It has been quite a few months since I sold my Specialised Turbo Levo. In that time I have ventured out a few times on my Silverback Synergy Fat Bike, which was very enjoyable, however also made me realise just how unfit I actually am, Oh and of course I have also been out on my Orbea Gain Gravel bike. Now the Orbea is electric so can offer assist, however I always try to go out and use as much of my own power as I can, rather than rely on the bike. When using the Orbea Gain even on full power up hills I still have to do a considerable amount myself, so it gives a good workout.
Recently as you will have seen on my blog I have been checking out various new E- mountain bikes. Models from Santa Cruz and their Heckler SL, Pivots, Shuttle SL and Transitions, Relay, all of which are powered by the Fauza 60 motor.
Then just by chance I saw a video on Youtube of a new model by Cannondale, it's called the Moterra SL. Now this bike is a totally different animal, in that it is classed as a Super Light, however it has the Shimano EP801 motor, kicking out 85 nm.
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| Cannondale Moterra SL1 Raw |
The Cannondale in its SL1 form comes with some good kit, such as Fox Float Factory Suspension & SRAM XO AXS shifting. I really liked the look of the bike, I mean I would prefer more colour choice as the 'Jade Green" doesn't really do it for me, but hey the Raw colour looks pretty cool.
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| SRAM XO AXS Shifting |
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| Simon EP801 85 nm |
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| Electronic SRAM XO AXS shifting |
Another thing I wasn't sure of was the 'Flex Stays', I mean they look thin and weedy. I did a little research and apparently they are up to the job and you get a fairly good warranty on the frames so it's all good.
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| Super Thin Flex Stays |
There are now loads of reviews online so I am not going to bore you with the details, plus as yet I haven't actually had a go on the bike. That said it hasn't stopped me from finding my local Cannondale dealer which happens to be Wheelbase down in Darlington, and heading down there today with Ern to pop a deposit down on a new bike. Yeah it is a lot more than I wanted to spend, but for me it is worth it as my passion for cycling has kept me fit, focused and given me drive.
I had been speaking to Adam from Wheelbase via email and he sounded dead on. Keeping me informed when he said he would, about the current delivery schedule of the bikes and when I got down to the Wheelbase, Adam was again great. What I liked was he didn't just try to sell me a bike. He went onto Geometry Geeks, sorted out the sizes and then managed to get a bike as near to the Moterra as possible for me to have a sit on, the gave me his recommendations size wise and the potential things we could change, like a stem and bars to get the new bike just right.
I have always been right in-between sizes Large and XL so getting the right fit is very important.
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| Cannondale Moterra SL1 Raw |
Anyhoo hopefully if all goes to plan my new ride should be in sometime around June. Looking forward to getting out in the better weather this year, just hope my old Bartlett Tendon holds up. If not well I guess I will be saving like mad for a new knee too.
