Cannondale Simon

Wipe your drool because it’s not out yet. Cannondale is pushing the limits of suspension technology with Simon. It’s an innovative electronic front suspension system for mountain bikes that senses the terrain and adjusts the damping accordingly.

If the ground says hard pack or rough rocks, Simon listens accordingly and adjusts on the fly. And it’ll adjust before you know it if you suddenly hit a big rock or huck a cliff without changing the settings ahead of time.

The stem-mounted readout and fork guts are linked to an accelerometer that’s built into the front hub. As the force on the accelerometer changes, so does the fork’s damping. It’s said to be able to go from full lockout to fully open in six milliseconds.

To make it simple, Cannondale preprogrammed five settings into the computer for typical riding – all mountain, downhill, cross country, lockout and travel management. The company also has 10,000 terrain maps to make sure your fork’s performing at its peak no matter the trail.

The entire system is controlled via a small joystick mounted on the handlebar.

Cannondale’s Simon is still in its prototype phase. A company spokesman said there is no timetable when it’ll be available to consumers, if at all, nor a projected price.

—Ryan Dionne