Well, Cannondale, you finally cracked me. I went to the trouble of digging out my bathroom scale, walking out to the garage, and weighing the two e-MTBs I’ve been riding for the last season. That right there tells you how concerned I am about bike weight — at least in the realm of e-bikes.
I’ve ridden a few lightweight e-MTBs (a primer here, if you need it). They didn’t suit my needs. Above all, I need more battery range. I saw this firsthand when I rode with a friend who had a Kenevo SL. So I’ve primarily ridden full-power drive units lately.
Enter the Cannondale Moterra SL, an interesting hybrid of the lightweight and full-power options. Just based on the media kit, I’m hoping this is the start of a new trend. For one, it’s confusing to keep track of two different grades of drive unit and battery, along with all of the other intricacies that surround mountain bikes. But more importantly, I’d wager that a bike like the Moterra SL would work well for nearly any rider in all but the most extreme circumstances.
Cannondale Moterra SL Specs
| Moterra SL Lab71 | Moterra SL1 | Moterra SL2 | |
| Claimed weight | 43lbs | 43.4lbs | 45.4lbs |
| Drive Unit | Shimano EP801 | Shimano EP801 | Shimano EP801 |
| Drive Unit Nm | 85nm | 85nm | 85nm |
| Battery Wh | 601wh | 601wh | 601wh |
| Travel F/R | 160/150mm | 160/150mm | 160/150mm |
| Head tube angle (M) | 62.5 degrees | 62.5 degrees | 62.5 degrees |
| Reach (M) | 445mm | 445mm | 445mm |
| MSRP | $14,000 | $8,700 | $7,000 |
So How SL Is SL?
It begs the question, especially since Cannondale put “SL” right in the bike’s name. Super Light. Well, it isn’t literally super light, but that’s not the point. The bike combines a proper full-power drive unit and big-ish battery with a chassis that’s 43-45 pounds.
In some extreme cases (ahem, Scott Lumen), lightweight e-MTBs weigh in almost 10 pounds lighter than that. A number of high-end examples are comfortably under 40 pounds. However, many so-called lightweight e-MTBs are in the low-40s, depending on spec. So while Cannondale might not be going head-to-head with bikes like the Lumen or Trek Fuel EXE, it isn’t supposed to. It’s supposed to be within striking distance on the scale and miles ahead in terms of the drive unit.
On the other side of the e-MTB spectrum, the Moterra SL is notably lighter than full-power bikes. After grudging weighing my own, was a little shocked at how heavy they were. The Cannondale Moterra Neo LT Carbon in my garage is a whopping 63 pounds. My Specialized Turbo Levo Carbon is a more respectable 55lbs. That’s about one-third of my body weight!
To be fair, those bikes both have CushCore inserts front and rear, pedals, and bottle cages. Plus, the Specialized has Gravity casing tires. The Neo LT is not really in the same travel category as the Moterra SL, either. It has a coil shock, and generally is configured to be a smash wagon.
My Specialized Turbo Levo Carbon is 55lbs. That’s about one-third of my body weight!
The Levo is a closer comparison in terms of travel and spec. Conservatively, a Moterra SL might save me eight pounds over that Specialized Levo, if they had similar tire, tire insert, and pedal configurations. Would that make a big difference? I’m hoping I can get my hands on a demo bike to find out.
Will the Battery Be Big Enough?
Back to the lightweight comparison, the battery capacity alone makes the Moterra SL a major improvement over most of those bikes, which typically have around 400wh capacity. With a 601wh battery, this Cannondale is on the low end of the full-power e-MTB range. Hence the weight savings. My big question is: Will that be enough range?
My current Moterra rig has a Bosch Performance CX drive unit, with the same 85nm output as the Shimano EP801 on the Moterra SL. Its battery, however, is 750wh. You often need the extra watt-hours to match the powerful drive unit.
Riding style and assist mode choices can make a big difference in battery life, though. I’m pretty liberal with Turbo mode on my current bikes, so I suspect I’ll have to tune down the motor more frequently aboard the Moterra SL to ensure I get home with enough charge. Plus, as I recently discovered, heavier tires and tire inserts eat into range.
Fortunately, the Moterra SL’s Shimano drive unit has four assist modes — I find that having more modes at my disposal encourages me to ride more economically. Cannondale says the Shimano drive unit is tuned specifically for this new bike. That’s not totally unheard of in the world of e-MTBs, but it will be interesting to see how that translates into performance and battery life.
A Progressive Chassis
While Cannondale made interesting compromises to blur the lines between lightweight and full-power e-MTBs, the suspension and geometry point the Moterra SL in a very specific direction: Downhill. There aren’t any concessions to old-school handling preferences here.
I know it’s myopic, but I was especially struck by that 62.5-degree head angle. That’s slack! Not to mention 1.2 degrees of adjustment in the headset cups. This bike is meant for the type of riding I gravitate toward every time I pull out an e-MTB: Steep and fast. The reach numbers support that too. Perhaps you’d want to over-fork it with a 170mm fork with 38mm stanchions, but we won’t go down that rabbit-hole today.
Do I want a full-power drive unit? Yes. Do I want larger battery capacity? Yes. Do I want a lighter e-MTB? I guess?
Despite its numbers, I always felt like the Moterra Neo LT I’ve been riding is a bit too lively for the amount of travel and weight it carries. At times, I appreciated how eager it was to receive steering input. More often, I wished it would just calm down a bit.
Maybe the Moterra SL will give me that extra bit of composure I’ve been looking for. The other notable contrast between the two is the flex-stay design on the newer model. Engineers removed the conventional Horst link pivot you see on the previous Moterra bikes. It sounds like that’s one way that Cannondale trimmed weight to make the Moterra SL so category-bending. Again, the only way to evaluate that new suspension design is on the trail.
Conclusion
Do I want a full-power drive unit? Yes. Do I want larger battery capacity? Yes. Do I want a lighter e-MTB? I guess?
Cannondale’s new Moterra SL is a mostly new take on e-MTBs. And they didn’t monkey around with the stuff that makes them really awesome. The Shimano EP-801 drive unit has all the power you could want. The range should be enough for hours of riding. While I have some reservations about a 601wh battery, I’m certainly looking forward to riding one.
Maybe I should have kept that scale in my garage from the very beginning.
All photos courtesy of Cannondale.