One moniker that wouldn’t go amiss with the brand new Cannondale Habit NEO is to call it the younger sibling of the equally as shiny new Cannondale Moterra. Both new entrants boast a new carbon frame and the very same new Bosch Performance CX drive unit, but the Habit NEO has a whole other rider in mind.
It seems pretty fair to describe the new Cannondale NEO as a worthy replacement for the current Moterra. Fairly modest, it has 140 mm front travel, 130 mm at the rear, runs on the new Bosch Performance CX 2020 motor, and is fitted with 29″ wheels. The two top-tier models – the Habit NEO 1 and the NEO 2 – have a 625 Wh Bosch Powertube battery, while the lower level models have a 500 Wh option.
Cannondale have also developed a skid plate specifically designed to protect the drive unit from rowdiness on the trails. But perhaps most interesting is the Habit NEO’s deployment of Cannondale’s latest advancement: the Proportional Response Suspension Technology, which sees each frame make use of size-specific suspension kinematics.
Fluid intake is covered too, as the stylish carbon frame has space for a bottle cage.
The all-new Habit NEO has a starting price of € 4,499 and runs up to € 7,999 for the top-tier model. The whole line-up is fitted with 220 mm rotors at the front for the ultimate eMTB braking. While all the models feature a dropper post, Cannondale could have been more generous on the adjustment. Broken down for each frame size, there’s 100 mm adjustment for the S, 120 mm for the M and 130 mm for L and XL frame sizes. Ask us, and you’d want at least 125 mm for S and 150 mm for L and XL. In more positive news, all of the rigs are fitted with the SRAM Eagle drivetrain, making use of its enormous gear range for nasty climbs.
Intended as a more entry-level eMTB rig, the Habit NEO steers clear of extreme geometry– the aim being to inject the bike with predictable handling and confidence-inspiring geometry to avoid the rider landing in any perilous situations.
All the information on the new Habit NEO can be found on the Cannondale homepage or at a local Cannondale dealer. The bike is available as of now.
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