Review: Cannondale's All New 2022 Jekyll 1
True to its name, the Cannondale Jekyll has undergone numerous transformations over the course of its multi-decade existence. Depending on the year, it's worn the freeride, over-mountain, and enduro labels, and it's always had a healthy dose of Cannondale-specific innovations, including a proprietary pull shock and a long travel Lefty fork. There was even a model with an electronic fork lockout all the way back in 2002.
There aren't any electronics to be seen on the latest version, but the 2022 Jekyll does cast a unique shadow, thanks to the split downtube and plastic guard that allowed the bike's designers to position the shock as low in the frame as possible. That feature even has its own name - the Gravity Cavity. The jury's still out if names that rhyme are any better than three-letter acronyms...
There aren't any electronics to be seen on the latest version, but the 2022 Jekyll does cast a unique shadow, thanks to the split downtube and plastic guard that allowed the bike's designers to position the shock as low in the frame as possible. That feature even has its own name - the Gravity Cavity. The jury's still out if names that rhyme are any better than three-letter acronyms...
Cannondale Jekyll 1 Details
• Wheel size: 29"
• Carbon frame
• Travel: 165mm (r) / 170mm fork
• 64-degree head angle
• 442mm chainstays (size L)
• Weight: 34.5 lb / 15.6 kg (size L)
• Sizes: S-XL
• Price $6,100 USD
• cannondale.com
• Wheel size: 29"
• Carbon frame
• Travel: 165mm (r) / 170mm fork
• 64-degree head angle
• 442mm chainstays (size L)
• Weight: 34.5 lb / 15.6 kg (size L)
• Sizes: S-XL
• Price $6,100 USD
• cannondale.com
The new Jekyll rolls on 29” wheels, with 165mm of rear travel and a 170mm fork. It also uses a high pivot Horst Link suspension layout, complete with an idler pulley and an integrated upper chain guide, a departure from the single pivot designs the Jekyll used in the past.
There are two complete versions available, the $6,100 Jekyll 1 reviewed here, and the Jekyll 2, which is priced at $4,100. Both models are available with a subdued, graphite paint job, or there's a flashier, color changing option that looks even better in person than it does in photos. I'm normally a fan of all-black-everything, but the number of compliments the Jekyll's paint scheme received could convince me to change my tune.
 | The Jekyll has a well balanced, predictable feel to it, a trait that would make it work well as a race bike, assuming the tracks were rowdy enough, or as a long-travel machine for riders who want want to mix in some pedal powered laps with their bike park and shuttle runs. |
Frame Details
Back in 2019 Cannondale was experimenting with a downhill bike that used two shocks, a bike that also happened to have a split downtube design that's nearly identical to what's used on the Jekyll.
On the Jekyll, an aluminum link rotates on a pivot that sticks out from the downtube, activating the trunnion mounted shock. A plastic guard is in place to protect the shock from flying trail debris and mud, although the openings at each side do mean that it's not totally sealed off from the elements. Along with helping to keep the bike's center of gravity nice and low, the shock's position also leaves plenty of room for a water bottle inside the front triangle.
The idler pulley is the other obvious talking point about this green machine. It's made from steel rather than aluminum, which Cannondale says means it should last as long as the chainring. Steel is a little noisier than an aluminum idler would have been, due to the fact that it won't wear down to mesh perfectly with the chain, but Cannondale's designers felt that the extra durability was worth that tradeoff. A small upper guide is mounted to the frame in order to help ensure that the chain stays where it's supposed to.
![Cannondale Jekyll]()
![Cannondale Jekyll]()
![Cannondale Jekyll]()
Back in 2019 Cannondale was experimenting with a downhill bike that used two shocks, a bike that also happened to have a split downtube design that's nearly identical to what's used on the Jekyll.
On the Jekyll, an aluminum link rotates on a pivot that sticks out from the downtube, activating the trunnion mounted shock. A plastic guard is in place to protect the shock from flying trail debris and mud, although the openings at each side do mean that it's not totally sealed off from the elements. Along with helping to keep the bike's center of gravity nice and low, the shock's position also leaves plenty of room for a water bottle inside the front triangle.
