Reluctantly needing a new bike.

[139NI]

i am considering spending £2.5k on a Cannondale Slate. This is between a cyclocross and a road bike with 650b wheels and a 30mm suspension Lefty fork. It is due on the UK market next month so I got time to decide for certain.

I want to buy this as I like bikes that look strange and I am also considering joining a cycling club.

Does anyone have experience of a Slate or have any opinions on riding in a club with unconventional bikes.

I understand it is crucially a very expensive alloy bike. Does anyone have any recommendations that they want to put to me for a cyclocross bike in that price range. Just to be clear, I don't want to have a pure road pedigree.

Many thanks

W

 

[I like Skol]

GT Grade carbon. I think your budget will get you the Ultegra model or you can save some £££ and get the 105 version (this would be my choice if I was buying).

 

[139NI]

GT Grade carbon. I think your budget will get you the Ultegra model or you can save some £££ and get the 105 version (this would be my choice if I was buying).

I will take a look. I must say I am not sure I want a carbon bike, rather I would prefer either an alloy or titanium frame, I am just a bit wary of the longevity of carbon particularly after a crash. It's just I am aware that car on can just break without warning if damaged.

I agree with your suggestion of 105 though.

Thank you..

 

[Milkfloat]

At your club will you be riding cyclocross, on the road or both?

 

[outlash]

Slate's have been out for a while, the guy who runs Castelli Cafe loves his. If you're not racing 'cross and it's not hindering you on club runs, go for it but be aware roadies being occasionally a conservative bunch, there may be a couple of raised eyebrows.
If you're after a straight 'cross bike, £2.5k could buy you something very nice. If you're insistant on buying an alloy frame (and for a 'cross bike, I agree with you), you could halve that budget and still get something decent.

 

[vickster]

Titanium mmm

 

[gavroche]

I have loads of slates on my roof. They last a long time too. Good choice.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

The Slate is an interesting and quirky bike. But you must be prepared to live with it's quirks. Firsty, the front wheel is not quick release remove. If you have to remove the wheel to get the bike in your car, forget it. Either get a roofrack or get a standard bike. Secondly, the BB is rubbish. BB30 is junk. Thirdly. The Lefty fork requires plenty of maintenance (probably a service every 50 hours of use, check the manual for exact hours), and a service is expensive.

A couple of models back, the proprietary Cannondale stem was virtually a consumable item. each time you wanted to service the fork you had to saw off the expensive stem. I've done plenty of those and eventually I could do it without wincing. It seems as if this model has now gone back to the tried-and-tested clamp-on stem.

Quirky designs don't have the advantage of millions of users testing every single improvement by default and therefore constantly forcing improvement. If a manufacturer goes it alone, like Cannondale does, the user often pays hefty school fees on behalf of the manufacturer.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I've seen these in Wheelbase at Staveley and they look quirky as well as nice.

Unless you are riding some seriously gnarly trails I can't see the point of the suspension fork tbh.

 

[Tin Pot]

 

[StuAff]

Decent bike, if the particular design compromises (Lefty fork/650b only setup/no rack or 'guard mounts) aren't a problem for whatever you actually want to do with it. Ted King won the Dirty Kanza 200 on a Slate and has nothing but praise for it. Wheel changes are not a problem with any through axle setup, that's utter twaddle. Mr King somehow changed three flats in that race without issue…as do many thousands of others. All these press-fit BB 'standards' can be problematic, there are more variables than can lead to the dreaded creaking, reduced service life, and so on…but a properly sorted setup is no bother whatsoever.

Rough guess is you're not looking for a CX bike, but a gravel/all-road/adventure/what name can some other marketing dept. come up with bike. Of which there are many, many good ones. Apart from my own Litespeed T5G (now with flat mount brake setup), there's the Tripster ATR, the Grade, the Datum…most of which will be a bit more versatile than the Slate, will take 650b wheels as well as 700s if you wish, and can do duty as fast road bike/off road bike/commuter/all of the above. Think about what you actually want to do with the bike, do your research & you won't go far wrong.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Decent bike, if the particular design compromises (Lefty fork/650b only setup/no rack or 'guard mounts) aren't a problem for whatever you actually want to do with it. Ted King won the Dirty Kanza 200 on a Slate and has nothing but praise for it. Wheel changes are not a problem with any through axle setup, that's utter twaddle. Mr King somehow changed three flats in that race without issue…as do many thousands of others. All these press-fit BB 'standards' can be problematic, there are more variables than can lead to the dreaded creaking, reduced service life, and so on…but a properly sorted setup is no bother whatsoever.

Rough guess is you're not looking for a CX bike, but a gravel/all-road/adventure/what name can some other marketing dept. come up with bike. Of which there are many, many good ones. Apart from my own Litespeed T5G (now with flat mount brake setup), there's the Tripster ATR, the Grade, the Datum…most of which will be a bit more versatile than the Slate, will take 650b wheels as well as 700s if you wish, and can do duty as fast road bike/off road bike/commuter/all of the above. Think about what you actually want to do with the bike, do your research & you won't go far wrong.

I can't find anyone in this thread who said wheel changes are a problem. Nor can I find anyone who said fixing punctures are a problem. The fact remains, to remove a Lefty front wheel you have to undo the brake caliper and the cantilever axle bolt. It is not quick release. The wheel certainly doesn't fit with a through-axle.

The BB30 on that bike isn't press-fit. However, you seem to think with proper set-up BB30 and it's press-fit derivatives don't creak. Please explain what those set-up procedures would be. The industry seems to have overlooked the procedure.

 

[StuAff]

I can't find anyone in this thread who said wheel changes are a problem. Nor can I find anyone who said fixing punctures are a problem. The fact remains, to remove a Lefty front wheel you have to undo the brake caliper and the cantilever axle bolt. It is not quick release. The wheel certainly doesn't fit with a through-axle.

The BB30 on that bike isn't press-fit. However, you seem to think with proper set-up BB30 and it's press-fit derivatives don't creak. Please explain what those set-up procedures would be. The industry seems to have overlooked the procedure.

You said in your earlier post: 'If you have to remove the wheel to get the bike in your car, forget it'. Which does imply that any kind of wheel removal, most definitely including for puncture repair, would be a problem in speed, need for tools, or both. And it clearly isn't. I'm certain our OP is perfectly capable of using a 5mm allen key. And the Lefty Oliver is a through-axle fork, a proprietary design where the axle is forged in place. My Litespeed has a PF30 BB and I've had zero issues with it. But then my LBS did their job properly with decent parts...

 

[Kajjal]

Have a think where you want to ride, 30mm of suspension is designed for off road and rougher roads more than actual road riding. Bikes like gt grade, specialized diverge are fine on road and handle smoother off road trails well. Then you are into pure road bikes.

 

[outlash]

My Litespeed has a PF30 BB and I've had zero issues with it. But then my LBS did their job properly with decent parts...

Don't bother. He'll present his opinion as fact and try and blind you with science and BS regardless of people telling him otherwise. Just smile and know that he's talking out his backside.