To answer a reader’s question on the CFR XC prototype aero Reserve gravel wheels story… Yes, that is a new prototype inverted Cannondale Lefty fork, that we’re going to call the Lefty Nueve. Details are officially non-existent at this point. But the Cannondale Factory team clearly has a new suspension fork at their disposal. And everyone is racing on it, suggesting this isn’t just some one-off R&D prototype.
So what makes it better than the Lefty Ocho?
Cannondale’s prototype Lefty Nueve one-legged XC fork
The 8th-generation Lefty Ocho has been around for a long time – officially since 2018, so we’re not too surprised that it was bound for an update. And based on Cannondale’s previous Spanish naming scheme, we’re going to dub this one Lefty Nueve because I simply like how that sounds.
The Lefty has always been divisive, but love it or hate it from a design (or servicing) perspective, this one-legged fork has delivered top-tier lightweight cross-country performance for decades. Just look at the Ocho. What other XC suspension fork has been raced at the World Cup level for 8 years, effectively unchanged?
But it was time for an update. And it looks like Cannondale design engineers have found some tweaks.
What’s new?
Overall, Cannondale’s prototype Lefty Nueve looks a lot like the inverted Ocho fork. But there are plenty of subtle differences that hint at improvements.
First up, they’ve slimmed down the new upper. It is noticeably thinner just above the bulge for the lower bushing & seal. And then it features a smoother tapered transition up to its widest point at the top of the fork leg.
There, it also transitions more smoothly through its one-sided crown up to the headtube. Before, there was about a ~2cm thick step where the steerer heads up into the frame, whereas now the crown looks to be as thin as ~5mm on the right side under the headset. There is also a new hole under the steerer tube. Maybe that could allow a high fender mount, or a light thru-bolt to tension the headset?
New Chamber Damper controls
The top of the leg also reveals some damper control updates. A new simplified top cap still allows for a cable-actuated remote lockout – which the CFR team used to combine with some variation of a 2- or 3-cable Fox Twin Stick lockout that also operated a dropper post. But now it looks like several racers have opted for different setups to control fork & shock lockout, and CFR’s mechanical Fox Transfer dropper posts.
What has really changed here, though, is that compression damping adjustment is no longer tool-free on top of the fork. Now, there’s a new rubber cover on the front of the fork leg, suggesting internal damping adjustment. Maybe you’ll get both HSC & LSC controls?
More open stanchion guard & new StopLock brake mount
Then, the upper brake line guide is slightly tweaked, with a continuous tube for the race team down to the brake line guide on the updated orange lower stanchion guard – with a bigger window that the team straps its race transponder to. The new guard also appears to now be mounted only to the front & inside of the fork, not the outside of the fork leg.
Cannondale also redesigned the Lefty’s StopLock brake mount with a new quick-release. Although it’s hard to know for sure what all has changed or why at this point. We can see they moved the mounting point for the adjustable brake caliper adapter, a bit back from the dropout, while the arm supporting the caliper moves up and closer to the stanchion. The redesign may make it easier to mount different rotor sizes, or it might just simplify disconnecting the caliper to remove the front wheel.
Besides all that, the lower red rebound knob on the Cannondale team’s Lefty prototypes is also a new smoother round shape vs. the existing ridged knob. That doesn’t necessarily confirm any change, but maybe suggests more fine adjustment or greater rebound damping control?
Coming soon?
Does this Cannondale Lefty prototype suggest a new Lefty Nueve XC fork is just around the corner? Cannondale Factory Racing seem to have settled in on the new fork. And these forks look like production finishes, not working development prototypes. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a new Lefty Nueve very soon.
