In the words of the Product Manager for the Cannondale Slate, David Devine, “I just wanted to make a bike where you could re-find the bike ride. Where you just go out and ride bikes.”
We all long for the days of yore when we would take our banana seat Schwinn all around town, in the dirt, on jumps and come home late at night, dirty, sweaty and filled with memories of adventures. That’s the inspiration for the all-new Cannondale Slate — but without the banana seat and chopper bars. In their place, Cannondale is delivering an optimized aluminum frame that’s built around tubeless 650b x 42c tires and a new Lefty Oliver fork with 30mm travel.
These large-volume tires provide nearly the same diameter as normal 700 x 23c tires, but aim to provide extreme comfort, grip and traction that’s just not possible in a standard road rim/tire combo.
The launch videos make me want to just go out and ride — on any road, anywhere and anytime.
Cannondale Slate Details:
- 6069 alloy frame with SAVE Plus+ Micro-Suspension
- Lefty Oliver fork with 30mm travel
- 650b tubeless wheelset with 42c tubeless tires
- Builds: Force 1x ($4260), Ultegra ($3520) and 105 ($2980)
- Availability: October 2015
- Price: TBA