Cannondale Habit 4 review

The Habit has been Cannondale's go-to trail bike platform for multiple seasons, and it has been refreshed for a more contemporary feel.

It’s the main bike of choice of the 50:01 crew (a bunch of British lads who really hammer the gear jumping, jibbing and pumping out a continuous stream of content showcasing the fun on all the creative lines and features they build to play on).

This muck-about attitude is reflected in the Habit being geared up for more of a laugh than an efficiency-first, sensible cross-country bike with a bit more travel.

That’s not to say with 130mm of suspension travel it’s not perfectly happy cruising around on longer rides and bridleways, or too heavy to climb well. It’s just that it leans a bit more towards faster riding downhill and hitting a few jumps than lapping flat forest loops.

Cannondale Habit 4 frame and suspension details

Obviously with the 50:01 crew ragging it around, Cannondale has to deliver a robust frame that’s easy to live with.

The Habit uses a hydroformed alloy frame and one of the most popular suspension layouts in mountain biking history. The shock is in line with the rear stays and a Horst Link pivot out back, not unlike many Specialized bikes over the years.

Two versions of the Habit include this ‘standard’ frame that now has travel upped by 10mm to 130mm, over previous generations. There’s an LT version (in either alloy or carbon) which has 140mm of rear wheel travel.

The Habit LT uses the same construction in each material, but achieves extra squish via a longer shock stroke – something riders could do themselves at a later date relatively easily for more travel.

Cannondale’s alloy SmartWeld construction is very clean and smooth, with great lines and such tidy pivots. We’d even argue it’s one of the best-looking alloy trail bikes out there, especially in this stealthy gloss black finish.

In the past, Cannondale has been known for some quirky proprietary features and fixings, but no such oddness here either; this frame is straight-up simple and the only (welcome) complexity is that it comes in five sizes with three different shock tunes to ensure riders of different weights and shapes all get good performance, support and traction.

Cannondale Habit 4 geometry details

Continuing this theme of size-specific tuning, one of the coolest features of Cannondale’s alloy frame is the chainstay length grows across the five frame sizes.

This is to ensure the rider remains within the desired ballpark on each size in a bid to create the most balanced ride possible, no matter how short or tall they might be.

Cannondale has also updated numbers elsewhere, but it’s more of a tweak (in some places) than a total reinvention.

The head angle becomes marginally slacker at 65.5 degrees rather than 66, but the reach on each frame has changed considerably and is around 20mm longer in each size than the older frame.

At 480mm for the size large seen here, it’s on trend with the best trail bikes.

Cannondale Habit 4 specifications

From the first pedal, Cannondale’s own brand contact points all feel sorted. Everything is in the right position and the grips, saddle and handlebar shape are all comfy and neutral.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of RockShox Recon suspension fork on other test bikes, but maybe Cannondale got lucky as there seemed to be less stiction here and more grip at the front tyre, though this could also be a result of using Maxxis tyres rather than Schwalbe rubber.

The Maxxis Rekon tyres we’re talking about are the most basic casing and construction the brand offers, though, with no EXO or multi-compound rubber.

However, they roll fast and grip fine over roots and greasy rocks unless there’s slimy dirt, when there’s a lack of edge grip in the wet.

Some of that rolling speed could be attributed to the skinnier 25mm inside rim widths here, which seem to spin up to speed really well, too.

This ‘free speed’ sensation is often the case with Shimano cup and cone hubs, but you do need to keep an eye on them over time in terms of tightness and regreasing as you can’t drop in new cartridge bearings if you run them into the ground.

I also really rate the DB8 mountain bike brakes here compared to similarly priced offerings from other brands.

These are new stoppers from SRAM that have a decent lever action, feel solid and powerful and in theory should last longer without maintenance by swapping the DOT fluid for mineral oil inside the hydraulic system.

How we tested the Cannondale Habit 4

To properly test the Habit 4, it was put through the wringer back-to-back with two other bikes, that share the same intention:

• Polygon Siskiu T8
• Canyon Neuron 5

These three bikes are designed to be solid all-rounder trail bikes and to get the measure of them, I rallied them around trail centres, ripped them around in the local woods and clocked up the kilometres on more traditional trails.

But what makes a good all-rounder? Well, ideally, it needs to do just about everything to a decent level or better. That means it can handle things when the trail gets rough, but still feel sprightly enough on the climbs or when trucking further afield for hours on end.

As ever, balance is key, and a solid do-it-all machine should be able to keep the smile on your face no matter what the trail ahead of you looks like.

Cannondale Habit 4 climbing performance

From the first pedal stroke, Cannondale’s Habit simply feels right. It’s such an easy bike to get used to, and, if you’re anything like us, you’ll want to pretend you’re in a 50:01 edit in about five minutes flat.

It’s hard to explain exactly why, but the balance of weight between wheels is great and the shape and suspension performance is dialled too, so you instinctively know where you are on the bike and can predict what it’s going to do at all lean angles and all trail angles.

Compared to something like the Canyon Neuron 5, though, the Habit 4 doesn’t feel as efficient or eager when it comes to pedalling uphill. But that’s not to say it’s a total slouch when working against gravity.

Thanks to the steep seat tube angle and fast rolling rubber, even if it doesn’t feel quite as fast uphill as others, it’ll get the job done easily enough and at no point did I feel like it was holding me back.

Cannondale Habit 4 descending performance

The Habit is seriously fun to manual, carve and jump. And I mean seriously fun.

Even when swapping between riders of different heights, no one grumbled about bar height or tweaking settings before they hit the trail, which just goes to show how easy this bike is to adapt to.

The suspension and nicely damped chassis feel mean it’s calm and super smooth over the ground with tons of grip.

Compared to the likes of the Canyon Neuron 5 and Polygon Siskiu T8 which I tested alongside the Habit 4, the DB8 brakes feel the best when it comes to controlling your speed if you feel like you’re pushing yourself too hard.

And despite the RockShox fork binding a bit under load and not being the most supple or supportive, the Habit 4’s playful, confidence-inspiring vibe continues to shine through.

While it may only be half a degree slacker at the head angle, the Habit’s handling feels far more relaxed than that of the Canyon Neuron 5.

That calmness and composure give you a sense of smoothly arcing through a flat turn rather than having to make micro-adjustments constantly in order to stay on line.

And, at speed or on steep descents, harder trails feel less hectic, with difficult features seeming to come at you more slowly.

If you do want to hit up the jumps, the Habit has you covered here, too. Its ability to ping you off lips and into orbit is impressive. What’s more, it’ll absorb the landings more smoothly and quietly than its counterparts.

The fact that it is a bike that you want to grab over and over again to session-linked turns or jumps speaks volumes to the Habit 4’s fun factor. It really is that addictive.

That said, I wasn’t a massive fan of the noise from the chain rattling against the frame and I’m not convinced the not-so-smooth KMC chain or narrower WTB rims are up to the frame's obvious serious capabilities, especially if you’re a really hard rider.

Even so, while the Habit 4 might not be the fastest on tighter, flatter trails or pedalling uphill, it’ll still deliver on just about every trail going and be more fun than most on the best bits.

After all, those are the bits you’ll remember, so why not make them the best?

Cannondale Habit 4 bottom line

If you want to play like a kid in the woods and chuck the bike about, absorb bumps and chatter on rougher tracks, and make the most of every undulation and trail feature then the Habit is the machine for you.

It might be less efficient than other trail bikes, but it’s way more fun and just has that ‘oh-so-right’ vibe about it that’s hard to explain.