The new Cannondale Habit is equipped with everything that defines today's trail bike: flat geometry, 130 millimetres of suspension travel and, of course, 29" tires with the matching "flip chip" for converting to 27.5+" wheels. Large, grippy tires, correspondingly wide handlebars, hard-hitting brakes and a telescopic seat post can also be found in the Habit series. However, the heart of the innovation in the new Habit is the brand new suspension technology called Proportional Response. And if you look closely, you will discover a genuine four-bar linkage with Horst link - a first for Cannondale.

"Today, practically every manufacturer can meet the basic requirements for a sensible bike. Most trail bikes on the market today are actually pretty good," says Peter Vallance, Global Director of Product Management at Cannondale. "However, we knew we could deliver even more with the new Habit. More control, more fun and more efficiency for all riders."

The new suspension design on the Habit, called Proportional Response, is the result of research into the influence of the rider's center of gravity on damping performance. "All other bikes have the same pivot points in all sizes because it simplifies the design," notes Luis Arraiz, frame designer at Cannondale. "But one size fits all is not an optimal approach for the chassis. The rider's center of gravity has a big influence on how the shock responds when braking or pedaling. With Proportional Response, we haven't simply adjusted the stack and reach dimensions for the frame sizes, but have adjusted the pivot points of the damping for each frame size to suit the rider."

The Cannondale Habit is available in carbon, carbon/aluminum and aluminum in sizes XS to XL. There are also interesting details behind the scenes in the Habit: direct tubes inside the frame provide the internal cabling. This puts an end to the motto "one hole at the front, one hole at the back"; the outer covers are now directly enclosed and can be pushed through and replaced from front to back without any fiddling.

cannondale.com