Hey Mountain Bike Action guys: I have a 1999 Cannondale F400 with a fork that has a single suspension mounted in the center. I know Cannondale is making their Lefty design now. The Lefty approach seems needlessly complicated. Is there a reason so few use the center/single like mine?
--Lee who likes the Headshok

Mountain Bike Action: Your front suspension is called the Headshok and Cannondale still makes it (although it is now five generations removed from the one on your bike). This suspension design lost favor as forks inched toward longer travel. The Headshok design raises the front end too much as the travel increased. This leads to all kinds of handling woes and some would theorize frame stress issues. Cannondale still offers one or two bikes with the Headshok, but they are hybrids, intended for city riding and bike paths.


The Lefty is totally different from the fork on your bike and is a marvel of engineering. It works awesome and Cannondale went out of their way to be sure the design was not needlessly complicated so riders could perform their own service. The Lefty once stood above the field in rigidity but that lead has been trimmed with the introduction of 15-millimeter front axles that have made a big improvement to conventional forks and leveled the playing field so to speak.

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