The Cannondale Topstone 2 L is the second version of the brand’s general-remit gravel bike. Cannondale has the SuperSix Evo SE for racier riding and the Topstone Lefty for extra squish, but the normal Topstone’s design is purposefully adaptable so it can turn its hand to any drop-bar riding.
The updated Topstone simplifies plenty of features over the first generation bike. The Kingpin pivot is lighter, it has a regular seatpost clamp, more tyre clearance and it ditches the offset rear triangle too, despite switching to a threaded bottom bracket.
The Topstone 2 L build sits towards the upper end of a comprehensive range of bikes, and centres around functional and dependable components with one or two highlights.
On the road and trails the Kingpin pivot works excellently, meaningfully increasing comfort and control without many of the usual downsides associated with conventional suspension. A couple of finer detail misses prevent the Topstone Carbon 2 L from getting full marks but Cannondale deserves praise for putting together an excellent design that offers original advantages over others in the category.
Cannondale Topstone 2 L development and frameset
With its roots in the one of modern gravel’s pioneering designs, the Cannondale Slate, the Topstone has a decent claim to be one of the most well-informed gravel bikes on the market. This is the second generation Topstone, and since the release of its predecessor the category has exploded in popularity, splitting off into sub-genres.
Cannondale has designs that cater for each one – the SuperSix Evo SE for gravel racing, and a Topstone Lefty for more extreme gravel adventuring. This rigid Topstone sits somewhere in the middle and is perhaps the best reflection of the gravel bike category, for its versatile design is modifiable, letting it make a decent fist of any riding.
The second version of the Topstone frameset introduces a raft of changes compared to the first one. Most notably, the platform’s USP, its Kingpin pivot, has been redesigned. Simply put, the pivot point now sits on bushings instead of bearings, meaning it can be 100g lighter while also making drastically lower maintenance, despite preserving its claimed 30mm of fore-aft flex at the saddle.
Making the Topstone easier to live with was actually a bit of a theme in the redesign: the new bike also has gone back to using a conventional band seatpost binder, and the bottom bracket is now the BSA threaded standard too. Considering tyre clearance has actually been increased to 45mm for 700c tyres, this is an unexpected move – BSA cups necessitate a narrower BB shell width than the BB30A press-fit system the first Topstone used, meaning there is less room to squeeze chainstays on to the back of it, in between all that rubber.
The original Topstone even had to use what Cannondale dubbed an ‘Asymmetric integration’ or ‘Ai’ rear triangle, meaning it was offset to the non-driveside by 6mm, to create the 40mm 700c tyre clearance it had. The concept was a head-scratcher in my opinion as it required a specifically dished rear wheel, which grossly limited the user in wheel choice, when a gravel bike by definition has to be versatile in that area. Thankfully Ai has been ditched in this update and wheel choice is now unrestricted.
‘We dropped the driveside chainstay and lengthened both chainstays by 5mm to open up more space back there, despite the switch to BSA and dropping Ai,’ says David Devine, senior product director at Cannondale. ‘It helped that Shimano GRX and SRAM Wide drivetrains, released after the first Topstone was, were offset outboard too. The combination of everything allowed us to achieve the clearance we have on the Topstone 2.’
The formula to achieve it may have been a complicated one, but I’d say it was definitely worth the effort. 45mm 700c tyres are just about the sweet spot for modern gravel riding, allowing fast progress on tarmac but plenty of capability off it too.
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 L build
Cannondale offers the Topstone Carbon in a range of spec options, of which the Carbon 2 L sits towards the upper end of. It makes use of Shimano’s GRX groupset in a 2× mechanical guise, which in my view is a sensible option considering the bike’s versatile premise.
2× GRX provides plenty of closely-spaced easy gears should the bike be loaded up with luggage and/or be used over long-haul technical terrain, but also doesn’t neglect the top end gearing ratios should the rider want to use the bike for faster gravel/endurance road riding.
