Cannondale Slate - anybody else excited?

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

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TerryatSecondPeak
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by TerryatSecondPeak

Just thought I'd start a new thread about it.. This bike was brought to my attention by a recent thread inquiring on the next Cannondale SuperX. Curious on other peoples' take on this bike. Figured the new thread might be necessary should some people not be aware of this upcoming 'gnarmac' steed.

I really dig this bike. I feel it's an absolute perfect fit for me. Definitely a minority/niche bike, but I feel there are plenty of people trying to exercise the one-bike-do-all approach who will make great use of this bike. I worked in bike shops / raced growing up and had multiple bikes at one time (i.e. an XC mtb, Enduro/trail mtb, and of course a road bike). Life and priorities change therefore it's more about commuting. At the same time I'll occasionally ride the odd century or pursue competitive roadies. When I have the opportunity I always cut through wilderness searching for singletrack, etc. I actually really appreciate drop bars when on the dirt. I think the 30mm of front travel and extra tire volume is going to feel very welcome. To date I only get tired of riding my CX on the dirt when riding rough trails with high frequency chatter (i.e. brake chop rain run-off ruts, etc.).

Looking forward to Cannondale releasing official information, geometry, etc. I believe the CX1 model might be the one pictured below. May take a beer or two to get over the ano purple/pink crank arms and hubs. That and the massive 10-42 XD1 cassette... ALthough I know it's going to allow an amazing range while keeping the drivetrain quiet efficient.
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Cheers,

-Terry

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TerryatSecondPeak
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by TerryatSecondPeak

A kind friend of mine just forwarded this to me...for those interested in the geometry:
Image

Cheers,

Terry

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rasmussloth
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by rasmussloth

Quite pricey though.

Shimano 105: £ 2500 and CX1: £3000.

Marin
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by Marin

Any weights released yet? This is Weightweenies after all...

I'd prefer a rigid fork and V-Brakes though, and 2x11 gearing. But wait - I already have that on my 7.5kg Gravel CX Commuter :D


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Ultegra 6800 except for cranks, and it cost about half as much as the Slate 105.

I ran it with 30/40 chainrings for a while, and it can take 11-36 in the rear, but I found that I can climb up to about 28% inclines well enough with 34/32 as long as the dirt is dry.

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rasmussloth
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by rasmussloth

Marin wrote:Any weights released yet? This is Weightweenies after all...


http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/07/01/can ... l-weights/

Marin
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by Marin

10.3kg with pedals for the aluminum frame version. Not bad actually. I really like the looks too, but I just don't need it.

TerryatSecondPeak
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by TerryatSecondPeak

Pretty bike, Marin. Reminds me of my current commuter :)

So I got my hands on a Slate for a few days. It's the mid-range Ultegra one. Unfortunately it's a Medium, I need the large. I'm actually quite bummed they dropped the 'classic' front triangle with horizontal Top Tube for the production bikes. Regardless, hard to pick it apart as I've only done 10 miles. Below you can read my initial impressions.

Definitely feels ~22 lbs when you pick it up and also try to get it up to speed. I suppose once you finally get up to speed the weight helps it stay there ;-) Surely a comfortable ride. This morning I sat through road perforations and minor bumps in the road that I would normally stand up for even with my carbon CX bike with 700x35c tubeless setup. I imagine this is primarily due to increased air volume of the 650x42c tires, perhaps the SAVE stays are helping a bit here. I suppose I'll notice those more when I start getting the bike out into the rough / chattery more. Feels slow on the road but I think it's because I'm not sitting into the bike well because it's a size down. I have the seat post sticking out an entire inch beyond the minimum insert line. Unfortunately comes with 175mm cranks and what feels like a 42cm handlebar. I typically run 172.5mm cranks & a 44cm bar. So if I were to pull the trigger on a Large down the road I'd have to change the crank arms and cross my fingers the bars come wider. Cranks are the SiSL2 with mid compact 52-36. With the 11-28t cassette it came with I think a standard compact (50-34) would have been the way to go.

Handling is snappy and more enjoyable than my CX bike. I can only imagine it would feel even better if I was riding the right size. The fork feels stiff enough out of the saddle when locked out and the bob experienced while unlocked isn't all that bad, it has a bit of platform and obviously so little travel that it doesn't hold you back too much. Just feels awkward, takes some getting used to. Definitely something to keep locked out on the road for sporadic efforts out of the saddle though. I'm wondering where the weight comes with this bike. Cassette is 105, again 11-28t. They say the main body of the Oliver fork is carbon, appears to be a carbon decal. It could be a carbon decal over actual carbon to keep it looking pretty. The steerer is definitely not carbon. Wheels leave a bit to be desired, they're 28 spoke 2x lacing entry-level, not sure if they're tubeless compatible although I'm sure a few layers of tape would do the trick. I think the bike would really come alive and easily drop a ~pound (~400-500g) with nicer wheels. Wondering how they'll spec the CX1 model. Fortunately the frame feels stiff at the BB area and the SiSL2 cranks don't disappoint. On my way home from work I'm going to try and get it on the dirt. Will definitely report back once I get some more time on it. I'll also have my hands on a large demo soon....fingers crossed.