The idler pulley is the other obvious talking point about this green machine. It's made from steel rather than aluminum, which Cannondale says means it should last as long as the chainring. Steel is a little noisier than an aluminum idler would have been, due to the fact that it won't wear down to mesh perfectly with the chain, but Cannondale's designers felt that the extra durability was worth that tradeoff. A small upper guide is mounted to the frame in order to help ensure that the chain stays where it's supposed to.
The shock is tucked away as low in the frame as possible.
An integrated guide helps make sure the chain stays in place.
Geometry
The Jekyll's geometry falls right in line with current trends, with numbers that I'd classify as more contemporary than crazy. It has a 64-degree head angle, a 77.5-degree seat tube angle, and a reach of 475mm for a size large. The chainstay length varies depending on the frame size, ranging from 430mm on a size small and going all the way up to 450mm on the XL version.
It's nice to see that the seat tube lengths have dropped on all sizes, a move that makes it easier to run a longer travel dropper post. The size large comes with a 170mm version of Cannondale's LowDown dropper, but I was able to run a 200mm Fox Transfer post for part of the test period without any issues.
![Cannondale Jekyll]()
The Jekyll's geometry falls right in line with current trends, with numbers that I'd classify as more contemporary than crazy. It has a 64-degree head angle, a 77.5-degree seat tube angle, and a reach of 475mm for a size large. The chainstay length varies depending on the frame size, ranging from 430mm on a size small and going all the way up to 450mm on the XL version.
It's nice to see that the seat tube lengths have dropped on all sizes, a move that makes it easier to run a longer travel dropper post. The size large comes with a 170mm version of Cannondale's LowDown dropper, but I was able to run a 200mm Fox Transfer post for part of the test period without any issues.
Suspension Design
The Jekyll's high(ish) pivot suspension design gives it a rearward axle path for the first two-thirds ofthe rear wheel's travel, and then it begins to go slightly forward. This is in contrast to a bike like the Forbidden Dreadnought, which uses a higher main pivot location that gives it an entirely rearward axle path. One isn't inherently better than the other, but it's worth a mention since they're both recently introduced enduro bikes with idler pulleys.
The Jekyll's anti-squat hovers around 100% in the easiest gear, a number that drops as it goes through its travel. It has a moderately progressive leverage ratio, and it should work well with either an air or coil shock. The pedal kickback chart illustrates the effectiveness of that idler pulley – the chain forces are almost entirely isolated from the cranks.
| Specifications | ||
| Price | $6100 | |
| Travel | 165mm | |
| Rear Shock | Fox Float Factory X2 | |
| Fork | Fox Float Factory 38, 170mm | |
| Cassette | SRAM GX, 10-52 | |
| Crankarms | SRAM X1 Eagle, 30t | |
| Rear Derailleur | SRAM GX Eagle | |
| Chain | SRAM NX Eagle | |
| Shifter Pods | SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed | |
| Handlebar | Cannondale 1 riser, 30mm rise, 780mm wide | |
| Stem | FSA Grid 35, 35mm | |
| Grips | Fabric Funguy lock-on | |
| Brakes | SRAM Code RSC, 220/200mm rotors | |
| Hubs | Formula / SRAM MTH 700 | |
| Rim | WTB KOM Trail i30 | |
| Tires | Maxxis Assegai 2.5" / DHR II 2.4", EXO+ | |
| Seat | Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite | |
| Seatpost | Cannondale DownLow dropper | |
Test Bike Setup
Getting the Jekyll up and running didn't present too many hurdles, other than the challenge of accessing the high speed rebound dial on the shock. It's a hard one to reach, especially if you're trying spin it all the way closed to start counting clicks. Luckily the plastic shock cover is easy to take off, and once that's removed it's much easier to access the dial.
I ended up running the Float X2 shock with 19mm of sag (29%), which entailed inflating it to 170 psi. Up front, I set the Fox 38 up with 83 psi and ran one volume spacer.
I ran Cannondale's house-brand, 170mm dropper post for part of the test period, and then swapped it out, mainly out of curiosity to see if a 200mm Fox Transfer dropper post would fit. It did, and I preferred having that extra travel available in the steeps.
