PressCamp '16: Cannondale
I don't know about you, but right now it feels like Cannondale is on a bit of a roll.
I don’t know about you, but right now it feels like Cannondale is on a bit of a roll. The longstanding US company has enjoyed waves of success over the past couple of decades, with various models hitting the spotlight across their broad range of road and mountain bikes. In the last 18 months however, there’s been a real sense of momentum behind their off-road line that is seeing greater homogeneity across the board. Barely two years ago, Cannondale released the brilliant F-Si hardtail with its clever AI (Asymmetric Integration) rear wheel offset and super short chainstays. Around this time last year, they unveiled the successor to the Trigger trail bike, the 120mm travel Habit, which has already been well received all around the globe. And then just before the Cairns World Cup a couple of months ago, Cannondale unveiled the highly anticipated new Scalpel, which represented the single biggest evolution in the platform since its inception. In addition to the new bike rollout, Cannondale have also redesigned their iconic Lefty suspension fork, and they’ve updated their crank, wheel and cockpit offerings to suit the evolving changes in the mountain bike market. Then there’s the prototype long-travel bike seen underneath EWS rider Jerome Clementz during the last few rounds, which suggests that Cannondale may be launching a revised Jekyll in the future. As I said, it feels like things are on a bit of a roll for Cannondale. And by the looks of their 2017 range previewed at PressCamp, that’s only going to continue on this season. Here’s a look at some of the highlights coming from the ‘dale!
As I mentioned above, the Habit was launched last year as a brand new trail bike platform for Cannondale. With 120mm of travel, a lightweight frame and sporty trail-oriented geometry, the Habit came in to replace the existing Trigger. While the Trigger was offered in both 27.5″ and 29″ versions, the Habit is 27.5″ only. The Habit also changes up the suspension design from the proprietary pull-shock design used on the Trigger, to a single-pivot design with a swing link. The result is a frame that is stiffer laterally, whilst also being lighter and far less complicated overall.
The Habit is available in several versions, including the bad-ass purple SE model seen above. Compared to the other Habit models, the SE version pumps up fork travel to 130mm, and subs in more aggressive rubber for the riders who want a little more ‘oomph’ out of this light and tight trail machine. For 2017, Cannondale have elected to fit a RockShox PIKE fork up front, instead of their own Lefty fork used on the 2016 model. It may not look as distinctive, but with the black finishings and that purple and red paintjob, hot damn does it look good!
A new offering for the 2017 model year will be women’s versions of the Habit. Shown above is the excitingly titled “Habit Women’s Carbon 1”, which features a full BallisTec carbon front triangle, RockShox Monarch Debonnair rear shock and a Lefty OPI fork up front with an XLR damper. It gets a slick 1×11 Shimano drivetrain along with an XTR Shadow Plus rear derailleur, as well as XT disc brakes and a Fox Transfer dropper seatpost (not pictured). The frame and geometry is the same as the unisex Habit, but revised contact points such as the womens saddle and shorter stem deliver a more compact ride position that is better suited to shorter female riders, without resorting to a completely different frameset. Cannondale will offer X-Small, Small and Medium frame sizes in the womens Habit, though it’s yet to be confirmed whether what we’ll see coming to Australia. Stay tuned on that one
Another new model to come out for 2017 is the Bad Habit Carbon 1. During the Habit’s release last year, Cannondale also introduced a plus version with quite possibly one of the best model names going. They initially introduced two alloy versions for 2016, and the spec was on the lower-to-mid side of the spectrum. Such was the success of these chubby machines, and perhaps showing how confident Cannondale are in the 27.5+ category, they’ve announced they’ll be adding this carbon version to the 2017 lineup that employs a full carbon front triangle. And that’s the neon-yellow beast you can see in the above photo. The eagle-eyed amongst you will also see that Cannondale are building their own carbon chubby rims, which use a 40mm internal rim width and an asymmetric construction. Combined with 3.0″ tubeless rubber from Schwalbe and 120mm of travel, the Bad Habit Carbon 1 looks ready for high-speed shenanigans on all kinds of wild and wooly terrain!
Like the regular Habit, the Bad Habit uses a swing-link activated shock. The EVOL air sleeve is employed for the FOX DPS damper to deliver a smooth initial stroke, whilst retaining a good amount of progression towards the end of the travel for a poppy and playful feel on the trail. Sealed cartridge bearings are used throughout each pivot assembly, while the main pivot and rocker/seatstay pivot use Cannondale’s LOCKR system, with an expanding collet design offering lighter weight, less parts and more even load distribution.
The rear end of the swingarm is pivot-less, with flex delivered throughout the thin seat stay tubes to allow the suspension to cycle smoothly throughout its 120mm travel. One hidden feature of the Bad Habit is the AI rear-end, which offsets the drivetrain away from the frame to increase tyre clearance to use shorter chainstays. The Bad Habit does feature Boost 148 spacing on the back end, but the offset is even further with AI, offering even more flexibility for the frame designers. Cannondale then dishes the rear wheel to bring it back into line. As you can tell in the above image, the main pivot is offset to the non-drive side for necessary clearance around the chainring, while keeping the main pivot nice and wide for stiffness. To accommodate this, the seat tube curves around from its upper position at the seat post end, to the non-drive side of the PF30 bottom bracket.
Another eye-catching model from Cannondale is the new Cujo hardtail. With its 3.0″ wide tyres, the Cujo plus bike joins the Bad Habit and the Beast From The East models. It’s a value-oriented mountain bike that aims to deliver masses of trail fun with less complexity than a full suspension bike, and for not much cash either. Unlike a traditional hardtail, the Cujo runs a 120mm travel fork up front and kicked-back geometry that offers plenty of stability for the descents.
For the beginner mountain biker, a plus hardtail like the Cujo could be the ideal platform to push their skills and allow them to access more technical terrain than they would on a regular hardtail. The big WTB tyres can be run at low pressures for masses of cornering grip, while keeping up the momentum on rough rocks and roots on the trail. The rims are tubeless compatible, so weight can be easily stripped out of the wheelset. No word as to whether the Cujo will make its way Down Under, so we’ll keep you updated as the information comes to hand.
Back in April, we brought you the news about the brand new Cannondale Scalpel Si. With revisions to the carbon frame and Lefty fork, the new Scalpel also received updated geometry to make it the most technically capable Scalpel ever, and ideally suited to todays modern World Cup XC courses. The new Scalpel range will include a broad range of models, including the Scalpel Si Carbon Women’s 2 seen here. Like the Women’s Habit, the Scalpel version is also built from the same frameset as the unisex version, but simply employs a modified cockpit and smaller frame sizes better suited to the female form.
Further changes include a specific rear shock tune for lighter female riders. The upper shock mount is neatly tucked away into the frames open top tube, and a custom fixture on the RockShox Monarch XX shock allows the hydraulic lockout hose to exit directly upwards inside the frames top tube, rather than looping around like you’ll see on most other r equipped with the same shock. The eye-catching Lefty fork is found up front, and in this case it features a large carbon outer tube for masses of torsional stiffness. A lower guard helps to protect the fork’s lower stanchion from rock strikes, while the sealed XLR damper also runs a hydraulic lockout that’s connected to the RockShox Dual Sprint remote on the bars.
To find out more on the new Cannondale range or to find out your nearest dealer, head to www.Cannondale.com
