Mondraker NEAT RR SL first ride review
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Mondraker NEAT RR SL first ride review

Spanish brand’s mid-weight eMTB has agile handling and an impressively quiet motor

11999.00
15699.00
10499.00

Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

Published: July 25, 2023 at 3:33 pm

Our review
The NEAT helps you keep things tidy on the trail and relishes the climbs

Pros:

Sorted geometry; quiet, lightweight motor; agile handling

Cons:

Ride not always entirely smooth

The NEAT RR SL is the top-line, mid-weight electric mountain bike from Mondraker that rolls on 29in hoops. It delivers 150mm of rear and 160mm of front travel.

The bike’s sorted geometry, refined Zero Suspension and a parts package that will leave you drooling results in an impeccably balanced ride. It encourages sketchy lines, gap jumps and late braking, before the motor flatters your climbing ability on the way back up, ready for more.

Mondraker has gone to TQ for its electric bike motor. The system’s almost silent drive unit delivers enough power to help you up the hills, without weighing the bike down.

The 360Wh battery, encased in the down tube, might not have the grunt of a full-fat electric mountain bike, but it can be backed up with one, or two 160Wh range extenders.

If you drop the main battery out, each range extender battery may be small enough in capacity to be carried as hand luggage (check with your airline in advance, of course), so this eMTB could join you in foreign climes.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL frame

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
Yep, there are head-tube routed cables. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

The new NEAT frameset is constructed from carbon, front and rear, and at the time of writing won’t be offered in aluminium.

This is because Mondraker wants to keep the bike as light as possible. The claimed weight for this model sits at 17.9kg, with plenty of sealant in the tyres to keep you rolling safely.

Though refined, the frame still has a very ‘Mondraker’ aesthetic, with the Zero Suspension linkage holding the shock low, and the small opening around the head tube and top tube junction.

TQ’s motor, which delivers 50Nm of torque and up to 300W of assistance, sits low down, with the main 360Wh battery nestled in the svelte down tube.

Two Fidlock bottle bosses sit in the main triangle, with TW’s Range Extender batteries able to fit with an extra-secure Fidlock locking system. With 160Wh of capacity each, you could have up to 640Wh on your ride.

Mondraker has modified the Zero Suspension linkage for the NEAT. Instead of the shock floating on the two rotating links that join the front and rear triangles, the bottom of the shock bolts to the rear triangle.

This change has been made in order to give the NEAT improved pedalling characteristics.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL kit

At £10,499, or €11,999, it’s no surprise there’s plenty of fancy kit hanging off the frame. SRAM’s XX T-Type Transmission, featuring an e*thirteen carbon crank, is paired with Level Ultimate 4-piston brakes, while Factory-level Fox kit isolates you from the trail – a Float X at the back and a 36 up front.

Mavic is building Mondraker some custom carbon hoops, but while we wait for them to be delivered, Mavic’s Crossmax wheels do the job, wrapped in EXO+ casing Maxxis tyres.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL geometry

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
The NEAT cuts a clean look. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

Mondraker was one of the first brands to go long, low and slack, with its Forward Geometry concept, which pairs a short stem with long reaches to give snappy but stable handling on steep terrain.

The NEAT conforms, with long reaches (495mm in a size large), paired with a 64.5-degree head angle.

Mondraker hasn’t slammed the bottom bracket, giving it a 25mm drop below the axles. Because eMTBs are built to tackle technical climbs, the cranks are that little bit further away from the ground here.

The rear end hasn't been shortened too much either, with 450mm chainstays. Mondraker says balancing front-end length gives optimum handling up and down.


 S M L XL
Seat angle (degrees) 72.6 72.6 72.6 72.6
Seat angle - effective (degrees) 76.5 76.5 76.5 76.5
Head angle (degrees) 64.5 64.5 64.5 64.5
Chainstay (mm) 450 450 450 450
Seat tube (mm) 380 420 450 490
Top tube (mm) 595 615 640 660
Head tube (mm) 110 110 130 140
Fork offset (mm) 44 44 44 44
Bottom bracket drop (mm) 25 25 25 25
Bottom bracket height (mm) 348 348 348 348
Wheelbase (mm) 1,235 1,255 1,275 1,295
Stack (mm) 626 626 642 650
Reach (mm) 450 470 495 515

Mondraker NEAT RR SL initial ride impressions

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
With ample support from the suspension, the NEAT encourages you to push your comfort zone. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

Mondraker has built the new Zero Suspension linkage to give peppier pedalling under power, with higher anti-squat meaning your legs waste less energy compressing the suspension as you pedal.