Mike Kazimer
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Age: 38
Height: 5'11" / 180cm
Inseam: 33" / 84cm
Weight: 160 lbs / 72.6 kg
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @mikekazimer
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA
Age: 38
Height: 5'11" / 180cm
Inseam: 33" / 84cm
Weight: 160 lbs / 72.6 kg
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @mikekazimer
Testing took place in Bellingham, Washington, and the surrounding area over the course of the last three months, a time period that saw conditions change from wet and wintery to hot, dry, and dusty.
Climbing
I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how unfazed the Jekyll's suspension was on the climbs. Even when pedaling out of the saddle the shock didn't dip into its travel any more than necessary, and I never felt the need to reach for the Float X2's blue climb switch. That's a good thing, since that switch is positioned pretty far away, and accessing it on the fly can be challenging.
The Jekyll's level of maneuverability and traction on tricky climbs falls in the middle of the road – it's not the best in its class in either of those categories, but it also never felt like a massive chore to get it up and over chunky rock or root steps. The 34 pound weight isn't out of the ordinary for a bike in this category, but remember that weight is with EXO+ casing tires – installing heavier duty tires will ratchet the number on the scale up even higher.
More and more companies have hopped on the steeper seat tube angle bandwagon, and for good reason – the resulting upright climbing position is much more comfortable on long uphill grinds. It also makes it easier to weight the front wheel, which is especially helpful on bikes with slacker head angles. On the Jekyll, the position I ended up in was comfortable without being cramped, and I could happily head out on long rides without any fit issues.
There is one fly in the ointment when it comes to the Jekyll's overally climbing performance - in the easiest gear on the cassette there's noticeable drag and noise from the idler pulley, due to chain line that the 52-tooth cog creates. The issue diminishes when the chain is shifted further down the cassette, but it's worth noting that if you spend a lot of time in the granny gear that rumbling chain can get annoying. I'd say the noise was more noticeable on the Jekyll than on other high pivot bikes I've been on recently, a list that includes the Kavenz VHP 16, Forbidden Dreadnought, and Norco Shore.
![Cannondale Jekyll]()
I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how unfazed the Jekyll's suspension was on the climbs. Even when pedaling out of the saddle the shock didn't dip into its travel any more than necessary, and I never felt the need to reach for the Float X2's blue climb switch. That's a good thing, since that switch is positioned pretty far away, and accessing it on the fly can be challenging.
The Jekyll's level of maneuverability and traction on tricky climbs falls in the middle of the road – it's not the best in its class in either of those categories, but it also never felt like a massive chore to get it up and over chunky rock or root steps. The 34 pound weight isn't out of the ordinary for a bike in this category, but remember that weight is with EXO+ casing tires – installing heavier duty tires will ratchet the number on the scale up even higher.
More and more companies have hopped on the steeper seat tube angle bandwagon, and for good reason – the resulting upright climbing position is much more comfortable on long uphill grinds. It also makes it easier to weight the front wheel, which is especially helpful on bikes with slacker head angles. On the Jekyll, the position I ended up in was comfortable without being cramped, and I could happily head out on long rides without any fit issues.
There is one fly in the ointment when it comes to the Jekyll's overally climbing performance - in the easiest gear on the cassette there's noticeable drag and noise from the idler pulley, due to chain line that the 52-tooth cog creates. The issue diminishes when the chain is shifted further down the cassette, but it's worth noting that if you spend a lot of time in the granny gear that rumbling chain can get annoying. I'd say the noise was more noticeable on the Jekyll than on other high pivot bikes I've been on recently, a list that includes the Kavenz VHP 16, Forbidden Dreadnought, and Norco Shore.
Descending
The Jekyll is one smooth operator, with the ability to make it seem like someone fast forwarded geologic time by a few million years so that all the rocks lost their sharp edges. It doesn't completely erase square-edged hits, likely due in part to the shock's medium compression tune, but it does make them much less jarring, which in turn makes it easy to maintain momentum in choppy terrain. It's a bike that feels best at higher speeds, with a solid, ready-for-anything disposition that comes in handy when you're dropping into a brand new trail, unsure about what's around the next corner.
