I think you'll have to go with a diffent stem to achieve that goal. I think if the clamps start moving around the frame geometry will start getting messed up and then the bikes will start handling like those from another brand.
I see what you're saying now, that wouldn't change the geo at all. Still probably going to need to go with a -15 or so degree stem to fix the issue though. Christoph Sauser used to set his scalpel up with a very negative stem like that. Keep nagging and you might get the ball rolling on some changes!
Very cool, but I've have no failures on the Cannondale stuff. I'd have to see these things mass produced and ridden for years, before I'd trust one under me.
It's a cost thing Eli, cheaper to make a spacer than a new jig for different clamp positions, plus you would loose the interchangeability across the line. Cannondale are a bit too mass production now I think.
its an external bearing. supposedly they have chaged the upper bearing for the 29er scalpel so they can run the actual head tube shorter on the smaller sizes to allow for more standover height.
im with eli on this. running huge negative rize stems to get the fit right is getting silly... if its technically feasible, cannondale should be making 29er specific lefty's to suit shorter hed tubes.
If you (really) want a shorter clamp distance on your lefty, you could to what this norwegian is doing and blogging about on a norwegian mtb forum.
He starts with an Lefty speed carbon sl w/dlr 110mm travel. This has an a-c measurement of 47,8 cm. His plan is to move the lower clamp 2 cm upwards giving him an a-c of 49.8cm, this will also allow him to keep the 110mm travel according to his measurements.
You probaly noticed he's building a Scott Scale 29'er, when he moves the lower clamp he gets close to the a-c measurement this bike is made for (within a couple of mm's)
But you can't do this on a cannondale, like you probably want to, except perhaps on the 29'er Scalpel if you remove that spacer you mentioned earlier.
- you need a very short tube in the frame , maybe 90mm can be too long.
- maybe you need an XL lefty
- and how you keep firmly the Lefty ? the stem has the function to keep close the steerer tube , the upper clamp, the bearing seal ... all the front part of the bike
When using a Project 321 steerer (for any non-Cannondale headtube; tapered in this case) you'd use spacers between the headset cover and the upper clamp of a Lefty. In most cases, the gap would be 20-30mm, depending on the length of the headtube in question. In the M, L and XL sizes, I'd have a 100, 115, and 130mm headtube. Obviously, with those, I'd use spacers to fill in the gap. The stem would go on top of the clamp.
In the scenario I'm describing, the stem takes the place of the spacers. The clamps still contact the steerer tube in the same place, with the same amount of material (137.5mm of spacers, headtube, and headset) between them. The stem would, in theory, exert less leverage on the steerer and head tube, because the effective lever length is shorter.
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