Cannondale Topstone Gravel Ebike

[Spicy Legato]

The Nyon aftermarket display looks really nice. I wish I had an extra $300 to spend.
I'm curious how you played with the seat and handlebars to get that XL to fit you, and if you noticed any handling effects?
From my perspective, a benefit of purchasing a bike which is slightly too large, is being able to achieve a more reasonable ratio of seat height to handlebar height. For my style of riding, I like the handlebars to at least be as high as the saddle, and preferably a little bit higher. I'm not trying to be aero-tuck guy, I just want to be comfortable, and watch the scenery.


I'm wondering about the Bosch 6A charger. It says it requires a 220 – 240V input. Anyone in the USA using one? I went ahead and ordered one from Germany, so I guess I'll find out if it works. Upon further review, I will have to use a voltage transformer to step up from 110 to 220/230. So, I have a 6 amp charger I can use at home. It won't be very portable, however. The 6 amp charger was about $150 USD with shipping from Deutschland.

 

[Deacon Blues]

By the way, My lefty 3 came with a 44 tooth chain ring but I still want a 46 tooth.

Weird...the Cannondale website shows the Lefty 3 with a 42T front ring. I plan on phoning my the Cannondale dealer I bought the bike from to order the 46 tooth ring, to allow me to pedal at higher speeds.

 

[Prairie Dog]

I finally received my Yoeleo carbon wheels and they're VERY nice. Total weight both both wheels is 1478g. I believe the stock wheels weigh somewhere around 2000g.

A month ago I bought a pair of Specialized Pathfinder 2 bliss tires to mount on my new wheels. The old tires are 42mm and the Pathfinders are 47mm wide. The Pathfinders have black sidewalls, which I prefer over the original tire's tan sidewalls.

Because I'm now running wider (and slightly heavier) tires there isn't much of a weight saving-only 384g
Old tires and wheels: 3196g
New tires and wheels: 2812g

Here's before and after photos:

I never grow tired of looking at this bike. Love what you've done to it Deacon!

 

[Spicy Legato]

Weird...the Cannondale website shows the Lefty 3 with a 42T front ring. I plan on phoning my the Cannondale dealer I bought the bike from to order the 46 tooth ring, to allow me to pedal at higher speeds.

The bike Alaskan bought was a return with 200 some miles on it. It's possible the previous owner upgraded from a 42 to a 46 and returned the bike that way.

 

[Spicy Legato]

REI's again listing the Neo 2 for sale. This time the bike is correctly advertised as a class 1 with the Performance CX motor.

 

[Deacon Blues]

This bike, with the Bosch gen 4 motor, is wheelie fun.
By that I mean it's really easy to pull a wheelie (and sometimes it's unintentional).
A while back I was riding up a short, steep trail (in touring mode) and put some force on the pedals. Up came the front end and over I went.
Since then I've done some experimenting when riding up steepish hills and I'm working on extending my wheelie time. I should probably act my age, but it's so much fun.

 

[Wandering Student]

REI's again listing the Neo 2 for sale. This time the bike is correctly advertised as a class 1 with the Performance CX motor.

Coulda sworn they had all sizes available for the Neo 2 before they took the listing down. And now only L and XL are available. Could it be that the S and M models they had were Class 3 and maybe pulled out of the Outlet section? Just speculating.

 

[Spicy Legato]

Coulda sworn they had all sizes available for the Neo 2 before they took the listing down. And now only L and XL are available. Could it be that the S and M models they had were Class 3 and maybe pulled out of the Outlet section? Just speculating.

I saw the medium Neo 2's disappear and reappear previously. Alaskan previously mentioned that REI only has about ten Neo 2's total for sale.
I bet they sold through the small and medium models to unsuspecting customers who expected a class 3 bike.

 

[florida_biker]

My Neo is at the REI in jacksonville & is likely a Class 1. One question is - what Class 3 bike compares to the Neo in price and weight? Trek domane is heavier and more $, giant is heavier, specialized is lighter but different "style" of drive, others? As a class 1 it compares to canyon grail in $ and weight, so although it's not as advertised, spec wise it seems to be an ok bike but maybe a bit pricy?

 

[Wandering Student]

My Neo is at the REI in jacksonville & is likely a Class 1. One question is - what Class 3 bike compares to the Neo in price and weight? Trek domane is heavier and more $, giant is heavier, specialized is lighter but different "style" of drive, others? As a class 1 it compares to canyon grail in $ and weight, so although it's not as advertised, spec wise it seems to be an ok bike but maybe a bit pricy?

