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EB16: Cannondale Bad Habit Carbon 27.5+ hits the trails, Lefty upgrade kit & monstrous Moterra e-MTB hits USA

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2017 Cannondale bad habit carbon trail bike

We saw the Cannondale Bad habit carbon at PressCamp, but got a second look with a few more details at Eurobike…where we also peeked inside the Lefty’s new air spring upgrade kit and saw the new-to-North America Moterra e-bike, a full suspension pedal assist that’s ready to rip.

The Bad Habit Carbon 1 (shown) gets new Cannondale 40mm internal width carbon Hollowgram wheels made for 3.0 tires. It gets the Lefty XLR, a Shimano XTR/XT mix with Hollowgram SiSL SpideRings for $5,500. The Bad Habit Carbon 2 gets WTB scraper rims, Lefty PBR, and SRAM X1 wth Si cranks for $4,800…

2017 Cannondale bad habit carbon trail bike

2017 Cannondale bad habit carbon trail bike

Both models get BallisTec carbon front triangles, a Smartform alloy rear, carbon fiber linkage and have
120mm travel front and rear.

2017 Cannondale bad habit carbon trail bike

2017-Cannondale-Lefty-Two-Spring-air-spring-upgrade-201701
The new Cannondale Two Spring on the left, Solo Air on the right.

The Lefty has been using a version of the Rockshox Solo Air cartridge (modified in house by Cannondale) for several years now, but their system relied on plastic dividers and MCU springs, both of which can degrade or fail over time. So, any upgrade needed to address durability. They also wanted to increase suppleness, especially off the top. Solo Air self adjusts between positive and negative chambers, the Lefty’s system could occasionally have the bypass valve between +/- air chambers fail and cause the fork to sink into its travel and not return quickly or otherwise behave erratically. Each generation has improved on the design, but they felt there was still room for improvement.

Rather than make incremental improvements, they decided to make something specifically for the Lefty rather than simply adapting a Rockshox technology to their forks. It’s the first major new suspension project from Cannondale to be made public since hiring away Rockshox suspension product manager Jeremiah Boobar. They say it not only addresses the reliability issues, but also improves the product dramatically.

2017-Cannondale-Lefty-Two-Spring-air-spring-upgrade-201703

The new system is called 2Spring, and it’s a new way to integrate the Solo Air concept into the Lefty that’s massively robust, passing “so many millions of cycles that (they) just shut the testing machines off because none of them were failing.” Which is good, but then they put those same production level, machine-tested forks under 50 riders around the world to ride and test for five months. Apparently, everyone was impressed.

2017-Cannondale-Lefty-Two-Spring-air-spring-upgrade-201704

The benefit of Solo Air is that it automatically sets and equalizes positive and negative air pressures. 2Spring replaces micro-urethane bumpers inside the negative chamber, which served as a top out bumper. Those bumpers are not only a consumable item that can wear out, but also can vary in consistency between production runs. And the plastic plates between them occasionally made an annoying clicking noise at top out.

2Spring replaces the MCUs with a coil spring that requires less force to compress, making for a more seamless transition between compression and rebound. The second coil spring (visible under that round silver dot) controls the bypass valve that opens and closes to equalize pressure, which replaces a wave spring in early versions. It’s now a coil spring rather than a wave spring.

As positive chamber compresses and raises pressure, the negative chamber gets bigger and drops pressure. Then, as the fork rebounds, that reverses so that as it nears top out, the negative’s proportionally more balanced pressure helps slow things down to avoid a harsh top out. The contact points switch from a hard plastic to a composite material that’s softer and quieter, too.

Lastly, the angled chamfering above the O-ring seal (at bottom) also helps lubrication pool around the seal, which keeps everything sliding smoothly.

2017-Cannondale-Lefty-Two-Spring-air-spring-upgrade-201705

The new part is backwards compatible, availability and pricing should be announced soon. All MY2017 forks will come with it stock and be marked with the Two Spring graphic shown above.

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

The Cannondale Moterra has been in Europe for a minute, and now it’s coming to the USA.

Cannondale says they were the original partner with Bosch to create that brand’s e-bike system. That development work gave them a unique insight into the system and let them customize things to suit their needs.

The “problem” with full suspension e-bikes is that once the novelty of being able to motor up the hill wears off, they’re really not as much fun as a regular mountain bike because that extra weight of the battery usually sits up high, the wheel base is longer and the suspension design is often compromised to fit the motor.

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

So, Cannondale took the motor and rotated it upward at the front slightly, which made more room between it and the tire, letting them put the lower suspension pivot closer to where it would be on the Jekyll (the closest non-motorized equivalent).

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

Repositioning the motor gave them the shortest chainstays of any FS e-bike, which improves handling and makes it easier to lift the front wheel.

