[fat-but-slow]

I am soon to pull the trig on a TB. Perhaps this is getting worn thin, but I have sacrificed a perfectly good 26er and my favorite adventure Motorcycle (450 exc) for this bicycle...The pressure is on to make the right decision.

I "think I am" convinced the Lefty is the better fork, I am tired of the continuous adjusting and oil wiping my present and lightly used fox requires. I like the absence of 3/4 pound of the Lefty. I like Cannondale Products. I like the fact that past users rave about its (lefty) performance.

What I don't like: 1. Santa Cruz does not recommend the Lefty. Is this due to allegiance to Fox and Rock shox? Is it due to corporate liability (ie. lets play it safe to prevent some schmuck from blaming us for......fill in the blank? Or is it due to a legitimate reason? Yes, I like Santa Cruz, not flaming them, I just know they have a big business to run and they are doing an excellent job. And finally, I will have to pay a premium for a Lefty.

This is where I need some reassurance:
1. Will the addition of the lefty negatively or positively affect re-sale? ( If I go into deep depression at the loss of my 450 exc and need to sell my ridiculously expensive bicycle to replace the MCycle)

2.For those who ride the adjustable Talas, would you rather have the ability to ride a 120mm and a 100mm fork or would you rather ride a bike that is close to a pound lighter.

3. Knowing the Lefty will be a "fixed 110mm" will this negatively affect the TB, and more importantly will it deter the bike from handling like Santa Cruz designed it.

Btw: I plan to race occasionally and ride everything minus what drinking Mountain Dew will make you do. I apologize for the length, and sort of feel an undecided girl buying a prom dress.... so just tell me to put my balls back in their sack and ride.

 

[LandSpeed]

If you get a cannondale I'm going to follow you from thread to thread making your momma jokes and cause general chaos. First of all, I'm glad you got a tall boy. Second, that stupid cannondale fork is the last thing you want.

I just ordered a Tallboy with the Fox Talas 29'er Terralogic fork, and having the ability to ride at 95 and 120 mm is the smartest thing fox ever did. Maybe will ever do. Think about it. That lefty fork reminds me of lance armstrong's scrotum. Quit being a panty sniffer and get the fox.

 

[Phil335]

I am soon to pull the trig on a TB. Perhaps this is getting worn thin, but I have sacrificed a perfectly good 26er and my favorite adventure Motorcycle (450 exc) for this bicycle...The pressure is on to make the right decision.

I "think I am" convinced the Lefty is the better fork, I am tired of the continuous adjusting and oil wiping my present and lightly used fox requires. I like the absence of 3/4 pound of the Lefty. I like Cannondale Products. I like the fact that past users rave about its (lefty) performance.

What I don't like: 1. Santa Cruz does not recommend the Lefty. Is this due to allegiance to Fox and Rock shox? Is it due to corporate liability (ie. lets play it safe to prevent some schmuck from blaming us for......fill in the blank? Or is it due to a legitimate reason? Yes, I like Santa Cruz, not flaming them, I just know they have a big business to run and they are doing an excellent job. And finally, I will have to pay a premium for a Lefty.

This is where I need some reassurance:
1. Will the addition of the lefty negatively or positively affect re-sale? ( If I go into deep depression at the loss of my 450 exc and need to sell my ridiculously expensive bicycle to replace the MCycle)

2.For those who ride the adjustable Talas, would you rather have the ability to ride a 120mm and a 100mm fork or would you rather ride a bike that is close to a pound lighter.

3. Knowing the Lefty will be a "fixed 110mm" will this negatively affect the TB, and more importantly will it deter the bike from handling like Santa Cruz designed it.

Btw: I plan to race occasionally and ride everything minus what drinking Mountain Dew will make you do. I apologize for the length, and sort of feel an undecided girl buying a prom dress.... so just tell me to put my balls back in their sack and ride.

I love my Carbon Lefty. Its a great "fork" but it does need to be serviced more than a usual fork. I do believe its one of the best money can buy. Here's a link to somoeone that has a Lefty on his Tallboy. See what he thinks.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=680818

 

[xjbaylor]

Regardless of what LandSpeed says, the Lefty is a great option, as it is stiff, light and has great small bump compliance. I would take the weight savings AND improved performance over adjustability any day, assuming the "fork" works with the bikes geometry.