This is noticeable through the pedals, with the NEAT reacting sharply to pedalling inputs, whether you’re inching your way up a technical climb, or adding to the speed the 29in wheels enable you to carry on singletrack.

The TQ motor is as quiet as any, and while low pedalling cadence pick-up isn’t as punchy as some motors, the mid-weight option has your back on climbs if you keep the pedals spinning.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
The TQ motor impressed with smooth, exceptionally quiet assistance. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

The power delivery comes on smoothly, and once you reach the legal assistance limits, doesn’t seem to drop off a cliff, leaving you suddenly pedalling through treacle.

The three modes on offer are noticeably different, with the least powerful mode making you feel as though you’ve just swallowed an energy gel.

Toggling up through the modes on the small on-bar button, to the top level, leaves you in no doubt there’s extra power on offer – even if there’s no noise to accompany it.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
The top-tube mounted display shows various data, as well as housing the on-off button, which also cycles through the data fields. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

On my test ride, toggling mainly between the top and middle modes on rocky climbs, I ran down the battery completely in 800m of climbing – I weigh 80kg kitted up.

Lighter riders on the same test ride had 20-30 per cent of their battery left. Individual usage profiles will impact on this, so it’s only a guide.

Climbing traction is good, though the Zero linkage doesn’t give super sofa-like suspension – your saddle will still transmit bumps from rocks and roots as you scrabble up terrain.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
Despite not kicking out as much power as a full-fat system, the TQ motor gives ample assistance to help get you up steep drags. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

Fortunately, the aforementioned stability and steep seat angle make the NEAT a tidy climber, while the nicely damped Maxxis rubber keeps the tyres feeling calm and in control.

As we’ve come to expect from Mondraker, the NEAT descends well. The geometry feels sorted, giving ample room between the axles, generating high-speed stability and confidence.

The slack head angle and sturdy fork help absorb frontal impacts, while the tell-tale stubby stem ensures handling doesn’t become sluggish.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
Though no longer an outlier in terms of shape, Mondraker's Forward Geometry works well in the turns. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

The full-sized wheels roll smoothly over chunder – Mondraker decided the speed and stability offered by the 29in wheels outweighed the perceived manoeuvrability from mullet wheels often seen on eMTBs.

Despite this, the NEAT is still super-agile. Once I’d slammed the bars on my test bike (my personal preference), I was more than happy muscling it through tight wooded trails, dropping the tyres onto their shoulder treads, and hoiking the bars round with either a squirt of leg power or a squeeze of the rear brake, to help things out.

If you’re looking for complete isolation from the trail, the NEAT might not offer that. There’s definite feedback through the pedals as you rock and roll over chunder.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
A non-slammed BB ensures minimal pedal strikes on rocky climbs. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

The flip side is the mid-stroke is wonderfully supported – you can push hard and generate speed in banked corners, and send it as far as you dare. There’s plenty of pop on the lip, and the back-up to save your blushes if you come up short.

In terms of kit, there’s not a huge amount to comment on. As ever with Fox’s GRIP2 damped 36 fork, I wound all the adjusters as open as possible, before adding a couple of clicks of rebound damping to set the fork to my preference.

Mondraker NEAT RR SL full suspension mountain eBike
Pulling up over rocks is always fun. Javier Garcia Juan / Mondraker

I found the wheels a touch harsh for my tastes, but my test bike didn’t come with the custom hoops Mavic is due to build for the bike.

The Level 4-piston brakes are great on a trail bike, but given how hard you can push the NEAT, a switch to SRAM Codes wouldn’t go amiss.

Product

Brand mondraker
Price 11999.00 EUR,10499.00 GBP,15699.00 USD
Weight 17.9000, KILOGRAM (L) -

Features

Fork Fox Factory 36 160mm
br_stem OnOff Krypton FG 30mm
br_frame Sealth Air Carbon fibre, 150 travel
br_motor TQ HPR-50, 360Wh battery
Tyres Maxxis Minion DHF 29x2.5 WT 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ , Maxxis Minion DHR ii 29x2.4 WT 3C MaxxTerra EXO+
br_brakes SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth 4 piston, 200/200 rotors
br_cranks e*thirteen TRS Race Carbon cranks
br_saddle Fizik Terra Aidon Slim
br_wheels Mavic E-CrossMax Carbon XL
br_shifter SRAM XX
br_seatpost Rock Shox Reverb AXS
br_handlebar OnOff Krypton Carbon 1.0 800mm
br_rearShock Fox Float X Factory
br_availableSizes S, M, L, XL
br_rearDerailleur SRAM XX