I thought the same thing about the Lefty until I rode the Scalpel. It is quite a noticeable difference. I thought my fork was pretty good and that there couldn't possibly be a difference. If anything I thought the Lefty would be less stiff and not worth the cost. I couldn't have been more wrong. That thing goes exactly where you point it very quickly without fighting you. The weight savings is very noticeable as well. On top of that the Flash is a great bike.

That being said, everyone is different. It might not be for you. Make sure you ride one before you make a purchase.

 

Found this:

James Downing - Mountain Bike Athlete: 2013 Cannondale Lefty Review

 

Found this:

James Downing - Mountain Bike Athlete: 2013 Cannondale Lefty Review

Very detailed and helpful review. Thanks for posting!

 

Thanks for the info!

 

No problem. You might want to head over to the cannondale forum for more info. as well. They have info. on the 2014 models if you think you might be interested in those too.
Here's some specs on them:
http://vbsports.cat/docs/montanya_2014.pdf

 

I found a left over flash 2 alloy 29er for a real good deal and should of switched to the lefty fork long ago.. I think I will stay with cannondale for a long time.. Love the frame/lefty fork

 

Sure you can go with a hard tail 29er - and will notice immediate improvements in your riding. The lefty is not a gimmick - pretty cool design, and more importantly works great on trails (tracks very nicely and feels "more solid").
For the money, you could opt for a Full suspension 29er.
Examples:
Cannondale Scapel 29er 4 - alu frame
Scott Spark 940 - alu frame
You'll find better components on the scott, and far less issues with a regular fork.
You are also less likely to have crackling sounds coming from the rear suspension.

Bottom line: The ride of a full suspension 29er is pretty hard to match. It's a more comfortable ride, so you can bike even more (which is the point of it all).

Both bikes: tried and extensively tested - they both climb like goats (even though they will weight about 2 pounds more than a hard tail.)

 

Comes down which you like better I had a full suspension and nothing but problems blown rear shock worn suspension bushings and for me I would never go back to a full suspension.. The abuse I get is up front I am out of the saddle most of the time..

 

Then you probably want to stay away from a lefty - not so good for abusing. I own 4 of them, and am sending them for repair more often than I would like to. Probably the biggest reason for me to have gone with a new bike (after 20+ years of riding c'dale)

 

It won't be any different than the damn fox fork that was on my specialized epic comp.. Nothing but problems and lots of maintance..One problem will be enough

 

Fox makes the internals on the lefty... but they are more fragile than the fox forks. If you want a little more sturdy, and great customer service, give RockShox a try for your front end.

 

If only Rockshox made the internals for the lefty... it would be so much better...

 

I think fox covers there ass saying it needs serviced every 50 hours.. I switched to cannondale for the ride quality and just fit me right so I guess it comes down to what bike fits you and your style riding.. To me it's the most comfortable hardtail I rode so far..

 

@ Jamis: Good one, and you are right.
50 hours is ridiculous though - that would amount to me servicing my forks every 3 weeks or so.

Technology is getting better... or is it?
I once rode with a front fork over 11k miles and didn't service it once. Ah... the good ol' days!

 

I find lefties to be the best XC suspension option I have ridden. Some of it is marketing, but they do perform really well.

The downside is special front hub. Otherwise for forks at the same level of performance, I think the price is about right. Pricey, but the top-end XC forks are.

 

I find lefties to be the best XC suspension option I have ridden. Some of it is marketing, but they do perform really well.

The downside is special front hub. Otherwise for forks at the same level of performance, I think the price is about right. Pricey, but the top-end XC forks are.

Why is the front hub a downside?

The way I look at it is.. the factory hub is probably the best lefty hub out there. You gain nothing from going to an aftermarket hub other than maybe 50grams at the most. Kinda saves you money in the long run, no need to replace it when pricing a new wheelset.