Well, FWIW, from what I remember of my rides with Lefties, I liked the Hilite version. The Lefty is nice and stiff when riding on smooth road, and takes the rough stuff as well as any other double shocked suspension like Fox or Ohlins. Now I haven't lived with one long term, so I don't know what it's like for maintenance, but knowing Cannondale, it's probably harder to get serviced than conventional forks.