Cannondale adds big-time boost to the lightweight eMTB party
They’ve finally done it! Cannondale wades into the fiercely competitive lightweight eMTB category with a new Moterra SL — and it looks incredible.
If you know your bike brands and the industry you’d probably agree with me that Cannondale is one of the smartest innovators in the business. Their new Moterra SL launched today (finally!) and I haven’t ridden it yet but can see a few reasons why it will be a trendy machine here in SA.
Okay. So let’s get the spec numbers out. The Moterra SL is a mid-travel trail bike — that’s 150mm rear with a 160mm fork. It is sold as a mullet — that’s a 29” wheel upfront and a 27.5” wheel on the rear — however, it does have a flip-chip meaning it can be converted to a full 29” bike. It runs on a custom-tuned Shimano EP801 motor that punches out up to 85Nm of torque, with 600W+ of peak power. So that’s the same level of assist as on the traditional ‘full-power’ eMTBs.
The point of difference on the Moterra SL is the new technology inside the 601Wh battery that shaves a lot of weight. Including the wiring, the battery weighs just 3.1kg. According to Cannondale, the new battery has “more watts per kilo” than any other on the market, which, when combined with the light frame, gives the Moterra an incredible power-to-weight ratio.
Another key differentiator that will also make the Moterra SL popular is Cannondale has given the custom-tuned motor an extra support mode – it has four. Eco, is a minimal assist, maximum range for all-day exploits. Then there are two Trail modes. One for riding with other riders on lightweight eMTBs and one for ripping with riders who are on full-power eMTBs. Boost mode is then the full power, full blast mode. The two trail modes are a very nice touch that solves a real-world issue when riding in mixed-assist groups.
Digging into the geometry and suspension design, things look very contemporary. With technology and lessons learned from their World Cup winning Scalpel XC rig, they’ve ditched the Horst pivot in favour of a burly-looking, flex pivot chainstay. This negates the need for pivot bearings in the stays, thereby reducing lateral flex and saving weight.
To optimize handling for every rider, each frame size also receives a dose of the brand’s ‘Proportional Response’ medicine. This means that the kinematics and geometry are specifically designed around each frame size, to deliver the best handling characteristics and ride experience possible. This is a thing — I’ve ridden bikes with this technology before and it does make a small yet meaningful difference on the trail.
The head angle always makes a statement about any bike’s sendability and the gurus at Cannondale have gone all-in on this one with a DH-capable, 62.5-degree head angle. That’s another reason why it will be popular – the shredder crew will be all over this bike. However, the headset cups offer 1.2 degrees of adjustment which ups the versatility factor considerably — if you live in flatter regions (or just want a less ‘sendy’ ride) you’ll be able to set the bike up accordingly.
In total, there are four frame sizes each having reach numbers of 420, 445, 470 and 505. Short seat tube numbers allow a lot of dropper post insertion on all sizes. On paper, it looks like Cannondale has checked all the necessary boxes and added some new ones to the lightweight eMTB game. I can’t wait to ride it.
Local availability is at the end of March and we can confirm there will be three models in SA: the Lab71, SL1 and SL2 models. I will update this article as soon as local pricing is available.