Test: Cannondale Jekyll

The Cannondale "Jekyll 27.5 Carbon Team" is a lightweight for fast-paced enduro fun. Fast and agile downhill, it doesn't disappoint even on longer climbs.

The Jekyll is one of Cannondale's mountain bikes that has been given a major upgrade. The frame has a more refined look than its predecessor and impresses with its matt, black and green team paint finish. Visually, the bike is particularly impressive with its Lefty suspension fork. A prototype a year ago, the Supermax Carbon with 160 millimetres of travel now has its place in the Jekyll. Practically everywhere you ride with it, this one-armed beast still gets astonished looks. What the Lefty Supermax absorbs at the front, the revised DYAD shock absorbs at the rear. Cannondale now relies on 27.5-inch wheels.

The team version of the Jekyll also boasts first-class specifications in terms of other equipment. Sram's proven XX1 drivetrain, paired with Cannondale's XX1-compatible Hologram SI cranks, which transfer the power to the WTB-covered wheels, together with the Cannondale cockpit and Magura MT6 brakes, make a solid but also lightweight impression. At 12.2 kilograms, the enduro bike is actually quite light. The negative point of the frame protection is almost petty. Carelessly glued to the top tube near the headset, it ensures that the fork does not damage the frame in the event of a fall. Carelessly because the adhesive does not hold properly and the rubber bumper looks like a foreign object on the frame.

The low weight together with the seat angle, which has increased to 74.9 degrees, gives us hope for effortless climbs. Only the suspension fork causes frowns, as it cannot be lowered. When riding, the riding position of the Jekyll is pleasantly sporty. It continues to roll easily uphill and converts every turn of the pedals into propulsion. With the DYAD suspension strut switched to uphill mode, even sprints and acceleration can be mastered without the bumper bobbing. The Lefty can be locked out completely, but is secured by a cut-through valve, which pops open if you forget to unblock the fork on the trail. On steep climbs, despite the lack of fork-lowering mode, the bike does not bottom out as expected. Extreme weight shifting is not even necessary. This means that even technically demanding climbs can be mastered with ease.

Before riding, a good adjustment of the suspension elements, especially the DYAD shock, is essential. If you are not familiar with such things, you should have your specialist dealer help you with the set-up. However, if you want to do it yourself, you can find good help on the Internet, where the tuning of the new suspension strut is simply explained.

The Lefty SuperMax 2.0 Carbon with needle bearings and PBR enduro shock requires no special tuning. To make optimum use of the 160 millimetres of travel, we leave it at 20 percent negative travel - i.e. 32 millimetres.

The first descent takes some getting used to. The Jekyll 27.5 Carbon Team is very easy to maneuver and feels a little lively. When things get rough and fast, any concerns about the lack of smoothness quickly evaporate. The suspension irons out a lot of bumps and tempts you to pull the brakes as a precaution to avoid going too fast on the first descent. The Lefty also impresses with its responsiveness and spring characteristics. It swallows bigger hits, but still remains sufficiently progressive in the lower suspension travel range. The high stiffness of the Lefty is always astonishing, even in the long travel range, which ensures precise steering. Together with the steering angle of 67 degrees, the stiffness benefits the handling of the Jekyll. Especially in technical and choppy passages, it ensures that the rider gets out of corners quickly.Conclusion: With the Jekyll 27.5 Carbon Team, Cannondale is bringing a great mountain bike with good all-round characteristics onto the market, which will appeal primarily to enduro-oriented mountain bikers with an active riding style. With its specification and very good suspension characteristics, the Jekyll has no weaknesses in its area of use.

Frame material:	Carbon
Price:	CHF 8'399.00 from CHF 3'349.00
Weight:	12.2 kg (size M, without pedals)
Suspension travel:	160mm front / 160mm rear
Forks:	Lefty SuperMax 2.0 Carbon PBR Enduro Damper
Suspension strut:	Fox DYAD RT2, 160/95mm adj. travel, 2015 tune
Shifting:	Sram XX1
Brakes:	Magura MT6 w/ Storm SL rotors, 180/180mm
Crankset:	Cannondale HollowGram Si, BB30A, XX1, 30T
Rims:	WTB Team Issue i23, TCS, tubeless ready, 27.5
Hubs:	Lefty SM front, DT Swiss 350 142x12mm rear
Tires:	Schwalbe Hans Dampf Snakeskin Trailstar, 27.5x2.35" tubeless ready
Saddle:	WTB Silverado Team Volt, CroMo
Saddle post:	Rock Shox Reverb Stealth
Grips:	Cannondale Dual Locking Grips
stem:	FSA Gravity Light, 1.5", 31.8, 5°
handlebars:	Cannondale C1 riser, carbon, 740x15mm