Cannondale’s Topstone 1 Alloy gravel bike cuts the price of entry into one in every of biking’s quickest rising segments, providing a worth gravel bike choice for these eager to take pleasure in gentle off-road trails on a machine that also feels quick sufficient on the tarmac.
The perfect gravel bike is nimble on the street, and might deal with each gentle gravel and fireplace roads in addition to extra technical terrain. The Topstone 1 was able to all three, however the aluminium body and seat submit, paired with dry-weather tyres, held it again on the extra technical sections, while it is extra secure geometry meant it feels extra like a commuter on the tarmac.
Cannondale Topstone 1 Alloy development
About Cannondale
Cannondale began in 1971 in a storage in Connecticut revolutionising the usage of carbon and aluminium in street bikes and mountain bikes. In 2022 they work with each the EF Training-Cannondale and EF Training–EasyPost world tour biking groups.
Cannondale themselves have a full vary of street, tri, gravel and mountain bikes together with children, city and ebikes. Together with bikes and frames, additionally they have a full repertoire of parts, on bike gear, equipment and instruments to assist all biking endeavours.
The Cannondale Topstone 1 is constructed utilizing Cannondale’s light-weight SmartForm C2 Alloy for the body, with a carbon fibre fork used to help with vibration dampening on the entrance. Cable routing is generally performed internally all through the body apart from alongside the chainstays the place cables exit below the underside bracket. The body options three bottle cage mounting holes on the downtube, two on the seattube, two on the toptube, and three both facet of the forks. There are additionally attachment factors for mudguards/fenders and panniers.
(Picture credit score: Andy Turner)
Preserving issues in home, Cannondale provides its personal ending match with the bar (16 diploma flare and 42cm tops, centre to centre and 50cm drops, centre to centre), stem (100mm) and seatpost (25 diploma setback) all being their very own branded aluminium parts. The saddle is Fizik’s Aliante Delta.
The groupset is a mixture of Shimano’s GRX 800, 600 and 400 sequence. With the entrance and rear mech being 800 and that includes a clutch mechanism, 600 shifters, 400 disc brake callipers with two 160mm RT54 rotors, and at last an 11-34 11-speed 105 cassette. The crankset is an FSA Gossamer Professional Modular AGX+ with 46/36 chainring, FSA BB386 MegaEvo threaded BB, and KMC X11 chain. Whereas wheels are WTB ST i23 TCS rims (12x100mm centerlock F and 12x142mm centerlock R) with Vittoria Terrano Dry tyres in 35mm.
Cannondale Topstone 1 Alloy experience
(Picture credit score: Andy Turner)
The Cannondale Topstone 1 is an impressively light-weight alloy gravel bike whereas the alloy body additionally supplies a very good quantity of stiffness for responsive energy switch. Paired with the Shimano GRX groupset and 35mm Vittoria Terrano tyres it’s fairly spritely in the case of accelerations and taking steeper off-road climbs.
The geometry is properly suited to its supposed use, with a slack headtube (71 levels) and an extended fork offset in what Cannondale calls OutFront steering geometry. This leads to a entrance finish that’s fairly secure at greater speeds, but additionally permits for speedy modifications of path when required with out feeling twitchy. The slack seat tube (73.1 levels) additionally aids off-road efficiency by preserving extra of your weight over the rear wheel and serving to in avoiding wheel slippage.
(Picture credit score: Andy Turner)
Taking the bike out and hitting the paths of the Forest of Dean (FoD) on a barely soggy day, I used to be actually capable of put the bike via its paces. The route break up the street surfaces into a number of classes, with a tarmac experience heading out to the paths, some rougher rocky terrain on the pathways as much as the paths, some slippery and muddy climbs and descents, pump tracks, and at last some good fireplace roads.
The finest gravel bikes carry out properly on the street, in addition to off-road. On the subject of tarmac efficiency, the Topstone is ample, however doesn’t excel. In comparison with a street bike the slack headtube and lengthy fork offset do really feel slightly ‘off’ at greater speeds, and the bike just isn’t fairly as responsive as most street bikes. Though it’s efficient on the street, this bike is definitely constructed for off-road adventures or extra relaxed commuting.
It was on rougher, rocky terrain the place the primary subject arose with the Topstone. On the subject of bumpy surfaces the aluminium body may be fairly unforgiving, jolting you round within the saddle. The aluminium seatpost, Fizik saddle, and pretty slender 35mm tyres additionally don’t support on this very a lot and the mixture results in a really jarring experience on rougher surfaces. Much more jarring than the Carbon Topstone with 38mm rubber and carbon seatpost. The entrance forks do nevertheless do a good job of lowering vibration, as does the liberally thick bar tape. However even with a 45mm most clearance, the bike’s adventuring capabilities are restricted by the usual parts and unforgiving body.
