With the first generation Moterra - presented in 2016 - the aluminum pioneer Cannondale spared no effort for an E-Fully platform made of light metal. A specially designed motor mount made it possible to place the rather spacious Bosch motor of the time slightly tilted in the frame and thus enable short chainstays. However, the appearance of the elaborately manufactured aluminium frame was highly polarizing; either you liked it or you didn't like the design at all.

With the new generation of E-Fullies, Cannondale is not only breaking new ground visually: The Moterra rolls into the terrain as an E-Enduro with 160 millimetres of travel, while the Habit Neo acts as a trail electric fully with 140 millimetres of travel at the front and 130 millimetres at the rear; both are equipped with 29er wheels at the front and rear. Carbon is the frame material of choice for the main frame on both bikes - and also the only one. This is because the aluminum frame pioneer is not building any aluminum E-Fullies for the 2020 model year. Cannondale is also taking an exclusive route with the use of the new Bosch Performance CX motor - gone are the days when the company also produced e-mountainbikes with Shimano motors. Equally exclusive is the use of a new brake rotor from Magura. This measures 220 millimetres and, thanks to its two-part design, is intended to compensate for the expansion caused by heat development - and of course deliver extra braking power due to its sheer size.

The new frame shapes, which are significantly less polarizing, are also striking. The progressively long, low and flat geometry of the Moterra and Habit Neo paired with the wide handlebars and short stems should guarantee confident, stable handling, while the new motor mount positions the drive unit low and as far forward as possible for optimum weight distribution and surprisingly agile handling. With this motor mount, Cannondale has decided to position the battery as low as possible, as this low center of gravity offers advantages in handling. One of the drawbacks of this design could be that the slimline shape of the new Performance CX motor is not shown to its best advantage.

The Moterra SE could particularly catch the eye with the new electric full suspension from Cannondale: this is based on the Moterra, but boasts a Rock Shox Boxxer double-bridge fork with 180 millimetres of travel. This pushes the bike in the direction of an E-Downhiller and should not only cause a stir in the bike park, but also in front of the ice cream parlor.

cannondale.com