I know the review is older now and i jsut seen it but i got to say, the way you highlite the advantages, but also speak of the limitations and sencible applications is awesome. This way every bike/car/ whatever review should be!

Great review. Really liked the presenter. Made it very clear what the bike is like. Cheers.

Everyone on here commenting about it being good at nothing, you all need to go ride one. I have a Hybrid (Cannondale Quick CX 3) and a Hardtail (Diamondback Mason 2 with a Judy Gold Rockshox fork). I ride my Hybrid as my main fitness bike nearly every day, around 15 miles. My Hybrid bike is my cardio, I hate running, I hate cardio in general and the Hybrid bike is perfect for that and I absolutely love riding it. The problem is that with the flat bars you're just too much wind resistance with your upper body, I can get the bike to 25-28mph but only if there's no wind or a tail wind, and probably with a downhill start. On average I can manage maybe 13-14 mph for most of the ride. That's why when people say "just get a hardtail", you're wrong. You'll have the same issues with a hardtail and road tires, it just gets too hard to pedal and it wears you down. I also don't ride solely on roads, in fact there's only one main road I'll ride on and that's because the speed limit is 30mph and there's a good bike lane where people in the area respect bikers. Everywhere else in the city I go I wouldn't risk my life to ride on a road, it's not worth it. But that means a lot of brick roads, and even though people (cyclocross riders) hate to hear this, my crappy suntour 50mm fork does really well to absorb the bricks. I test road a Specialized Diverge in our neighborhood brick roads (in particular a really rough brick road where the bricks are all over the place from tree roots pushing them up) and I'm sorry but a carbon fork is not enough. I was getting the crap kicked out of me on that rigid carbon fork. Then I test road the Cannondale Slate and aside from my Hardtail with a full fork in the front and 2.8 plus sized tires, the slate is the smoothest bike I've ever been on. You couldn't feel the bricks, partially because the 650b tires are bigger, but also because of the fork assisting it. To me the Slate is the perfect city bike, and also long distance bike. It's remarkably smooth and soft while riding it but you can go 30 miles no problem. I was also faster by 2-3mph on average than my Hybrid bike, and it has drop bars to push through windy areas. There's definitely a place for the Slate. Everyone here knocking it like it's not good at anything, fine don't go on a full race with it. Don't go full road race or CX race, honestly the majority of people who buy bikes, and expensive bikes, aren't racing. They don't need a full carbon rigid road bike, I honestly would hate riding a full road bike because it would be so uncomfortable on the rides I go on it wouldn't be enjoyable. Wait for a sale on previous years models and buy a Slate, it's amazing. I'm seriously considering it, my local bike shop has a 2017 Slate Ultegra 2x11 on sale for $1200 off the price and to me that's a fair price for this bike.

I helped out at a local bike shop this past summer, there was a guy that bought one for an unaided solo ride from British Columbia to Quebec. Bike did its purpose damn well for what he needed it for.

Here outside of Chicago, there are hundreds of miles of gravel roads and crushed limestone paths, some nice pavement and no hills. This bike is perfect for riding around here: a bit of road, a bike of gravel and some light trails. As a result, I've seen many on the road around here.

I'm SOLD! thanks for the review. I'd like to see the Slate go head to head with the Specialized Roubaix fitted with the same tyres. I like odd ball gadgets like the Note 7, mainly because of their versatility.

Review is spot on. I use mine for just about everything and its only ever got tricky when the terrain gets properly sketchy. It's great to be able to ride on the road, see a patch of singletrack, then explore where it goes, just because you can, then ride home; all on the same bike.

I have a Slate CX1 and I love it. I bought another rear wheel with a tighter group set on it for road rides an easy switch for either way of riding.

Super cool bike. Really liked the presenter, gives loads of info.

My local bike shop has one of these hanging up on the wall . It looks sweeeet in person .

Hmmm Thanks for the review im currently doing 'adventure' riding 80k loops with road gravel and singletrack. This bike seems perfect to me! Not to mention i love my superx I wonder if it will save my shoulders? Ive been having a lot of trouble with them.

