Looking at Cannondale flash line could use some advice

[Payton MacDonald]

I'm upgrading my mtb and am looking at the Cannondale flash line of hardtail 29ers.  My LBS supports Cannondale and I've got a good discount coming my way because of the tri team I'm on.

So my main consideration is weight.  I'm trying to get it down, down, down . . .

I'm looking at either the Cannondale Flash Alloy 1 29er or the Flash Carbon 3 29er.  Question: how well does a carbon frame hold up for long bike packing trips/races like the TD or AZ 750?  Anyone have any experience or thoughts on that?  Between the training and attempting TD I'll put on at least 6,000 miles next year (assuming I finish it all . . .).  I'm a pretty light guy at 160 lbs, and won't be doing a ton of gnarly single track, but some.

Second question: anyone ever have any problems with the Lefty fork?  A friend of mine pointed out that one potential drawback is that the Lefty fork and wheel combination are C-dale exclusive, so if I have any problems in more remote areas I may or may not be able to find a replacement.  But of course that's a general consideration anyway . . .  thoughts?

Thanks,

[Curtis C]

I Looked at those bikes before I went with the Lefty fork on a Yeti BigTop. Those are very nice bikes but I'd be concerned about the durability of the component group on the Flash 1. When I was looking the Flash 2 had the same components as the Flash 3. I would look at the 2 for more durable components.

Just about everything you read nowadays is that carbon is just as strong as aluminum. I'm still a little skeptical so I stick with Aluminum.

I really like the 2011 Lefty I have on my bike. They have really simplified the fork while still making it very functional and adjustable. It has been durable but I have never put it through the rigors of a Tour. A broken wheel or fork could be tough to get repaired if you had a problem. In RTD I believe it was Matt that had a problem with one and had to get a replacement shipped in. If you are concerned you could get yourself a replacement damper and have it ready to be shipped to you if you have trouble. Most all bike shops will have the tools to swap it out. Its about a 30 minute job.

Enjoy whichever you choose.
Curtis

[Rob Colliver]

I got my 9er just so I could do the TD - I went for lightness, comfort and lightness.
Ended up with the Tallboy carbon - its light and comfy -my advice would be, get the carbon with high spec everything; rip off the top end components and do the training with basic drivetrain etc, and put the top dollar stuff back on before the race.
Looking back at all the rigs I met during the ride, as long as the bike fits you, it does not matter what you ride, just ride shed loads more in training than you think you ever should and get the bike and kit dialed in with 6 months to spare - and ride with it fully loaded with water always.
No opinion on the lefty itself, but IMHO fit components that most bike shops can work on without having to order special parts.
My carbon frame is still in A1 condition!

[elobeck]

Well, ML has race proven the flash line. He did have issues with the BB bearings in TD 2010. Blaine Nester ran a cannondale flash w / lefty in TD 2010 with great success. I ran a lefty on my moots frame in 2010 and had zero problems with the lefty, however, I had lost about 15 mm worth of travel over the course of the race. This is common with Lefty forks, a phenomenon called "migration". This can be remedied with a simple procedure. I suggest you look into migrration as it may be adetriment to your riding style. I currently run a 2011 lefty, and it seems more prone to migration, to the point I take it off my bike in lieu of a fox fork if I know I am going to be out for a week and don't want my geometry to change or don't want to reset bearings in the field. It is an extremely plush fork, but has its downsides.

[annoying crack]

I know that Ray was running a lefty on this years TDR and had the 'migration' problem pretty much after the first week. He had to fix it 2 or three times over the course of the race because his forks would become totally non functional after the bearings 'migrated'. Not my idea of a 'good' fork especially since it needed more then a common multi-tool to fix it. Maybe he had back luck, I don't know.
They look awesome though.

[Sean Allan]

I've got a carbon 1 and it's a nice bike. I am on my second frame, I broke the original frame on the '10 CTR and it was my eventual downfall. It wasn't a spontaneous explosion, I broke 4 der. hangers on the race, one pretty spectacularly, and it eventually broke the drive side chain stay. My slightly modded med. is at about 19-1/2 pounds with real tires, so the combination is pretty light. That bike has seen almost 15,000 miles with little to no problems. It's a fairly stiff ride and contrary to some reports, rides like the 80 mm hardtail it is I don't have any experience on the alloy version.

The lefty can be a bit temperamental for some. I don't know of any forks that can be serviced with a multi-tool in the field. I have 4 of them and know how to service/rebuild them. I have all the tools a Cannondale shop would have so my life is a bit easier, I also have a spare damper just in case. My experience is they are slightly more problematic than a Fox, but can be very reliable if you take care of them. Finding someone to service them is key, and can be a problem out of your home area. Only a Cannondale service shop will have the tools to work on them, they are very specific other than the bearing reset which only requires a Shimano external bb tool. I have taken that tool with me on extended trips, drilled some holes in it and milled it down a bit and it doesn't weigh much.

Never broke a hub so the wheel is a non issue unless you are looking to buy a complete wheel somewhere, otherwise they build up like any other wheel if you have the truing stand adapter.

[frejwilk]

Carbon frames can definitely hold up for bikepacking trips. I've had good luck with my FS Cannondale carbon frame. Carbon worries for me come more from how the material is cared for and what's (and how it's) attached to it.

I've also had very good experience with lefty forks and headshoks. I realize you are gathering opinion for specific frame / fork combos. Keep in mind that there are a lot of lefty models and that you'll get opinions based on forks with very different internals. I haven't used PBR or XLR models. I currently have a Fox RLC lefty with a ti coil spring. Probably the best fork I've ever owned. I have had to reset the bearings, but that is more a function of dialing in (bearing and race) tolerances on specific forks than a difference between models. Given a choice of my lefty coil RLC and a traditional Fox RLC for multi-day rides (a choice I have), I'll take the coil lefty every time...

The best advice with forks (for AZT750 or TD) is to be ready for what might actually break down - and how you can easily deal with it in the middle of nowhere.

Seems like more people drop out (of AZT anyway) due to flats and GPS failures than fork problems these days.

Good luck,

FW