The new third-generation Topstone Carbon has been given a raft of useful updates and refinements intended to cement its place as one of the most capable gravel bikes around – and it's exactly the bike I wanted Cannondale to make.
When BikeRadar put together our wishlist of road and gravel bikes we wanted to see built in 2025, I wrote about how much I liked the existing Topstone.
However, I wanted Cannondale to release a new version with increased tyre clearance and UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) compatibility. That would elevate my current favourite gravel bike – which I built my own iteration of.
Well, it seems Cannondale was listening, because that’s exactly what it has delivered – and more besides.
What’s new for the third generation?
Cannondale’s suspension gravel design, the Topstone, is now in its third generation.
The original Topstone set the template for bikes with 30mm of rear travel, using a combination of flexible chainstays and seat tube, and a pivot where the seatstays join the seat tube.
The second generation saw Cannondale move away from its Ai offset rear-wheel design, increase tyre clearance from 40mm to 45mm and bring out a new version of the Lefty Oliver suspension fork for 700c wheels. Previously, if you wanted a full-suspension Topstone, it was only available with 650b wheels.
Now, the third generation has arrived with further increased tyre clearance: 52mm for the frame, 56mm for the rigid fork and 47mm with the Lefty Oliver. Other refinements include removing the divisive SmartSense-compatible frame in favour of a more practical down tube storage compartment.
The geometry has changed with the addition of another size, taking the range to six: 47, 51, 54, 56, 58 and 61cm from the previous XS, S, M, L and XL. However, the new 47cm bike is larger than the previous XS.
The actual numbers, meanwhile, remain largely unchanged on equivalent sizes, bar a few millimetres here and there to account for increased tyre clearance. The head angle has been relaxed by half a degree, but the seat angle remains at 73.1 degrees.
The OutFront Steering Geometry pioneered on the original bike remains. That means an extra-long fork offset, paired with a slacker head angle, is designed to keep the steering light and lively, yet stable at speed on rougher terrain.
Lefty Oliver gets longer
The Oliver Lefty fork found on the Carbon 1 Lefty AXS has also had something of a makeover. Inside, there's the generation 2 chamber damper and ISO high-ride air spring, while the travel has increased from the original's 30mm to 40mm.
UDH is the way forward for the Topstone
The Topstone now has a UDH rear dropout, which means compatibility with both SRAM’s direct-mount XPLR rear derailleurs and T-Type mountain bike derailleurs. It also means a simple derailleur-hanger design to run the frame with standard (Shimano) derailleurs.
You can head here for my exclusive review of the new Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS, but first here’s a rundown of the new Topstone carbon range.
Topping out the range is the exclusive Topstone Carbon LTD Di2 at £6,900, which combines the Topstone frame and rigid carbon fork with Reserve 40/44 carbon wheels and Shimano’s GRX RX825 Di2 12-speed groupset.
Propping up the range is the Topstone Carbon 3 GRX 2x at £2,950, with Shimano’s mechanical GRX 820 groupset and WTB ST i25 TCS alloy gravel wheels.
There hasn't yet been any news about a Lab71 edition, but we expect that to come later in the year, alongside other SRAM models, taking advantage of the direct-mount UDH rear-dropout design.
2025 Cannondale Topstone range details
Topstone Carbon LTD Di2
- Groupset: Shimano GRX 12-speed Di2
- Wheels: Reserve 40/44 rims on DT Swiss 240 hubs
- Finishing kit: Easton EC90 AX carbon bar, Cannondale C1 conceal stem, Fizik Terra Argo X3 saddle, Save carbon seatpost, Vittoria Terreno Dry 45c tyres
- Price: £6,900 / $7,300 / €7,499 / CA$9,855
Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS
- Groupset: SRAM Rival AXS shifters, crankset, SRAM GX Eagle AXS rear derailleur, GX cassette, GX chain
- Wheels: Reserve 40/44 rims on Lefty hub (front) and DT Swiss 350 (rear)
- Finishing kit: Easton EC70 AX carbon bar, Cannondale C1 conceal stem, Fizik Terra Argo X3 saddle, Cannondale Lefty Oliver suspension fork, WTB Raddler 44c tyres
- Price: £6,350 / $6,500 / €6,999/ CA$8,775
Topstone Carbon 2 AXS
- Groupset: SRAM Apex AXS 12-speed shifters, SRAM GX Eagle T-Type AXS rear derailleur, GX Eagle chain
- Wheels: WTB KOM Team i25 TCS rims on Formula hubs
- Finishing kit: Cannondale 2 Shortdrop 7050 gravel bar, WTB Riddler TCS 45c tyres, Cannondale C1 conceal stem, Fizik Terra Argo X7 saddle.
- Price: £3,900 / $4,300 / €4,299 / CA$5,805
Topstone Carbon 2 GRX 2x
- Groupset: Shimano GRX 12-speed 2x (48/31, 11-34)
- Wheels: WTB KOM i25 TCS rims on Shimano TC800 hubs
- Finishing kit: Cannondale 2 Shortdrop 7050 gravel bar, WTB Riddler TCS 45c tyres, Cannondale C1 conceal stem, Fizik Terra Argo X7 saddle.
- Price: £3,500 / $4,000 / €3,999 / CA$5,400
Topstone Carbon 3 GRX 1x
- Groupset: Shimano GRX 12-speed 2x (40, 10-51 SLX cassette)
- Wheels: WTB ST i25 TCS rims on Shimano TC500 hubs
- Finishing kit: Cannondale 3 alloy bar, WTB Riddler TCS 45c tyres, Cannondale C1 conceal stem, Selle Royal SRX Open saddle
- Price: £2,950 / $3,400 / €3,299 / CA$4,590
Topstone Carbon 3 GRX 2x
- Groupset: Shimano GRX 12-speed 2x (36/30, 11-36)
- Wheels: WTB ST i25 TCS rims on Shimano TC500 hubs
- Finishing kit: Cannondale 3 alloy bar, WTB Riddler TCS 45c tyres, Cannondale C1 conceal stem, Selle Royal SRX Open saddle
- Price: £2,950 / $3,400 / €3,299 / CA$4,590