It would be my default bike just because it's so versatile. Mainly use it for rides that involve gravel riding. Superb

Bought the bike partly due to this review. It's a fabulous machine that enables me to rethink my routines. Now I roadie to the trail head, ride much of the kind of cross country mtn stuff I'd normally reserve for a dedicated bike, then roadie back home at a clip not far off from my normal road bike's strava segments. Truly a utilitarian addition to my quiver.

@brody5211

3 жыл бұрын

hkwan great bike but what???

I have the Ultegra version from last year. All the reviews are pretty much spot on; the bike is great after a few items are addressed. I switched to a larger rear gear set (11-34) and got rid of the factory slicks for Schwalbe G Ones. It's almost a genre of it's own that's more capable than I even first imagined it would be. With the bit of travel it's starting play in the realm of a hard tail. I wouldn't call it a replacement for a road bike since you do work a bit harder for the same speed on tarmac. Yesterday I descended comfortably down a twisty road (Mt Tam) and didn't realize I had at one point hit 45 mph till I looked back on the data. Felt stable and confidence inspiring at pace on road or dirt. Has really changed my ride planning for so much more variety. It's an oddball bike and I don't mind that. It occurred to me that they name it Lefty cause like left-handers, they stand out and are reportedly a little more clever than the rest.

It actually comes with 42c tires, not 38c. You have clearance for bigger than that as well, more like a 1.9inch tire.

Nice review. One correction, the original tires that come with the bike are 42c (at least here in the US) and they fit the frame just fine and they are pretty wide. I run Surly Knards 41c and they fit fine too. Like you said, it is not a MTB so 41/41c tires are wide enough to do everything you just mentioned in the video.

The ultimate bike for when your commute gets a bit more funky by bombing some stairs or hucking a bit of single track.

Great review, a couple questions, currently there is no "category" for this bike but would it be the perfect all weather and terrain training bike for a road racer? Are mud guards available for a lefty?

This bike is on my short list so thanks for the review. It would match very nicely with my KS Lev dropper post. Pricey though...especially if it needs a tire replacement.

The Slate will fit bigger tires. I have WTB Horizons 47c and they fit perfectly.

@humbertoleandro896

7 жыл бұрын

Agree. And they come new with 42c and not 38c like he says in the video, at least in the US.

@justincarlton4807

7 жыл бұрын

Ypuh yes I do think they offer those tires in 700c

@justincarlton4807

7 жыл бұрын

Ypuh I was wrong about those tires. I was thinking of the Maxxis Re fuse tires.they have that tire in both sizes. Sorry about that

I have a Crux and I do road to single track and trails that mountain bikers do in my area. Not as fast on descents but fun! I guess the suspension saves you a bit from getting beat up on long long rides.

Because it just looks bad ass!

This thing has to be a purpose built gravel bike. Nice fat tires, some suspension up front, and a stiff frame to climb up the gravel hills. Perfect.

@humbertoleandro896

7 жыл бұрын

You are 100% right. It is perfect for gravel riding.

i'm confused about your tire comments. it comes with 650bx42s, which have the diameter of 700cx28s, right?

great presentation... not sure how I feel about the Slate though

Perfect for roadies looking to dabble in some off road riding.

38c tyres is skinny ? As you said it's not an MTB

I think it would be interesting to try to compare the rigid to the 30mm fork, and see how it feels, it has (or at least the option) wider tyres than most CX bikes. For my uses, i.e. gravel tracks/bridleways/single track/lanes quite apart from the cost, narrow off road 650b tyres are like rocking horse poo...

@smalerider1727

7 жыл бұрын

42mm wide tires, on this bike is wide in gravel biking (this bike can go a bit wider allegedly up to 47 with WTB horizon). Offhand only like maybe 10 bikes that can do the 700c to 650b wheel size change, and clear to 52-ish. Salsa warbird, Niner RLT, Specialized Sequoia, and Cannondale slate break 40mm(correct me if I'm wrong if there are more). Anything really bigger is straight up a drop bar mountain bike.

Love love love mine. 😍

Cannondale tried to reduce the pain of wrists, but it caused a variant that was neither a roadbike nor an MTB.

What do you think this for commuting?

brilliant thanks

Why aren’t these used for EF-Cannondale GC tour cobble stages?

sorry to disagree .. the price isn't reasonable.. bikes are over priced... In my opinion.

