Why lefty bikes

Active Oldest Votes. Pros The top is attached like a dual crown downhill fork, which is much stiffer than a single-crown. The heaviest Lefty is still lighter than lightest carbon 2-legged. You can replace the tire without removing the wheel. Cons If you need to remove the front wheel, you need to remove the brake caliper also.

The axle works only with Cannondale hubs. The front of bike will look unbalanced until you get used to it. Post models have a rubber-sealed leg with bearings further inside and with one plain bearing at the bottom which allows for service intervals as normal forks: Previous models, as some bikers on forums complained, had more linear action: they were easier to bottom than normal forks. Improve this answer. Michael 3 3 silver badges 17 17 bronze badges. Regarding punctures, with 1-legged fork you can replace the tire without removing wheel.

Spot-on answer. I'll just add one or two things: removing the caliper to remove the wheel is not a disadvantage because the most likely reason to do so is to fix a flat tire, which you can do with the wheel in. You need special hubs for the lefty, but a lot of brands have them, you don't have to buy them from cannondale.

And I don't think maintenance on a lefty is harder than other high-end suspensions. Another con is that you're entirely at the mercy of Cannondale when it comes to spare parts, there's no way to swap the fork for one that's still maintainable.

Which is fine if you buy a new bike every couple of years, but if you ride the bike until it wears out, it's likely to be "can't maintain the fork" that means you repleace the bike.

You also forgot to mention that most of the weight savings on the fork are spent on the crown and the overbuilt hub. Lefty forks are often a wash weight wise when you consider the system as a whole. The front wheel being harder to remove is a disadvantage is you need to transport the bike in a case, in a small car trunk or in a car rack that requires the front axle mount to hold the bike. Show 5 more comments. And one last thing, I've always considered the bike to be "much more of a bike than I am a man".

Gidday and welcome to SE Bicycles. Thats a good, relevant answer, and even better that its based on your actual usage. Keep up the good work. What is special about the 'turn off' thing you mentioned in the first point? I mean, how is that different from the remote lockout existing in others suspensions?

Add a comment. Pro: You can run oversize and plus size tyres on a lefty. Mark Rose Mark Rose 51 1 1 silver badge 1 1 bronze badge. Perhaps taller, but not significantly wider tyres.

There is still a fork and a maximum clearance. Good idea - welcome to the site. Doesn't this make the wheel placement assymetric with respect to the frame?

Having damper and spring on the same axle is a good point for the lefty. Pro: There is no "fork," so mud and other hub-bub will not get stuck in the front as much. Adam Adam 39 1 1 bronze badge. Welcome to Bicycles Adam. Thanks for answering one of our questions. We recommend that new members take the tour to make best use of the site, and since you're answering see How to Answer also. Hubs Details. Rear Hub Details. Rear Tire Details. Rims Details. Spokes Details. Tire Bead Details.

Tire Casing Details. Tire Protection Details. Tire Size Details. Tire Type Details. Tires Details. Wheel Size Details. Sort by. Clear All Done. No Results Found. Ocho vs. Ocho With the evolution of cross-country riding, racers demand more from their bikes than ever before. While traditional forks use bushings, which can wear over time and create play, Lefty rolls freely on a trio of needle bearing sets for increased durability, and ultra-plush travel.

These needle bearings roll within two triangular tubes to eliminate friction and prevent any rotation internally, saying goodbye to any unwanted play. Not only does our single-leg engineering shed grams, but by focusing material a single leg we are able to achieve gold-standard stiffness-to-weight ratios. A perfect match for snappy acceleration, punchy ascents, and saving energy for the final attack. No second guessing needed. We take the guesswork out of your riding by building Lefty Ocho with strategically engineered stiffness for the most balanced performance wherever you ride.

Stiffness is focused across three planes to walk the fine line between comfort and precision. It is forged as a single piece with the stanchion, and the tapered shape creates a strong and rigid structure.

Because it requires a special hub, replacing or upgrading wheels can be an added expense. Riders looking to change their front wheel have limited off-the-shelf options and may need to rely on custom wheelbuilders. Removing the front wheel also requires removing the brake caliper because the wheel is removed horizontally rather than vertically. The previous generation dual-crown Lefty forks also used a straight 1.

