Bike Check: Marc Carr’s Cannondale Habit Neo

Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Sunrise shredding – there’s no better way to get the endorphins up.

Marc Carr is a co-owner at Cape Town’s popular East City Cycles bike store. He has been riding for well over two decades and once upon a time was a fine gravity racer. Marc has a wealth of experience when it comes to working on bikes and is easily one of the top wrenches in the city.

After-hours during the week, you’ll find him hammering laps on his local shop ride, comparing KOM’s or having a post-ride cold one with mates. On the weekend, he’ll be twisting the throttle wide open, fully pinned on his moto. Marc is not quite sure how many bikes he has owned through the years – ‘it’s a big number’ – he says, but this Habit Neo is his current bling and he is particularly passionate about it.

Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles

BN: Talk us through the customized or personalized components you have.

Phew. Quite a lot as I enjoy trying different stuff and working in a bike store I’m lucky to have access to so many toys. I’ve changed the fork and shock to Ohlins, the wheels and chainring are from cSixx. I’m using a Lyne bar and stem and beefier casing tyres.

BN: What surprises you the most about this bike?

I ride it pretty hard so I guess the fact that it just never lets me down really. It works every time I get on it.

BN: Do you set your suspension up by sag or by feel?

Feel.

BN: Are there any other component upgrades on the cards?

No. I’m done.

BN: What do you enjoy the most about the bike?

With this bike, I can ride with anybody – eMTB or analog – and that is very cool.

Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Marc rides a size XL Cannondale Habit Neo that has 130mm of travel and we weighed it (just as you see it here) at 24.93kg.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
780mm Lyne bars with a 35mm Stem and two 5mm spacers under it.
Magura MT Trail Brakes with a 4-piston front and 2-piston rear caliper.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Magura caliper with a 200mm SRAM centerline rotor on the rear.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Marc uses the stock 203mm Magura Spider rotor upfront.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
That’s a SRAM GX 12-speed cable mech with an 11-50t cassette and a custom cage by cSixx.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Marc has a 34t cSixx chainring and uses the standard e*thirteen cranks and pedal combo.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
He runs an Ohlins RXF 36 Air Fork which is set at 150mm. The 10mm extra travel will slacken the head angle out by around 0.5 of a degree.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
An Ohlins TTX Air Shock takes care of the 130mm of rear-wheel travel.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Marc uses an Assegai 3C MaxTerra at 24psi on the front.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Schwalbe’s Magic Mary option on the rear, with no inserts and about 26psi.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
cSixx 3 Series alloy wheels front and rear.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
The Habit Neo runs on the Bosch Performance Line CX motor with a 625Wh, integrated battery.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
The Lyne components dropper post has 170mm of travel and Marc rides gnarly trails so has a flat repair kit – complete with spare tube – ready to roll.
Marc Carr Cannondale Habit Neo Bike Check East City Cyles
Keep on shredding Marc!

| IMAGES: Gary Perkin |

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