@massspike

7 жыл бұрын

Its less expensive than 2 (or 3) similarly equipped purpose-specific bikes.

@lbmcr

7 жыл бұрын

Rail Fail .... agreed

@lbmcr

7 жыл бұрын

One Man Riot ... when I look back at the prices from just a few years back... it's crazy

@ChannelPush

7 жыл бұрын

Totally agree. You could build a hardtail and install dropbars for half the price and you can also get better travel on the suspension.

@smalerider1727

7 жыл бұрын

Because that would be a mountain bike, which this clearly this isn't?

did you find the handing slow?

I would like to be a bike reviewer, so i too can show off my junk.

if it gets more people biking I'm for it!!!

I love mine

It's a cool looking bike, but what the fuck is the purpose of a beefy lefty with 30mm of travel

@massspike

7 жыл бұрын

Its not trying to be an MTB so if you're not doing drops or DHing, why would you need more than 30mm?

@colbyperry3325

7 жыл бұрын

Mike Williams I'm saying why do you need a beefy lefty and 30mm of travel...

@massspike

7 жыл бұрын

I'm not sold on the fork...no lock out, no return, and I agree with you on the funky looks...but I think 30mm of travel would be fine for its target market. If I were riding on trails that needed more I'd be really concerned about the high center of mass (and why I'd put my dropper post on it).

@colbyperry3325

7 жыл бұрын

Mike Williams these are my thoughts as well, I'm just hoping short travel cx bikes don't start to become a trend

@humbertoleandro896

7 жыл бұрын

I own one. The 30mm fork does a great job on some light single track and they are incredibly efficient when riding gravel roads, specially the ones in Texas that have washboards that will make your brain rattle if you have not suspension at all. The lock out feature is not 100% but it is pretty darn close, I'd say 95%, which feels like a rigid fork. Like the presenter said, it is an unconventional bike. Since I bought mine, I can't stop riding it. It became my main go to bike.

The Slate is a cool idea, but it could be better. If it had a fork that didn't require proprietary hubs (a headshok would be great) and had clearance for MTB tires while retaining its short chainstays, I'd be all over it!

you can fit 42c tires!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they come stock

Its probably about £1000 too much but it certainly looks the part.

@stillyet

7 жыл бұрын

I actually think it would excel at road racing - it's extremely quick and handles beautifully - would be very interesting on a tight criterium course. It's also extremely comfortable on long rides on poor roads. I'll almost certainly be using mine rather than my carbon road bike for sportifs this year.

MAMIL or Geko?

1:57 ... i don't think any suspension fork will extend...

that lefty leg wound...

How do you attach the wheel to the fork? I'm a little confused.

@brody5211

7 жыл бұрын

Well taking the wheel off is a pain as to put it in your car as you have to dismantle the brake calliper I believe

@musguelha14

7 жыл бұрын

Rocky Yes, you do need to remove the caliper, but the way it's mounted means it should't ruin the alingment when you do it. It does have that disadvantage, but on the flip side you can change tires and tubes without removing the wheel.

@brody5211

7 жыл бұрын

+Pedro Silva and I believe the original tyres puncture big time . What tyres do you recommend for a mix of riding ?

@stillyet

7 жыл бұрын

I was worried about that but actually in practice I haven't found it so. I've done a thousand miles on mine now with one puncture. That's 75% on road, 25% off road. However, the stock tyres are really sketchy in even slightly damp conditions off-road. They're good and fast rolling on-road, even down to 45psi. I shall probably change to G1 - there really isn't much choice in the size at present - even though that may compromise road performance a bit.

@aaronclausen654

7 жыл бұрын

The original tyres punctured really easily which was very frustrating. They have bugger all protection.

Im waiting for the full suspension version!

@simonrano8072

7 жыл бұрын

it's called a Scalpel XD

Cool, but not worth $3,000.

@kylehamilton9466

7 жыл бұрын

Good thing it's 4,000.

Problem is that the only spec worth buying is the top. The lower spec models are just pure waste of money

@JS-tb9hu

7 жыл бұрын

Moonface00z why?