Terry

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rasmussloth
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by rasmussloth

Fork is 1100g I think.

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the_marsbar
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by the_marsbar

The Cannondale dealer book which was leaked online says 1195 g, but doesn't state for which size that is.

I'm surprised it's that heavy. Must be running heavy pedals, and heavy tires+tubes. Probably heavy seatpost and handlebars too.

bikewithnoname
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by bikewithnoname

Are there any 650b knobbly tyres that will fit the rear? I assume the front will handle a 2.2 inch Mountain king or Ralph, it' not clear to me if the rear would.

It's not really much of a UK gravel bike if the only tyres that fit it are pave tyres...
"We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities." Oscar Wilde

TerryatSecondPeak
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by TerryatSecondPeak

1195g ~ 2.6lbs? Not too bad a weight penalty for 30mm of front travel.. In my opinion anyway.

Tires mounted and inflated appear to be right on at around ~1.6" (42c). I think you could quite easily fit a 1.8" tire on the back.. Although a 27.5 x 1.8 is a rare tire size with limited options at this point. I'm sure this will change. I bet there are some 2.0 tires that would fit...they'd have to run alittle small compared to most 2.0's though. I highly recommend running the stock tires for awhile to give them a fair shot. I haven't felt a need for increased traction even without significantly lowering tire pressures. Of course I realize this won't work for everybody or other conditions. Read on for my first impressions on the dirt.

Yesterday on the way home from work I was able to get the bike on the dirt. Dry hard pack loose, dusty. I'm here in Southern CA. Initial impressions on the dirt were positive as I didn't have to maneuver the bike around little ruts or rocks. The Oliver soaks it up and I can pretty much sit through these obstacles and no longer play dodgeball or have to constantly lift the front wheel or hop over. So yeah, definitely more comfortable in terms of 'gravel' riding.

Where I was REALLY surprised was descending singletrack on this bike. Oh my. I'm still smiling. I was able to attack a little 1.5 mile singletrack descent as if I was on one of my old hardtails. What a blast. It was a pretty 'XC'' type of descent but has that terrible brake chop / stutter bumps in the braking zones of the switchbacks. I hate these.. I don't typically complain about the descending prowess of a cyclocross bike. I in fact love drop bars on the dirt. Don't even mind when the trail gets technical and having to get behind the saddle etc. Obviously you're limited on pace on CX bikes when it comes to singletrack descending when the going gets rough. But it's the brake chop / stutter bumps that I despise and avoid like the plague (i.e. skirting around on the outside and slowing down for). I can't stand the high frequency impacts. This is where the Slate comes through with flying colors - I didn't need to bring down my speed and could charge through these whilst maintaining great front end control. The Oliver fork allowed me to put the front end where I wanted and manipulate the back end to set up for turn in / rotation. In a nutshell - it allowed me to ride aggresively, huge grin factor.

I left the tires at ~60psi...didn't air down. I imagine dropping the pressures and possibly going tubeless might improve the ride further. They are file tread and best and just a joy to slide around corners. While it may not be ideal for people in all climates this tire also helps you maintain speed on the road. Now I understand why they spec the Slate with this tire. Caught up to and passed by a few roadies after this on the final leg of my scenic commute.. I almost felt sorry for them because I was fairly confident they didn't just have as fun of a ride as I had..

You folks need to try this bike out and mix it up on the dirt. What a hoot.

-Terry

NealH
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by NealH

What will it do that a 29'er won't do? Other than commuting, not sure what the focus is. Even for commuting it comes up short, since there are not eyelets that I can tell.

Marin
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by Marin

Terry, if Cannondale isn't paying you yet, they should certainly consider it :)

Got pics of your ride?

TerryatSecondPeak
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by TerryatSecondPeak

LOL Marin, i wish :) I actually work part time for a bike shop across town. In fact one of our 'competitor' bike shops is allowing me to demo the bike. Friend of mine is one of the managers.

So here are pictures of the medium I'm riding.. Don't laugh ;) Take a look at those mounts on the seatstays. For Mud guard or for a rack? I'm not sure. Excuse my ignorance.

Image
Image
Image

Cheers,

-Terry

by Weenie


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rms13
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by rms13

I think it looks like a lot of fun. Their promo videos make me want to own one. Alas, I don't have much in the way of wilderness or gravel roads in my regular daily rides so it would be very under utilized, kind of like people that buy 4x4 SUV to drive 95% of the time on city streets. If I could easily veer off my daily commute and hit some trails or single track on the way home I would certainly buy one

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