Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 Lefty - 2022 - Laguna Yellow

Cannondale claim that "Nothing is Impassable" on their new Topstone Carbon.  It's a bold claim... but we're inclined to agree.

So, what makes the Topstone Carbon such a gravel munching machine?  At the core of the bike is its frame and Cannondale have brought a raft of updates with the 2022 model but kept all the important details which make the Topstone such a fantastic bike.  One such carry-over is the Kingpin suspension platform.  This simple and elegant feature provides around 10mm of suspension travel at the rear axle and 30mm at the seatpost, for smoothing out rough tracks, without any compromise to efficiency or ride quality.  It achieves this by joining the seat stays to the seat tube with a pivot, which allows them to flex independently.  There are flex zones engineered into the seat post, top tube, chain stays and seat stays, for vertical movement but lateral stiffness and snappy handling.  Essentially, Kingpin provides extra traction and comfort for next to no weight penalty and it will keep on doing that for years, with its super low maintenance bush bearings.

Updates from the previous model included greater tyre clearance (up to 700x45mm or 27.5x2.1") and internally routed dropper post compatibility.  A slacker head tube angle with a shorter fork offset delivers stability at speed but keeps handling agile.  One of the most significant updates is compatibility with Cannondale's SmartSense lighting system.  SmartSense monitors traffic behind the bike, alerts you to danger and adjusts the integrated front and rear lights according to traffic and light conditions.  It even causes the rear light to flare when breaking!  The lights and sensor are available to purchase separately but they also come as standard on some Topstone models denoted with the "L" or "RLE" suffixes.  For when you want to leave the tarmac and head off the beaten track, there are mount points all over the place for bikepacking essentials.

The Topstone Carbon 2 Lefty really stands out in the range.  It comes with 700x44mm WTB Raddler tyres which are some of the most aggressive and grippy gravel tyres on the market.  Continuing the "rad" theme, this bike has a couple components that are usually only reserved for mountain bikes: a suspension fork and dropper post.  Cannondale's unique and proprietary Lefty Oliver fork provides 30mm of suspension for maximum grip and comfort at the front end, while the dropper post allows you to get right over the back of the bike on rough descents  A mix of Shimano GRX 600 and 800 series componentry guarantees excellent performance and value.  A 1x11 drivetrain keeps shifting simple and narrow/wide front ring guarantees chain security.  These smart component choices make this model the most offroad capable gravel bike in the Cannondale's line-up and possibly on the market.

If you want a drop bar bike that won't baulk at the rough stuff you should seriously consider the Topstone Carbon 2 Lefty.