Cannondale  Topstone Carbon 3 L Bike

I've had this bike now for over a year and I still love it. I mostly ride gravel roads with it and some single track and it does quite well. Washboard you do feel but not as bad as the other gravel bike I had. I do think the kingpin suspension makes a difference and I also added a red shift stem so I've got a little movement in the front as well. My only complaint is it is a little heavy but some of that has to with the fact that the seat I put on it and the stem. I haven't weighed the wheels I suspect they're heavy I convert them to tubeless and run about 20-25 lb in them. I mostly used it by for exercising no bikepacking I would recommend it.

I've had this bike for 2 months and put 300 miles and it has worked great without any issues. The rear suspension works as it should. Shifting is positive and braking will stop you quick. Ignore the 1 star reviewer. This is a great bike.

I ride 10-15 hours per week and race bikes. The Topstone 3 L has been perfect for me. I love the design and geometry. The kingpin suspension does seem to improve the ride. When I purchased the bike the pictures showed a GRX crankset, but Cannondale shipped it with a fsa Gossamer Pro. When I brought this to REIs attention they made it right. I think cannondale has since updated the spec sheet. Maybe this isn't important to you, but It's worth checking to make sure you get it as advertised. The smartsense light system is great if you are going to spend any time on the road with this bike. Or for riding at night. There is cannondale app for controlling the lights and the battery will last longer than you will. You can also remove the smartsense system if it doesn't interest you and install a Cannondale "Straprack" for holding tubes/levers/co2s. The 1 star review on here is hilarious to me. I can't imagine hating a bike over something as simple as a spoke breaking. The wheelset on this bike is very sturdy. I would say it's somewhat heavy and over-built. Not some lightweight racing wheelset with thin gauged spokes. The only real complaint I had about the bike was the saddle that came on it. Which I swapped out for one with a center cutout. Anyway. Buy the bike. Buy it with an REI credit card so that you get 5% back.

In an effort to help inform the first-time Cannondale Topstone buyer, let me put in my two cents about these topstone carbon bikes. I don't own the Carbon 3 L, but i do own the 2024 Topstone Carbon 2 Lefty, the Neo Carbon Lefty 3 and the Moterro Carbon 1 (bit of overkill? Not as much as you might think) and I can testify to the high quality of Cannondale carbon bicycles. I have no doubt that the Carbon 3 L achieves this same standard. At the sale price, this bike is a no-brainer. Grab one while you have the opportunity!

After a long search I bought this bike through the REI sale, upgrading from a hybrid with a primary goal of improved gearing. I was particularly drawn to the Kingpin suspension in the rear (i.e., not the carbon frame per se). The bike has been outstanding over my first 50 miles! So smooth, feels solid, super quick on pavement, and easily handles bumps and trails with great dampening. For my purposes I like SPD-SL pedals for trails/workouts and use Pedal Plates when looking to wear MTB shoes around dense urban areas. The "carbon" color is black, but in daylight you see a solid band of gray along the central parts of the frame--very slick. The SmartSense lighting system is clever and works as billed. One caution--it came with a crank and bottom bracket from FSA instead of Shimano, and I had seen this mentioned as a risk in online forums and videos (attributed to post-COVID supply chain issues, it seems). It otherwise has full Shimano GRX family components. I am 5'8" and bought the small. I would highly recommend, particularly with the pricing and longer term benefits that REI offers over other bike shops.

Such an awesome bike. Ignore the haters this bike is fantastic.

I’ve had this bike for 10 months and it’s working and hitting those hills and trails with a lot of fun and good speed. Fits a 40 rear cassette on the 2x set up. Great speed on road to switchbacks too.

the spokes broke on the back wheel within 2 months of owning the bike.