The Cannondale Topstone is a bike designed - like a growing number - to go anywhere you want to go. From road riding to epic bike-packing adventures, it is the Topstone that delivers the freedom and versatility to do it all.
The Topstone was first released in aluminium form for the 2019 season and proved so popular, that by the time the season was just about getting under way, Cannondale had all but sold out.
The success of the Topstone stems from Cannondale’s unfaltering ability to deliver bikes that are engaging to ride. Whether you choose an out-and-out race bike or an adventure bike like the Topstone, their knack of dialling-in geometry to provide the perfect balance of agility and stability in order to deliver a confident ride - which ultimately is what makes us fast - is the main reason that Cannondale consistently win awards from the industry and favour with consumers.
While the Topstone aluminium is a bike derived largely from the highly successful Synapse, the new Topstone Carbon platform takes design elements from multiple disciplines and platforms across the entire Cannondale portfolio and distills them into the ultimate Gravel / Adventure stroke All-Road ride.
As I’ve said - the geometry of the Topstone creates the ride. Like its aluminium stablemate, the Topstone Carbon features a dialled endurance fit that perfectly balances the need to be upright for epic days in the saddle and control on technical trails, yet remains low and forward enough for speed through the air when churning it out on the roads.
This balance is difficult to achieve but Cannondale are able to deliver it in part through their OutFront Steering Geometry that was originally developed for their SuperX cyclocross race bikes. This clever aspect of the geometry in effect sets the front wheel slightly further forward. By doing so the rider gains the benefit of more stable handling and confidence when tackling rough terrain. At the same time, it keeps the steering light and agile so there is no fighting the bike when you are being tested by the trail. It has the added bonus of keeping toe-overlap to a minimum - which can be particularly problematic on smaller frames.
The key development in the Topstone Carbon - and the most obvious element on the platform - is the new KingPin suspension system. If you experienced the wonder that was the early Cannondale Scalpel mountain bike, the revolutionary, super-light suspension will be familiar to you since this is where it came from. The system relies on the inherent strength and pliability of Cannondale’s bomb-proof Ballistic Carbon. Careful layup combined with a single pivot at the seat-tube, allows for 30mm of travel that lets you ride harder on dirt and more smoothly on the road. No heavy or complicated linkages or shocks, just expertly engineered flex where you need it. The single pivot at the seat-tube uses Cannondale’s LockR Thru-axle design to link each seat-stay and avoid independent rotation, thus ensuring solid feel and instant pick-up.
Ultimately this innovative suspension system allows for greater control and traction while delivering unrivalled comfort with no sacrifice in acceleration or handling. It’s why, as an old school mountain biker who prefers hard-tails, I still kick myself for never buying the Scalpel when it used this system!
Most companies delivering a specific feel or handling characteristics are doing so at the mid-point of sizes - ie, for the average sized person. Me basically. 5’9 / 175cm. Great for me, less so if you happen to be 5’2” or 6’3”. Why? Well, if a frame has a fixed stiffness regardless of size for example, the way that bike feels or handles beneath you will vary hugely depending on your size.
Cannondale, keen to have their legendary ride qualities enjoyed by all, recognise this and as a consequence build the Topstone Carbon with what they call Proportional Response Construction. Suspension and carbon lay-up are tuned by size, with different tube dimensions dialled for the rider - so you can be sure that you are experiencing the bike in the way that Cannondale intended.
All of the features that exist on the original Topstone - those that made it an instant hit with the Gravel enthusiast - are present as you would expect. The huge 40mm tyre clearance (which becomes 48mm if you want to swap your wheels out for 650 rather than 700s), the generous provision of luggage / bottle mounts from front fork, top-tube and down-tube - both top and bottom, to the removable mudguard bridge to keep the lines tidy in the dry months. In addition, the entire Topstone Carbon Range has considered cable routing. All internal, each cable or hose has a guide within the frame for stress free cable routing from entry to exit. There’s even Dropper-post compatibility for those wanting it.
In addition, the Topstone carbon uses Speed-Release Thru Axles make wheel swaps, trail-side repairs or bike transport that much simpler. A nice touch for the new range is the new Connected feature. This slinky wheel mounted sensor, paired with the free Cannondale App, delivers super accurate speed, route and distance information, registers your bike and prompts you to service your machine - as well as more besides.
The Topstone Carbon makes it easier for riders to go harder, longer - wherever they choose to ride, courtesy of a composed carbon platform that still delivers excitement. The Topstone’s unique KingPin suspension makes it possible to go where most other gravel bikes can’t, or simply make it more comfortable on more ordinary terrain.
Available in 4 unisex models and 1 dedicated Women’s platform with specification ranging from Shimano 105 to Sram Force eTap. All feature Shimano or Sram Hydraulic Disc brakes - de-rigeur these days - so well modulated stopping power is a given. The top 2 models : the Ultegra RX and Force eTap, also feature Cannondale’s 22mm Carbon Hollowgram wheels too, for lower weight and higher speed. WTB tyres handle the grip across the range while Cannondale’s own finishing kit and the hugely successful and remarkably comfortable Fabric saddles round out each package.