Myth

I'd be interested to hear some real-world feedback on these...do you find that they work as advertised?

And to answer the original question - I wouldn't personally build a Scalpel without a Lefty - the Lefty is really what makes this bike, and I honestly don't think that Cannondale frames and geo's are that great, so if you want to build a custom bike using a non-lefty traditional fork, you might as well just get a different frame brand to start with. They have a lot of proprietary items and a press-fit BB, and the geometries are kind-off in the middle ground, not really as modern as some other brands... (And Cannondale boys, please don't bash me for this comment, I own a Scalpel too...I just don't believe that Cannondale's frames are that good to warrant using it in a build above some other brands' frames if you are going to use a traditional fork)

Its an interesting point of view, and I wonder if it has something to do with where you typically ride. I've found that the Lefty is very dependent on terrain on how well it does / feels - it feels to me like it does much better in terms of small bump compliance than other forks due to less stiction, however not so well on big hits as traditional forks as its simply has less space for air and dampers etc. So for me it runs very well on slightly smoother trails and gravel roads, while i prefer my trail bike with traditional fork if the terrain is slightly more rough...

Since you are used to Nike's, and seem to like them, I can definitely recommend the Nike Wildhorse range for trail running. They will work for everything except the most slippery conditions... In fact, I like them so much I'm on my 4th pair (started using them with the Wildhorse 3 model and am currently on the Wildhorse 6)

Wat great sal wees as julle plek maak vir "ad hoc" skrywers wat net half 'n once-off elke nou en dan wil skryf van hul avonture...

Conrad has serviced my bikes on many occasions, I was happy with his service (and I am pretty pedantic when it comes to my bikes).

What nobody touched on though, is the little bit of magical fairy dust that gets added to the superbike's paint. And you may laugh and think I am sarcastic, however this is true. The fairy dust facilitates the creation of boyish wet-dreams when staring at one of these bikes. Its what makes an average phone camera make these look like they have been Canon DSLR'ed and Photo-shopped like a Kardashian's profile pic. Its the stuff that inspires young boys in Kenya and elsewhere alike to become top-notch riders at the top of the pyramid of what is humanly possible, like Froomy, Merckx who came before us. At least, that's what the marketing makes us believe Are they better than normal bikes? Yes. Is the level of betterness due to the fairy dust worth the extra money? Sure, if money is not a problem. Will it make you significantly faster? Maybe, due to psychology, but perhaps not due to the claimed benefits from marketing. However, when it's all said and done, I would rather let them add fairy dust to bicycles, ask a massive premium for it, and inspire people to get fit, than I would have them add fairy dust to other useless things in this world, like iPhones...

Agreed, also had only good service form them..

TLDR...I only read the crux of it, not everything, so if I duplicate anything, sorry... My two cents though, is that the biggest cycling mistake I ever made, and still regret, was to sell my Ritchey steel frame rim brake road bike a few years ago and getting a carbon aero disc brake road bike. Sure, I whacked more than 15 mins of my best 94.7 time using the aero bike (albeit not only due to the bike, but also increase in fitness)...yet it never gets ridden as its uncomfortable to me. And believe me, its crap if a bike just stands around as then the wife's n-1 argument gets fueled and soon a bike is gone.

Not really mate, its called voicing an opinion.

I am not a fan of proprietary and (possibly) finicky parts on a bike...thus the seat post clamp and IPU thingy gets a nod of disapproval from me. Stuff that you are going to struggle with finding parts for in a few years. Besides that, the frame looks pretty cool.

Ag this sucks...they are a good crowd at the shop...

Wow, thanks guys for the source file! I'm going to ask a buddy to print one for me

Not super urgent, I can wait a week or two... Looks like these guys in the UK don't ship to ZA.

It used to be September or so but that date has been slowly creeping forward, so that now Spaz, Dale and Trek launched theirs quite early in the year.