Cannondale Moterra
Wheel Sizes: 29’’ front and rear
Suspension Travel:
- Frame: 150mm
- Fork: 160 mm
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 64.8º
- Reach (size Large): 484 mm
- Chainstay length (all sizes, alloy): 455 mm
Drive System Highlights:
- Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
- Torque: 100 Nm
- Power: 750 W
- Battery: Bosch PowerTube, 600 or 800Wh
- Display: Bosch System Controller / Bosch Kiox / Bosch Purion 200
- Remote: Bosch Mini Remote / Bosch Purion 200 / Bosch LED Remote
Frame Materials: Steel front triangle / carbon fiber swingarm
Price: Frame w/ derailleur: $4,850 CAD (~$3,375 USD at time of writing)
Intro
It’s been almost nine years since Cannondale first launched their Moterra eMTB, and today, they’ve launched the updated Moterra Alloy in the North American market. It features Bosch’s Performance Line CX drive system with available performance upgrade and new eMTB+ riding mode, 600 or 800 watt-hour battery options, updated geometry, and value-oriented build kits. Let’s get into the details:
The Frame
The Moterra is only available with an aluminum frame for the North American market; a carbon fiber frame is available in Europe. Both versions of the Moterra use a Horst-link suspension design to provide 150 mm of rear wheel travel, with the rear shock oriented horizontally, joining the frame underneath the top tube. Cannondale pairs this with a 160 mm fork up front, and the Moterra is only available with 29” wheels front and rear.
The Moterra has water bottle and tool mounts inside the front triangle, 12×148 mm rear axle spacing, a decent bit of frame protection, including an alloy skid plate for the battery, headset cable routing, a hidden kickstand mount under the non-drive side chainstay, and a SRAM UDH. Each build kit of the Moterra is available in two different colors.
Drive System
The Moterra uses Bosch’s tried-and-true Performance Line CX motor, which traditionally provides 85 nm of torque and 600 watts of peak power. But Bosch also recently launched the performance upgrade and new eMTB+ riding mode for the Performance Line CX systems, which can be updated via Bluetooth by way of Bosch’s “eBike Flow” app. The maximum power can be adjusted from the standard value of 600 watts up to 750, while the maximum torque can be increased from 85 Newton-meters to 100 Nm, and the maximum support up to 400% assistance.
Bosch says this upgrade increases the motor’s uphill capabilities, particularly on steep, technical trails, but that it also results in less range and more wear and tear on the motor, so these metrics are adjustable depending on individual preferences via the Flow app — not everyone needs to run the motor at its maximum torque, watts, and assistance.
This update also includes the new eMTB+ mode, which Bosch says is designed to offer dynamic support and a finely adjustable, longer Extended Boost. This new update for Performance Line CX also features Dynamic Control, a feature created with sensor technology that recognizes trail conditions and ensures a balanced and smooth motor thrust to reduce rear wheel spin-out.
Besides the new software update, the Performance Line CX motor system on the Moterra is paired with either their 600 Wh or 800 Wh batteries, which can both be swapped in and out of the frame without the need to remove the motor. Additionally, the Moterra is compatible with Bosch’s RangeMore 250 Wh range extender. Both aluminum and carbon models use the simple Bosch System Controller top tube display, while the Moterra 3 uses the Purion 200 remote/display, and the Moterra 4 uses the simpler LED Remote. The carbon models use Bosch’s “Trail Heads Up Display” on a Bosch Kiox screen right on top of the stem.
Fit & Geometry
The alloy and carbon versions of the Moterra use slightly different geometry, but are both available in four sizes each, Small through Extra Large. Looking at both bikes’ geometry charts, they look thoroughly modern with few numbers jumping out as unusual. The Moterra’s reach numbers have grown slightly to a moderately long 480 (carbon) or 484 mm (alloy) for the size Large. Cannondale has given the carbon Moterra a 64.4º head tube angle, while the alloy version has a slightly steeper 64.8º head tube angle. Both are relatively slack, but not nearly as slack as the 62.5º head tube angle on the Moterra SL that we reviewed last season. The new Moterra has a relatively steep seat tube angle, with the carbon model at a 77.7º effective seat tube angle for each size, while the alloy model ranges from 78.6º (SM) to 77.8º (XL).
Additionally, this eMTB has pretty long chainstays. The alloy Moterra has 455 mm chainstays on each size — quite long for any bike, really. The carbon Moterra uses the same length of chainstays for the SM and MD sizes, while the LG and XL sizes of this carbon e-bike use even longer 460 mm chainstays. It’s also worth noting that these long chainstays are paired with somewhat high stack heights.
The full geometry charts for the alloy and carbon Moterra are below:
The Builds
Cannondale offers four build kits for the Moterra, with the aluminum (3 and 4) and carbon (1 and 2) versions each getting two build kits. Depending on your region and build kit, the Moterra comes with either a 600 or 800 Watt-hour Bosch battery. Cannondale’s stated weight for the Moterra 4 is 56.7 lbs (25.7kg) with a 600 Wh battery, while they claim the Moterra 3 weighs 58.6 lbs (26.6 kg) with an 800 Wh battery. Cannondale also claims a weight of 53.8 lbs (24.4 kg) for the Moterra 1.
The full build details are as follows:
Moterra 4 ($5,499):
- Drivetrain: Shimano CUES 11-speed
- Brakes: Tektro Gemini SL 4-piston (203 mm rotors)
- Fork: SR Suntour Zeron 36-X Boost (160 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 TCS
- Dropper post: Cannondale DownLow Dropper
Moterra 3 ($6,599):
- Drivetrain: Shimano CUES 11-speed
- Brakes: Shimano MT520 4-piston (203 mm rotors)
- Fork: RockShox Psylo Silver RC (160 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 TCS
- Dropper post: Cannondale DownLow Dropper
Moterra 2 (€6,999):
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT 11-speed
- Brakes: Magura MT5 4-piston (203 mm rotors)
- Fork: RockShox ZEB Select (160 mm)
- Shock: RockShox Deluxe Select+
- Wheels: WTB ST i30 Tough TCS
- Dropper post: Cannondale DownLow Dropper
Moterra 1 (€8,799):
- Drivetrain: SRAM XO Eagle AXS Transmission
- Brakes: Magura MT7 4-piston (220 mm front / 203 mm rear rotors)
- Fork: Fox Float Factory 38, GripX2 (160 mm)
- Shock: Fox Float X Factory
- Wheels: DT Swiss H 1900 Spline
- Dropper post: Cannondale DownLow Dropper
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) With how heavy the alloy Moterra is, and how long its chainstays are, will it feel like a total plowing machine, or will it retain some agility and maneuverability?
(2) The Moterra 3 and 4 are quite modestly priced, but will they feel held back by their spec?
(3) Will the Moterra’s suspension feel more plush and damp, or energetic and lively?
(4) How similar will the Moterra feel to the Moterra SL?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Cannondale’s new Moterra looks like a thoroughly modern version of their longstanding eMTB, with build kits for just about everyone and the option to have a very large battery. We’ve got one coming for long-term review, stay tuned for updates.