Having the controls for both shocks in one lever immediately results in better utilization of your suspension’s lock outs as you no longer have to take your hands off the bar to use them.
If you’ve never ridden a bike with twin lockouts before, it can really change the way you ride the bike as you can be riding full squish and then lock out at the flick of a switch for a quick climb or sprint. The XLoc Full Sprint remote features a compression adjust for the front fork and uses a Connectamajig coupler for bleed-less attaching to the rear shock. When asked if it was retrofittable, we were told that only the new rear shocks will be compatible, but some of the current SID and Revelation forks could be updated with the lock out cartridge. XLoc Sprint will be available on new SID and Relation XX forks and Monarch XX rear shocks. Joining the likes of Scott’s TwinLock only with hydraulic, RockShox now offers the ability to lock out both the front and rear suspension simultaneously with the push of a single button. Launching in early January, it features reviews of both the women’s Habit and the longer travel SE version.While the new fork updates are definitely worth mentioning, the new XLoc Sprint is what really is intriguing. If you’re looking for something a bit more aggressive or a ladies’ version of the Habit, keep an eye out for the 2016 Bible of Bike Tests. When things do get scary, think outside the box: Look for the smoothest lines and put the bike’s snappy handling and quick acceleration to use. The Habit is like a featherweight in a heavyweight match, ready to dodge and dip and strike lethally when the moment is right.
The Habit Carbon 1 is a great option for cross-country riders looking for something with more confidence than their spindly race whips, or for aggressive riders looking for something quick and nimble for less-demanding terrain. SRAM’s Guide RSC brakes are always a welcome sight, with their consistent power and modulation, and the 150 millimeters of travel on the RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post was much appreciated on the steeps. Beyond that, the Habit’s build is dialed, including Cannondale’s stiff and light new CZero carbon hoops and spiderless HollowGram Si cranks. Both the Lefty and the RockShox Monarch rear shock can be locked out simultaneously via the bar-mounted Xloc remote, but the bike pedals so efficiently that I never felt the need to lock out the suspension. Kudos to Cannondale for sticking to its asymmetric and inverted guns, though. When it comes to absorbing hits, though, the rear suspension isn’t the plushest around–even when sagged to 25 or 30 percent.Ĭannondale re-tuned the Lefty to keep it riding higher in its travel, but the lightweight fork didn’t match the consistent small-bump compliance or bottomless feel of a Pike or Fox’s new 34. The lightweight frame and pedaling-friendly linkage is complemented by the bike’s short 429-millimeter chainstays, allowing it to be easily flicked in and out of corners and snapped from line to line.
The lightweight frame and efficient linkage-driven single-pivot suspension, which relies on vertical flex built into the seatstays, accelerates in a way that makes you want to burn matches.
On subsequent rides, I approached the green machine like I would a cross-country bike and soon felt more in tune with its intentions. But on my first ride, the carbon-framed Habit felt overwhelmed when the speeds picked up and the terrain got chunkier.
A 68-degree head angle, 120 millimeters of front and rear suspension, 760-millimeter-wide bars and a 60-mil stem are all indicative of a bike meant to descend nearly as well as it climbs. Here are Jon’s final thoughts after testing the Habit.Ĭannondale bills the Habit as “the one bike to do it all well,” but it’s actually a cross-country bike in a trail bike’s gorilla suit. CANNONDALE HABIT CARBON 1 | $7,460 | CANNONDALE.COMįor more tech details and photos, read this post.