CANNONDALE JEKYLL 2022 – PRODUCT LAUNCH!

Say hello to the all-new Cannondale Jekyll! Launched today – Tuesday 22nd of June 2021. As we’ve almost grown to expect from Cannondale, this is another bike that immediately makes you sit up and take notice; it’s stunning to look at, catching the eye immediately thanks to it’s unique configuration and suspension system which is packed full of clever technology and quirky innovations to enhance your ride and help you shred the trails better than you ever have before.

Aimed at super-fast Enduro racers and trail riders who love to push the boundaries and conquer steep, tight, technical singletrack and wide-open super-fast tracks peppered with high-speed berms and huge gap jumps. Both the Jekyll 1 and Jekyll 2 models feature 170mm of suspension travel upfront complimented by a plush 165mm of rear travel; with an acknowledgement of how the Cannondale engineers see this bike being used they’ve spec’d large 29” wheels to help you hold your speed and carry your momentum through those loose, loamy turns.

For Enduro racers and gravity-focused trail riders, the all-new Jekyll is ready to shred…

You’ve no-doubt already cast your eyes over the bike and will have spotted elements which reflect some common trends appearing more and more on both Downhill bikes and Enduro bikes alike – high pivot? yep, idler wheel? yes; there are some key aspects of this bike which have a lot in common with other bikes launching on the mountain bike market in recent months. Drill a little deeper though and you’ll discover that while Cannondale may be acknowledging some of the same suspension and geometry principles as other bike brands there’s a lot of unique engineering going on here too, all coming together to create a really active, super-smooth long-travel trail bike.

The all-new Jekyll features a high-pivot suspension platform with idler…

One of the most notable features of the new Jekyll? It’s got to be that partially hidden shock…

Jekyll Key Features:

• Gravity Cavity
• High Pivot
• Guidler
• Four Bar Linkage
• Proportional Response

So, let’s take a closer look at those key features starting with Cannondale’s hidden suspension shock setup which goes by the quirky name of the ‘Gravity Cavity’. The idea behind this configuration was to sit the shock as low as possible within the downtube to give the Jekyll a really low centre of gravity. This shock positioning really helps improve the bike’s handling with a more planted feel through tight turns and enhanced stability at high speed.

Both bikes feature Fox shocks sitting neatly in the Gravity Cavity…

The Gravity Cavity which houses the Fox shock features a protective guard…

Removal of the guard is quick and easy, most quick adjustments can be done on the exposed upper side of the shock…

There’s a real trend developing at the moment for gravity-focused trail bikes to feature a high pivot within the suspension configuration and rightly so. The swing arm pivot on the all-new Jekyll is positioned up high on the seat tube above the drivetrain. The effect of this positioning is that as the rear wheel hits an obstacle the bikes’ rear wheel arcs backwards and up, meaning that your wheel slightly moves away from the obstacle as well as up out of the way of it allowing you to carry more momentum and not hang up on objects that would otherwise stall your speed; you’ll have a smoother, faster ride.

That high pivot point means your ride will be smoother and you’ll be able to carry more momentum…

High pivots have been around for a while but have notoriously suffered from ‘pedal kick back’. With a high pivot and the rear wheel following a pronounced arc it causes the chain to tension up and pull on the chainring which in turn pulls your cranks backwards causing pedal kick back. To prevent this from happening Cannondale added the ‘Guidler’ – part chain guide part idler – this clever inclusion eliminates chain growth and stops any potential for pedal kick back. Now a consistent pedal stroke and smooth rear wheel movement can happen simultaneously without any negative effects between the two.

The Guidler works its magic, preventing pedal kick back…

The Guidler – part chain guide, part idler…

The Cannondale Jekyll’s four bar or ‘horst link’ system helps to manage two important factors of rear suspension – rise and squat. Squat is the tendency of the rear suspension to compress under acceleration, when you pedal and put the power down. Alternatively, if you hit the brakes on steep descents the front end of the bike will compress and the rear rises up, that’s rise. The Jekyll’s four bar linkage allows Cannondale to engineer in ‘anti-rise’ and ‘anti-squat’ so when pedalling hard out of turns the suspension doesn’t squat and when you’re braking hard to scrub off speed before a tight turn it doesn’t rise too much; the rear suspension stays in the sweet spot for maximum traction and bump absorption.

The Jekyll features a four bar link to help eliminate unwanted suspension squat and rise….

Cannondale are very proud of their ‘Proportional Response’ design principle and rightly so! Their engineers clearly understand that people of different sizes have a different centre of gravity, so Cannondale use proportional response – size specific design to ensure that each bike size option best suits the rider’s proportions. Geometry, chainstay length, rider position and most importantly the suspension kinematics are all unique to each size option of the Jekyll. They all get their own custom suspension layout with different pivot locations and leverage ratios so that the suspension is specifically tailored for that size.

