Gotta Love that Lefty
Written: Aug 14 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Plush, Stiff, strong, lightweight, and easy to service
Cons: Unusual design makes fitting fenders and bike racks a bit more challenging.
The Bottom Line: Plush, stiff, strong, easy to service, and lightweight.
I love this fork
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| bentbaz's Full Review: Cannondale Lefty DLR |
I'm not a Mountain Bike racer, I'm a weekend warrior who weighs 220 lbs and likes to ride fast on a cool downhill singletrack trail.
I was shopping for a new full suspension bike when my LBS said that I just had to try the 2002 Cannondale Jekyll 800 he had there. This was the first time I tried a Lefty equipped bike and the sweetness of this fork was evident the minute I got the bike into some bumps. I was not planning on spending this much for a new bike, but after trying a over a dozen other bikes, I could not walk away from the Jekyll -- and eventually bought it.
The Lefty fork is LIGHT, STIFF, and STRONG. Steering thru the big bumps is sure and sweet as the fork rides on some 90 servicable needle bearings with 100mm travel, modulated with a long travel air cartridge and adjustable damping spring.
Weighing in at 220 lbs., I run my fork at about 255lbs of air pressure. It is spec'd to take up to 300lbs air pressure, which implies it can handle riders up to about 255 lbs. I have thrashed this fork for over 100 miles of tough trails, with roots, rocks, jumps up to 4 feet high, and the usual mud and grit. The fork is plush, steady, and easy to configure on the fly when you need to lock it down for a climb, or tweak the damping for the small stuff.
It is sealed tight from the elements, but easily serviced by cutting 2 "zip ties" that hold the rubber accordion in place, then exposing the bearing surfaces for inspection and servicing. You can see if the flats that the needle bearings ride on are worn or damaged (and if so, you can easily replace the bearing surface -- a flat piece of metal about 4 inches by 1/2 inch). Grease it up, replace the rubber cover and secure with two new "zip ties" and you're ready to ride.
For major service of the needle bearings and air cartridge, a 40mm wrench is used to remove the top nut so you can dump out all the guts. Leave this to your Cannondale trained bike mechanic however. My point is that you won't get eaten alive by labor charges to service this fork because it is easy to get it apart.
REMOVING THE WHEEL takes a 5mm allen wrench to first remove the disc brake caliper, then remove the bolt that keeps the wheel (Coda Expert hub) attached to the Titanium axle. If you must use a rack that requires removing the wheel, you'll incur some extra hassle, and you'll need to purchase a $50 adapter so you can attach the Lefty axle to a conventional bike rack that sports a QR mount for normal fork dropouts.
OR ... use the Thule big mouth ($105) or Yakima Lockjaw ($85) rack, and don't mess with removing the front wheel at all when carrying on your rooftop.
On the bright side, you don't have to remove the front wheel to fix a flat tire!
So if you're considering a new bike, be sure to test ride one with a Lefty. You'll be amazed. It really is a great fork.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bentbaz
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
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