RLT e9 RDO E-Gravel Road Bike

The RLT e9 RDO is a multipurpose e-gravel bike for any adventure. We’re calling it our first e-gravel bike, but it’s more like a pedal-powered SUV.

ninerbikes.com

 

[Spicy Legato]

RLT e9 RDO E-Gravel Road Bike

The RLT e9 RDO is a multipurpose e-gravel bike for any adventure. We’re calling it our first e-gravel bike, but it’s more like a pedal-powered SUV.

ninerbikes.com

You can buy a legit class 3 Neo 2. I've seen a few currently available online for MSRP.

I'd hang onto the REI bike and make REI supply you with a class 3. They are available. By simply returning the falsely advertised Neo 2 you are giving REI and Cannondale an easy out.

That Niner RLT is a pretty sweet ride. Looks like a good option.

 

[Wandering Student]

You can buy a legit class 3 Neo 2. I've seen a few currently available online for MSRP.

I'd hang onto the REI bike and make REI supply you with a class 3. They are available. By simply returning the falsely advertised Neo 2 you are giving REI and Cannondale an easy out.

I think you were responding to florida_biker's situation.

For me, I wouldn't consider the Class 3 Lefty 3 at MSRP. The outlet price made it a viable choice. I would still consider the Class 1 Lefty 3 at the outlet price if they ever bring it back. I know for sure they had all the sizes available before they took it down. Only the XL had the low stock warning.

 

[Deacon Blues]

RLT e9 RDO E-Gravel Road Bike

The RLT e9 RDO is a multipurpose e-gravel bike for any adventure. We’re calling it our first e-gravel bike, but it’s more like a pedal-powered SUV.

ninerbikes.com

That is a nice bike.

 

[Spicy Legato]

Here are the screenshots I took showing REI falsely advertising the Lefty 3 as class 3. Use these to challenge REI if they refuse to make it right.

 

[florida_biker]

thanks for suggestion - that niner does look pretty nice. i'll see what REI says.

 

[Spicy Legato]

One thing that stood out about the Niner ebike:
"And the all-new RLT e9 RDO carbon fork is the same length as a FOX AX suspension fork."
Should be easy to throw a suspension fork on her if you so desire. It seems to have slightly more clearance for wider tires, compared to the Cannondale.

 

[Spicy Legato]

Range Report:

It appears the minimum range I can get is about 30 miles per charge. I weight 155 lb. I keep the tires slightly underinflated. I live in a very hilly area. I never use anything but turbo mode.

 

[Alaskan]

I took the new Topstone Neo 3 for a 35 mile ride today. This bike in Eco feels like my Allant 9.9 in Tour in terms of spunk. Tour on the Neo has about the same oomph as Sport while Sport feels like Turbo and Turbo feels on the edge of hazardous. It really showcases the strength and seamless assist of the Bosch Speed motor more than any other I have ridden. It also consumes less battery, due primarily to its much lower weight, I would guess. I think this bike will go further on its 500 watt power tube than the Allant will go with its 625 watt power tube. It will easily go 50+ miles in Sport with a 200lb. rider at an average speed around 17-18 mph.

This is a seriously fun bike to ride. It really showcases the strength and seamless support of the Bosch Speed motor, like no other bike I have ridden.

I made some small modifications with the bigger ones coming on Monday (bigger tires and a new Nyon display).

I swapped out the stock handlebar for a Ritchie WCS Venturemax. It has shape like a carbon fiber bar but is alloy, weighs about 25% more than a carbon bar but can be trusted not to break and dump me a bit better than a carbon bar. It has a drop from the hood to the drops of only 102mm (normal drop bar is more like 140mm) so I thought I could more comfortably ride in the drops with this one, which turned out to be the case.

https://us.ritcheylogic.com/us_en/wcs-venturemax-handlebar

I put a 6" carbon accessory bar for the Purion Controller, lights, bells & whistles, to keep the handlebar clear so my hands are free to grip wherever feels best.

 

[Saratoga Dave]

A clock? We don’t need no stinking clocks, we’re retired!

I know how cool these bikes are, but it would be awfully disconcerting for a while to look down and see nothing holding that damn wheel up.

 

[Spicy Legato]

I was reading through the manual for the Lefty 3 and I came across this:

"No Child Seats or Trailers - WARNING - Child seats and trailers or racks can not be used and are not allowed to be used with your Cannondale E-Bike."

What are your thoughts?