I normally ride a size 54 or a medium-size in most bikes. In addition, Cannondale makes a Topstone Lefty with SRAM Red Electronic groupset and carbon steer tube on the fork that will knock a couple of pounds from the bike but comes at a much higher price tag.

Cannondale did a bang-up job spec-ing the bike from everything down to the wheels, tires, and groupset choice. With these three key features, the Cannondale Carbon Topstone Lefty 3 gravel bike is one of the most fun bikes I’ve had the pleasure of riding. The Kingpin suspension for the rear suspension.The suspension due to the Lefty Oliver technology.There are three pieces of technology that make the Cannondale Carbon Topstone Lefty 3 an amazing and fun bike to ride including: It’s the best fork on the market in terms of how it handles its adjustability and unique looks for mountain bike cross country or gravel use. I think the Lefty forks are an amazing piece of technology from the cycling industry. Having had a non-suspension fork on my previous gravel bike and currently having suspension really makes a big difference on where you can ride and how comfortable or the control you might have when the roads get rough or technical. With most manufacturers having limited or non-suspension on their bike builds, it would soon be open season for aftermarket manufacturers to produce gravel suspension forks as it makes perfect sense. I knew once Cannondale developed the new Lefty Oliver for gravel with less travel and paired it with the new design, I had to have the Cannondale Topstone Lefty 3 as I knew that the design of the Lefty Ocho would trickle down to Cannondale’s gravel bikes.

I think the Cannondale Slate was ahead of its time then and I think the Cannondale Carbon Topstone Lefty 3 gravel bike is still ahead of the curve now with their latest creation of the Cannondale Carbon Topstone Lefty 3 gravel bike.Īs with the Cannondale Slate, Cannondale was able to keep the 650 wheels and road fit feel. Cannondale took their knowledge from bikes that they designed in the cyclocross market and paired it with their mountain bike knowledge and vast road experience and tied it all together to make a unique bike. It’s been a few years since Cannondale first introduced the Cannondale Slate in 2015, which was the first iteration of Cannondale’s entry into the gravel market.

Cannondale gravel bike