That is no longer the case with the new Lefty Ocho, which uses a conventional tapered steerer, but riders interested in Cannondale bikes with the older Lefty forks should be aware that they require stems compatible with 1.

Serviceability is the biggest concern a potential Lefty owner might have. Most conventional forks are easily serviced at most bike shops. However, due to proprietary technology, parts, and tools, Lefty forks need to be serviced by Cannondale dealers or authorized HeadShok service centers. With older Lefty models, if parts fail and need to be replaced, riders could potentially face reduced availability and higher prices.

Buyers looking at older discontinued versions of the Lefty essentially everything besides the Lefty Ocho and new Lefty Oliver should carefully consider serviceability and parts availability. As models like the Lefty Ultra, Supermax, and Hybrid age, parts and people who know how to fix them will be harder to find. Intrepid home mechanics can potentially do the work themselves since service kits and instructions can be found online. There are good options in the U. Over time, the needle bearing strips can migrate from their original position, reducing the available travel.

Resetting the bearings is a quick and easy process. Simply remove the air and firmly bottom the fork out a few times and the bearings will be repositioned. It takes about the same amount of time as putting air in your tires or lubing your chain. There is one final thing to note: For many Lefty skeptics, the greatest downside is its appearance. Humans are a species drawn to symmetry, and some have become so accustomed to the appearance of conventional forks, that the single-sided Lefty can seem unnatural.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I for one think the Lefty forks look incredibly cool. And no, Lefty forks don't pull to one side. I finally got a Lefty mountain bike when I picked up a special-edition F-Si hardtail. I wanted to know how the Lefty would perform on technical trails so I tested the bike at Hall Ranch, a local spot known for fast and loose descents and a technical, extended rock garden with rugged features that can overwhelm most lightweight XC bikes.

Though not excessively heavy, I am no featherweight XC rider. I weigh pounds and I can easily exceed pounds with riding gear. Because of my weight, I can feel most XC forks flex when charging into rough terrain. The stiffer fork makes me feel more confident on tough descents. XC forks serve a specific purpose and low weight is their biggest priority.

Experienced XC racers know how to ride these forks and respect their limitations. I was impressed with how immediately confident I felt smashing the front end of the F-Si into rocks and landing deep off jumps and drops. The suggested air pressure was pretty close to bang on, and I haven't feel the need to add any volume spacers. But I can say that the Lefty Ocho always feels extremely supple, especially for a fork with a mere mm of travel.

I'm pushing the bike harder than expected with the Lefty Ocho. I put trail tires on to complement its excellent downhill performance. My personal opinion right now is that the Lefty Ocho is the best performing XC fork on the market. The Lefty is simply more adept when the riding gets rough and wild. The only item on my wish list for the Lefty Ocho is the option for a lock-out control on the crown. The new Lefty Ocho mm 1, grams discards the remote, and could be the answer if I ever want to upgrade to an even stiffer fork with a bit more travel.

Cannondale seems happy to keep the Lefty in the short-travel realm, turning to Fox and RockShox forks for its longer-travel trail and enduro bikes. The Lefty Ocho is ideal for hard-charging XC riders who value stiffness and handling more than having the lowest weight possible though keep in mind that at When it comes to maximizing downhill and cornering performance in a lightweight package, the Lefty Ocho is hard to beat.

It works so well on the F-Si that I expect it can only get better when paired with the full-suspension Scalpel or the Topstone gravel bike reviews to come. The Lefty Ocho also suits me because I actually enjoy all the curious looks it gets out on the trail.

Most people just want to know how the fork rides. Are you a Lefty skeptic or believer? Do you ride a Lefty fork? Do you want to? Let us know in the comments! Great article! I learned a lot. I just frankesteined together a bike based on a Scalpel Team Replica, so with the carbon Lefty. But wow that bike is fast and the steering is solid and precise. I have been riding a lefty since In fact I still ride that same bike with the same lefty fork for 17 years including competitive in mtb races and adventure racing.

Had it serviced by Cannondale the first year but never since. I reset the fork periodically and have it serviced every 75 hrs. I still get the comments about the lefty and love. Good conversation starters at the trail heads. I look forward to retiring this ride in the next year and picking up a new model with an ocho!