#16
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Legacy of the C'dale Slate
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 It’s been replaced by an Open UP which I much prefer.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. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Last edited by m_moses; 12-06-2019 at 06:48 PM. Reason: Clarity |
#17
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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.
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#18
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#19
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#20
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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. |
#21
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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? |
#22
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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. |
#24
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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.
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#25
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#26
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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.
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#27
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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.
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