Depending on how it's executed, a high pivot suspension design can make a bike feel more planted than poppy, due to the chainstay length increasing as the bike goes deeper into its travel. On the Jekyll, that trait isn't as noticeable, and I didn't have to make any adjustments to my riding technique when hitting jumps. Granted, it's not a wildly energetic machine, but there's still enough life to it that it it doesn't feel totally glued to the ground, and it more than holds its own on machine-made jump trails.
I did find myself wondering how a coil shock would feel on this bike, or possibly a lighter compression tune. Even with the high- and low-speed compression all the way open on the Float X2 I felt like I wanted a touch more small bump sensitivity; there wasn't quite the level of grip I was looking for, something a coil shock or a different tune would likely take care of. Keep in mind that I'm on the lighter side of the spectrum, and this trait might not be as apparent to bigger riders.
The Jekyll is still manageable when the miles per hour drop, but it isn't isn't quite as easy to snake through tight, techy sections as the Kavenz VHP 16 that I reviewed a few months ago. That bike's shorter chainstays gave it an impressive ability to handle awkward, slow speed maneuvers. Those moves were still possible on the Jekyll, they just didn't feel quite as effortless.
Overall, the Jekyll has a well balanced, predictable feel to it, a trait that would make it work well as a race bike, assuming the tracks were rowdy enough, or as a long-travel machine for riders who want want to mix in some pedal powered laps with their bike park and shuttle runs.
Cannondale Jekyll
Nukeproof Giga
How does it compare?
The Nukeproof Giga falls into a similar category to the Jekyll, with 170mm of rear travel and a 180mm fork. The geometry numbers of the two bikes aren't that far apart either – both have a 475mm reach for a size large, and the frames have the same head tube angle, although the Giga ends up measuring .5-degree slacker due to the longer fork.
One geometry difference is that the chainstay length on the Giga is 445mm for all sizes, while Cannondale offers size-specific chainstay lengths, which could be beneficial to smaller riders.
Both bikes have steep seat angles and good pedaling positions, but I was more likely to use the climb switch on the Giga than on the Jekyll, since the Giga is a little more likely to cycle into its travel during out of the saddle efforts. I'd call it a draw when it comes to seated climbing performance – both bikes stay nice and calm. The Giga's lack of an idler pulley does give it the edge when it comes to drivetrain noise – it's much quieter than the Jekyll.
It's on the descents where there's a more noticeable difference between these two long travel machines. The Jekyll has a more muted feel, and despite having a little less travel it seems to smooth out the terrain more than the Giga. The Giga does feel more precise, though; it felt easier to switch from one line to another, and there was a snappiness to its handling that the Jekyll doesn't possess.
Comparing prices between the two is difficult due to exchange rates and taxes, but Nukeproof's consumer-direct model does allow them to offer a better value when comparing build kits.
KOM Tough instead of Trail rims would have been more appropriate.
A look at the underside of the frame with the plastic guard removed.
Technical Report
WTB KOM Trail rims: The Jekyll's wheelset seems undergunned for what the bike is capable of. I'm typically not that hard on wheels - I consider my riding style more smooth than smashy - but within a few rides I'd already put a sizeable dent in the rear rim and needed to true both wheels. There's also the fact that the SRAM hub limits riders to an XD freehub body. That's not the end of the world if you plan on sticking with a SRAM drivetrain, but it would be nice to at least have a hub that's compatible with a Shimano Microspline driver body.
Maxxis EXO+ tires: I didn't have any flats during the test period, but this is another area where I think a more robust option would be a better spec choice due to the Jekyll's intended use – the last thing you want is a flat tire ruining a race run. Even a Double Down casing rear tire paired with that EXO+ front would have been a good compromise.
220 / 200mm rotor combo: This was the first non-motorized bike I've been on with a 220mm front rotor, and I'm a fan. The Code RSC brakes stayed strong on longer, brake burning descents, and the amount of power was easy to control.
