Cannondale

THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GIMMICK AND AN INNOvation. Cannondale has a long history of innovations and doing things a bit, er, a lot differently in search of a performance advantage. Their unmistakable single-sided Lefty fork has earned a devoted following as well as a vitriolic opposition. And who remembers the early 2000s Gemini World Cup downhill bike that utilized two shocks in the frame?

In today’s sport, choose any three mid-travel $5,000 all-mountain bikes and you’re likely to see nearly identical geometries and very similar component specs. At a time when companies are attacking as clones, Cannondale is