As for your questions:

1. A lot of people, I think, are a little overwhelmed by the idea of adding the lefty to their non-Cannondale frame (though Project 321 has made the process a lot easier.) As I think those people would be happy to buy a bike with the conversion already done, I see it helping your resale value compared to the Fox. Regardless of which you choose, you will likely lose a lot of money when you decide to sell, that is just how it is when you build a premium bike with new parts.

2. My last bike was a Motolite with a Revelation U-Turn fork, so I could easily adjust travel in the front and back. The truth is, I played around with it from time to time, but not out of necessity. I liked to run it at 125 in the front and the 5" travel setting in the rear. Once I found that setting there was really no reason to change it. The geometry was more important than the travel to me.

3. I wouldn't worry about the travel so much as the a-c height. If the geometry works for you and the bike, the 110mm travel should be just fine.

Again, I'm not sure how your choice of front suspension affects your sexuality or manliness, but if you can get over that, and the cost of entry I think the Lefty is the way to go. Honestly, it would have been a harder choice if you said "Lefty or Reba", but I would still go Lefty. If nothing else, it is unique, just like Lance Armstrong's nether-region.

 

[JRR]

At this point you will be ok with either but if you get the lefty most likely you never be completely happy with any 32mm fork you get on in the future

 

[dapozer]

For those of us that Have Lefty's or rode a lefty before we know what the hype is about. Stiffer, more supple, lighter, and IMO a overall better ride. Those that balk at the lefty have not put any time on them or just didn't get them set right, or the lefty just didn't fit the application. The lefty is more of a XC/light am option, it is probably not the best fork for trasher am and downhill. Does it fit your riding style?, are you able to do maintenance on your own junk? can you feel differences in how your bike performs day to day? Coming aff a fox talas(although bigger and heavier and a 26er) I was not that happy with it. It just didn't fit my riding style. I like to climb and flowy single track and DH is left for the youngins . My TB is slated for a carbon or alloy lefty. like carbon for the looks but like the alloy for the increased strength(minute) and price. Project 321 will be getting the call for lefty and adapter when the frame arrives. This will be my 4th bike with a lefty:thumbsup:

 

[Guest]

3. Knowing the Lefty will be a "fixed 110mm" will this negatively affect the TB, and more importantly will it deter the bike from handling like Santa Cruz designed it.

No. Furthermore, the Lefty doesn't require or benefit from a tapered steerer and the TB takes an AngleSet. Fine tune your head angle with that combination if you like. You could do that with the Fox but it would require using the straight steerer.

Downsides of the Lefty are the fixed double crown clamps for small riders, the inability to use short stems (<90) in combination with low bars (again, smaller riders), and a wheel that's not quickly removable trail-side. You can fix a flat without removing the wheel, though, but that doesn't help with transport. The Cannondale hub requires only a common tool for removal, the Project 321 requires a large hex wrench as well. For riders of larger frames the dimensional issues aren't a big deal. I am 6'2" and use an XL with an 80mm stem and the bar is low enough.

The Lefty/TB is glorious, even better that it gets LandSpeed's panties in a wad.

 

[Mike Brown]

I know there's a lot of lefty fans out there, but everyone I know who's had one hated it for my area.
Why?
Water contaminiation in the needle bearings. I'm sure it's great in dry locales, but for a location with many many creek crossings and days when you just can't help but get caught out in the rain, frequent overhauls due to water contamination suxx.

 

[mteez]

Im building myT-Boy right now using the FOX 29'r fork. I have never ridden a Lefty fork so I cannot judge its riding characteristics. The lefty might be the greatest fork ever made yet it still looks just plain odd to me. Maybe if they built a lefty orthopedic verison with a fakey hollow right leg it wooden look as weird to me. They can make you a fake nut these daze if you lose one in a vice or sell one on E-Bay to buy your Tall Boy. I dunno call me crazy but I guess I just prefer to see two nuts in my sack even if one of them is only really a walnut.

 

[fat-but-slow]

Thanks Land Speed for your brutal honesty and getting to the point.. I like that. But you my friend, are loosing the battle. The sheer number of Lefty converts have you surrounded. Haven't you heard? Two legged forks make your scrotum look shorter ( insert smiley face ).
"Can't single legged forks and double legged forks all get along?"

Seriously, I thank those who have contributed to this thread. And yes, Land Speed you can still ride with us weirdos who are missing a fork leg.

 

[yogiprophet]

I know there's a lot of lefty fans out there, but everyone I know who's had one hated it for my area.
Why?
Water contaminiation in the needle bearings. I'm sure it's great in dry locales, but for a location with many many creek crossings and days when you just can't help but get caught out in the rain, frequent overhauls due to water contamination suxx.

