Mondraker’s 150mm-travel Crafty eMTB – aimed at trail and enduro riding – has had a redesign, receiving Bosch’s latest Gen 5 Performance Line CX motor in the process.
I rode the new Crafty on Finale Ligure’s renowned enduro trails, where its well-considered spec and dynamic handling put fun first.
The Zero Suspension System remains lively, active and playful, giving plenty of support and grip.
The bike encourages you to pick questionable lines on steep, off-camber corners, while plenty of pop helps disguise its weight.
The Bosch Performance Line CX motor feels great on technical climbs, with more natural and controlled power delivery than the previous generation.
Sitting in the middle of the new Mondraker Crafty range, the £7,699 / $7,999 / €8,499 Crafty Carbon RR features flashes of Kashima on its Fox 38 fork and Float X shock.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR motor and battery
The new Crafty uses the 2.8kg Bosch Gen 5 Performance Line CX motor, and while it has the same 600W peak power and 85Nm torque figures as the previous generation, this new motor is said to offer an improved ride feel, thanks to additional inertial sensors. It’s matched to the all-new Purion 400 display.
Powering this is a removable 800Wh PowerTube battery, although the total power can be upped to 1,050Wh with the use of Bosch’s PowerMore 250Wh range extender. Being able to remove the battery was one of Mondraker’s aims.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR frame and suspension
The front triangle of the Crafty Carbon RR is made from the brand’s high-modulus Stealth Air carbon fibre layup, while the rear is made from Stealth Alloy.
If you like taking plenty of water on your ride, the Crafty has you sorted – with two bottle cages in the front triangle, as well as a tool mount.
The Crafty uses 29in wheels front and rear, with no option for a 27.5in rear, despite there being a geometry-adjusting flip chip.
Mondraker’s Zero Suspension System – which the brand now uses on all of its full-suspension bikes – has 150mm of dual-link, virtual pivot point travel.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR geometry
| S | M | M/L | L | XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube length (mm) | 380 | 410 | 435 | 460 | 490 |
| Top tube length (mm) | 581 | 596 | 618 | 640 | 662 |
| BB drop (mm) | -25 | -25 | -25 | -25 | -25 |
| BB height (mm) | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| Chainstay length (mm) | 455 | 455 | 455 | 465 | 465 |
| Effective seat tube angle (degrees) | 77.95 | 77.95 | 77.95 | 77.95 | 77.95 |
| Head tube angle (degrees) | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.5 |
| Fork offset (mm) | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1240 | 1255 | 1280 | 1314 | 1338 |
| Head tube length (mm) | 120 | 120 | 130 | 140 | 150 |
| Reach (mm) | 445 | 460 | 480 | 500 | 520 |
| Stack (mm) | 638 | 638 | 647 | 656 | 665 |
Mondraker’s famed Forward Geometry saw the brand become one of the first to experiment with the long reaches we now take for granted.
The Crafty stays true to these principles, but refines rather than revolutionises the previous model's approach.
There are now five sizes to choose from, with the addition of an M/L size shaping the line-up as S, M, M/L, L and XL. This increases the size range while giving people in the middle of the range more choice.
Reach measurements for an L-sized frame are up from 490mm to 500mm on the new bike, with the M/L measuring 480mm.
Chainstay lengths get longer through the sizes, with S to M/L measuring 455mm, and the L and XL models measuring 465mm.
The head angle is 64.5 degrees, but this can be slackened further to 64.15 degrees using the flip chip in the linkage.
Effective seat tube angles measure 77.95 degrees, although these also slacken to 77.6 degrees in the Low position.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR specification
Top-tier Fox Factory suspension supports both ends, with a Fox Float X Factory shock and a 160mm Fox Factory 38 fork.
The 160mm Race Face Aeffect-R cranks are married to SRAM’s GX Eagle AXS Transmission.
This is matched to Maven Bronze brakes.
Most of the finishing kit is also an in-house affair, with the bar, stem, grips and dropper post all wearing the OnOff moniker.
The Mavic E-Deemax wheels are shod with a 2.6in Maxxis Minion DHF tyre on the front and a 2.6in Minion DHR II on the rear.
The weight of the Carbon RR build is 24.4g for a size M/L.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR ride impressions
I tested the Crafty Carbon RR over a week in the enduro hotspot of Finale Ligure, Italy.
I put it through its paces on a variety of trails, from technical enduro tracks to flowy open blues.
Thanks to the large 800Wh battery, I used the network of fire roads (rather than the uplift) and occasionally rode technical and flowy climbs to access the descents.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR setup
Setup required a little patience, with Mondraker’s suggested 170psi for the rear shock feeling a little low for my preference, but I soon found my sweet spot at 180psi to achieve around a 30 per cent sag setting.
I finished with 80psi and two volume spacers in the Fox Factory 38 fork. I set the rebound to fully open and added one click of high-speed compression damping.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR climbing performance
The Crafty Carbon RR is incredibly capable uphill, with the seat angle positioning you nicely over the cranks, while retaining plenty of weight over the rear wheel to maintain traction.
I never really felt the need to sit on the nose of the saddle when pedalling up chutes, with the front wheel tracking the ground well even on the steepest gradients.
Pushed to its maximum, the front wheel will lift, but the bike remains calm and keeps its composure, enabling you to hunker down and kick through a rise.
Bosch’s new Performance Line CX motor feels more intelligent than the previous generation, with smaller inputs registering more delicate responses. It feels best in its adaptive eMTB mode.
There’s still plenty of power to ride up steep technical climbs, but it now feels more controlled and results in fewer wheelspins when digging deeper into the torque band.
This also helps when getting restarted after putting a foot down on a tricky section.
The 160mm cranks helped reduce pedal strikes on the very rocky Finale trails; a great benefit for those who like techy ascents.
Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR descending performance
After only a couple of descents, I began hitting the trails with confidence. The balanced M/L-sizing geometry gave me Goldilocks figures, where I’d normally sit between sizes.
The Float X Factory’s shock tune and Zero Suspension System make for an incredibly supple ride. It’s silky smooth on small bumps, while giving plenty of support deeper into the travel.
Unlike some full-fat eMTBs that feel glued to the trail, the Crafty has a poppy and playful side. It gives you the confidence to hop around without tearing every muscle in your back and arms.
I found this most noticeable when simply manualling or bunny hopping the bike down fire-road descents. While it can’t be compared to a regular trail bike, it's certainly more dynamic than other full-fat eMTBs I’ve tested.
It also enables you to push hard into corners without feeling wallowy, giving you the thirst to find the grip levels of the 2.6in Maxxis tyres.
I’ve never been a fan of 2.6in tyres and, despite running a low 22psi, they made the bike feel uncertain on loose rocks, often washing out due to their round profile. Their width proved to be cumbersome when threading the bike through tight, rocky gaps because their edges were easy to catch on protruding rocks. This might not be an issue, depending on the terrain you ride.
Seatpost insertion could also be a worry for shorter riders, with the rear-shock position eating into the bottom of the seat tube, but I didn’t struggle with this.
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