First Ride: Ignore the Marketing, the Topstone Lefty Is Cannondale’s Real Gravel Race Bike

The latest Cannondale Topstone Lefty is the grown-up version of a bike that hit the market in 2016. No, really. After all the years of all the head scratching weirdness, with a mix of both success and failure, the 2025 version of the Cannondale Topstone Lefty finally smooths out the rough edges.

I’ve spent time to figure that out and also to figure out how this bike fits into our ever growing list of bike reviews. Given that time, I think there’s a bit of a mismatch between the stated marketing and the actual bike we have today, but that’s a good thing. I’m ready to talk about that and also share who I think this bike makes sense for.

Quick hits: 7 standout details of the Cannondale Topstone Lefty

• The Lefty Oliver has been updated with 40mm of travel and a new damper tune
• Kingin offers 30mm of suspension in the rear of the bike
• The Topstone shifts from T-shirt sizing to numbered frame size
• The frame offers three bottle mounts plus a bento box mount on the top tube
• There’s no longer a difference between the Lefty model and others. It is possible to add or remove the Lefty fork after purchase.
• There is internal cable routing but the steerer tube is round.
• Max tire clearance on the Lefty fork is 47mm but the Topstone frame can manage 52mm with a different fork.
• For more info and purchase visit the Cannondale website.

Quick takeaway: The 2025 Cannondale Topstone Lefty gets the adventure bike label but it’s really a gravel race bike. It feels fast and responsive both on the pavement and off but the Lefty does introduce some oddness to ownership. Although it’s capable on the road, skip it unless your days are primarily off-road only. Buy the 2025 Cannondale Topstone Lefty if you want a gravel race bike with full suspension.

Frame details | build details | geometry | ride experience | usability | conclusion

Cannondale Topstone Lefty frame details

Back in 2016 Cannondale introduced a bike called the Slate. I owned it and it was brilliant but it was also weird and especially weird for the time. The Topstone replaced it in 2019, but it was a very similar bike. All these years later that same conceptual thread has finally hit the market with the good not the weird.

That means in some ways, this is a modern carbon frame without a ton of distinction. There are four main builds but all of them use the same carbon and the same geometry. There’s still an aluminum version of the frame, like the Slate, but it’s a different bike. It also doesn’t matter if you pick the Lefty build, or not, the geometry is the same suspension corrected design and there’s no more non-standard AI rear wheel dishing.

At the headtube there is internal routing. Again though, it’s not proprietary or weird. The steerer tube is round and there’s an Acros IS52 ICR headset to facilitate the routing under the stem then into the headtube. Cannondale doesn’t make it super clear but there’s nothing to stop you from swapping the Cannondale C1 Conceal stem included in the build.

Similarly there’s simplicity in other parts of the frame. At the bottom bracket you’ll find there’s no press fit challenges and there’s nothing asymmetric. The 2025 Cannondale Topstone Lefty uses a BSA 68mm threaded BB, a round 27.2 mm seat tube that’s dropper capable, and outback there’s a UDH hanger system. There are some oddities with a Lefty, tire clearance drops from 52mm to 47mm for one, but that’s not frame specific.

There’s also the expected storage options. You’ll find a standard pair of bottle cage mounts inside the frame plus one on the lower portion of the downtube. On top of the top tube is a pair of mounts for a bento box and, new for 2025, there’s in-frame storage in the downtube. Sadly it is worth noting that Cannondale blocks the inside of the frame below the hatch making for a lot less storage than other companies.

Also new for 2025 is a switch to numbered sizing. While previous Topstone Carbon models went with t-shirt sizing, the new bike comes inline with much of the rest of the Cannondale portfolio. That means a move from five options XS through XL to six options starting at 47 cm and topping out at 61 cm. Cannondale Proportional Response should also keep the feel of the bike consistent through those sizes with “size-specific construction.”

All that said, there is still one remnant of weirdness and that’s the suspension. Up front the Lefty Oliver got an update to 40mm of travel but that’s actually a build specific detail. No matter the build the frame will have the KingPin rear suspension.

Despite being different though, KingPin offers benefits without drawbacks. The system works with a thru-axle pivot in the seat tube that allows the rear triangle and seatpost to flex vertically up to 30mm. There’s no service interval or anything a rider needs to think about and it’s actual suspension that allows the rear wheel to move even if you are standing.

Cannondale Topstone Carbon build details

In essence the Cannondale Topstone Carbon is available in four levels of build but each option has variations.