Speccing the Di2 electronic version of the groupset would have helped relieve some cable clutter at the front end (two cables would be reduced to one wire) but equally that would have lumped a considerable premium onto the bike’s asking price, and the mechanical version used is more easily repairable should the user get themselves into trouble out in the wild too.
The rest of the Topstone Carbon 2 L’s build is similarly functional and dependable: the in-house aluminium bars and stem are completely fine, and most riders should find the Fizik Terra Argo X5 saddle agreeable out of the box. The conventional build of WTB’s KOM Light i23 TCS wheels should prove sturdy and easily serviceable too, and their rims are nicely wide at 23mm internally even if the overall package isn’t all that light, at a claimed 2,150g.
The build is not without its highlights though, such as Cannondale’s excellent Save carbon seatpost, which exploits the wonderous engineering adaptability of carbon composite to be light but also offer a decent amount of flex fore/aft. Given its understated looks and normal 27.2mm diameter, the Save carbon seat post would be a comfort-boosting upgrade to any bike it fits, so it is great to get it as standard on this build.
Vittoria’s fast-rolling Terreno Dry tyres are another nice touch, though they are a UK-only spec choice – other territories get WTB’s Riddler TCS Light tyres. Cannondale’s SmartSense system rounds the build out.
Cannondale Topstone 2 L geometry and sizing
Along with its now-regular rear wheel compatibility, the Topstone’s chainstays (lengthened primarily as a consequence of creating more tyre clearance) also play into the hands of the other geometrical changes made. Alongside the extended rear end, the bottom bracket has been dropped. Both are changes that should help promote stability on technical terrain.
The chainstays stretching out to 420mm means the wheelbase has been extended accordingly, with a medium bike’s now measuring 1,029mm. A slack head angle of 71.2 degrees helps create that, though to ensure the isn’t too sluggish in response to steering inputs the Topstone’s fork has a long rake of 55mm, which keeps the trail figure to a not-so-lazy 62mm.
Reach is quite long for a given size as well, allowing Cannondale to spec a shorter stem without making the overall reach too cramped.
The Topstone Carbon is offered is a relatively small range of five sizes, but the jumps between sizes are distinct so the platform’s total range across different rider heights shouldn’t be too affected. Users may just need to pay attention component sizing to ensure their fit is correct.
Riding the Cannondale Topstone 2 L
The Kingpin pivot and the unusually shaped tube members around it are the most visually arresting feature on the Topstone and play a dominant role in the bike’s ride character too. I can well believe Cannondale claims of up to 30mm travel, for the flex at the saddle is immediately tangible.
Pedalling hard on tarmac, I’d even go as far as to say it’s a little too much (particularly so with the wider tyres the frame now supports) given that it is undamped, as there can be a feeling of pedal bob that impacted on how planted I felt sat on the bike. Transition off-road however, and that sensation gets flipped on its head – now it’s the bike that’s moving under the rider, rather than the rider moving on top of the bike.
Helped by the longer and lower handling geometry, the Topstone positively glides over broken ground and provides considerably more traction on loose tracks than more conventional rigid bikes. The Kingpin pivot design is excellent. It provides much of the benefit of proper suspension without the usual downsides of increased maintenance and heavier weight.
Its only downside is a knock-on aesthetic one – the extreme angle of the heavily dropped seatstays doesn’t allow space for the rear brake calliper to be nestled in the crook of the chainstay-seatstay junction. It forces it to be mounted up on the topside of the seatstay, which to me partially undermines the neatness that was a driver in road and gravel bikes adopting the flatmount calliper standard.
However, I will concede that in this instance beauty is in the eye of the beholder and other riders may not mind it, plus it only affects sizes Medium and smaller, sizes Large and up use a conventionally located rear calliper.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the front of the bike didn’t feel particularly unbalanced in terms of comfort compared to the Kingpin-enhanced rear of the bike either. Devine says the composite make-up of the fork along with its long rake encourages flex, and I wouldn’t disagree. Over washboard-like surfaces the fork tips visibly fluttered, illustrating how the front end was attenuating vibration almost as well as the rear.
