The dropped seatstays have a pivot where they intersect with the seat tube, which frees them to flex upward more than without a pivot. When combined with strategic flex zones in the seat tube, top tube and rear triangle, the “Kingpin” suspension system provides up to 30mm of travel. That said, it’s not the same travel as you’d normally associate with a suspension bike.

The frame is basically a series of tuned leaf springs. Cannondale designed it so there’s more travel available at the saddle than at the rear axle. There’s no damper, no lockout, and no moving parts, aside from the pivot, which sees about 6-degrees of rotation at most, according to Cannondale.