Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 review

Cannondale’s Neo range of electric bikes started firmly in the sports arena, with Neo versions of much-loved bikes such as the Topstone, Synapse and Treadwell.

Now, it has expanded the Neo range to include two electric cargo bikes – this long-tail Cargowagen and the long-fronted Wonderwagen with its child-friendly box front.

Cannondale’s stylish entry combines 20-inch wheels, a low standover height, Bosch’s powerful Cargo Line mid-motor and Enviolo’s constant variable transmission rear hub.

The Cargowagen Neo 1 performed very well in testing – albeit with limited manoeuvrability at times. It has a base price of £5,000.

Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 frame details

Like the Trek Fetch+ 2 I've also ridden, the Cargowagen Neo 1 is based around smaller 20-inch wheels.

Its 133cm wheelbase is on the shorter side of compact cargo ebike design, but add the front rack (as specced here) and it extends the footprint of the bike significantly.

When the repositioned front light, which sits forward of the rack, and the rear rack’s overhang are taken into account, the total bike length comes to an extensive 2.03m.

The frame is designed very sharply – the low-slung structure is utilised well with a moulded storage insert that includes a very useful cup holder and web-strap retention for whatever you store.

The long-tail back end has a midsection that holds the 725Wh battery, while it also has space and the mounting points for a second battery.

The potential 1,450Wh capacity opens up the Cargowagen as a viable delivery vehicle with a range that's claimed to exceed 100mi / 161km.

The colour-contrast rear rack is built tough, but requires the use of dedicated pannier bags (£260 / $260). The alloy tubing is oversized, so not compatible with the majority of standard pannier bags.

The total load capacity is 200kg (including rider), with an adjustable one-size-fits-most design that's suitable for riders between 149cm and 190cm tall.

At 6ft 2in (188cm) tall, I’m at the higher limit for the bike, and at 92kg, that still leaves more than 100kg of load-carrying potential.

The substantial rear rack alone is claimed to be strong enough to carry up to 80kg.

The down tube has a waterproof locking charge port, although the battery is removable for off-the-bike charging.

Unlike the Trek Fetch+ 2, the Cargowagen doesn’t have a steering damper – instead, it includes a steering stop provided by the Acros Block Lock headset, which is tech borrowed from mountain biking.

This prevents the bar turning past 164 degrees, so the fork can’t swing round and gouge into the frame, or upset the bike’s stability when loading it up on its stand.

Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 build

The Cargowagen Neo 1 comes with lots of standard equipment included. Up-front, the Neowagen has an SR Suntour Mobie34 suspension fork designed specifically for cargo bike use.

With 80mm of travel, the Cargowagen rides smoothly, dealing with towpaths and unmetalled bike paths well.

The back of the fork has an Abus ring lock mounted to it that can immobilise the Neo.

The key is also keyed alike to the battery-retaining lock. Being part of the Abus Keyed Alike range means you can add a bike shed padlock or another bike lock using the same coded key that comes with the bike.

The high-rise BMX-style handlebar is held in place by an adjustable stem, allowing for plenty of height adjustment.

The colour-contrast ergonomic grips are excellent – soft, supple and comfortably shaped.

At the rear, a plushly padded Cannondale Comfort saddle sits atop a TransX cable-operated dropper seatpost, where you can drop and raise the saddle by 70mm with the push of the bar-mounted lever.

This is great for when you want to stop and safely put your feet down on the ground – very useful when riding a heavily laden bike.

Cannondale also includes full mudguards as standard, plus rear-wheel shrouds to protect your cargo (or kids) from road spray at the rear.

I added the large rear panniers and front rack to the standard package. Cannondale also offers a large seat pad for the rear (£40 / $25) and a Surround rail (£300 / $265) for larger children.

You can also opt for a full rain cover (£150 / $N/A). The rear rack will take two Yepp MAXI child seats for ferrying smaller children.

