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2019 Cannondale Jekyll stretches its enduro legs with new 150mm 29er option

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Growing on top of last year’s enduro revamp, the Jekyll family gets a big-wheeled sibling by way of the 2019 Cannondale Jekyll 29er. As an 27.5″ enduro racer, the Jekyll was refreshed with more aggressive trail geometry and a name-appropriate two-mode travel to either flow or hustle. Now a new 29er gets all the same Jekyll tech with slightly shorter travel and improved rollover.

2019 Cannondale Jekyll 29 150mm enduro mountain bike

The new Jekyll 29 shares a carbon front end design that closely mimics the carbon 27.5″ bike, again employing a BallisTec Carbon construction to build in enduro-ready & all-mountain durability.

Interestingly the new 29er version of the enduro bike does not get a carbon rear end or linkage, instead using a SmartForm C1 Alloy swingarm, alloy seatstays, and a multi-piece welded alloy shock link.

Jekyll 29 Tech Details

Suspension layout is unchanged for the 29er and uses the same high single pivot, faux-bar design with a long link driving the high-mounted shock (making way for a full-sized bottle beneath), all with stiff thru-axle pivots. Travel for the larger-wheeled Jekyll 29 is dialed back to 150mm in the longer Flow Mode and gets matched to the same 150mm of fork travel (vs. the 165mm frame/170mm fork of the Jekyll 27.5).

Of course the Jekyll 29 keeps that same dual-personality of its namesake, with the special Gemini dual-mode air spring system Fox rear shocks. Use the shock remote to pop the bike into Hustle Mode where it firms up to just 120mm of rear wheel travel for more efficient ascending.

The Jekyll 29 still keeps Cannondale’s Ai offset drivetrain, plus the same frame features as its recently revamped sibling, including ISCG 05 tabs, modular internal cable routing, a PF30 bottom bracket, that future-proof flat mount rear disc brake mounting, a tapered headtube, and overall Boost spacing.

Geometry

The new Jekyll 29 come in four frame sizes (S-XL) and just three build options. For now all of the builds share the same carbon front end mated to an alloy rear, but we wouldn’t be too surprised to see an all-carbon or all-alloy version pop up in the near future to match the 27.5″ offerings.

Jekyll 29 Pricing & Spec

Jekyll 29 1

The $6500 top spec’ed Jekyll 29 1 gets a SRAM X01 Eagle 1×12 drivetrain with Code RSC brakes, Stan’s Flow wheels, and Fox Factory suspension, including the DPX2 piggy back air shock.

Jekyll 29 2

The mid-tier Jekyll 29 2 dials back to Fox Performance suspension, again with a DPX2, then to a mixed X01/GX Eagle drivetrain and XT brakes for $5300.

Jekyll 29 3

Rounding out the most affordable option at $3800, the Jekyll 29 3 goes for a SRAM GX/NX Eagle mix, Guide R brakes, and Fox Performance suspension with a single chamber rear shock. All three get Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5″ front & DHR 2.4″ rear tires with varying casing specs.

Cannondale.com

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JNH
JNH
6 years ago

Cannondale specific shock, PF30 and Flat Mount brakes, almost a perfect storm of things nobody wants on a mountain bike, where’s an Overdrive 2 headset when you need one?

dockboy
dockboy
6 years ago
Reply to  JNH

Don’t forget the offset rear wheel!

Gillis
Gillis
6 years ago

That long link looks unnecessary and takes up space that could be used for a bottle. No reason it couldn’t be mounted on the top tube.

Brad Comis (@BradComis)
Reply to  Gillis

The bottle goes below the link. Note the bottle mounting bosses on the seat tube.

Gillis
Gillis
6 years ago

I get that, I see that and read it, but the extra long link seems unnecessary. Without it you could conceivably mount two bottles. Just my armchair engineering analysis.

B
B
6 years ago

“Future proof” flat mount brake?

Tim
Tim
6 years ago

There used to be things about Cannondales that separated them from the pack- way back when, it was aluminum frames, then the Headshok, then the Lefty, the last of which continues to make Cannondale a special brand. But when you take away the Lefty, what you have at this point is just another bike. And now that Cannondale is owned by a faceless conglomerate, the chances that they will add something new that regenerates the brand seem to be nil.

The dude
The dude
6 years ago
Reply to  Tim

I have a Lefty on my Mojo3, Anthem X29, and my 11 year old’s Jet9..I know not everyone likes them, but they’ve treated me very will since 2001.

talkliketim
talkliketim
6 years ago
Reply to  The dude

Yeah, I am thinking about getting a Lefty for my next bike. They’re definitely special, but come with a few minuses, too: a worse spoke bracing angle on the front wheel, only six-bolt rotors, and the internals are not always as good as what’s current on other forks. But they still are a contender in both weight and rigidity.

Roberto López
Roberto López
6 years ago

High single pivot?

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