Cannondale’s Proportional Response design principle means that the chosen bike size suits the rider’s proportions…

The all-new Cannondale Jekyll sits right at the front of the pack when it comes to cutting technology and proven suspension kinematics. With that beautiful carbon frame, super-low centre of gravity thanks to the Gravity Cavity shock positioning, smooth arcing rear suspension helping you hold your momentum thanks to the high pivot placement and that clever Guidler idler preventing any potential pedal kick back the Jekyll has been engineered to facilitate as much speed as you can handle. Throw in those large, fast rolling 29” wheels and plenty of suspension travel and you’ve got a bike that can handle anything from full-on Enduro stage racing to days spent at the bike park or sessions with your mates at those tight, technical local singletrack trails that you’ve been trying to steal K.O.M.s from all summer.

The all-new Jekyll has been engineered to facilitate as much speed as you can handle…

Cannondale Jekyll 1 RRP £6,500.00

Full Specification:

• Frame: All-New, 165mm travel, Carbon, Proportional Response Tuned, Guidler idler pulley/chainguide, BSA 73, ISCG05, tapered head tube, Ai Offset
• Fork: Fox Float Factory 38, 170mm, 15x110mm thru-axle, tapered steerer, 44mm offset
• Rear Shock: Fox Float Factory X2, 205×65 Metric Trunnion, Air, Adjustable High Speed/Low Speed Compression, High Speed/Low Speed Rebound
• Rims: WTB KOM Trail i30 TCS, 32h, tubeless ready
• Hubs: (F) Formula, 15x110mm thru-axle / (R) SRAM MTH 700, 12x148mm, XD Driver
• Spokes: DT Swiss Factory J -Bend
• Tyres: (F) Maxxis Assegai, 29 x 2.5″, Dual compound, EXO+ puncture protection, tubeless ready (R) Maxxis Minion DHR II, 29 x 2.4″, EXO+, tubeless ready
• Crank: SRAM X1 Eagle B148 CL55, 30T
• Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB BSA MTB73
• Chain: SRAM NX Eagle, 12-speed
• Rear Cassette: SRAM XG-1275, GX Eagle, 10-52, 12-speed
• Front Derailleur: N/A
• Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle Lunar
• Shifters: SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed
• Handlebar: Cannondale 1 Riser, Carbon, 30mm rise, 8° sweep, 5° rise, 780mm
• Grips: Fabric Funguy
• Stem: FSA Grid 35, 35mm
• Headset: Integrated Sealed Bearing, Tapered
• Brakes: SRAM Code RSC hydraulic disc, 220/200mm CenterLine rotors
• Brake Levers: SRAM Code RSC hydraulic disc
• Saddle: Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite, hollow cro-mo rails
• Seatpost: Cannondale DownLow Dropper w/ Matchmaker lever, 31.6, 125mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L-XL)
• Extras: Jekyll Custom Fender
• Extras: Chain Device Guide and Idler
• Fork Travel 170mm
• Frame Travel 165mm
• Wheel Size 29

 

Cannondale Jekyll 2 £4,500.00

Full Specification:

• Frame: All-New, 165mm travel, Carbon, Proportional Response Tuned, Guidler idler pulley/chainguide, BSA 73, ISCG05, tapered head tube, Ai Offset
• Fork: RockShox Zeb Select A1, 170mm, 15x110mm thru-axle, tapered steerer, 44mm offset
• Rear Shock: Fox Float DPX2 Performance EVOL, 205×65 Metric Trunnion, Air, 3-Pos adj.
• Rims: WTB STX i30 TCS, 32h, tubeless ready
• Hubs: (F) Shimano MT400, 15x110mm thru-axle / (R) Shimano MT410 12x148mm thru-axle
• Spokes Stainless steel, 14g
• Tyres: (F) Maxxis Assegai, 29 x 2.5″, Dual compound, EXO+ puncture protection, tubeless ready (R) Maxxis Minion DHR II, 29 x 2.4″, EXO+, tubeless ready
• Crank: Shimano Deore 6120, 30T, 55mm CL
• Bottom Bracket: Shimano Deore BSA 73
• Chain: Shimano Deore 6100, 12-speed
• Rear Cassette: Shimano Deore M6100, 10-51, 12-speed
• Front Derailleur: N/A
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore M6100
• Shifters: Shimano Deore M6100, 12-speed
• Handlebar: Cannondale 3 Riser, 6061 Alloy, 30mm rise, 8° sweep, 6° rise, 780mm
• Grips: Fabric Funguy
• Stem: Cannondale 3, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 0°
• Headset: Integrated Sealed Bearing, Tapered
• Brakes: Shimano M6120 hydraulic disc, 203/203mm RT64 rotors
• Brake Levers: Shimano M6120 hydraulic disc
• Saddle: Cannondale Stage 3
• Seatpost: TranzX dropper, internal routing, 31.6, 130mm
• Extras: Jekyll Custom Fender
• Extras: Chain Device Guide and Idler
• Fork Travel 170mm
• Frame Travel 165mm
• Wheel Size: 29

The all-new Cannondale Jekyll will be in stock and available in-store and online soon! Watch this space…

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin

 

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