The rear rack has a Lezyne rear light attached, and an oversized and bright LED headlamp is included up front. The bike also comes with footboards as standard, along with a heavy-duty centre stand.

The drivetrain is another well thought-out aspect of the Neo. Instead of a standard geared setup via derailleur or hub gear, the Neo uses a single-gear drive combined with an Enviolo stepless rear hub.

The stepless hub technology, as used by Enviolo, forgoes traditional gears housed inside the hub, in favour of balls that rotate inside the hub and transmit power.

The axis of rotation of the balls is changed manually via a twist shift, which enables stepless variation of the gear ratio.

This constant variable transmission system is operated via a twist shifter, with a neat pictogram display that alters the angle of climb the depicted cyclist on the pictogram is riding.

You twist the shifter until the pedal resistance feels right, or if you set your preferred cadence on the Bosch Flow app, it will then notify you via the full-colour Kiox head unit when you need to alter your gear resistance.

The Neo's motor is matched to a 725Wh battery, with the fittings to add a second battery.

The control system has the bar-mounted LED remote for left-hand thumb control.

The Bosch Cargo Line motor brings bags of torque and blends with the precise gear variance to get the best out of each mode.

The Bosch Cargo system offers Eco, Tour+, Cargo and Turbo modes. In Eco, the assistance is at its lowest – combine it with the lightest gearing offered by the Enviolo hub and you can use it comfortably on slight inclines, while it also works on the flat (providing the bike is unloaded).

Load up the Cargowagen with any amount of weight and you’ll find yourself reaching for the button and switching up to Tour+ mode for the extra punch.

The Cargo mode is impressively torquey, putting out up to 85Nm, and proved the best mode to be in most of the time, because you can adjust the Enviolo drive to keep your cadence comfortable and speed high.

The Turbo mode is the most powerful of all, best used when weighted-up and sat at traffic lights, to get you up to speed promptly.

Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 ride impressions

The Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 is an easy ebike to ride in an urban setting; the high-rise bar and upright ride position are ideal when riding in traffic.

The dropper post makes stopping feel safe too, thanks to the ability to put both feet down when it has been dropped.

The suspension fork takes the edge off rougher surfaces and meant I didn’t mind taking on the occasional speed bump at speed, even with the bike loaded.

I’ve used the Neo for supermarket shopping runs, to carry half-a-dozen gravel suspension forks to and from a photoshoot, and lots more chores besides.

The Cannondale handled everything well, riding smoothly and safely, although if you get a little enthusiastic leaning into corners, you can ground out the bike. Here, it’s the substantial stand that takes the scraping impact.

The steering stop system works well in general riding, but it reduces the turning circle.

When you add the optional front rack and remount the large light up-front, you’re left with a lot of front-end overhang.

That said, I found I could spin the bike around at slow speed on a single-lane road easily enough, so it’s something to get used to as opposed to a deal breaker.

It’s when manoeuvring in small spaces that it becomes a comedy of multi-point turns, pushing the bike back and forth in increments to turn it round. That proved a chore, especially when loaded, and required me to make plenty of use of the walk assist button.

Unladen, I achieved ranges of 45.8 mi / 73.6km with 2,235ft / 681m of elevation, and 49.1mi / 79km with 1,217.2ft/371m on my battery-burn rides.

Loading up the ebike will inevitably drop these numbers, and much depends on how you ride – but this is comparable with others with similar motor and battery systems.

Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 bottom line

Overall, the Cannondale Cargowagen Neo 1 is a very well thought-out, compact cargo ebike.

It’s comfortable, packed with power, very well-equipped and has ample range for all but the most ardent user (and you can easily expand the range thanks to second battery mounts).

The handling is confident when loaded and the dropper post makes stopping and starting safely a breeze.

It’s a fine example of its type, and accepting the awkwardness of its tight-space manoeuvring, I’d highly recommend the Cargowagen Neo 1 as a small-car replacement.