Cannondale Topstone 105 ALU pics and upgrades so far

3 replies · 2,554 views

dodge77
15 posts
#1Sep 21, 2019, 3:39 AM
Topstone 105 Alu at top of the radio tower climb on a scorching September day

Frame size large for my 6'2" height

Needs a good wash

DT Swiss Cross Road 1600 Dicut along with new tyres and tubeless knocked just under 1.75 lbs off bike! (i have a set of Peformance Race 1600 Dicut with GP5000 28 on which has knocked just under 3lbs off for road days)

Ultegra Icetech rotors, much nicer than stock on long descents.
Fitted the new LO3A resin pads too, nicer braking and lasting longer than the stock LO2A.

Clarkes 22g carbon cages, cost me £15 each, very nice bottle snap action and so light for £

GravelKing SK 38 set up tubeless, better on road than included Nanos, measure up the same to the eye when side by side, just as good off road, much lighter!

Canyon carbon seatpost with flex, much lighter and takes all road buzz out, scored very well in all the reviews, bar going for one with moving levers which get full of trail spam.

Topeak wedge medium (need some black tape) fits leyzne HV mini pump, tube, chain tool, park multitool, latex gloves, patches, spare links,
tyre levers, house keys)

Shorter 80mm Ritchey 220 stem, with much bigger clamp area than most stems, and the 80mm enabled the large topstone to not feel too stretched out for my height, handling slightly better too.

Spurcycle bell for clearing the ramblers!

GP5000 28mm road setup with spare wheelset on PR1600s

2
sake
5 posts
#2Sep 21, 2019, 8:13 PM
Nice! I like the look of the Icetech rotors. I put a 90 stem on my large Topstone and hear that as a common complaint with the reach on the large frames. I’m going to have to check out that seatpost too.
I just put some 32mm Panaracer GKs on mine today and set it up tubeless. Looking forward to riding it tomorrow and testing it out.
0
dodge77
15 posts
#3Sep 22, 2019, 3:38 AM
Icetech rotors you can get in silver and black which looks good too.

Reckon 32mm GKs will fly on and off road!

Really good write up here on the Canyon seatpot with graphs etc

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/five-soft-riding-road-seatposts-tested-in-the-lab-and-on-the-road/

So which one is best for you?
That answer likely depends on what you’re looking for as well as how you’re built. If you’re after the smoothest-possible ride and fit within the rider weight restrictions, the Ergon CF3/Canyon VCLS 2.0 is the clear runaway winner. It moves the most under bigger impacts and attenuates the most vibration of any of the seatposts in this test. If you can’t handle its somewhat odd appearance but are still after maximum cush, try and find the earlier-generation Canyon VCLS model instead as it’s nearly as good but not nearly as odd-looking.
“It is clear to me that the Ergon CF3/Canyon VCLS 2.0 takes the cake,” says Trent. “After spending time in the saddle with this post, I was/am amazed at how comfortable it makes the ride. The deflection results for the Ergon can be deceiving. Is it really a good thing to have a post flexing that much? Could it act more like a pogo stick than a damper? Well, I think the vibration results back up the lab-based deflection and qualitative field data in a big way.
“My second pick would be the Canyon VCLS post,” Trent adds. “It may actually be my favorite given its unassuming guise. It flexed a lot under loads, ranked third in vibration testing, and felt comfortable while riding.”
0
mshaw82
3 posts
#4Sep 28, 2019, 5:00 PM
Upgrades I made to my xl topstone:

- LightCarbon wheels (Chinese manufactured) - GCX28 rims, dt swiss 240s hubs, cx Ray spokes - weigh about 1375 grams
- sram centerline x rotors, 160mm (I just think these rotors look better than shimano)
- metallic brake pads
- wtb riddler tires 700 x 37, tubeless
- Thomson x2 stem x100mm
- trimmed steerer rube (scary maneuver but pulled it off perfectly)
- Thomson elite seat post
- pro discover bars with 12 degree flare
- 105 chainring 50/34 with 4iiii power meter
- k-edge Garmin mount
- fizik Antares saddle, old seat, wish it was all black
- xtr pedals
- king cage titanium bottle cages, a total splurge, but glad I did because I think they make the bike
- trimmed all cables and re-ran derailleur cables down opposite sides, ran rear derailleur down left side and front derailleur down right side, just think it’s a cleaner look
- origin 8 camo tape

Bike rides fantastic and weight all loaded with light mounts, k-edge, pedals, and cages is at about 20.8 lbs

2

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So which one is best for you?

That answer likely depends on what you’re looking for as well as how you’re built. If you’re after the smoothest-possible ride and fit within the rider weight restrictions, the Ergon CF3/Canyon VCLS 2.0 is the clear runaway winner. It moves the most under bigger impacts and attenuates the most vibration of any of the seatposts in this test. If you can’t handle its somewhat odd appearance but are still after maximum cush, try and find the earlier-generation Canyon VCLS model instead as it’s nearly as good but not nearly as odd-looking.

“It is clear to me that the Ergon CF3/Canyon VCLS 2.0 takes the cake,” says Trent. “After spending time in the saddle with this post, I was/am amazed at how comfortable it makes the ride. The deflection results for the Ergon can be deceiving. Is it really a good thing to have a post flexing that much? Could it act more like a pogo stick than a damper? Well, I think the vibration results back up the lab-based deflection and qualitative field data in a big way.

“My second pick would be the Canyon VCLS post,” Trent adds. “It may actually be my favorite given its unassuming guise. It flexed a lot under loads, ranked third in vibration testing, and felt comfortable while riding.”