Cannondale’s Lefty Super Max 29er “fork” debuted at Eurobike aboard the new Trigger 29er trail bike, and now it’s making its way to dealers.
Quick refresher: It’s the longest Lefty fork they’ve made, and it’s for 29ers. The inside tech is fully updated, same as all 2013 Lefty forks and should be far more reliable than some older models. Forces from the extra travel are handled by a straight 1.5″ headtube, and stanchions’ outside diameters are increased to 36mm (lower) and 42mm (upper). The positioning of the leg is also revised to allow for a shorter stem and tighter trail measurement for quicker handling.
Our friends at Fresh Bikes got this one in and snapped a few pics. On their scale, they’re saying it comes in at 4.03lbs (1830g) with the lower leg shield attached. That’s about 20g less than Cannondale speculated at the tradeshow, which makes us happy…
Rebound and compression damping controls are up top.
Air chamber’s filled from the bottom.
Brake hose/cable management attached to the leg shield. It’s built for 180mm brake rotors at a minimum.
MSRP is $1,399.
About that weight: Cannondale’s standard 29er Lefty is among the (if not the) lightest fork available and is pretty stiff laterally. The Super Max claims to have the same strength where it counts as a dual crown DH fork while also being on the low end of the spectrum. For example, the Rockshox Revelation XX 29er 140/130/120 comes in around 1,845g with 32mm stanchions and 20mm thru-axle. A Fox 34 Float 29 comes in at 2,040g with tapered alloy steerer and 15mm thru-axle. The limiting factor for aftermarket applications really looks to be the 1.5″-only steerer and the fact that you’ll need a specific front wheel.
