Cannondale Topstone is a gravel bike that's loved for its minimalist suspension solution and now, the brand has taken things up a notch and added the premium LAB71 touch to the gravel bike. The Topstone LAB71 is available as a frameset only and utilises Cannondale's carbon know-how to make the bike lighter than ever before without sacrificing stiffness or strength.

• Gravel bike vs mountain bike: what are the differences?
• Gravel bike racing – everything you need to know
• Best gravel bikes under £1,500 in 2023 - drop-bar machines that won't break the bank

Cannondale launched its LAB71 "ultra-premium tier of performance products" last month, and since then we've already seen the first LAB71 road bike, the SuperSix Evo 4, enter the market. Cannondale shaved off some impressive grams off the new SuperSix, and the treatment has now been applied to the Topstone.

The claimed 160g weight saving - compared to the standard Topstone's weight - has been achieved by taking a dive into the carbon layup to fine-tune the weight and overall performance, without compromising the Topstone's known toughness and stiffness.

Looking a little closer at the frame and it exhibits the brand's keen eye for detail, gracing the bike with its own unique paint job.

2023 cannondale topstone lab71 loaded.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Then of course, as every Topstone should, this model comes with Cannondale's Kingpin suspension system that provides 30mm of suspension travel at the rear. As you can see, this has been done without using shocks or linkages, rather it uses bearings and the carbon frame's natural flex.

As always, the Topstone LAB71 gets all of the mounts you'll need for big rides out on the hills. So there are a number of mounts above and below the downtube, as well as o the seat tube, top tube and the fork.

2023 cannondale topstone lab71 frameset.jpg, by Liam Mercer

Moving onto the geometry, the 700c bike gets a 71.2-degree head tube angle, a 73.1-degree effective seat tube angle, and a 420mm chainstay length. A large frame gets a reach of 390mm and an actual top tube length of 550mm.

The premium comes at a price and this frameset will set you back £3,000.

• www.cannondale.com

You might also like:

• Women's bike vs unisex bike - understanding the differences
• Cyclo-cross vs gravel bike: what are the differences?
• Best gravel bike shoes 2023