At the top is the Topstone Carbon LTD Di2 priced at $7,300 / 7.499 €. This model is Shimano GRX Di2 only setup as a 2x with 48/31 upfront and 12-speed 11-34 out back. Wheels use a Reserve 40/44 GR rim with a variable 40/44 mm depth and 27.4/27mm internal width front/rear respectively plus a DT Swiss 240 hub. Included tires are tubeless ready Vittoria Terreno Dry sized at 700x45c.

Finishing this build you’ll find a Easton EC90 AX Carbon handlebar mated to a -6° Cannondale C1 Conceal Alloy stem at the front. The saddle is a Fizik Terra Argo X3 and it’s sitting on top of a SAVE carbon seatpost.

Priced below that model is the Topstone 1 Lefty AXS priced at $6,999 / 6.999 € which I’ve spent time with. Given the AXS in the name, you’ll expect a SRAM drivetrain but Cannondale is obviously leaning into this as an adventure build with a mullet configuration. The levers are SRAM Rival AXS with an Rival AXS crank that lacks a power meter. At the rear of the bike is a full mount SRAM GX Eagle derailleur and gearing is 1×12 with a 40-tooth chainring and 10-52 cassette.

This build is a bit of a hybrid not only in the gearing but also the component quality. Rival AXS isn’t exactly bottom of the barrel but it is farther down than you might expect to find paired with the expense of a suspension fork like the Lefty Oliver. Cannondale then keeps the wheels premium with the same carbon rims, though with different hubs, as the premium build. This time the tires are 700×44 WTB Raddler TCS Light.

The mix continues with an alloy handlebar but rather than the Cannondale branded it’s an Easton EA70 AX. That bar is again mated to a -6° Cannondale C1 Conceal Alloy stem while the saddle moves down to the Fizik Terra Argo X3 again sitting on top of a SAVE carbon seatpost.

From there the models start offering lots of choice. The next level is the Topstone Carbon 2 and it’s offered in 1x with an Apex AXS mullet build, same gearing as the Lefty model, or there are two colors with Shimano GRX 2x. Shimano models use the same 48/31 upfront and 12-speed 11-34 out back as the LTD build.

Different gearing aside, the rest of the builds are the same. Wheels are WTB KOM Team i25 TCS aluminum using Formula hubs. Those wheels get 700x45c WTB Riddler TCS Light and the handlebar drops to the Cannondale 2 ShortDrop 7050 alloy bar with 12 deg flare mated to the same C1 stem. Instead of the Fizik x5 saddle there’s the lower model Fizik x7 and this time the seatpost is a Cannondale 2 Carbon piece.

The models are priced at $4,300 / 4.299 € for SRAM or $4,000 / 3.999 € for Shimano. 

The final build level is the Topstone Carbon 3 GRX for $3,400 / 3.299 € and despite only one price there’s a choice of either 1x or 2x Shimano mechanical GRX in four colors.

Both builds are similar and both start with the same wheels as the Carbon 2 build level. From there the handlebars are still alloy though it’s now the Cannondale 3 using 6061 Alloy and sporting a 16 deg flare. The stem hasn’t changed but now there’s a Selle Royal SRX Open saddle with a Cannondale 3 6061 Alloy seatpost. The only differences are in the groupset with either a 40-tooth crank and 12-speed 10-51 cassette or 46/30 crank with a 12-speed 11-36 cassette.

Cannondale Topstone Carbon Geometry

While the previous Topstone Carbon had two different geometries, this time there is only one geometry no matter the chosen build. You can think of this as a suspension corrected design as the new geometry is largely, though not exactly, a copy and paste from the Lefty suspension models but with a lower bottom bracket. According to Cannondale that’s because the previous model had “the right steering geo on the Lefty bike, but the BB would end up a bit higher compared to the rigid-fork setup. Now the geo is unified around exactly what we intended for a Topstone Carbon, with any fork.”

Cannondale Topstone Lefty ride experience

I’m jumping back and forth between saying Cannondale Topstone Carbon and Cannondale Topstone Lefty because the distinction is slightly unusual. Generally speaking a different build would merely swap small details and weight would be the biggest difference. With this bike, choosing the Lefty build makes this the only full suspension gravel bike currently available for sale. There are reasons to understand the full breadth of the model lineup, which is why I’ve used the other name above, but I’ve spent time on the Cannondale Topstone Lefty and that’s the ride experience I’ll share.

