Hi everyone, I’m considering a Cannondale Topstone with the Kingpin suspension. What’s your opinion on it in real-world riding?
Also, how noticeable is the difference compared to using a suspension seatpost?
Thanks!!
I had the Lab71 version.
Lovely on gravel with ~50mm tire clearance
Perfect touring bike, comfy and fast for long road days
But get out of the saddle to close a gap or sprint on a group ride and you can feel the lost watts. Maybe it’s all psychological. A sensible person would probably say this isn’t the bike for fast groups.
It really does a good job though and isn’t noticeable day to day (in a good way). Just have to decide with all the tire clearance, esp. the new model, whether you still want suspension on top of 2.1 inch tires.
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I’ve never ridden a topstone so take my thoughts with a grain of salt but I would expect the suspension to help you keep traction while putting power down on rough terrain in a way that a suspension seat post would not.
Is it worth it? That depends on your priorities. It adds complexity and Cannondale isn’t the best at keeping parts in stock for older products. 8 years from now it may be near impossible to get parts. If you only keep your bikes 5 years, that’s probably not a concern.
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