Question on Lefty Carbon (2012 vs 2013)

[maverick_1]

Need some help from Cannondale Lefty gurus..

I'm currently on a 2008 Lefty Max PBR 130mm mounted on the Ellsworth Epiphany SST1.
Currently it's on a trail setup, and looking at the relatively flat condition in Tokyo, i'm looking at converting this to an XC setup with a lower front end.

Currently considering the Lefty PBR 2012 and XLR 2013, both in 100mm travel.
My question is, is it worth getting the XLR 2013 or should I stick with the 2012 version?
It seems the 2012 design has better small bump sensitivity vs the 2013 version?

Here's the current setup

[Anders]

I lowered my Lefty Ultra carbon which is 120mm to 110mm by inserting a 10mm spacer on the low side of the damper. Maybe you can do the same with your fork?

[thisisatest]

Add a spacer between the damper and air piston. Maybe get an air volume reducer kit to play with spring ramp-up too.
If getting a new fork, absolutely get the 2013. The small bump sensitivity will improve over time, and is dependent on the lubrication used for the lower bushing. It beats having the bearings migrate all the time, though.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[maverick_1]

Hey guys,

Apologies for the delayed reply.

Thanks for the comment and suggestions!
I guess adding the spacer/volume reducers are the most cost effective solution rather than getting an all new fork.
Btw, any website to recommend on Lefty modifications?

How would you rate the difficulty level to have these modification done ourselves?
As a matter of fact, I'm detecting some air leak on my current 130mm PBR

[stephenjames]

You know what I actually found my 2012 version to have slightly better bump sensitivity but the advantage with the 2013 versions is getting away from problems with needle bearing migration etc. I loved my 2012 and previous forks though apart from that.

Steve

[tetonrider]

after riding the 2013 i regretted replacing my 2012 carbon XLR. i felt like small bump sensitivity was dramatically reduced and i had to run exceptionally low air pressure to get proper sag.

i then removed the spacer from the damper (took about 2 minutes) and have ridden things that way for a while. small bump sensitivity is better, i can get the right sag at higher pressure, and rebound feels more 'normal'.

i like many things about the design of the 2013 fork vs the 2012, but until i did this quick modification i was not a huge fan of the fork's feel.

[stephenjames]

Which spacer is this?