To that end, I’ll start by pushing back on what most people, seemingly including Cannondale, think about this full suspension bike. Yes it’s full suspension but the differences in the geometry of the Cannondale SuperX, the Cannondale Synapse, and the Cannondale Topstone Lefty are surprisingly small. This bike is nothing like a slacked out trail monster in the mold of say a Santa Cruz Stigmata.

This, of course, makes a lot of sense if you think about the history of the bike. The model started with the Slate back in 2016 and that bike was basically a Synapse with 650b wheels and a suspension fork. It was absolutely a gravel race bike and Ted King won Unbound on it. Then the Topstone came to market and didn’t drastically change the geometry. Despite that, it was suddenly an adventure bike not a race bike.

This 2025 Cannondale Topstone Lefty is even a bit more relaxed at the head angle but it’s not so much the bike that changed as the landscape around it. Cannondale has retained most of the feel of that original Slate and merely changed labels to suit preferences.

What this actually means to you is that although the Topstone Lefty is full suspension you should ignore preconceived notions. The only nod to that you’ll notice is a little bit of back and forth wandering on long, slow, climbs. Other than that, this is a brilliant bike for pushing hard and riding fast.

I took this out on my normal 100-ish mile gravel test loop that’s only about half gravel. There’s a lot of flat riding on pavement early in the ride and, even in that setting, it never feels slow. Locking out the Lefty fork is a quick reach down but I rarely bother. It will bob a little during paved climbing but you won’t notice it much in an aero position and this bike feels good in an aero position.

Where the suspension does come into play is when you find yourself pushing hard for long hours off-road. It never feels like a mountain bike but it does take the buzz and discomfort out of the miles. Washboards feel a lot less scary and during descents you’ll feel more in control. If you like leaning on your forearms the suspension helps with that too.

What the Cannondale Topstone Lefty does not excel at is the kind of single track riding it’s expected to handle well. Steep descents will leave you feeling perched on top of the bike with arms sore from braking and it’s far too short and tight to really instill confidence. Think of it more of an Unbound race bike than an ideal bikepacking machine, despite the marketing.

The Lefty Oliver plays into that too. Having a single fork leg is a bit of a pain and not totally ideal for bikepacking setups. If you bikepack, there’s no fork to mount bags on. If a buddy drives to the ride you’ll need to ask about rack setup.If you want fenders, there’s a bridge for the back but it’s all kind of a hassle. Stripped down in race guise, the only thing you’ll notice is timing chip location might require adjustment.

The mullet setup doesn’t change that. That same gravel test loop eventually gets to the meat of the ride and that starts with a long climb before some time at the top of the ridge and descending to make the same climb on the other side. I promise I never felt like the extra gearing was an issue. This ride was no different. The bike is a bit heavier because of the suspension and I love having the room to spin. If things get steeper, and rougher, it’s even more pleasant to have those gears.

Full suspension and mullet gearing only makes this a better gravel race bike.

Usability

I’ve already talked a little bit about the experience of owning a Lefty fork but it deserves a mention here as well. People have odd questions about how it affects handling but that’s not a thing. Riding the bike it feels like a suspension fork with 40mm of travel and it’s irrelevant that it’s single sided.

The details you notice have more to do with everything else. Obviously it needs a special hub so swapping wheels isn’t easy. When you want to take the wheel off you have to first release the brake caliper. If you use a rack it can’t be a fork mount rack. Ultimately it’s all fine with some consideration but it does require some consideration.

The other usability issue with this bike is the, very odd, choice of limiting the in-frame storage. The hatch itself is easy to use, doesn’t rattle, and offers little reason to complain. Then you reach inside and there’s a block off plate on the lower side. It drastically reduces the space you have and must add weight also. I suppose it protects people from losing things towards the BB but other bikes manage without that detail.

Conclusion

I haven’t had a wealth of time on the 2025 Cannondale Topstone Lefty but I knew it right away. I’ve ridden thousands of miles on Topstone Lefty bikes and the Slate that came before. The basic formula is to use suspension to add control and keep you from getting beat up over the hours.

There’s an idea that the suspension makes it a mountain bike but that’s not this bike. The Topstone Lefty isn’t that slack or that long. The wheelbase is pretty short and steep, rough, single track descents aren’t your friend. Instead look for rough roads and plan on going fast.

In terms of the Lefty build, you do want to think about your actual needs. There’s a service interval to it, it’s heavier, it requires occasional thought to own, and it’s more expensive. As long as you plan to spend your days primarily off-road then it’s worth those trade offs but if you ride pavement as much as gravel, or your rides are shorter, just stick to a rigid frame and big tires.