New Cannondale Jekyll 2022: a radical change to hide the shock absorber and make it unique

Cannondale's new Jekyll has just been released and it's not going to leave anyone indifferent. Its innovative look hides the rear shock in the down tube for outstanding downhill and uphill performance. It's not enough to say a mountain bike is fast, you have to make a mountain bike fast. 

Cannondale Jekyll 2022, or breaking all the moulds

Up or down is a relative concept. The Cannondale Jekyll was probably intended to go downhill in the first place. To go down very fast. But no one has forgotten that it should go up. In any case, what was always in mind was speed, always speed. Its profile for this purpose is difficult to categorise, not at all square: it is a versatile mountain bike despite its trail and enduro curves.

Obviously, your eyes are drawn to one place the first time you see it: the rear triangle. It's totally innovative, with virtually horizontal upper chainstays and a tiny, stretched triangle. It's all linked to two cranks that are integrated into the frame's top tube, and the system is supported by rear suspension embedded in the heart of the bottom bracket.

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And it does it with that quadruple connector system, four bar, so that the suspension does the dancing and you don't notice a thing. Of course, there's a lot more beyond the Lefty Ocho.

With 165mm of travel, getting the shock inside the frame seems like a piece of craftsmanship. But Cannondale already showed us with the Flex Pivot that they know how to push the limits in this regard. But this was not an aesthetic decision and the real goal is to keep the Cannondale Jekyll's centre of gravity as low as possible. Because downhill, stability is everything, and such a low centre of gravity is a plus.

It is positioned so low that the shock pump itself is recessed into the last section of the frame's down tube, and is protected at the bottom by a plate that leaves openings for the shock's own cooling and to make it easier to clean the area around it in the event of muddy terrain or rain. Compared to previous Jekyll's we discover that nothing will ever be the same again.

A structure that ends up customising practically all the previous geometry and almost making it a unique bike for each size and needs. Suspension, chainstay length, centre of gravity... everything can be adjusted according to your own anatomy, which cannot be altered.

Let the mountain bike adapt to you, simply put, and not the other way around. The only thing that remains constant across all sizes is the very low steering angle of 64? and the saddle or seat post angle of 77.5?. Everything else, it adapts to each size and is configured to taste.

But that high pivot also includes something else: a cogwheel, a pulley with a chain guide. A sprocket that eliminates the influences of the high pivot and swingarm and keeps the cadence, pedalling and feel always firm, always smooth, even when the terrain is chaotic. This is a totally innovative visual and performance change, no doubt about it. It's another of those Cannondale details that we love, that tearing down mental walls. The aesthetics of the bike change, the performance improves. That's what it's all about.

Finally, in this rear block about which there is so much to say, we find the Ai Advantage. In this case it's easier to explain: more mud clearance or wider tyres on that set of chainstays and linkages thanks to the wider arms that go from the rear hub to the shock itself.

Cannondale Jekyll 2022: prices and models

The Cannondale Jekyll comes in two different versions in a rather narrow range. To break things down even further, they are simply called Jekyll 1 and Jekyll 2. Essentially, all of Cannondale's new technology applied to the Jekyll is retained in both versions, with only slight variations that obviously affect the final price.

To start with, we confirm that the frame is sold separately. In four sizes, S, M, L and XL, the Cannondale Jekyll FS is priced at €3499 if you go for this option. From here, the two models in the range are as follows.

Cannondale Jekyll 1

• Frame: Proportional Response Carbon BSA73 ISCG05
• Fork: Fox Float Factory 39 170mm
• Shock Absorber: Fox Float Factory X2 165mm
• Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed (10-52) 
• Brakes: SRAM Code RSC Hydraulic with 220/200mm disc
• Saddle: Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite
• Tyres: Maxxis Assegal de 29”
• Colours: Green or Graphite
• Price: 6499€

Cannondale Jekyll 2

• Frame: Proportional Response Carbon BSA73 ISCG05
• Fork: RockShox Zeb Select 170m
• Shock Absorber: Fox Float DPX2 Performance EVOL 165mm
• Drivetrain: Shimano Deore M6100 12-speed (10-51)
• Brakes: Shimano M6120 Hydraulic with 203/203mm disc
• Saddle: Cannondale Stage 3
• Tyres: Maxxis Assegal de 29”
• Colours: Purple or Graphite
• Price: 4599€

In short, perhaps it's called the Jekyll because of the monster it turns into when going downhill, a mountain bike that looks like Mr. Hyde: elegant, stylish and with totally innovative technology. All transformed into a downhill beast on this Cannondale Jekyll.