Earlier this year Cannondale announced their next generation Lefty, dubbed the Ocho, along with a new Cannondale F-Si hardtail. After that early ignition of an inevitable itch to upgrade, the Ocho-equipped 2019 Cannondale mountain bike range is now available in the South African market.
In case you missed the news, or just need a refresher, here are the feature highlights for the new Lefty Ocho:
- Single crown: The most obvious change is the new single crown design. Doing away with the double crown arrangement sees Cannondale employ a standard 1-1/8” tapered steerer for greater compatibility.
- Weight reductions: The simpler structure reduces the leg length and removes the need for brackets, reducing weight by up to 250 grams.
- Improved internals: Internally the Lefty has also undergone changes. There is a new Chamber damper and Delta Cage needle bearing assembly said to improve suppleness and reliability.
- Updated remote lockout: The previous hydraulic dual fork and shock lockout is replaced with a simpler cable operated system.
- “Stop Lock” brake mount: There is also a convenient new brake release mechanism that requires a single turn of a hex key and a push of a button to release the front wheel.
Our first impressions
We managed to get our hands on a new Lefty Ocho for a few test rides to see what all the fuss is about. Meeting the Ocho for the first time most striking change is the visual. Dropping the dual crown in favour of single crown gives the new Lefty a sleek and slender appearance, far more refined than its now somewhat industrial looking predecessor.
It’s not all about looks though. The Ocho hit the market with some big claims around being the smoothest and stiffest lightweight cross-country fork. Just how smooth and stiff is it?
Having ridden the Lefty 2.0 for some time earlier this year, along with the primary two-legged lightweight competitors since, I was curious to see if it was as good as the marketing suggests. With just two outings the get a feel for the Ocho, this is very much a first impression take. First impressions are good though. Within the realm light cross country “forks” the Ocho is stiff and provides a super smooth and predictable feel across a range of trail conditions. It is noticeably smooth over small and large bumps, dare I say best in class, but without back-to-back tests and some pseudoscience I’ll steer away from a definitive result on this point.
Other smart touches like the standard tapered steerer tube, an easy one-bolt quick release for the front wheel and a reliable cable actuated lockout lever make for a refined package which is more readily compatible.
From the press release:
Cannondale
Cannondale
A deeper look at the details.
- The world’s first single crown, single-sided suspension fork, for singularly impressive performance.
- Normal tapered 1-1/2” to 1-1/8” steerer. Lighter. Simpler. Standard.
- Simple, reliable cable remote lever engages lockout on the fork or fork and rear shock.
- Guide Guard. Simple and Strong. Guiding the brake cable smoothly and quietly in any situation.
- With just one leg, Ocho has way fewer seals, for way less friction, for way smoother action.
- SideCar Air Valve. Easier to access. Reduces rotor contamination.
- Rebound Adjust.
Video
Not keen to read? Hear all about it from the Cannondale Factory Racing Team in the video below.
So when can you get one?
The Lefty Ocho is now available on the 2019 Cannondale Scalpel-Si and F-Si range. Below are some highlights from the 2019 Scalpel-Si range which recently arrived on our shores.
Those keen on a standalone Ocho will have to wait a bit longer. Market demand means that the Lefty Ocho is unlikely to be available as an aftermarket purchase in the first year of production.