Cannondale Topstone Alloy Vs Carbon
Whatever you throw at it this bike handles it with ease.
Cannondale topstone alloy vs carbon. As a gravel bike the cannondale topstone 105 won t care what you use it for. Topstone carbon lefty comes with 650 x 47c tires for even more off road ability and on road comfort. It can handle steep hills trashy trails smooth streets and long paved roads without problems. The new models start at 2 750 for the topstone carbon 105 which has a very similar component mix to our test bike.
Connected an integrated wheel sensor delivers hyper accurate speed route and distance info registers your bike reminds you of needed service and more all through the free cannondale app. If the price is still a little too much to justify the good news is the entire topstone carbon range use the exact same. The second option is the topstone apex 1 which happens to be the costliest of. Conversely the carbon force comes equipped with a 2x12 drivetrain featuring 46 33 cranks and 10 33 cassette which meant no struggling on ascents.
That means the carbon bikes are roughly 1 000 more expensive than the equivalent alloy models parts being equal. The topstone sora is the cheapest and features a 2 by 9 speed sora drivetrain with a double crankset 30 46ft and promax mechanical disc brakes. The topstone carbon is the most off road capable and on road comfortable road bike ever made. There s a lot to like about the cannondale topstone 105.
40c wtb nano tires complete the build of the topstone sora. With this build you get the latest 7000 series shimano 105 gearing it shifts exceptionally well hydraulic brakes an fsa external bb crankset and tubeless ready wtb rims albeit a step down from the ultegra. The cannondale topstone is the gravel bike to end all gravel bikes. 2020 cannondale topstone 105 us 1750 1500 the mid range topstone model is the pick of the bunch for someone wanting 11 speed shifting components but without the high price tag.
The topstone alloy is built for chasing horizons exploring routes less travelled or accelerating your commute. 2021 topstone carbon lefty 1 3. You also might come across steel including the surly straggler and co op cycles adv 3 1 or titanium like the moots routt ybb but these are far less common. Due to wide ish tires and a moderate weight alloy models felt a little sludgy on climbs.
From the list above you ll notice that carbon and aluminum are by far the most popular materials for gravel bike frames. Cannondale offers the topstone in three different models all of which share an alloy frame and carbon fork. Versatile gravel road bike.