One sided Cannondale front fork.

wfd175 · 09-15-09, 10:53 AM

After 6 years I decided it was time to get back on the bike and ride. I currenlty have a 1995 GT Timerbline FS, with aftermarket carbon fiber tri spokes which took a little lubing is back on the road completing 350 uneventful miles.

I'm considering upgrading to something newer only for the sake of change. I'm leaning towards a 2010 Cannondale Badboy Disk. The 2010 vs. 2009 has the hydraulic vs. mechanical disk brakes and the one sided fork as well as the 2009 is $899 on closeout vs. $1049 for the 2010 but with the beforementioned upgrades. Cannondale has been using the one-sided forks on a few mountain bikes for a few years. Does anyone have any one sided fork experience? I had the one sided rear swingarm on my R1200GS and never had any issues.

Other than that it's a go for October delivery. (not in full production yet)

yournamehere · 09-16-09, 08:45 PM

I think youll find that the lefty fork is one of the best concepts as far as suspension theory. The only downside I can find after having numerous lefty's it the fact that aftermarket wheels albeit available are few and far between and psycologically if you're not comfortable on the bike and look down at the front hub it can mess with your mind. There are 88 needle bearing inside the stanchion that allow near flawless compression. The single arm concept has been used on airplanes for decades. This is by no means new technology. As far as strength goes this is a much much stronger and laterally stiffer design than that of a typical dual stanchion. you can demo this easily in the shop. Stand at the front of the bike and place the front edge of the front wheel in between your knees. Then grab the h-bars and twist. Try t keep the front wheel from turning by using the pressure from your knees. Notice the flex from the hub all the way to the h-bars. Now change forks. It's amazing. Then you can feel the progressive compression of the forks by standing behind the bikes and pushing them straight into a wall very slowly and firmly. You'll notice the lefty or any CrackAndFail (Cannondale said with love) headshock will compress with horizontal pressure but the traditional forks will simply flex backwards toward the rear of the bike doing effectivley not a.

Leftys rock. But buy the bike based on how you feel on it. Take your time. Ask to change stems, seats, etc if need be. And also understand that Cannondale has the least amount of dealer margin in gthe industry. Your shop will be lucky to clear 10% profit on that bike. 6-7% is more likely. Good stuff though.

Drofen · 09-16-09, 08:56 PM

I'm so pissed at Cannondale right now it's not even funny.

I have an 05 F400 with a Headshok, and the shock needed rebuilding--was leaking down in just a couple days. Took it in to my LBS, they told me no problem they'd have it to me in a hurry. Well it turns out that the parts kit is backordered. 4 months later I finally got my bike back (last week) and I've missed an entire summer of riding. The cherry on top? The whole time Cannondale had the parts for in-house service, but didn't bother to tell my guy at the LBS while he was on the phone with them weekly, and then DAILY. I only found that out after I called the corporate headquarters and raised holy hell over my situation. My LBS shipped the fork to them, they rebuilt it, and turned it around in 2 weeks.

Granted, we're talking about two totally different shocks, and that's not my point. My point is, if I had been riding anything but Cannondale I could have swapped in a different fork or shock in the interim and at least been riding. But Cannondale takes pride in proprietary shit--it means they get to charge more. It's awesome to ride and it works well on the trail, but if it breaks and they are back ordered, you're fucked, just like me.

Same thing as running a 40 spline Moser axle shaft, cool as shit, but if you break, your down time is significant.

It's probably just because I'm still pissed, but right now I will never own another Cannodale product.

My $0.02.

Corbet · 10-09-09, 09:58 AM

I'e been riding Lefty equipped Cannondale bikes since it came out. Love the fork. The biggest downside in my opinion is the lack of compatibility with rack systems. (Yakima/Thule) There are a lot more wheels available now than in the beginning but I've always just built my own so its never bothered me. Parts can be an issue with Cannondale. It always has. (I worked at a Cannondale Dealer for many years) but failures are not that common with regular PM. Easy to do or have done in the off season.

you'll love the fork on the trail.

tacoma73 · 10-14-09, 04:14 PM

I don't like proprietary stuff. Cannondale LOVES proprietary parts-- Headshock, the old Magic cranks, the Lefty, etc.

That said, if you like it, and can deal with those issues, they're kind of neat, and seem to work alright. Cannondale has been using them for around 10yrs now, so I guess they're holding up alright. If it was me, I'd get something else, but it's not.

bustanutley · 10-15-09, 08:33 AM

FYI, he is not talking about the lefty suspension fork or even mountain bikes for that matter guys.

Its either a ridgid fork or

goofy headshock lefty thing

I would never ride a cannondale suspension fork. The full ridgid lefty is fine if you can deal with being stuck with cannondale hubs. A traditional fork can always be put on.

wfd175 · 10-15-09, 03:52 PM

I picked up the bike this past week. Took it for a ride. According to the cannondale rep it's supposed to be a stronger setup. It's extremely beefy. I'll put on some miles and give a report. I was looking for something between a mountain bike and a road bike. It has 700 tires, (slicks) hydraulic disk brakes. The geometry feels good, but I've only done 20 miles or so.

Unarce · 10-15-09, 10:27 PM

I'm on my 2nd Lefty since 2000. Does take a few rides to get used to, but there's really no substitute aside from freeride and downhill.

Stiffer than most forks on the market, and butter smooth. Looking forward to getting a '10 model.