Further thoughts on an interesting design
That said, if budget allowed, I’d still look to swap out the supplied alloy bars for a set of carbon ones to maximise the comfort on offer at the front. They’re a nice shape, but the supplied bars are pretty rudimentary and don’t offer much beyond a solid site from which to control the bike.
Speaking of changes, I’d also strip the supplied inner tubes out immediately. Both the wheels and tyres are tubeless ready, so a simple case of adding tubeless valves and sealant would let the rider exploit the classy Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres to their potential.
For all the Topstone’s squish it felt pleasantly sturdy under power, which I’d put down to features such as the boxy down tube. Though despite feeling like power wasn’t lost to flex, it was a bit of a wrestle to get the bike up to speed due to its hefty 9.6kg overall weight, a fair chunk of which comes from the SmartSense system ported over from the Cannondale Synapse endurance/all-road platform.
The system received a lukewarm response when it launched with the newest Synapse last year, but I’d say the case for it on the Topstone is weaker. Cannondale says the system’s lights and radars are for visibility and awareness in traffic, but given that riders spend more time on a gravel bike off-road and away from traffic, I don’t believe the system’s potential benefits outweigh its disadvantages.
It adds around half a kilogram to the bike’s weight, the lights prevent both a saddlebag and a bar bag being installed on the bike (though in fairness there are mounts aplenty on the frame and forks), and the necessary additional cables do nothing to help the already visually cluttered routing paths at the front of the bike.
Devine does say though that the way the cables are routed at the top of the down tube allows Cannondale to offer ‘tube in tube’ cable guides for quicker internal routing, so although the front of the bike is a bit of a rat’s nest, once they are in the frame the cables are at least quick and easy to route through it, facilitating maintenance tasks over the long term.
I should also point out that unlike the Synapse, there are more Topstone spec options without SmartSense than with it, so it’s relatively easy to avoid should you fall the same side of the fence about it as me.
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 L verdict
With a simplified Kingpin pivot, bigger tyre clearance and the switch to a conventional rear end, the updates made in the revision of the Topstone are undoubtedly positive and have changed the platform for the better.
Cannondale has contrived to offer a meaningful upgrade in compliance over other rigid designs in the category with little in the way of suspension’s usual disadvantages. The brand has paired this with a typically well-balanced geometry (see the SuperSix Evo for further evidence of the brand’s expertise in this area) to create a bike that rides nicely on a range of surfaces.
While I have some residual niggles concerning the finer details of the bike’s design and think the application of SmartSense is questionable in this instance, on balance I believe this is a small price to pay for what is overall a superbly confident-handling and comfortable bike design.
- Buy the Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 L from cannondale.com (£4,500)
Cannondale Topstone Carbon 2 L spec
| Price | £4,500 |
| Brand | Cannondale |
| Frame | Topstone Carbon |
| Fork | Topstone Carbon |
| Weight | 9.6kg (M) |
| Sizes available | XS, S, M, L, XL |
| Headset | Carbon Integrated |
| Levers | Shimano GRX RX800 |
| Brakes | Shimano GRX RX800 |
| Rear derailleur | Shimano GRX RX800 |
| Front derailleur | Shimano GRX RX800 |
| Chainset | Shimano GRX RX800, 48/31t |
| Bottom bracket | Shimano BSA 68 |
| Cassette | Shimano HG800, 11-34t |
| Chain | Shimano HG701 |
| Wheels | WTB KOM Light i23 TCS |
| Tyres | Vittoria Terreno Dry 38mm tyres |
| Bars | Cannondale 2 ShortDrop bars |
| Stem | Cannondale 2 stem |
| Seatpost | Save Carbon SmartSense seatpost |
| Saddle | Fizik Terra Argo X5 saddle |