Gravity Cavity: On my very first ride on the Jekyll a small rock flew up and into the plastic shock guard, where it rattled around until I stopped and fished it out. That was a one time occurrence, but the openings on each side of that guard do allow debris to get in. If this was my personal bike I'd be inclined to drill a drain hole in the plastic – as it is, water and mud can collect at the bottom of the guard where it's mounted to the carbon frame.
![photo]()
WTB KOM Trail rims: The Jekyll's wheelset seems undergunned for what the bike is capable of. I'm typically not that hard on wheels - I consider my riding style more smooth than smashy - but within a few rides I'd already put a sizeable dent in the rear rim and needed to true both wheels. There's also the fact that the SRAM hub limits riders to an XD freehub body. That's not the end of the world if you plan on sticking with a SRAM drivetrain, but it would be nice to at least have a hub that's compatible with a Shimano Microspline driver body.
Maxxis EXO+ tires: I didn't have any flats during the test period, but this is another area where I think a more robust option would be a better spec choice due to the Jekyll's intended use – the last thing you want is a flat tire ruining a race run. Even a Double Down casing rear tire paired with that EXO+ front would have been a good compromise.
220 / 200mm rotor combo: This was the first non-motorized bike I've been on with a 220mm front rotor, and I'm a fan. The Code RSC brakes stayed strong on longer, brake burning descents, and the amount of power was easy to control.
Gravity Cavity: On my very first ride on the Jekyll a small rock flew up and into the plastic shock guard, where it rattled around until I stopped and fished it out. That was a one time occurrence, but the openings on each side of that guard do allow debris to get in. If this was my personal bike I'd be inclined to drill a drain hole in the plastic – as it is, water and mud can collect at the bottom of the guard where it's mounted to the carbon frame.
Pros
+ Extremely smooth and composed in rough terrain
+ Well supported pedaling performance
+ Color changing paint job makes it stand out, in a good way
Cons
- Idler drag is noticeable when climbing
- Potential for debris to get into the Gravity Cavity
- Wheelset isn't up to bike's capabilities
Pinkbike's Take
| Cannondale have always done things their own way, for better or worse. In the case of the new Jekyll, the new design is decidedly for the better. It's a fast, solid machine with plenty of pedaling support for climbing or sprinting through the flats, and an impressive ability to make short work of technical descents. The idler does create some noise in the easiest gears, but in this case I'd say the pros of the design outweigh the cons, especially when it comes to maintaining speed in rough terrain. |
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To be fair, it does lead to better bracing angles, but no one else uses it. At least super boost is kind of a standard, and would lead to the same results (a laterally stiffer wheel)
inseam riders who struggle with a big rear wheel but still want to go fast on big terrain.
Business at the sides as well for good measure.
We spend all this engineering (high pivot with idlers) to create rearward axle path to avoid the rear wheel getting "hung up" on obstacles, despite the increased complexity and additional drag to the system. Guess what also helps to limit rear wheel hang up? That's right! Larger diameter wheels.
As someone who is also 6'2", who rides primarily steep, rocky and technical terrain, I love the increased contact patch and rollover of a full 29er. I'll happily trade minor minor improvements in agility for the benefits of a 29er. But I also won't tell any internet strangers that they shouldn't enjoy their preferred wheelsize.
A lot to do with it is bottom bracket height.
If 29ers had the same bb height as 27.5, then that would be a step in the right direction.
I’m not sure why manufs think that 29ers need 350mm heigh BBs when the same travel 27.5 is 335-340mm...
Makes a massive difference on the steeps, and cornering.
Beyond that, if you're trying to suggest that 5mm of BB height during dynamic riding is more noticeable than 29 vs 27.5 wheel diameter at the rear wheel, I think we're operating from two different planets. Moving the center of mass of a 250 lb (me + bike + gear) system by a couple of millimeters is so unlikely to be noticeable to anyone but the top 0.01% of riders...if that.
Hell, I sometimes do the flip chip to raise the BB 10mm because of all the damn pedal strikes. I can't imagine pedaling over technical terrain with a 335mm BB. Nightmare for rocky areas.
Glad you like your mullet. But to say "mullets are better full stop" is absurd. See the recent bike checks across EWS and DH - plenty of mullets and plenty of full 29er. And these are folks who have access to any configuration they like. Hell, some of the "full 29er" folks are women and shorter riders!
