exwhyzed

Hi All,

I am not able to figure out the real reason the Cannondale Topstone Aluminum does not have SAVE micro-suspension, but the Cannondale Quick commuting bicycle does. Riding on gravel is full of small bumps, just like commuting, so it would make sense to me to have this feature on a recreational gravel bike. I'm guessing that Cannondale is trying to have enough feature-contrast between these Aluminum models, and the carbon suspension models, to justify their higher price tag.

I'm guessing that this SAVE technology will eventually appear in future aluminum models. But it would be nice to have it now. And putting drop bars on a Cannondale Quick is not an option for me because the reach is a bit longer than I'd like.

Anyhow this seems to be a bit more of a rant than a question. But if anyone wants to chime in with their insights please do. Thanks.

black_box 

Here's a description, looks like SAVE can mean lots of things in different contexts. SAVE is listed in the description on the frame itself for the Quick (in the specification section), so perhaps it's the rear triangle that is shaped differently. It does appear to have a bit of a bend/kink on the seat stay.
https://crankboutique.com/what-is-ca...ve-technology/

There is overlap in pricing among the quick and aluminum topstone, are there particular models you're comparing? Also, it looks like the new aluminum topstone for this year has a seatstay that attaches much lower on the seat tube than earlier years. Perhaps there's something there that they feel compensates for not including the "SAVE" feature. It's still an aluminum frame, so I wouldn't worry too much about it, just take the bike that feels better on a ride.

Steve B.

I am perfectly happy my aluminum has no fancy suspension crap. More stuff to have to maintain. The bike rides just fine as a plain alu frame with 43mm tires at a comfortable air pressure.

exwhyzed

I'm currently running 40m tires that i pumped-up last week, so they've mildly deflated to a more comfortable pressure. I wouldn't mind a frame with a bit more shock absorbency though.

The older Cannondale Slate bike had advertised SAVE seatstays.

Fuji is another one...their Fuji Gran Fondo carbon endurance bike has curved seatstays, and also advertises VRTech (Vibration Reduction Technology) in the seatstays.
But the Fuji Jari carbon gravel bike also has curved seatstays, but there is no mention of the VRTech in the seatstays. It sure could be relieving on a bone-jarring gravel ride, but its not there.

With bike prices (and lack of availabilities) nowdays, i'll most likely be looking at 2023 or 2024 when i buy a bike to replace my current one. And I hope there are more comfort technologies available for aluminum (and some carbon, like the Jari) gravel models than what is currently available. As I would like to have a frame comfort technology to be used in addition to wide tires.

msu2001la

The Cannondale CAADX has SAVE stays if you're really set on an alloy drop bar setup with this. I believe the CAADX can fit up to 45mm tires.

Referring to SAVE as "suspension" is a huge stretch. It's really just engineered compliance, and is a vibration absorption technique that allows a tiny amount of flex in the rear triangle. It was originally developed for the Synapse road bike (Synapse Active Vibration Elimination) as a way to eliminate road buzz back when aluminum frames were super stiff. I'm pretty sure all manufacturers engineer some level of compliance into their aluminum frames now, even if they don't have a marketing term for it.

I have also never heard anyone refer to the aluminum Topstone as overly stiff, even if it doesn't have SAVE written on the rear triangle. Conversely, I've done a lot of miles on an Aluminum CAADX with SAVE stays and I wouldn't say it's a critical feature.

mstateglfr 

Commuting is full of bumps? My commutes have never been any more or less bumpy than a typical ride on a road bike.

exwhyzed

@ Cannondale
Give me a full compliment of SAVE on your next Topstone Aluminum. Thanks.