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

The other common compromise is using a modified down tube that has holes or openings in it for the battery. They used a hydroformed downtube that’s uninterrupted from the head tube to the motor, then welded on a battery box, which not only holds the battery but further stiffens the frame.

The result is a claimed excellent front-to-rear weight balance and a low CoG. A structural, trials-style skid plate under the motor and rubber protective “hammock” under the battery protect the expensive bits.

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

The bikes have 130mm travel and 27.5+ wheels and tires. The chainline is offset to the right using their Ai asymmetric design (like on the new Scalpel), which is paired with a 157mm DH rear hub spacing to get a perfect chainline and clearance for 27.5×3.0 tires. It uses a carbon linkage, double bearings and clamped thru axle at upper linkage, same as their 100% human-powered high end full suspension bikes.

The Moterra coming to U.S. is spec’d like the Moterra 2 in Europe, which also gets a Moterra 1 above it. Europe also get a 160mm Moterra LT (Long Travel) in two trim levels.

2017 Cannondale Moterra full suspension e-mountain bike with pedal assist motor

 

And no, it’s not a moped, it’s a pedal assist mountain bike.

Cannondale.com

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Flatbiller
Flatbiller
7 years ago

I am pretty confident that Specialized has somehow obtained a patent on good-looking e-bikes. All others seriously look like e-bikes.

Nick
Nick
7 years ago

Its not that I hate e-bikes, its just that I think they’re stupid. They are a contradiction unto themselves.

Mateo
Mateo
7 years ago
Reply to  Nick

Agree

ascarlarkinyar
7 years ago

Nope, it’s a moped

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago
Reply to  ascarlarkinyar

D*mn straight. E-Bikes are mopeds in the very real definition of what a moped is.

jlg
jlg
7 years ago

Anyone know why the chainring is so small on the Cannondale Moterra ?

Antipodean_eleven
7 years ago
Reply to  jlg

Mountain bikers have become soft…?

xl
xl
7 years ago
Reply to  jlg

Climbing with 20+ Kg bike is not so easy

Chris Nolte
7 years ago
Reply to  jlg

This is due to a reduction gear in the Bosch system. It enables the motor to operate very efficiently while multiplying your pedal stroke 2.5 times. This bike probably has a 16t cog effectively creating a 40t chainring.

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  jlg

The Bosch motor system drives the front sprocket at 2.5:1 so they make most of the torque inside the motor case.

CL
CL
7 years ago

not really up to me but can’t help notice how the selection of typography (or placement, since this font isn’t new) gives a poor representation of the brand. Though maybe it was on purpose. CADODODALE.

Nick
Nick
7 years ago
Reply to  CL

Awesome!

Rick
Rick
7 years ago

Dear Author, please explain how it is not a moped.

Jenny
Jenny
7 years ago
Reply to  Rick

Mopeds have a throttle.

B@se
B@se
7 years ago
Reply to  Rick

thats why: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ319/pdf/PLAW-107publ319.pdf
its the law

Class 1: Pedal Assist
The electric drive system on the ebike can only be activated through a pedaling action and is limited to relatively low speeds. The sensor usually measures pedal movement, pedal torque or bicycle speed (sometimes all three) and sensors are located in the bottom bracket, rear hub or rear wheel. In parts of Europe this class is limited to 15 mph (25 kph) with motor wattage <= 250 watts. In America, because of our more liberal vehicle definition, this class is limited to a motor powered speed of 20 mph (32 kph) with motor wattage of <= 750 watts. Due to the low speed of operation and required pedaling action this class should benefit from the same rights and access privileges as non-assist bicycles and should be able to be used on streets, bike lanes, multi-use bike paths and off-road trails.

rosniner
rosniner
7 years ago

Webster’s definition of Moped:a small motorcycle that can be pedaled like a bicycle. Don’t see anything about a throttle here.

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  rosniner

Webster’s dictionary is not law, or anything close to it. For an example, look up the word “literally” in Webster’s.

A pedal assist bike is not a moped in that is cannot go without the propulsion input of the rider.

But go on and keep hating on them because you know, that’s useful…

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Dinger

“For purposes of motor vehicle safety standards issued and
enforced pursuant to chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code,
a low-speed electric bicycle (as defined in section 38(b) of the Con-
sumer Product Safety Act) shall not be considered a motor vehicle
as defined by section 30102(6) of title 49, United States Code.
Approved December 4, 2002.”

J-dog
J-dog
7 years ago

I’ve been on this two spring for the last month and it certainly works better. I have also ridden the Moterra and it is a hoot. Not sure how these will move forward in the states, but in europe the e-bike thing is on fire. These won’t replace a mtb for me anytime soon. As of not i’m more interested in Alta motorcycle if it is going to be battery powered.