@smalerider1727

7 жыл бұрын

Apex (low end build) doesn't have lefty oliver fork. Ultegra and 105 builds have terrible gearing.

@stillyet

7 жыл бұрын

I test rode the 105 before I bought the CX1. I was surprised how good the 105 was: the only reasons I didn't buy it are I don't like green bikes and I'm too much of a snob to ride Shimano.

Is it UCI legal for CCross?

@JS-tb9hu

7 жыл бұрын

I'm interested too

@smalerider1727

7 жыл бұрын

Nope on all aspects of the bike

I use my CAAD12 Disc for an adventure bike and I love it.

@meerkatblack

7 жыл бұрын

nice! what size tires can you run?

@etobiCRACKscorpions

7 жыл бұрын

I haven't changed the 25c Schwalbe Luganos that came with it. I could only estimate a 28c tire would fit but not larger.

Always wonder if this guy got dressed in the dark

Oh, purple anodizing. Is it 1996?

@BrianRPaterson

Жыл бұрын

That's about when I started riding mountain bikes, do it feels like coming home!

Looks like the list price of the bike you're riding is closer to £3,200.

I bought one. I love it. I do not at all regret it. It's a superb road bike with a bit of off road capability - much faster than I expected on the road. I think when it comes to sportifs this year it will be the Slate I will ride, rather than my carbon road bike. In my opinion the 'stock' tyres are unacceptably sketchy off road in British conditions - even slightly damp corners need to be taken very carefully. But on road they're remarkably quick even down to 45psi. It's definitely quick enough to stay with the pack in a club road race. I wouldn't try it for a cross race without better tyres. My review here: blog.journeyman.cc/2016/11/slate-good-bike-for-bad-roads.html Tyre options here: blog.journeyman.cc/2016/12/those-tyres-650b-x-42.html

@pandatactical4530

4 жыл бұрын

Simon Brooke what tires would your recommend?

If you changed it to flat bars (you can still get an aero tuck with flat bars), and with a rigid carbon fork, it would be an ok bike.... Or you could just buy a fully rigid xc carbon mtb and fit fast tyres. Much better.

Woulda had more fun on a Salsa Fargo or Cut Throat with Lauf forks...

Just buy a hardtail mtb for half the price... If you're going through terrain rough enough to warrant a front suspension - you're probably not going fast enough to warrant being in a road drop position. Unless you're into that whole, 'not having control of your bike' thing. You can also go fast with no suspension on a rigid drop bar bike with wide tire clearance for less than half the price, on pretty rough terrain. A thudbuster seatpost on a rigid frame also costs a fraction. I would pass. And that is what I said to the bike shop that was pushing one of these on me hard.

@smalerider1727

7 жыл бұрын

Why does everyone think that people that want or ride gravel bikes secretly desire a hardtail mountain bike? The suspension is made to dampen the effects rough gravel surfaces, its a fatigue cutter. Its not designed to drop slowly off rock gardens like a mountain bike.

The ultimate towpath bike?

This would be a far better bike with a 48/38 cyclo cross chainset or even a compact . Tyres obviously could be better and finally some sort of price drop . It won't appeal to many at that silly price in the uk .

3cm of travel? why?!!

@brody5211

4 жыл бұрын

To match the willy 😉good review mind

Christ man, do you really need to stand there with your hands on your hips and your hog blasting out there?!

Or just buy fast XC 29er... lol

@massspike

7 жыл бұрын

You MTBers crack me up with your comments every time a gravel/adventure bike is featured. My criteria (and why I am looking at this bike) is a bike that can handle this (local and real) route: 150km...approximately 50 paved (smooth and rough), 50 gravel, and 50 MTB double track trail (gentrified but hilly). Your 29er is going to be wasted on 100kms of this and apart for the100 meters of really steep technical trail (which in my hands your 29er is not going to do the job anyway) it is a wash (I used to ride it on a rigid 26x1.9 MTB).

@colbyperry3325

7 жыл бұрын

Mike Williams cool story bro

@Pienimusta

7 жыл бұрын

Mike Williams Haha...sure

@stillyet

7 жыл бұрын

The Slate is extremely fast on road. In fact it's more a road race bike with a bit of off road ability than an off-road a bit of road capability. On a mix of fire road and tarmac the Slate will leave any mountain bike eating dust; it's only on technical single track the 29er would be quicker. It's horses for courses and depends where you ride, but I'm very much enjoying my Slate.

