Would you ride a Lefty fork?

Would you ride a Lefty fork?

  • Yes, they are absolutely amazing! Dependable and awesome!

    Votes: 27 39.7%

  • Yes, I would but they have a habit of being unreliable.

    Votes: 4 5.9%

  • Yes, but get used to servicing it every month.

    Votes: 2 2.9%

  • Yes, if it was free and I had a personal mechanic to fix it.

    Votes: 14 20.6%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 6 8.8%

  • No, it's not worth the headache.

    Votes: 1 1.5%

  • No, Fox's forks are better

    Votes: 7 10.3%

  • No, I've had too many issues with them

    Votes: 1 1.5%

  • No, the missing leg scares me.

    Votes: 8 11.8%

  • No, I'd rather ride a rigid.

    Votes: 7 10.3%
  • Total voters
    68
Love them. Have ridden 4 different ones now and im impressed by how solid and planted the front feels. Luke's lefty max felt better than any other XC/AM fork I have ever tried anyway...short of maybe a full on DH fork. I tried lou's flash over the summer at Jorba fest. I rode 5 different bikes that day with foxes and rebas and it was hands down the best IMO.

Bought one last month, should have another for next season. So far im impressed, when it breaks and I have to fix it...this review is subject to change 🙂 That said I have owned 4 foxes...all have broken, some multiple times in a season, 2 rebas..both also broke...one of them hydrolocked 4 different times...so I cant they have been very reliable for me anyway.
 
untested technology?
1910labor.jpg

(1910 Labor "Tour de France": 13.3 kg, 170 mm cranks, 67.5 deg seat tube, 79 mm fork rake, 53 mm trail, 67.5 mm head tube, "Lefty" fork, right-only chain-stay and seat stay.)
via today's The Inner Ring blog post
 
I test rode just about every bike I could get my hands on just a few months ago and I was not feeling the Leftys. I felt Fox was a better feel for me. Besides I like symmetry and a Lefty doesn't have it, lol
 
I got the only vote for rigid because there wasn't a "Crankendale SaD" vote.

Who wants more moving parts then needed anyway...
 
jShort said:
what If you use an adapter (project 321) assuming this is on a non cannondale frame, and a negative rise stem...
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Untrue. The lowest possible Lefty configuration is about 4 inches taller than a Fox with a normal stem on it. I have a bike set-up here using the adapter and a negative 25 degree stem. Could work if you're over 5'10". Under that it's not possible to get a proper XC race drop.

-Jim.

PS-I won't even get into the reliability side. My Lefty stance has been pretty well documented.
 
frst season on a lefty

This was my first year on a lefty, and I love it.

when I first got it, I did have some issues and had to send it back twice. That was annoying, but cannondale stood behind their product well. the second time they replaced all the internals with new parts. since then, no issues. turn around was fast as well. Each return took about a week or so.

the ride is amazing. I would still use a traditional fork, but I do like the feel and light weight of the lefty, especially with the 29er. it really steers amazingly well. point and shoot. no questions.
 
jimvreeland said:
Untrue. The lowest possible Lefty configuration is about 4 inches taller than a Fox with a normal stem on it. I have a bike set-up here using the adapter and a negative 25 degree stem. Could work if you're over 5'10". Under that it's not possible to get a proper XC race drop.

-Jim.

PS-I won't even get into the reliability side. My Lefty stance has been pretty well documented.
Click to expand...

so Jim's a yes 😀
 
hey'all been lurking on this site for awhile but this topic made me respond. i rode and raced a fox talas for a few years and loved it. replaced that bike with a cannondale h/t with a lefty and was immediately blown away with its performance. small bump compliance to big hits this fork is smooth
 
dpitch58 said:
hey'all been lurking on this site for awhile but this topic made me respond. i rode and raced a fox talas for a few years and loved it. replaced that bike with a cannondale h/t with a lefty and was immediately blown away with its performance. small bump compliance to big hits this fork is smooth
Click to expand...

Why should we take you word for it? ...this is only your first post. Just messin with you! 😀 Welcome aboard!
 
gtluke said:
Yes it does, that's why it's called a strut and not a shock.
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yea, I suppose so. but the strut design still incorporates a shock/spring. It also relies on a lower control arm too though.

model_2.gif


cannondale_lefty_600.jpg


I dunno. maybe we're mixing up terms here.
 
If they could figure out a way to make the car body and strut strong enough to not need the lower control arm there they would. The weight would tear the body of the car apart. On bikes you can get away with it.
Just imagine if you had a brace from the axle to the bottom bracket, that's what a car has.
 
soulchild said:
so Jim's a yes 😀
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, I can't even test it for myself because they still don't make one in a small. I'll never say it isn't stiff or light or how it rides because until Cannondale starts making products for the 50% of the customers they're missing, I'll just never know.

-Jim.
 
gtluke said:
If they could figure out a way to make the car body and strut strong enough to not need the lower control arm there they would. The weight would tear the body of the car apart. On bikes you can get away with it.
Just imagine if you had a brace from the axle to the bottom bracket, that's what a car has.
Click to expand...

The strength, plus other stuff like steering and alignment. But we're getting way off topic. The forces acting on a car's suspension is certainly different than a front mtb suspension fork.
 
Jim are you running a short head tube? Cause on my bike I have no spacers and a really small head stack head set. So what's the lefty add? The ~30mm of the top clamp?
Axle to crown on 80mm lefty is 480mm
Axle to crown on an 80mm F29 is 480mm

I know you love the GF setups, and he uses some crazy short head tubes, but other than that I don't see the 30mm clamp equaling 4 inches
 
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