Yea obvs, so why aren’t the frame’s geo to drop the bb back down.
I’ve ridden so many 29 and 27.5 bikes its obvious to me. I loved the 29ers with the low bbs like the evil offering, nukeproof reactor, marin alpine trail, and couldn’t stand ones with a 350+ bb like the pivot firebird. (Actually the firebird 29 was much better with 27.5 wheels dropped down 19mm!)
Stump evo was 325 bb - ripper!
You're entagling very broad "I like this bike" and attribute it to something as specific as BB height. Maybe you didn't like the Pivot Firebird because you didn't like a LOT about that bike (frame geo, suspension system, damper tune, tire choice, etc.)
The fact is, you can only drop the BB so low before it becomes a nightmare to pedal. Most modern "rippers" seem to live in the 335-350mm BB height range, and the effective BB height (the actual height at sag and during real world riding) is going to be highly dependent on suspension travel, rear axle path and sag.
Example: if you ride a 150mm travel bike at 30% sag, with a BB height of 335mm, your effective (on trail) BB height is ~308mm. If I ride 170mm travel bike at 30% sag, with a BB height of 350mm, my effective BB height is ~319mm (assuming similar wheel arcs). This will cause the center of mass of the whole system to be within 5-10mm across both of these bikes. That is SUCH a small difference compared to wheel size, suspension kinematics, suspension tune, tire choice, wheel base, reach, HTA, etc. Hell, you could effectively lower the BB by a couple mm simply by running slightly lower tire pressure or selecting a different tire volume.
Yes I fully understand what your saying and agree to some extent, but I also think you under estimate how many bikes I’ve tested, ridden, owned which when combined is probably coming up to 100 (I used to do a bit of trade). Yes it is definitely personal preference, as it is for everyone - I’m just saying the above from real world experiences and experiments, a lower bb corners better and feels more confident.... unless you live in a very rocky place and are going to ground out all the time / potentially have an off from pedal strikes etc.
[thumbs up]
In my opinion they all go hand in hand. You don’t say how much difference of HTA and wheelbase to compare so I can’t really answer that, but yea they can make more of a noticeable difference. The other trait of the firebird 29 I didn’t like was it was a relatively steep HTA. When navigating very steep chutes and steering in a catch berm, this combined with a high BB made it feel like the front it was going to fold under itself. If I had been on a XL, with the same BB heigh, the extra reach and wheel base *may* have prevented this feeling. Or had the head angle been 63.5 then again, maybe this would have helped. However same bike with 27.5 wheels, so BB is now 20mm lower, didn’t get any of this feeling of turning under... So in answer to your question - its a combo of all of them.
The evil offering mk1 has very similar geo to the fb29, although a steeper head angle of 65.6 (0.6 steeper) and a lower bb at 338 (10mm lower) and a similar wheelbase. I found this way more confident on the same steep chute.
Currently I’m riding a Nukeproof Giga 275 with 190mm fork, which is longer wheelbase, lower bb and slacker head angle than both, and I’ve never felt so confident :-)
And yes I can tell the difference of 5-6mm of bb height. I went from a nunkeproof reactor to a 2021 transition scout for my trail bike, and it did feel higher. Obvs I got used to it, but even though the scout is slacker and longer than the reactor, I’m not sure I’m as fast as I was on the reactor!! (Take these bikes to loamy rooty steep off piste, very minimal rocks)
This would make your current bike's BB higher than the Pivot Firebird (348mm) in stock configuration, and the current Evil Offering (I know, you are comparing the the mk1) which comes in at 339-347mm.
Again, this leads me to believe that the confidence you are feeling is the result of suspension kinematics/sag, HTA and overall bike geometry...not the BB height.
Don’t worry, I measure everything - I’m a complete geek!
Personally, and you could probably tell from my comments, I ride a 2021 Spec Enduro and I have found that I prefer it in the "high BB" position. That said, part of my drive there is to avoid pedal strikes. Where I ride is technical and rocky on the climbs, and I ride 175mm cranks - I'm constantly smashing my pedals into rocks.
