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Written: Dec 27 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing Performance, Plush, Adjustability, Stiffness, Looks
Cons: Wheel Removal, Limited Car Rack options...thats it.
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| Berserkr's Full Review: Cannondale Lefty DLR |
"You can't use that for downhill.. it'll snap!".."That won't last very long.. the axle can't handle the weight of you".."I hate that fork!"
These are some of the misguided conceptions i've heard about my Lefty. All the people that come up to me and start badmouthing it have never actually tried it, and wont' dare try it because it's radically different to anything we've seen before. Of course, the first thing you're goign to notice about the Lefty is the looks - and most people base their opinion on looks alone, yet dare not delve further into the performance of the Lefty. Fact : it's smooth, plush, is one of the lightest and stiffest forks out there (on par with triple clamp DH forks according to a German bike magazine) and i think it looks damn cool.
The lefty, unlike other forks, uses 88 needle bearings for plushness and responsivness. These 88 needle bearings allow the entire fork to be locked out - thats right.. you can turn your bike into a rigid bike if you're using a cannonfale hardtail, or like me, a Super V with a Stratos Helix Pro on the rear that can be locked out too. This is a great feature as with my bike, weighing around 28 pounds, climbing steep hills isn't too easy. But locking everything out speeds up the whole process. No more bobbing! Locking out the lefty doesn't require you to stop either - it's on the fly, meaning that there is a large thumb lever on top of the fork that you simply push to lock out / unlock the fork. Damping rates can also be adjusted via the little red dial on top of the fork, that too, is on the fly.
Offroad, the Lefty handles AMAZINGLY. I have never felt a plusher fork. Long, hard, technical downhill sections used to be a problem with my old Judy's, but now with the lefty i have noticed my confidence levels building up and my race times improving. Even though my old Judy 100's had the same amount of travel as the Lefty, which is 100mm's or 4 inches; the performance and feel of the Lefty blows away the judy's. My bike is incredibly stiff now. I'm a tough rider, i put my bike through all sorts of abuse : I have thrown myself off 6 foot drops, sets of stairs (jumping them and riding down them), jumping, done Hong Kong's toughest downhill (Tai Mo Shan) and yet the Lefty has no change in performance. In January i will be racing the local DH race with it. It remains constantly plush.
The Lefty has one of the best small bump response to things such as pebbles, stones etc, because of the needle bearings. The Lefty's bearings naturally want to roll forward over each other, thus every bump the wheel encounters, the Lefty simply rolls over it and you hardly feel anything.
The Lefty uses an Air Cartridge meaning - Adjustability!!! You can set the fork to your weight, have it as soft / hard as you want etc. The manual shows you the correct Psi to Weight ratio, which helped my dial in my lefty alot. The air valve is neatly tucked away underneath the Lefty, and is not exposed to being smashed in by rocks etc.
There are two disc brakes available for the lefty - Coda and Hayes. My opinions? Pick Hayes. Coda are still having some problems with there disc brakes, and the hayes are just so sweet. On a 2 hour long downhill the discs remain constant and braking power is unaffected by heat. The hub is a specially deigned Coda hub, which i have no complaints with it. It rolls smooth and i have already punished it in mud, rain dust etc.
Now i have one complaint about the lefty - it's a small one. Wheel removal. To remove the front wheel, you have to remove the brake caliper and unscrew a thru-axle, and then realign the brakes when you put the brake caliper back on. This is only a minor complaint. You are also limited to car rack choices, however cannondale are working on an adapter for car racks.
Now after saying all this, you can't just fit them on any old bike. You are limited to two bikes that you can put the Lefty - Cannondale's, and Merlins. Cannondale's are amazing bikes, and they dare to be different, which is why i stick with cannondale. Some merlin bikes have the headshock sized-diameter headtube, thus allowing you to fit a lefty on.
Go take a test ride, and be amazed at the lefty. After riding it, you'll know you want one.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover. It's what's inside that counts."
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Berserkr
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Member: Jon Lofthouse
Location: Hong Kong
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 17 members
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