Cannondale has announced a LAB71 halo edition of the Topstone gravel frameset, shaving a little bit of weight off and giving it a very fancy paint job.
LAB71 is Cannondale’s designation for its top-spec bikes and the Topstone Carbon 2 is only the second platform to have received it, the first being the 4th generation SuperSix Evo. The LAB71 Topstone frameset will retail at £3,000 / $4,500 / €4,199 / AU$4,999 and will available to buy in the UK in April.
Cannondale
The LAB71 Topstone frameset is claimed to be 160g lighter than the standard model, a saving achieved via changes to the carbon layup that are said to preserve the design’s ‘toughness, versatility, and performance’. We don’t have precise figures for the total frame weight, but Cannondale’s Clive Gosling says it’s around 900g.
Cannondale
The LAB71’s other key selling point is its rather special paintjob, a design that combines satin black with a beautifully marbled pink-purple that Cannondale dubs ‘oxblood’. (Do oxen bleed purple? Farmers, write in.)
These details aside, the LAB71 Topstone shares spec details with the regular bike, with identical geometry and Kingpin rear suspension that offers up to 30mm of rear wheel travel without help from shocks or linkages. The frameset accepts dropper posts and tyres up to 700c × 45mm or 27.5 × 2.1in, plus there’s a healthy smattering of mounts for all your bikepacking needs.
Cannondale isn’t offering the LAB71 Topstone with a Lefty Oliver suspension fork as standard, but there’s nothing to stop you buying the frameset and swapping the rigid fork for a squishy one.
CannondaleCannondale
Too rich for your blood? How about the everyman Cannondale Topstone alloy?
Tags: Gravel