Supposed to be an amazing bike, I’ve owned a 2017 Enduro 29/6fattie and a 2018 Enduro 27.5. Preferred the 27.5 unsurprisingly!
You can really feel this on an ebike, where they are just so heavy that there is little deflection in loose rocky sections.
Where I take issue is that shock placement has a dramatic effect on the CoG. Tubing shape is often more likely to affect the CoG, since air shocks are often lighter than a comparable section of aluminum tubing.
Plenty to explore in COG, for sure.
But an (200mm long, day) air shock weighs less than 200mm of aluminum bike tubing? Impossible
Indeed it is, I spaced out on the late night keyboard.
Nice looking bike from a brand I often ignore.
Pants seem to work well on my gravity cavity, so I’m sure that people will come up with solutions if problems arise
Exposed shock that's recessed in the down tube looks like it's going to get mangled by loose stones.
I have experience with Giant bikes which have that small pocket in the down tube connecting the lower shock eyelet with the frame and these bikes have much bigger pocket with stanchion parallel and getting a stone in there between shock body and inside wall of the down tube could mangle everything.
Would be amped to see something like this more in the Trail / AM Bike region (think Forbidden Druid).
I love the high pivot bikes, but I'm actually thinking about downgrading from my Propain Tyee to something more suited to my local trails (but with a HPV and the genes to smash it in the alps nonetheless please)
Hope they'll come up with something like this soon!
IIRC CRC is the parent company for Nukeproof and Vitus...https://www.pinkbike.com/news/dale-mcmullen-ali-beckett-nukeproof-vitus-interview-2016.html touches on that.
we're talking only a little bit of lateral movement, with some sort of bushing. Again, along the lines of what Shimano does with RDs.
Thinking about this more...if the chain over the pulley is under tension from either pedaling or suspension compression...couldn't they design a tooth profile that was more accommodating of the angles involved? It doesn't need to be a full narrow/wide profile for chain retention.
Oh I am sorry you mean a pulley that would adjust to chainline. Yeah that could probably work.
This. Exactly This. When riding my Giga it feels like I can snipe any line. Amazing property of a bike.
150$ for e bearing replacement? What kind of bearings are that?
That's what they did to the entire East Coast (Appalachians)
best Jekyll yet?
As they arrived at the top right next to me I thought what horrible botch is that on the downtube.
They could design the downtube covers that empty space with spare carbons or sth
Or you could just get a little piece of motocross foam and put it there to keep the debris out.
No one wants to. You don't have a lot of choice. Ride in mud / don't ride at all are the options in the UK for 90 percent of the year.
www.pinkbike.com/news/bold-unplugged-volume-1-first-ride.html
enjoy
What would happen if it was west?
Otherwise, this is a HUGE improvement imo.
You could see these path on a 26" bike with no idler. But it's really standing out from average 29er.
IMHO, If I were looking for "pop" I'd rather have a conventional suspension platform and not deal with the idler.
I am mostly interested to see if Cannondale will make any headway with their new designs. I was somewhat interested in the Habit but the Ai offset and 29" wheels were just not something I wanted to be a part of lol. I like that they seem to be supporting a few riders that are less/not race focused.
Quoting Pinkbike here.
“A high pivot can create a rearward path at the axle, which, in theory, allows the rear wheel to more easily move away from, and then over, an obstacle. The high pivot position, however, leads to a lot of chain growth as the axle moves away from the chainring, which will cause a lot of pedal kickback.
But there is a solution - the simple addition of an idler pulley close to the pivot point that routes the chain up and over it. High pivot bikes equipped with idlers have characteristics that are unique: the lack of chain growth, along with the rearward axle path, allows the wheel to float over bumps in a very different way than other designs.”
I don’t think you will notice that 40% of the forward path. ;-)
www.pinkbike.com/news/the-resurgence-of-high-pivot-suspension-design.html
Mind you I haven't ridden this Cannondale, but looking to buy another high pivot, just not this one
Rea;lly this is not a grade 2 test the name on this bike represents the past and Crack n fail's Jekyll weighed 26 pounds in 2012-2017