I'm waiting for a bike with an invisible fork :0

Yeah it's not like Salsa hasn't been producing something like this for nearly a decade or anything. Definitely a totally new bike. I guess bike radar hasn't ridden the Open U.P. or a Salsa Fargo...

just buy a MTB for God's sake

@user-oe3sn4it7g

7 жыл бұрын

Benjamin Kennedy the winner of the dirty Kanza 200mile gravel ride was on this bike. It has a purpose.

@drouleau

7 жыл бұрын

Gravel bikes don't compare to mountain bikes, and mountain bikes don't compare to gravel bikes. I did an 86 mile ride a couple weeks ago with 8,100 feet of climbing on my gravel bike (Diamond Back Haanjo Trail with 40c Clement MSO 'Xplor tires) - mostly on paved roads, but there were miles of closed roads that are impassable on a road bike. Conversely, doing an 86 mile ride on a mountain bike on roads that are mostly paved would really suck some major ass. But, for an all-around adventure bike, you simply can't beat a gravel bike.

Lot of mistakes in this review in the detail but great bike

Nice smuggling

too expensive for what it is... a second or third choice... 1º road 2º 29er 3º this.... too expensive at the moment... maybe in second hand...

It seems to almost be a good bike, but Cannondale never bothered to listed or showed what tires the thing actually fits. I won't be that first person to buy the bike, then the tires, and find out none of that works.Confirmed working tires, the Panaracer gravelking 600bX42 that it comes with. Of course any 650b tire that's smaller Surley Knard and some others I can't think offhand. Allegedly it can fit a WTB Horizon 650b X 47, but I've never seen an image of those clearances. In theory if that WTB Horizon works, a Terrene Elwood 650b x47 could work. Bruce Gordon Rock'N'Roads 650 x43 could work. But again, Cannondale never bothered to state what tire it can take. It could have been a great bike if they straight up made the frame to take up to 2.1 mountain tire.The gearing is shit on the ultregra buld, a semi compact?? Might as well throw that drivetrain straight into the garbage. Tires aren't actually good for all that semi off-roading you want to do on it. Cannondale jumped the gun on designing a gravel bike, and ended up still making something too road like. For a mere $290 dollars more you can straight up buy a Van Dessel A.D.D with a Lauf Grit same build as the one featured in this video. For that extra money, you can run larger 650b x2.1 and 700c X40 tires, not be locked in to proprietary pain in the ass to get front wheels, and not deal with having to maintain a fork.

@alexeypal9794

7 жыл бұрын

All you need is a perfect Schwalbe G-One 27.5x1.50 (650b x 41)

Marketing tactics vs. reality.........

"I'd consider it on the right day on the right course," says the presenter. Seems you really need to have the right conditions in your area to take advantage of what this bike is actually good at. Then the price...no thanks.

much heavier and much more expensive than with a "normal" fork - and ugly... so why?

free handed riding sucks on lefty. Performance is best!

@stillyet

7 жыл бұрын

You've presumably never ridden one? Try it. You'll learn something.

ugly front end, don't think i'll take to a single/ half fork

Bike market so desperately in need to reinvent A 200 year old machine it creates silly bikes that confuse. I guess this bike would be good for Cyclocross, Paris Roubaix. I dont even know what the fuck is a "gravel bike." Who the fuck wants to slip around in gravel? You got skinny bikes for pavement, slightly more for touring and then a mountain bike.

@smalerider1727

7 жыл бұрын

Gravel bike, optimized bike for use on gravel roads/dirt roads/some singletrack. Realistically any of those bikes you listed can be used for gravel grinding, but the gravel bike will do it best. As for who wants to "slip around in gravel?" well a lot of people do. Organized raceing has been going on for about a decade now. A lot of people enjoy it because it feels like early mountain biking before it got all big jumps and redbull. Others because of how dangerous it is to road bike anymore. I know of some people that left road biking because of the cliquey toxic road racing culture that's out there now.

effin orrible

a disabled bike. not for me thanks.