Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty 3 Adventure Bike - 2021 - Stealth Grey

About The Topstone Carbon:

What do you get when you throw a whole lot of technology and design at one of the fastest growing aspects of cycling? Probably the most innovative do-it-all adventure bike, ever.

The Topstone is a bike built for adventure. It's hungry for miles on any type of road - tarmac, gravel, forest roads, canal paths, bike paths, singletrack trails and more. If you need to get from A to B, and B happens to be many, many miles away, the Topstone should be top of your list.

So what makes the Topstone such an innovative machine? There is a lot of technology to talk about, but the headline act is the Kingpin suspension. This clever design manages to engineer 30mm of suspension into the rear of the frame, with no rear shock or linkages. It does this with a clever carbon fibre layup that flexes near the bottom bracket in response to rough terrain, taking the sting out of the trail without any loss of efficiency or power transfer. The pivot on the seat tube rotates to allow this movement and makes for a virtually maintenance free suspension system that not only smooths your ride, but doesn't have undue flex either, so the Topstone is still absolutely rapid when you put the power down.

The carbon frame itself is a work of art. Proportional contruction means each size frame uses a unique layup to maximise stiffness where it's needed, but that small riders don't get a harsh ride, and larger riders don't get a flexible ride. There are also mounts on the down, top and seat tube, to store all your essentials for trips of any length. Large clearance for tyres up to 47mm also smooth out rougher roads and provide plenty of cushioning and grip while Outfront geometry amplifies stability on the rough stuff. That's not to say the Topstone is a pure cross bike - it's a true all rounder easily capable of 100-mile days on the road as long off road tours. Internal cable routing with integral sleeves are a boon for the mechanic while a Speed Release dropout enables quick and easy wheel removal and installation. There's even an option of a dropper seatpost should you err more to off road riding.

Sound like there's an awful lot going on? Yes, there is, but it's a beautifully constructed frame with serious performance and technology, and matched with a lot of innovative components. The Lefty fork matches the rear with 30mm of suspensiontravel in an ultra lightweight design. The Lefty is Cannondale's signature technology and it matches the ambition of the Topstone perfectly, providing grip and comfort off road, along with predictable steering in a tough and reliable package. A Shimano GRX 1 x 11 speed groupset provides matching slick gearing and comfortable hand position. Braking comes from matching GRX hydraulic disc brakes which offer plenty of power and modulation for ultimate control. Cannondale's own finishing kit matches the clean look with nicely flared bars for comfort. A solid wheelset with WTB tubeless ready rims and wide WTB Byway tubeless tyres means you can roll fast on any terrain with plenty of traction without excess rolling resistance. Finally, Cannondale's own wheel sensor pairs with your GPS unit or phone to offer exact speed and distance metrics plus extras like service reminders.

For exploring on any terrain, for heading off the beaten path, for racing an event like the GBDuro, the Topstone is a class act. Quite astonishing technology is a sleek package, the Topstone is the adventure bike of tomorrow.