![]() It is a huge leap forward, packing all of that technology into a single-crown design. It was found on the Slate gravel bike and provided 30mm of travel.Ĭannondale’s latest Lefty, the Lefty Ocho, is a cross-country fork with 100-120mm of travel. In 2015, the Lefty Oliver was introduced as the first production suspension fork for gravel riding. Recently, the Lefty Supermax provided longer-travel versions for trail and enduro bikes with 130mm-160mm of travel, and the Lefty Olaf was made specifically for fat bikes. The Lefty has taken many forms over the last 20 years but was primarily an XC fork with 100-120mm of travel. The Lefty was born, officially launching in 1999. They realized the simplest solution was to rely on the Moto's extremely stiff design and essentially chop the fork in half. Soon, Cannondale engineers began experimenting to create a lighter version of the Moto fork for XC and trail riding. The most famous version was the Moto DH fork found on the legendary Fulcrum downhill bike. The fork went through several iterations that provided 100-120mm of travel. The Moto was essentially a dual-crown fork made up of two HeadShoks mounted on each side. Instead of bushings used in other forks, the HeadShok rode on four strips of needle bearings sandwiched between the inner and outer tubes, keeping stiction to a minimum.Īs riders demanded more travel, Cannondale moved the technology outside of the head tube and created the downhill-oriented Moto fork in 1996. Introduced in 1992, this new design moved the spring and damper away from the fork legs to inside the head tube and provided 50mm of travel.Įven back in the ‘90s, Cannondale employed a key design feature that would find its way into the Lefty: needle bearings. ![]() Cannondale sought to fix that problem with the HeadShok. In the early ‘90s, mountain bike suspension was emerging. The first forks lacked stiffness, which compromised control. The Lefty story begins with a suspension product that plenty of vintage mountain bike nerds will know: the HeadShok. Read on to learn more about the history of the Lefty, its special technology, pros and cons, my personal experience on the new Lefty Ocho, and why you should consider riding a Lefty. Love it or hate it, the Lefty is unique and clever, and it boasts a cult of loyal followers. Cannondale has a long reputation as one of the most innovative brands in cycling and it has never been afraid to break the “rules” of traditional bike design in search of performance.Īfter spending a few months on Cannondale’s latest Lefty Ocho, I’ve become a bit of a fan. They probably just don’t know enough about it!Īre Lefty forks weird? Yes. Though Cannondale’s iconic Lefty fork has been around for over 20 years, some riders still like to mock its appearance and question its existence. Ride a mountain bike with a Lefty and you’re bound to hear some variation of that well-worn joke.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |