Cannondale has announced a new Trail Neo electric mountain bike, with a revised frame and motor system layout.
The hardtail features a 100mm suspension travel fork and a removable 750Wh internal battery, housed in the down tube. It’s fitted with Bosch’s Smart System Performance Line CX drive unit.
Cannondale says the Trail Neo 1 will exist within the current range, which includes the Trail Neo 2, 3 and 4 bikes.
The brand says the updated frame was required in order to house Bosch’s Smart System and 750Wh battery. It's also intended to future-proof the bike for any future Bosch product, which wouldn’t be compatible with the existing frame.
The Trail Neo 1 will retail for £4,300 / €4,999 and is available now. The bike will not be available in the USA or Australia on launch.
Frame details
The Trail Neo 1 is built around Cannondale’s ‘Premium SmartForm C1 Alloy’ frame.
It features an integrated light on the head tube, as well as pre-wiring for an additional light system, plus mounts for racks, mudguards and a kickstand.
With the exception of the small size, which runs on 27.5in wheels, all of the bikes feature 29in wheels.
Both 27.5in and 29in frame variants can accept a maximum tyre width of 2.6in.
The frame uses a 135mm quick-release skewer at the rear, rather than a thru-axle.
Bosch Smart System
The Trail Neo 1 features Bosch’s Smart System with Performance Line CX drive unit, which allows for Bluetooth connectivity.
There’s a Bosch Kiox 300 display mounted to the handlebar and the system is said to have a range of up to 175km.
Cannondale says the system “offers increased torque and extended boost for more speed”.
According to the brand, the Bosch drive system can be controlled and customised in Bosch’s eBike Flow app.
The Trail Neo 1’s battery and drive unit are positioned as low as possible in the frame, which in combination with the rear-end geometry and slack head tube angle, Cannondale says “results in a perfect blend of stability and agility on any trail”.
Trail Neo 1 geometry
The Trail Neo has seen some geometry updates in its latest frame revision.
The head tube angle has relaxed by a degree to 67 degrees, but the seat tube angle remains at 74 degrees.
Interestingly, the reach has been reduced by half a centimetre on the two smaller sizes and roughly three centimetres on the L and XL.
The chainstay length increases by 1cm to 48cm, although the overall wheelbase has shortened slightly across the range, with the exception of the XL size.
| Frame | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 |
| Seat tube angle (degrees) | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
| Top tube length (mm) | 579 | 599 | 618 | 639 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15.5 |
| Seat tube length (mm) | 400 | 435 | 470 | 500 |
| Chainstay length (mm) | 480 | 480 | 480 | 480 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1,156 | 1,171 | 1,191 | 1,213 |
| Reach (mm) | 400 | 416 | 433 | 450 |
| Stack (mm) | 624 | 637 | 647 | 660 |
Trail Neo 1 spec details
The Trail Neo is available as a single model and features a RockShox 35 Silver fork with a coil spring.
It has a Shimano Deore M6100 12-speed mountain bike groupset with a deviation to a Bosch G4-specific FSA crankset.
Tektro M807 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes are specced with 203mm TRP rotors.
The wheels are WTB STX i30 tubeless-ready rims on Shimano MT400 / 510 hubs, laced together with DT Swiss Champion 2.0 spokes.
They are wrapped in Maxxis Rekon mountain bike tyres and the finishing kit is largely own-brand, with the exception of Fabric FunGuy grips and a Fizik Freeway Fit saddle.
