But I personally like the feel and all-around performance of RockShox’s Pike RC fork (but this may simply come down to what I’m used to spending time on).
It’s when I ventured into steep and rough areas—like “Predator” at Washington State’s Tiger Mountain—that I felt knocked around on the bike. Unfortunately, this spot is just beyond the clear protective sticker referenced above.With that said, if Cannondale continued the above trend throughout the rest of the bike, then I would have probably described the geometry as fairly progressive. In a world where marketing teams and product line managers are designing bikes for specific uses, it seems that Cannondale has made a bit of a generalist. The frame is sleek and well-made but oddly the carbon doesn’t do much for the overall bike weight – the Habit Carbon 3 is over a kilo and half (3lbs) more than the lightest bike in test; the aluminium Giant Trance.
On flat terrain, the pedalling position is efficient and the rear suspension absorbs small bumps with ease. The Cannondale Habit will be available in Carbon, Carbon/alloy blended, and alloy models for both men and women. But once 29- and 27.5-inch wheels hit the market, the debate amongst bikers took off and has continued ever since.
Other Versions of the Cannondale Habit. Even the shock tunes (props to Greg Jakubek for nailing those) are the same across all sizes. All in all, I found the Rhythm 34 to be reliable throughout the testing period and offered enough adjustments to keep me happy.In addition to their lack of power, the thing that bothered me the most about the brakes was the position of the reach adjustment.
Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences At 170 pounds geared up to ride, I assumed I would fall within the average weight for a size medium bike and its shock, so I was a bit perplexed at the rebound tune. Cannondale’s decision to use it for the Habit after 30 years of resolutely following its own agenda is a big deal. Stan’s rims make a change from the ever-popular DT Swiss hoops that feature widely on trail bikes at this price point.The drivetrain is a mix of SRAM NX and GX Eagle, sadly with the narrower 11-50t range NX cassette, though, so upgrading to a GX cassette would require a freehub change.Cannondale has opted for a Truvative Stylo alloy crank on the Habit, which comes with a 30t ring.Most of the finishing kit is Cannondale, including the DownLow dropper post, the travel of which depends on frame size.
Thanks! Cannondale also makes several version of the Habit with a carbon frame.
This is in part thanks to the 2.5in Wide Trail Maxxis Minion DHF up front.It doesn’t have quite the zip of some of the more XC-orientated bikes in the test when you put the power through the pedals on more flowy tracks, as that suspension can wallow under harder pedalling efforts, but it does have enough pop on offer so that if you want to boost it over some roots, or pop off a lip, there’s plenty of personality there to let you do that.I did find myself altering shock pressures to the type of riding I was doing; if I wanted more pedalling support and a bit more pop I’d add air, and if I wanted a more planted feel I’d let a touch out – ideally with an added volume spacer.The flip-side of the lower anti-squat is that the suspension feels smooth through the pedals, with much less feedback as you slap it over rocks than some other similarly-travelled trail bikes.Where it can get a little overwhelmed is on super chunky, steep and rocky tracks, where the rear wheel travel, tall seat tube and Fox Performance 34 fork start to show their weaknesses.The fork does start to twang a little, especially in the face of square-edged hits, and the seat tube puts the saddle a touch closer to your bum than is ideal when the nose of the bike is pointed down something really steep.I also found the SRAM Guide R brakes lacking in power, especially on prolonged descents – they just lack the bite and power of brakes with more grunt because they lack the SwingLink of the slightly pricier Guides.The net result is that if you’re out riding with buddies working their more enduro-focused bikes hard, the Habit will be working you harder. I can’t help but think anyone much lighter than myself might run into adjustment issues with this shock.
Thanks! However, Cannondale also offers a more budget-friendly option in the form of the If Cannondale’s Habit 4 has caught your eye, then there’s a good chance the new Evil Bikes may not be a household name like Specialized or Santa Cruz, but they’ve developed a reputation for producing fun bikes with a focus on descending.
The 74.5-degree seat angle could be considered slack these days, and the 480mm seat tube is long.Affixed to the half carbon, half alloy frame is a full complement of Performance level Fox suspension, with a 130mm 34 fork at the front and a Float DPS EVOL shock at the back.It’s SRAM that provides the stop and go gear, with its basic Guide R brakes. It definitely makes sourcing a replacement/upgrade wheel more of a pain as you’ll have to get it re-built to fit and that’s more of an issue on this affordable bike with its thin rims.
Bible Review: Cannondale Habit Carbon 2/3 | $5,250/$4,000 Somewhere between playful and capable, the habit is stable, comfortable and, yeah, maybe a bit dull February 3, 2019 By Jonathon Weber Social icon website Social icon rss There’s a 435mm chainstay length (L) and 29in wheels. | |
With its fresh design and graphics, up-to-date features, and all-around good looks, this new trail bike made a lasting impression on our testers.
… However, as I started up my first rough climb aboard the new bike, my initial assumptions began to change.