Cannondale Lefty Oliver

£1,400 (+ wheel) One-of-a-kind design for taming techy trails

Weight 1,370g Travel 30mm Rake 55mm Axle to crown 419mm

The single-sided and inverted Lefty design is an impressive technical achievement that combines both spring and damper in a single leg. When setting up the fork you need to add air carefully, 15psi at a time then cycle the fork through its travel around 10 times) before adding more air. Wiping down the lower leg after every ride is a must as chips or scoring will compromise performance.

The Lefty has a quality construction and, once you get past its unique/odd look, the benefits of its design really shine. The lateral and fore-aft stiffness is better than any of its rivals and the Lefty tracks smoothly even on the bumpiest of surfaces. Plus the single-sided design gives good tyre clearance of 45mm for a 700c tyre. The Lefty isolates rebound damping and compression, making the fork resistant to bobbing when sprinting or climbing out of the saddle, despite its impressive fast-bump response and plush action. There’s also a lockout on top of the leg should you want it super-stiff for riding on road, and this is designed to blow off if you hit an obstacle, which I’ve experienced when I’ve forgotten to re-open the fork after going from tarmac to trail.

On light gravel roads, the Lefty feels supersmooth, not quite as soft as the RockShox or Lauf, but with its excellent fore-aft rigidity that’s to be expected. In technical terrain the fork performs impressively, even with its short travel, the stroke ramping up progressively and never topping out or clunking at either end of its travel. Worth noting is that, at 55mm, the Lefty has more offset than all its rivals, so it will change the front end of some bikes. While the Lefty’s bump response is rapid and balanced and its big-hit ability is elevated by its stiffness, the downside is its price and need for a dedicated front wheel. It’s also rather a complex fork, and while keeping it clean will help, the service schedule means extra expense. While I hugely recommend the Lefty for pure performance, I’d rather buy it as part of a complete bike.

Verdict Exceptional performance, but expensive and complex