(Picture credit score: Andy Turner)
Onto the primary trails, the Verderers within the FoD, and the bike felt lots smoother and extra fluid on mixtures of mud and gravel. At decrease speeds the bike turns and handles quick modifications in path rather well. The gearing can be ample to take care of some pretty steep off-road gradient, and though the wheels aren’t the lightest, when preserving the tempo clean and constant they go uphill respectably at decrease speeds.
The Terrano Dry tyres, nevertheless, didn’t impress me right here – though nice on dry surfaces, because the title suggests, should not essentially the most grippy on moist mud, even when leaning onto the extra closely treaded sidewalls. Manoeuvring rapidly via tight muddy corners was definitely not confidence inspiring and there was various rear wheel slippage on the wetter muddier sections. The tyres additionally come arrange as clinchers, for off-road driving I’d counsel a transfer to tubeless each for puncture resistance and in addition for some added suppleness to the experience.
Upon reaching the Verderers’ Dragon’s Again – a notoriously lumpy and quick downhill part with many pumps and banked corners – the 50cm drops impressed confidence when taking the banked gravel corners, which the bike handled very properly. Right here, on the dry gravel sections, the tyres got here into their very own, providing good grip and rolling quick – although I’d nonetheless desire 38-40mm tyres on this bike to take advantage of out of off-road efficiency.
Most at house on gravel trails and fireplace roads
The bike felt most at house, nevertheless, on the gravel trails and fireplace roads which can be completely suited to the stiff body and narrower tyres. And that’s excellent news, as a result of that is the place most riders would use such a motorcycle.
The Topstone glides throughout these sections effortlessly and with good energy switch offers with inclines very properly. While I am nonetheless not totally offered on a 1x arrange, the 48/36 and 11/34 combo gave an excellent vary of gears for many situations and never too massive a leap between any of them, although, maybe a barely bigger rear sprocket can be appreciated for those who need to take the steeper climbs slightly simpler.
As regards to groupset, the Shimano GRX 800/600 combine is excellent. The shifting may be very clear and exact, even after loads of rides getting the bike lined in mud. The clutch rear mech system means there’s nearly no chain slap over bumpy terrains and assists within the dependable shifting and no chain drop. Braking can be glorious, with fast engagement and good modulation.
Cannondale Topstone 1 Alloy worth
On the subject of worth the Cannondale Topstone 1 gives a really strong spec for the worth, at £2200/$2325.
The combo of Shimano GRX 800 and 600 11 velocity parts places it forward of many gravel bikes that will in any other case provide higher worth as they primarily include 10 velocity groupsets and fewer scope for attachments.
Nonetheless, if you happen to don’t thoughts 10 velocity gearing, the Boardman ADV 8.9 gives a good bike for £1150, practically half the worth of the Topstone. The Focus Atlas 6.8 gives a really related spec at £1899 however does have increase wheel spacing so street wheels for commuting should not an choice. For not an enormous quantity extra although you may get the Boardman ADV 9.4 with SRAM Rival eTap for £2650.
Cannondale Topstone 1 Alloy conclusion
Total the Cannondale Topstone is a succesful off-road bike in a position to absorb the gravel trails with numerous ease and confidence. Nonetheless, it’s restricted within the scope of terrain that it could possibly deal with with the overly stiff aluminium body and parts which means that rougher terrain just isn’t snug. Worth sensible the bike may be very properly geared up, however there are equally spec bikes at decrease costs, nevertheless with much less flexibility to make use of as a commuter/winter street bike. In order for you a succesful gravel bike that may double as a winter coaching steed, this bike is right. For extra off-road adventures, one thing extra forgiving can be higher.
Specification
- RRP: £2200 / $2325
- 45mm Tyres clearance (40mm with fenders)
- Inner routing dropper prepared
- XS-XL (147-203cm tall)
- Plenty of bolt choices for storage and fenders
- Light-weight SmartForm C2 Alloy body w/ full carbon fork and 1-1/8″ to 1.5″ steerer
- Shimano GRX 800/600 11-speed shifting
- WTB ST i23 TCS rims (12x100mm centerlock F and 12x142mm centerlock R)
- Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres, 700x35c, foldable
- Fizik Aliante Delta
- Cannondale 3 bar (cc), Stem (mm), and seatpost (setback)
- Shimano GRX 800 entrance and rear mech, 600 shifters, 400 brakes
- 160/160mm RT54 rotors
- FSA Gossamer Professional Modular AGX+, 46/30
- FSA BB386 MegaEvo threaded BB
- Shimano 105, 11-34, 11-speed cassette
- KMC X11, 11-speed
- Seat tube 55.3cm, 73.1deg, high tube 57.2cm, head tube 18cm, 71deg, standover 82.4cm, wheelbase 106.4cm, chain keep 43.5cm, BB drop 7.5cm, BB peak 28.4cm, rake 5.5cm, path 6.5cm, stack 61cm, attain 39.4cm
