan of the extra weight, cost, and support punishments suspension causes, or the non-traditional looks, don’t stress. We’re a long way from suspension—front or full—overtaking the rock category. There are bounties of conventional inflexible rock bicycles to buy.

Topstone Neo Carbon With Lefty Models

Coinciding with the dispatch of the Lefty Oliver is the dispatch of the e-versions of Cannondale’s Topstone Carbon rock bicycle. In the USA, there are three class-three models beginning with the $5,800 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3, and topping out with the $9,000 Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 1. In the center is the Topstone Carbon Neo 2, $6,500, which has an inflexible carbon fork.

The Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 ($3,750) employs the aluminum Lefty Oliver, a Shimano GRX 1×11 drivetrain, and has a standard aluminum bar and stem, and aluminum rims.

Reviewed: Cannondale’s Topstone Neo Carbon 3 Lefty

The Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty 3 weighs about 40 pounds, has an engine that helps up to 28mph, knobby tires, and is basically a full suspension bicycle. It’s not beautiful, it’s a bit peculiar, but it’s a super great time.

The star of the show—the Lefty Oliver—works exceptionally well. As publicized, rider inputs don’t actuate much movement, and it remains tall in its travel. As a result, the control feels approximately the same as a rock bicycle with an inflexible fork, and I didn’t feel the fork sinking through its travel when cornering on harder surfaces.

The Oliver isn’t as supple off the beat like a mountain bicycle fork, and it takes a greater bump to start travel. For this reason, it’s simple to underinflate the fork if you’re used to how a mountain bicycle fork feels. Underinflation leads to a trap entryway impact: the Oliver holds itself up, but at that point blows through its travel when the stage is overcome. With the right sum of weight, the Oliver moves off its stage easily and does incredible work smoothing out numerous bumps—better than the Topstone’s raised suspension. It gives discernibly more braking footing, cornering footing, and generally control, as well as moved forward consolation. Combined with the 30mm of raised travel, the Topstone Neo is an exceptionally smooth bicycle in numerous situations.

But the Oliver has fair 30mm of travel, and when hung on the front of a 40-pound e-bike that helps up to 28mph, well, it’s simple to utilize all that travel up (indeed with the 10psi of extra weight Cannondale prescribes when running the Oliver on an e-bike). In spite of the fact that it worked well on single hits and numerous of the bumps found on numerous rock streets, I found it was rapidly overpowered by an arrangement of braking bumps and square-edged rocks. It’s distantly prevalent to an inflexible fork, but I too feel like it is distant from the final word in rock front suspension. I did not get a chance to ride the Oliver on the much lighter acoustic Topstone, in spite of the fact that I suspect it may feel superior without the extra mass of the ebike flying around.

One thing that is without address in spite of the fact that, is its controlling accuracy. It’s hefty and feels sharp and exact, indeed on the front of an overwhelming ebike. Its fore/aft firmness is particularly uncommon: nary a jerk or squirm from the front conclusion indeed when difficult on the brakes.

The execution of Bosch’s engines is well built up. The Topstone Neo’s Execution Line Speed has great snort and runs easily and sensibly discreetly. It’s freaking quick as well: climbing up a decently-steep slope at over 20 mph quickly. But this motor—most regularly utilized for street bicycle models—is so capable that it gets to be a bit of a modest bunch off-road. It can be challenging to oversee footing on looser surfaces, and it can quicken so rapidly that it feels like the acknowledged bull in a china shop on more tightly trails. The bicycle was smoother taking care of and simpler to ride in a few circumstances by turning it down to its least help modes.

But with so much control and speed on tap, it does burn the battery. Cannondale claims a most extreme extent of 79 miles from the 500Wh battery. But that will go down, way down, as you turn up the help, or point it tough. In don mode—2nd to most noteworthy assist—I burned a full charge in almost 49 minutes on a 12.6-mile climb with 32oo feet of gain

The raise conclusion of the Topsone flexes to offer 30 mm of travel

The construct on the demonstration I tested—the lowest-priced Topstone Carbon Neo—was incredible. The Shimano GRX drivetrain moved as it continuously does: smooth, quick, exact, calm. The plate brakes were too smooth and simple to control, with a bounty of control to moderate this monster down. On asphalt, the WTB Unfaltering tires feel lovely quick and roll discreetly for such a knobby tire. On earth and rock, they give fabulous footing and great cornering grasp with an exceptionally unsurprising breakaway. The tires and WTB edges too appear lovely though—a great thing since on a 40-pound course 3 e-bike, you’re going to hit things hard.

But I’m a bit bewildered why the e-version of the Topstone with Lefty gets 42mm tires whereas the unpowered Topstone with Lefty gets 47mm tires. I’d like to see the fatter tires on the e-bike as well. I’m too at a misfortune to get it why the e-Topstone doesn’t get a bento-box mount on the beat tube like the unpowered version