Mountain Biking - Lefty Question

I've never seen one of these forks in person. I first heard of it on these forums and was like "cool. Just one fork leg." But then the other day I was like "WHOA!!! ONLY ! FORK LEG!!?!?!!??"
Anyway, all kidding aside, how does the wheel stay on? All the pictures on Cannondale's site are directly on the side of the bike, so I can't see how the wheel is held in. This has really been bugging me. Thanks for any help.

It uses a special hub and bolts into the spindle.

The Lefty is a great Fork, it saves weight plus you don't have to take the wheel off when you get a Flat...

The Lefty is a great Fork, it saves weight plus you don't have to take the wheel off when you get a Flat...

Does it save weight? I've heard different arguments on this topic, but I have no experience with them myself. It seems to me that if there is no weight savings, what would be the point of it then? But I guess it would depend on what fork you would be comparing the lefty to, right?

I saw one before, i don't like them nor trust them.

Try it first.

I saw one before, i don't like them nor trust them.

Why don't you trust it? Because it only holds the wheel from one side? Think of the hubs on your car. They only hold the wheel on from one side, right? Do you not trust this?

I used to be a fan of the lefty, but now I see everything about it to be a pain in the butt ( a s s ).

Leftys ROCK! No regrets here.

A car is a lot more heavy duty Lol,
i also think it looks funky.
I like having a fork, not a knife...

Does it save weight? I've heard different arguments on this topic, but I have no experience with them myself. It seems to me that if there is no weight savings, what would be the point of it then? But I guess it would depend on what fork you would be comparing the lefty to, right?

The Lefty that comes on my Taurine weighs 2.7 lbs and has 110mm of travel. 2.7 is LIGHT, but then factor in the travel and it becomes INCREDIBLY LIGHT.

The Lefty that comes on my Taurine weighs 2.7 lbs and has 110mm of travel. 2.7 is LIGHT, but then factor in the travel and it becomes INCREDIBLY LIGHT.

How does the weight of the specialized hub compare?

A car is a lot more heavy duty


It's a similar concept. I don't understand why you would trust one but not the other. Have you ridden a Lefty on a trail? Did it fail? What is your experience with it?

How does the weight of the specialized hub compare?

Link?

Link?

I was just speaking in general. I don't have a particular one in mind.

It's a similar concept. I don't understand why you would trust one but not the other. Have you ridden a Lefty on a trail? Did it fail? What is your experience with it?
to be honest i havnt ridden one because i dont trust em lol.

and i just hate how it looks, kinda of wierd.

i like the normal suspension forks lol.

to be honest i havnt ridden one because i dont trust em lol.

and i just hate how it looks, kinda of wierd.

i like the normal suspension forks lol.

Based on what you've said, you have no reason not to trust them. If you've ridden one and not liked it, I would be fine with your opinion. But, with no experience, your opinion is meaningless.

Define "normal suspension fork".

A car is a lot more heavy duty Lol,


A car also weighs 100 times what a bike weighs.

Like many other newbs around here, you are starting to post advice and opinions that don't make sense, because you have no experience. Learn a little before you post.

The Lefty is slightly lighter than most other top end forks. We're not talking a huge weight savings. The fork actually uses a series of needle bearings which result in increased durability (over ball bearings) and a stiffer ride. This stiffness and the overall design of the fork result in a lot of customers reporting that the fork feels "twitchy." On the downside, you pay a premium and get stuck with proprietary parts.

I've had a Scalpel and a Jekyll with Leftys (air-sprung and coil-sprung, respectively). They each lasted about 3 years before having to rebuild them. The ride felt cushy, travel was smooth, and the weight of the fork resulted in a very balanced bike. The overall bike feel can also be attributed to C'dale's "System Integration."

Great stuff to ride, but sucks to work on. Proprietary tools are required and deep, deep knowledge of suspension designs are needed to work on them. C'dale generally won't help if you call them as they would rather you ship the fork back to them for ANY service. If you don't wrench on your own stuff, I'd seriously consider a Lefty.

The fork actually uses a series of needle bearings which result in increased durability (over ball bearings)

Are you saying "regular" forks use ball bearings?



and deep, deep knowledge of suspension designs are needed to work on them.

Why.. I'm not sure I understand?

Based on what you've said, you have no reason not to trust them. If you've ridden one and not liked it, I would be fine with your opinion. But, with no experience, your opinion is meaningless.

Define "normal suspension fork".


All the aluminum Boeing 737's Ive flown in over the past few years landed
OK and without cracking and lefty issues :D

The Lefty that comes on my Taurine weighs 2.7 lbs and has 110mm of travel. 2.7 is LIGHT, but then factor in the travel and it becomes INCREDIBLY LIGHT.

Then add the fact that you can't get light stems, headsets, or hubs for them, and they are not so light :)

But stiff and smooth for the system weight, yes.

Then add the fact that you can't get light stems, headsets, or hubs for them, and they are not so light :)

But stiff and smooth for the system weight, yes.

Touché.

Second bike with a Lefty and I dig it. The propriatary maintenance issues others have talked about are correct but I wouldn't work on any brand of fork. My LBS has all the tools and expertise to work on them no sweat. I'm on my 3rd seal for it but for the NW and all my muddy riding, that is the norm anyway around here.
Some people just can't get past the looks but I have converted a few after they have rode my bike. I would like to upgrade to the upper end of the Lefty scale but the $$ are nuts to retro your existing fork. Would actually be better to buy a whole new bike (wife says no!!!) Hee hee.
So, if you're worried about single side, no strength etc, look it up on the Popular Mechanics website. They did a comparison a couple of years ago and passed with flying colors. Also, BMW uses single side rear swingarms on a lot of their bikes, most planes use single side front landing gear, blah blah blah blah blah...
So, ride one and see if you like it. If you can't get past the looks, you can buy C-Dales with other forks or just buy a different brand.

My live at home daughter has a lefty, toured the Great Divide Route with the bike it worked fine, it did make changing flats easier. The only negitive thing we have found is that to mount on a fork type rack you need an adaptor but that is no concern once you have one.

It's really hard to get a lefty clogged up with mud, too.

I am a 175 lb. masher who loves my lefty. I go over obstacles w/my new rush not around them. The attachment is through a center bolt on a spindle not unlike the front wheels on your car.

I am a lefty fan except for the propriety technology and special hubs/wheels. Instead of two tubes sliding over each other, the lefty uses a square taper into a slot with needle bearings. This eliminates the possible of spinning or pivoting. Also, it is a great design, reducing stiction at the top to a minimum. Most air forks take a bit of a hit to ramp up, my lefty is allways mobile. I might just have gotten l lucky when setting the air pressure, but it works like a charm.

Are you saying "regular" forks use ball bearings?




Why.. I'm not sure I understand?

Sorry. I don't know why I put ball bearings in there. Most forks use bushings. Sliding friction v. rolling friction.

I said deep knowledge, but that's not to scare anyone off. The first time I rebuilt a Lefty I was very confused even with prior shock knowledge and exploded diagrams. The thing is, a Lefty is not really like anyone else's suspension design. I don't know if the new 2008 Fox dampened Lefties are more standard, but I wouldn't think so.

[EDIT: The above post explains another benefit of the needle bearings. The square shaft + needle bearings reduces rotation of the assembly. Good point . . . ]