Most of my experience with Leftys has been in the desert in which it seems to work better that sliders becasue it keeps the dust out of the seals. I would say that you would have to ride knee deep in water to contaminate the needle bearings....that would do it, but it would also contaminate the hubs and BB bearings.

My TB has a Lefty and it is the best riding bike to date for me. BTW, I think they are more like a 1/2 pound diff. Cdale does not include the steerer in their weights.

 

[bikespearo]

It is funny, you list your self as fat-but-slow and you are worried about 3/4 of a pound on your bike, and then in the next part of your post you talk about resale value as the number one issue for you with this bike and fork purchase. Both of these things sound like non issues. If you want resale dont buy a mountain, I dont know any suspention bikes that do well on resale, they are sort of life cycle products that become old technology and used up. Take your 5 or 6 grand and put it in your IRA it will do much better. I would not buy anything on a bike for resale reasons. Buy what works for you and will functiuon best for you. The Lefty is a cool fork but the Fox works great too. If you have had bad luck with Fox and dont like keeping the legs clean then I hear the Lefty is not for you. Everyone I know with a Talas sets it on the long setting and never changes it. The Lefty has the wow factor, but that is not what it is all about. I could have bought a Talas on my tallboy but I didnt because I did not see myself changing it that much or it making that big of a difference to me. I have a Fox 100 and for the riding I do it fits the my Tallboy well. I think people overthink part choices to much, but then I know it is what this is all about. Buy your bike, fit it well to yourself and ride it. If you are not racing build a bike that is durable, rather light and fun to ride. After riding bikes for 30 years it seems that the bike that has the most matching parts works the best for the long hall. Less work and more riding. Many times crazy light parts are better at being crazy light than being good parts. I think you will love the Talas or the Lefty on the Tallboy, I know people who have both. Just know why you are buying what you are buying. Have fun.

 

[@dam]

No bad choice. With the fox, you get adjustibiltiy and ease of maintenance (including taking the wheel off without tools- important for transport). The lefty is a nice weight savings, at the expense of inconvenience and a bunch of proprietary parts. I'm not sure which is stiffer.

110 will be a good middle-ground travel. If I didn't have an adjustable for, I'd pick 110-120.

 

[fat-but-slow]

Bikespearo,

I got defensive at the first of your message and wanted to tell you that I am neither fat or slow and so on.... but then I read your entire post and realized that you make sense. And yes, this is not an investment...

 

[bikespearo]

Bikespearo,

I got defensive at the first of your message and wanted to tell you that I am neither fat or slow and so on.... but then I read your entire post and realized that you make sense. And yes, this is not an investment...

Thanks for reading the whole post, that is more than many do. A bike is an investment in your health and well being, not an item to be purchases for resale. Ultimately it may save you some money to be heathy and happy by riding your bike but I dont think a Talas vs a Lefty will have any different return on heath and happyness. Now it is just a matter of how to ballance what you need, vs what it costs vs what you can afford. A Tallboy with and SLX parts group and a basic fork will still be a kick as bike, and be better than most bikes from just 3 or 4 years ago but if you can afford more and want more go for it. More power to you. You will love your new Tallboy.

 

[ryanhugh]

been riding a lefty for a year now, absolutely love it.

 

[cale399]

does the Lefty void warranty? I really want one too I used to have a Scalpel and loved it and now the Project 321 seems to give you all you need to set it up on the TB or any bike for that matter....

 

[DanielM3]

i was going to go w lefty but...

I was close to going with a Lefty but I think that you should think about headtube size first as the Lefty fork is not adjustable for the 2 mounting locations.

I found this image to show....

I just did not like all the space above the headtube and that was a deal breaker for me if you have a short headtube length.

Daniel

 

[reydin]

I was close to going with a Lefty but I think that you should think about headtube size first as the Lefty fork is not adjustable for the 2 mounting locations.

I found this image to show....

I just did not like all the space above the headtube and that was a deal breaker for me if you have a short headtube length.

Daniel

And why couldn't you place the spacers below or split the difference, just wonderin.

 

[DanielM3]

Even if you put the stem right above the clamp (assuming there was not bar contact issue) it would be very high. If you are talking about spacers under the headtube I am not sure if that can work and would change the headtube height from ground and angles of the bike.? No solutions seems great for me if you have a short headtube but I really am not the expert on this and could be totally off or missing something?