March 1, 2020
Found in “Activities, Gear”
There’s a new bike brand in our riding family – Cannondale bikes are now at MEC. To give you the scoop of what’s in the 2020 line-up, we’ve put together a mini guide to all things Cannondale with our MEC bike experts.
First things first: why Cannondale?
Like MEC, Cannondale is all about getting people active outside and having fun. One thing that’s great is that they have a full range of bikes – road, gravel, mountain, commuter, e-bikes, kids – that can work for members from Victoria to Halifax. People in Canada also know Cannondale, so it’s a name many members recognize and trust. They’ve been making bikes for more than three decades.
What makes Cannondale stand out?
They’ve always been an innovative brand and never shy away from trying new stuff, which gets other people in the bike industry thinking about what’s possible. They pioneered high-end aluminum technology, and were early adopters of full suspension for mountain bikes and carbon fibre for road bikes. If it weren’t for companies like Cannondale pushing technology, leading the way and testing things outs, we’d be riding pretty boring bikes.
What bikes will you see?
Everything from gravel and e-bikes to carbon and kids’ bikes, and the whole range of riding in between.
Cannondale commuter and urban bikes at MEC:
- Three e-bike models: Canvas Neo and Remixte, and the Quick Neo SL and SL Remixte, and the Tesoro NEO and Remixte
- Quick bikes, perfect for getting from point A to B in the city
- Quick CX model with front suspension for riding a mix of bike paths and backroads
- Bad Boy, a good-looking commuter bike that handles responsively
The Quick Neo SL is an e-bike that uses a hub motor, which is simpler, more compact and way lighter. It puts out 250 watts – nice for a little boost on the way to work or the coffee shop.
Cannondale gravel bikes at MEC:
- Topstone carbon and aluminum models for adventure, gravel riding and everything in between
- CAAD Optimo 4 Bike, which makes an excellent first cyclocross bike
If you’re a dirt-loving roadie, check out the Topstone Carbon 5 to get off the beaten path.
Cannondale mountain bikes at MEC**:**
- Habit carbon and aluminum bikes for trail riding
- A selection of Trail and Tango aluminum hardtail trail options (Trail is unisex, Tango is women’s)
- Trail 5 bike for the XC race crowd
Our guess? Habit aluminum bikes are going to be popular. They give you the technology you’d see on higher-end carbon bikes, but at a price that’s more accessible.
Cannondale road bikes at MEC**:**
- Synapse carbon and aluminum models – a great value performance road bike
- All performance and race road bikes for high-performance road and racing bikes
Kids’ bikes are also on the way:
- Trail Balance Bike for kids that are just starting out
- Trail (12in., 20in., 24in.) with disc brakes and front suspension for hitting up the trail
- Trail Single Speed 16in. to keep things simple for new riders – it has one gear and coaster brakes
- Cujo (20in., 24in.), which gives them plus-sized tires in a young rider sized frame
Every bike brand has their own lingo. What are some things to know for Cannondale?
Neo: If you see Neo in the name, it’s an e-bike.
All the numbers: A number after a bike name tells you the level of componentry. Lower numbers, higher-end components. For example, we’re bringing in the Quick 2, 4 and 6 – and the 2 has the highest end components. The exception are kids’ bikes, where the numbers tell you how many inches the wheels are.
Remixte: Cannondale’s name for bikes with a step-through frame.
Lefty: Cannondale’s (in)famous left-hand only fork. The only bike we’re carrying with it is the Bad Boy 3 with a rigid Lefty. Oh – and a tiny version called the Little Lefty is on the kids’ balance bikes too.
CAAD: Cannondale has always been a leader in aluminum frame technology, and CAAD stands for Cannondale Advanced Aluminum Design.
