To complement the Cannondale Super X gravel bike launched last month, the Topstone Carbon has more of a do-it-all demeanour to it. The KingPin thru-axle pivot still provides 30mm of rear suspension, and if you want a suspension fork, there’s an updated version of the Lefty Oliver up front, delivering 40mm of stroke. This year marks the tenth anniversary of Lefty Oliver’s introduction, and the latest version features an evolved damper optimised for smoothing out those high-frequency corrugations often encountered on parts of the most rewarding gravel bike routes. 

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Built to carry

Topstone Carbon 3.0’s most notable upgrades are its storage and frame-carrying capabilities. Cannondale’s designers recognised that gravel bike adventure riding and destination bike packing are real rider needs. To this end, the Topstone carbon 3 frame fits three hydration bottles inside the main triangle, and there’s a downtube storage area, which Cannondale calls the StashPort. 

All Topstone Carbon 3 variants feature the new downtube storage cavity, including the StashBag, to keep all your compact tools, spares and tubes tidily arranged and rattle-free, when travelling along those corrugated gravel adventure routes. 

C25_Topstone_Lefty_Beauty (12).jpg, by Liam Mercer

Geometry charts for the rigid fork and Lefty Oliver-equipped Topstone carbon 3s are similar. All versions have a 73.1-degree seat angle. Four of the five frame sizes have a head angle set at 70.7-degrees, with the smallest size at a slightly slacker 69.9-degree head angle. 

Stealth droppers welcome

As with most gravel bikes, the Topstone Carbon 3 uses a 27.2mm seatpost, and there’s stealth dropper post routing. None of the factory builds ship with a dropper, though, so you’d need to fit one as an aftermarket upgrade, which is a sensible option to match the enhanced all-terrain descending capabilities of a Topstone carbon 3 running the Lefty Oliver fork. 

C25_Topstone_LTD_Beauty (13).jpg, by Liam Mercer

An interesting detail is that Topstone carbon 3s with the rigid fork have more tyre clearance than the single-sided Lefty Oliver. How is that possible? It’s because the Lefty Oliver’s crown shape limits the tyre height clearance. The difference? Rigid forks Topstone Carbon 3s have a maximum front tyre clearance of 56mm, with the Lefty Oiver a touch less. 

Cannondale recommends 700 x 47mm front tyres on Topstone carbon 3s featuring the Lefty Oliver, with all frames having a rear triangle tyre clearance of 52mm.
Cannondale’s third-generation Topstone carbon range starts at €3,299, for the 3 GRX 2x build with a system weight of 10.2kg. It increases to €3,999, for the 2 GRX 1x spec – coming in at 10.3kg with an AXS version priced at €4,299 and weighing 9.9kg. The 1 Lefty AXS build is €6,899 and weighs 9.8kg, with the European model range peaking at €7,499 for the 8.9kg LTD Di2 build. (All weights are manufacturer claimed).

• www.cannondale.com

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