Lefty forks any good?

[gareth h]

I was looking at a caffiene which had a lefty fork, quite keen on it but don't know much about the fork, from an engineering point of view it doesn't look very stiff.
Anybody have any experience?

[v8 jago]

I had a lefty on my dale and found it good. I dont think they work as good as a fox fork which i have now but it might be down to the model or the set up. I found if you got the sag right it would bottom out to easy and if you stopped the bottoming out then it would be quite stiff compaired to oher forks on mates bikes. The ballance was good and it would handle drop offs etc just like any other forks, They are a good designed fork other than how i found the settings.

[hot66]

Personally I found my last LEfty stiffer than my current Fox 32

[vwsurfbum]

the biggest problem is confidence and getting your head round half of the fork being missing!

[duff]

The Lefty is a very good fork, stiff and reliable. I'm not familiar with the 08/09 models, however if I were buying a new Cannondale I'd go for one with a Fox fork as you will be paying extra or getting a lower spec on a bike that comes with a Lefty.

[smack]

The problem with Lefty forks, is the maintenance they require over their lifetime, and apart from the most basic work, you can't do yourself, due to Cannondale specific tools required to do overhauls.
Cannondale would send mechanics to the Netherlands (where they are based in Europe, no proper support in the UK, although this may have changed in the last 2 years) to learn how, and you had to be a reseller to get that one - along with the workshop manuals to do the job.
The tools required are not cheap, even at trade prices (looked at buying a set for one of my friends who has a Lefty, who is very proficient at killing his due to abuse and lack of care), so finding a shop that has them in the workshop, and someone who knows how to overhaul them is rare (only a few in London back a few years ago as example - two mechanics who work for a London based Green and Yellow coloured major retailer for one, but that was two out of maybe 100 mechanics).
Otherwise there was a company online that did it, but a quick google and I can't find them.

So my experience is they need more TLC over time than normal forks, which will cost more as there are not many shops that will service them. If you have a LBS to you that does nearby, then great, otherwise you will be sending them away (time and cost).

My mate, the bike killer, ended up pulling his fork out after finishing Roc d'Azur last year, after it had seized halfway around the race, and gave it to some frog Cannondale service bloke in the trade stands. After having quite a few internals replaced, it was half the price of in the UK, sent back to his mother inlaw's address in France - but that was when a pound fetched 1.40 euros.

[snotrag]

We do Lefty servicing at my work, with all the correct training/tools.

They are fantastic forks - very, very stiff, very clever design, and the newer ones with the Fox damper perform great. but I wouldnt use one myself - Hub choice is limited, and its a damm site easier to service a regular fork.

[WylieCoyote]

I have a Lefty Max130, superb fork though it does seem to take a little more looking after than my Magura forks. On balance though the Lefty is better on the trail.

[cw42]

I've had a Dale 4000sl for a good few years now with a Lefy ELO, and had the fork serviced 3 times. Once at the original shop I purchased the bike, Leisure Lakes in Bury, then at Royles in Wilmslow, and lastly, and most recently, I sent the shock down to these chaps:
http://www.thumbprinttuning.co.uk/flash_tony_nunn....
who did a great job on the fork. Simple price list, options of what you want done, quick turnaround.
As for the fork itself, I've never had any problem with it, very stiff, very compliant, very trick looking Always get some odd looks when I'm out and about.