Legacy of the C'dale Slate

[m_moses]

I’ve got the black cx1 version and it was my gateway drug to gravel riding. It’s been replaced by an Open UP which I much prefer.

It is truly a do everything kind of bike and though I struggled with the gearing on group rides, it was hard to fault on gravel once I replaced the stock tires. It is also a little heavy thanks to the Oliver though with carbon wheels and few other cockpit updates my large Slate came in around 19lbs.

Over time the aesthetic started to bug me a little. The lefty initially had kind of a wow factor but eventually I started to think it just added unnecessary complexity. It’s still fun to see the reaction of those who aren’t familiar with the bike when they see a drop bar bike with a single strut instead of a fork. I’ve got a riding buddy who still thinks it takes some kind of special skill to ride a lefty equipped bike.




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[glepore]

Have one, and for certain types of gravel-rutted steep Blue Ridge mountain stuff, it rocks. It's heavy and a bit sluggish, and less of a multisurface bike than most "gravel" bikes. The price of the fork is just stupid. I ended up buying a rigid Apex bike and using a PBR mtb fork, which is heavier but has ridiculous travel and was 1/3 the cost.

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by glepore

The price of the fork is just stupid.

Originally Posted by happycampyer

Only after the buzz around the bike died did Cannondale make the forks available, at which point I think it was too late. Lauf had been in the aftermarket gravel fork business for a while, and Fox had introduced a shorter travel gravel fork as well.

I ended up buying a Slate and reached out to Moots to see if they would build a Routt YBB with the fork, and they said no. I then had Firefly build a bike with the fork. The bike is so much better than the Slate in every way, it isn’t funny (and it should be, given that it was 4x the cost of a Slate). I truly believe that if Cannondale had made the Oliver fork available earlier, a lot of boutique builders would have built bikes with them, and it would have validated the design. Imo, Cannondale’s hubris in not wanting someone making a “better Slate” is what killed the Slate.

Agree and Agree. If Cannondale had offered the Oliver widely and for $1000 or less...if only.

[weisan]

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[glepore]

There's a thread on WW forum with a guy who's having a Chinese build to spec ti company fab a frame using a mtb lefty with the geometry so that it sets up correctly. Nice mtb lefty's forks are all over ebay for not too much money 9mine was 500 new) but the mtbs use smaller headtubes heightwise so its tough to fit.

There is a company that does a 'lefty for all" steerer to fit any normal frame, but again ht height can be an issue.

[Burning Pines]

I never wanted one of these things but also appreciated that a big brand would do something so weird. Probably a lot of people felt the same which is why they had to clear a bunch out at REI.

On the topic of big brands I don’t get what trek and spesh are doing with their gravel bikes. Just boring aluminum and carbon options that aren’t optimized for 650b use at all, except maybe the sequoia. Specialized killed the awol too. Are customers of these brands just not interested in this stuff?

[happycampyer]

Originally Posted by glepore

<snip>
There is a company that does a 'lefty for all" steerer to fit any normal frame, but again ht height can be an issue.

The standard steerer on a lefty is a whopping 1.5". Project 3-2-1 makes a tapered steerer kit (and perhaps others do as well). My Firefly has the Project 3-2-1 steerer, with a tapered headtube. As you note, the limiting factor is the height of the stanchion—the headtube can't be any taller than the upper bearing, which means that an XL frame will have a very short headtube.



Having a suspension fork may be overkill, but the fork definitely provides more compliance than the tire alone. Ask 54ny77—he goofed around on the bike for a bit and found it almost comically fun to ride. After Firefly made my bike, Jamie made one for himself with a Lefty, super skinny seatstays and a 1" seatpost for "passive" suspension. Would have loved to have the skinny stays on this bike.

[m_moses]

Originally Posted by weisan

.

Wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that one.


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[marciero]

Agree with others that it understates the gravel scene, the presence and availability of 650b tires, antecedents to the Slate, etc, pre-2015. Still, some interesting history and I enjoyed the article.

[glepore]

Originally Posted by happycampyer

Having a suspension fork may be overkill, but the fork definitely provides more compliance than the tire alone. Ask 54ny77—he goofed around on the bike for a bit and found it almost comically fun to ride. After Firefly made my bike, Jamie made one for himself with a Lefty, super skinny seatstays and a 1" seatpost for "passive" suspension. Would have loved to have the skinny stays on this bike.

Try a vcls seatpost (or get a knockoff one to try). The take just enough sting out of the back end to balance the bike a bit.

[54ny77]

happy's firefly is beyond bonkers awesome. i rode it literally straight into a curb at low speed and floated right through it like a knife thru hot buttah. it didn't even flinch, and i did indeed laugh like a little kid at how fun that thing is. the parts spec, the overall craftsmanship & assembly....yowza.

Originally Posted by happycampyer

The standard steerer on a lefty is a whopping 1.5". Project 3-2-1 makes a tapered steerer kit (and perhaps others do as well). My Firefly has the Project 3-2-1 steerer, with a tapered headtube. As you note, the limiting factor is the height of the stanchion—the headtube can't be any taller than the upper bearing, which means that an XL frame will have a very short headtube.



Having a suspension fork may be overkill, but the fork definitely provides more compliance than the tire alone. Ask 54ny77—he goofed around on the bike for a bit and found it almost comically fun to ride. After Firefly made my bike, Jamie made one for himself with a Lefty, super skinny seatstays and a 1" seatpost for "passive" suspension. Would have loved to have the skinny stays on this bike.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Hilltopperny

...
It felt a bit sluggish to me over most of the terrain I was riding at the time and something about the bike just didn’t mesh with me for anything over 25 miles, so I sold it. ....
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I had an Ultegra version and felt the same way. Very nice bike and loved the fit. For what it was, felt very slow. Maybe just in my mind, as I'm not used to suspension.