Haromania
Haromania
7 years ago

I can’t help but relate mountain bikers that are opposed to e-bikes, to equestrian riders who are opposed to mountain bikes. Both camps sound equally silly to me.

Get used to ’em boys, they aren’t going anywhere, no matter how much of a tantrum you throw.

scotty Ø (@scottythe1nonly)
Reply to  Haromania

I”m sure it’s fun to not have to pedal hard to get up hillls. But that’s not the issue. It’s not about the merits of one bike style vs another. It’s about having trails to ride on. Nobody who deals with trail advocacy supports E Mountain bikes. They are a trail access nightmare. Just the thing that land managers will use ban all bikes. There is no way to police the power output of these things.

We’ve fought all over the country for decades to get what we have. And we have it because we’re a NON MOTORIZED user group.

Mike
Mike
7 years ago

^^^^ THIS.

onrhodes
7 years ago

Stealing Boobar was a huge win for Cannondale.

scotty Ø (@scottythe1nonly)

There isn’t a single mountain bike trail in my state that eBikes are legal to ride on. And that isn’t going to change. So why are they making these things? Who will Cannondale sell mountain bikes to when there are no trails to ride them on? We’ve worked for decades to get access to and build public NON MOTORIZED trail and the bike manufacturers are sabotaging it.

Land managers cannot and will not be able to police motorized bicycles. These things will be used as an excuse to ban bikes.

(deleted)

Rey Gunn
Rey Gunn
7 years ago

I dig the carbon link. Really overcomes the weight of the motor and battery.
I rode one of these (or something similar) at the Cadododale thingie in Utah, and it’s basically just an easier-on-yer-legs mountain bike. As Heffe says, not good if you have poor handling skills because it isn’t better at snap-cornering than a normal bike. You can get yourself into trouble right quick. I rode trails I normally ride and know well, and every corner and berm snuck up on me to almost dangerous levels for the first half of the ride. The second half I just turned off the assist. Vitriol aside, I hope they don’t take off here in the states. Leave the motor to the commuter, where it is probably an awesome upgrade.

Mike
Mike
7 years ago

I like how suddenly everyone’s a lawyer here. “Moped” is an insult, not a legal definition. No one cares whether some lobbyists got a carve out for pedal assist bikes to not be considered motor vehicles under some statutory scheme or another. The question isn’t whether the thing meets the legal definition of “moped” (it probably doesn’t), it’s whether it’s wise to allow mopeds/pedal assist bikes on trails. Leave the lawyering to the lawyers, and the hatin’ to the cyclists. People have every right to decide that where they draw “the line” is at motors on bikes.

So, yeah, it’s a moped when enough people think it’s a moped.

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Mike

“So, yeah, it’s a moped when enough people think it’s a moped.”

So how many people is “enough”? The 20 or so commenters on this site? It is a small, vocal minority on internet forums that hardly anybody reads who are opposed to e-assist MTB’s, not a majority.

The bicycle industry donates money to IMBA, Bikes Belong, and other advocacy groups. A study has been done that demonstrates that e-bikes have zero added soil impact. States are passing legislation to allow e-bikes more access to non-motorized infrastructure every year.

This thing is happening.

Mike
Mike
7 years ago
Reply to  Dinger

Oh come on. Almost no one out there in meatspace has any idea this is an issue. There might be 20 or so commenters opposed, but there’s probably only 20 or so commenters for it. This isn’t going to be a real issue until there’s a whole bunch of ebikes riding around on trails and hikers or equestrians start complaining, and someone’s grandparents go complaining to a local land manager, who decides to restrict mountain bike access to shut up the old folks. Like 10 years from now.

Look, I’ve seen enough in my life to know which way the winds are blowing. I realize it’s going to happen: everyone with money and time to address the issue is probably all for it, but those of us without the time or money to properly fight the battle will still complain in the mean time about the mopeds. I’m more likely to succeed in making e-bikes uncool, and therefore unprofitable, than I ever am to convince some congressman to ban them.

scotty Ø (@scottythe1nonly)
Reply to  Mike

I don’t know why anybody thinks the term moped has anything to do with riding bikes on non motorized trails. The “moped” designation is for motorized bicycles on roadways. It has nothing to do with off road use.

scotty Ø (@scottythe1nonly)

I expect the advocacy community throughout the country to start formally coming out AGAINST allowing eBikes on non motorized trail. I know that is formally underway where I live. And I think the state and regional chapters of IMBA will eventually push IMBA to come out against them as well.

We can’t let a handful of idiots ruin it for us all. Especially if some of the idiots work for Cannondale and Specialized.

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