2019 Cannondale Mountain Bike Guide
2019 Cannondale Mountain Bike Guide
2019 Cannondale Mountain Bike Guide will help you identify which of the Cannondale range suits you the best. Cannondale has always been pioneering with bike tech. Some of their most radical designs have been in the world of mountain bikes. Some designs, like the Super V and the external bottom bracket, have been widely copied. Others, like the Headshock and Lefty fork, remain distinctly Cannondale. When you buy a Cannondale you are not just buying any old mountain bike. You will be getting a bike that is dripping with innovation, new technology and new ideas. It may look a little different from other mountain bikes but Cannondale always has a really good reason why.
Cannondale’s 2019 mountain bike range covers pretty much every type of riding other than full-on downhill bikes. They have prices starting from £499 and going up to £7999.
Cannondale Women's Mountain Bikes
For 2019 Cannondale are using the same frames on most of their men’s and women’s bikes. So you get the same materials, the same tech and the same geometry. The major difference is that the women’s bikes are available in smaller sizes. Come with narrow bars, women’s saddles and other subtle tweaks. There is overlap between the smallest men’s bikes and the biggest women’s bikes so if you are reasonably tall (anywhere around 5’ 5” or above). You can pick and choose between the women’s and men’s models.
The only difference comes on the entry-level Trail bikes where the women’s bikes do have a different frame. The women’s version of the trail has a slightly dropped top tube and only comes with 27.5” wheels whereas the larger men’s bikes have 29” wheels.
Cannondale Trail - £499 to £1399
A lot of mountain bikes around the £500 mark are designed as general use bikes. They are good for commuting and casual rides and will also do OK off-road. The Cannondale Trail is designed as proper mountain bikes with proper off-road geometry and equipment. It’s designed to be fast and agile off-road. It’s perfect for fast singletrack rides but is also capable of handling tough rocky trails.
The Cannondale Trail mountain bikes all use Cannondale’s lightweight aluminium frames. Which include clever tech like AI, SAVE and OutFront Geometry. AI lets Cannondale shorten the back of the bike for better traction and more agile handling. while OutFront gives more stable handling at the front and SAVE ads in micro-suspension to soak up bumps.
All of the bikes come with hydraulic brakes, 100mm travel suspension forks and either a 2x or 1x chainset. All the stuff you would expect from a modern mountain bike. As with most other mountain bikes of this type the Cannondale trail bikes use 29” wheels on the medium, large and Xlarge size bikes and 27.5” wheels on the small and Xsmall.
Whether you are a beginner, or someone looking to move to a proper mountain bike. The Cannondale Trail bikes are really capable and set up correctly for off-road use.
Cannondale Cujo - £799 to £999
Long travel hardtail bikes are a peculiarly British thing. Cannondale’s answer to that genre is the Cujo. Where the Cannondale Trail is designed to be fast and agile. The Cujo is designed to be super stable and confidence-inspiring. It comes with 27.5+ wheels and massive 2.8” tyres for maximum grip and traction. The 120mm fork gives loads of travel for drops and rocks. It helps slacken the head angle further to make the bike even more stable on downhills.
With a 1x chainset, hydraulic brakes and lightweight aluminium frame. The Cujo is perfectly suited to a lot of the more technical riding in the UK. Whether you are a beginner who is looking for a really stable bike to learn on. Or an experienced mountain biker who wants to push the limits, the Cujo is well worth a look.
Cannondale Habit - £1799 to £5999
Cannondale has redesigned the Habit for 2019. This hasn’t been a subtle makeover either. It has a totally different frame, different shock position, different suspension linkage and different target audiences. The new Habit has been really well received by the magazines and looks lovely in the flesh.
The new Habit is a ‘daily ride’ do-everything trail bike. With 130mm of travel, it can handle the rough stuff. It can also climb well and speed you over the flats. The Habit comes as a 29” wheel bike so it carries more speed. It has a ‘flip chip’ that allows you to adjust the suspension and run 27.5” wheels. If you want to have more agility for super-technical rides.
Cannondale has purposely designed it to be easy to service and look after so you can ride it every day without stressing.
Although it’s a short travel trail bike. Cannondale have handed the Habit to a bunch of free riders who are using them for jumps, drops and tricks. This is a seriously tough bike that can be ridden hard. For you average, non-pro rider it’s a bike perfectly suited to most UK riding. Where you need to be able to get up hills as well as down them. There are aluminium and carbon versions of the Habit available. Both come with the same geometry and are available with a range of different specifications. The women’s bikes are particularly good value for money.
Cannondale Jekyll - £2599 to £5699
The Cannondale Jekyll is an enduro bike available in either a 29” wheel or 27.5” wheel version.
The 29” wheel Jekyll comes with 150mm travel front and rear. A serious enduro race bike that will roll over the course. The 27.5” version comes with 170mm of travel at the front and 165mm at the back. Its designed for those who like to float their way down technical courses. Both bikes can be raced or used for some pretty serious all-mountain riding.
Both versions of the Jekyll use Gemini shocks which have been co-developed with Fox. They have two ride modes, Hustle and Flow. Hustle mode shortens the travel and increases the spring rate for a more responsive feel. This mode is ideal for climbs or undulating trails. Flow mode puts the shock into full gravity mode to take big hits and soak up the bumps.
The Jekyll frames are available in carbon and aluminium versions. They contain a lot of Cannondale tech including AI offset drivetrains and LockR pivots. This helps keep the bike short, and super stiff for better handling and traction.
So whether you like to roll over the terrain or dance and float your way downhill. You can pick the version of Jekyll that will work best for you.
Cannondale F-SI - £1899 to £7499
The F-SI is another bike that has had a big re-design for 2019. This is Cannondale’s cross country race hardtail and it comes with the all-new Lefty Ocho fork. Cannondale says the Lefty Ocho is the lightest, stiffest and smoothest XC suspension fork ever made. They refer to all other XC suspension forks as ‘flexy’. Which is not a good thing when it comes to cornering at speed.
Having their own custom Lefty fork on the front. Lets Cannondale mess even more than usual with the angles to get handling. Which is really stable at speed but also super sharp on slow turns.
Other than the Lefty fork. The other big thing you will notice about the F-Si is the super clean lines on the carbon frame and the weight. The standard carbon frame weighs just 1.1kg and the Hi-Mod version is 900g. This lets Cannondale produce fully built bikes that come in as light 8.4kg. These aren’t flimsy bikes either. They are designed for charging around tough XC courses as fast as you can pedal them. If you want a bike to win races on, or to set lap records at your local trail centre. The Cannondale F-Si could be for you.
Cannondale Scapel-SI - £3699 to £7999
The Scalpel is Cannondale’s full suspension cross country race bike. They describe it as being designed for XXC, so it can handle the very toughest cross country courses. This means it should also be able to fly around your local trails.
Like the F-SI the Scalpel comes with the new Lefty Ocho fork so you get super stiff and precise handling. It uses the same AI and LockR tech found on the Jekyll. To make the back end of the bike super stiff as well. The result is a bike that’s capable of explosive sprints, has amazing traction and easts up descents.
Whether you are doing XC races, endurance or marathon events, or riding your local trails. The Scalpel-SI is one of the fastest bikes you can buy.
