When Cannondale updates the Slate, expect its replacement to benefit from the better clearance provided by the Ai bottom bracket design found on its mountain bikes and its SuperX cyclocross bikes.Weve tested the Ultegra spec to see how its onoff road credentials stack up.And that each time they develop a new bike they delight in ripping out as many pages as possible.The brand has a habit of turning conventional thinking on its head.
The net result is an outside diameter to the tyre which is similar to a 23mm tyre on a conventional 700c wheel. With a wheelbase of 99.6cm, its geometry is similar to a conventional performance road machine. Its Lefty Oliver single leg gives the Slate 3cm of front end travel, helping it to ride over rocks and bumps. Theres still a bit of bob in the fork and the tyres once locked out, but it does make out of saddle efforts easier. They are supported by needle bearings, which gives a very rigid interface between the moving and the static sections of the fork. And unlike standard fork designs, the axle is made in one piece, making it very rigid. Other versions of the Lefty are considered amongst the stiffest MTB forks around. The seat tube mimics the CAAD12 too, splaying out at the bottom bracket junction to increase rigidity and power transfer. ![]() At the bottom of the Slate range, the 1700 SRAM Apex 1 single ring variant comes with an alloy lefty fork without suspension. The Shimano Ultegra version provides effective, confident stopping unaffected by mud and wet. Run them at 60psi, as I did initially, as this is around the middle of the recommended pressure range, and they have a lot of inertia and make for a very heavy ride. I dropped the pressure to 40psi and the difference was dramatic, with the ride transformed. It felt much faster and more enjoyable and far more like the road bike feel which Cannondale says the Slate was designed to emulate. Its important to get this right to get the most out of the bike. The large contact patch does feel very grippy and secure though. I was able to keep up fine on group road rides with riders with skinny tyres. In thickness of the rubber, they feel like an extra-wide summer road tyre. This was fine on road and on gritty tracks but in mud the bike snaked and slipped and on the muddiest tracks clogging at the chainstays was a problem. But most bridleways in the UK soon get muddy and the choice of grippier 650b tyres narrow enough to clear the chainstays is limited.
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