We test the Cannondale Jekyll 2022. See you at the bottom!

If there is a Cannondale model that surprises everyone with new concepts and innovative technologies in each renewal, it is undoubtedly the Cannondale Jekyll. And the 2022 model left us all open-mouthed. Focused on the most radical enduro, the new Jekyll is ready to set a trend and we have had the opportunity to test it thoroughly.

New Cannondale Jekyll: technology focused on speed

We start by reviewing the new features of the new Jekyll and the first thing that catches our attention is the location of its shock absorber. This is located in a cavity formed by the diagonal tube in its lower part. The tube is divided in two, leaving the central part to house the shock absorber. The aim is to lower the centre of gravity as much as possible.

And to protect it from impacts, Cannondale has designed an open protective cover on the sides to prevent water or dirt from accumulating in the shock cavity.

At first glance, a chain pulley that guides the chain over the chainring also catches the eye. This pulley makes sense on the Cannondale Jekyll 2022 because its suspension system is designed with a high pivot. Normally the main pivot of a suspension is located very close to the bottom bracket to minimise interactions between pedalling and suspension and, above all, to avoid the "pedal kickback" effect as much as possible.

The high pivot design of the Jekyll has many benefits in terms of sensitivity and shock absorption, as the wheel trajectory coincides with these. The downside is high pedal interaction and excessive pedal kickback. For this reason, a pulley has been used to eliminate this negative effect in order to benefit from the other advantages of this design.
Otherwise the swingarm is a "4-bar" design, which offers 165mm of travel with great absorption capacity and great braking independence.

And as usual for Cannondale, the Jekyll's rear suspension has been designed according to the Proportional Response concept. This means that each size has its own design, from geometry, swingarm design and even chainstay length, so that each size has a suspension kinematics according to the characteristics of the rider and the geometry also accompanies it, so that in large sizes, where the front of the bike is lengthened, the rear is also slightly longer to keep the rider centered whatever their size.

This frame also benefits from AI technology, which consists of an asymmetric swingarm. This gives more clearance for the tyre and better spoke clearance, making the rear wheel stronger and stiffer. In addition, the swingarm, at the main pivot point, is inserted inside the frame instead of being anchored to the sides, so that the chainstays start from a solid block, in order to achieve greater rigidity. In fact, the chainstays are huge in size, making it clear that this frame is all about stiffness and bombproof strength.

One last detail that many users will appreciate is the possibility of installing a bottle holder with enough space to carry a 500ml bottle.

In terms of geometry, this new Jekyll 2022 is in line with current trends in the most radical enduro bikes, with a steering angle of 64º, an extremely vertical saddle angle of 77.5º that will help us a lot on steep climbs, a generous reach of 450mm in size M. A particularity that we have already mentioned is that the chainstays change length in each size, being 435mm in size M.

Fox Float Factory suspension. The enduro reference

When it came to equipping their flagship enduro model, Cannondale didn't want to skimp on suspension capacity. In fact, they've opted for the Fox Float Factory fork with the 38mm bar chassis. A really robust fork that seems designed for the most aggressive ebikes, but given the capabilities of this Jekyll, and although it is likely that a Fox 36 has sufficient stiffness, we do not think it is unreasonable to equip it with the most robust on the market.

The Fox Float Factory 38 comes with 170mm of travel and multiple adjustments. In fact it can be a bit complex to optimise the adjustment for our characteristics. Although the adjustment chart printed on the bottle is a very good starting point to begin testing.

The shock hasn't been skimped on either, choosing Fox's flagship pneumatic model. The Fox Float Factory X2 with Trunnion mount also has multiple settings, including rebound and compression at both high and low speeds. It will also require some time and testing to fully optimise its capabilities, but we will be able to enjoy unparalleled performance.

Equipped for aggressive use

The Jekyll has been assembled with great care by choosing components of proven reliability without the need to raise the price to exorbitant levels. A good example of this is the Sram GX Eagle drivetrain combined with Sram X1 cranks and the powerful Sram Code RSC brakes, which, apart from offering extraordinary power, have effective adjustments for setting the travel and lever position to the user's taste.

The wheels are mounted with Sram MTH 700 hubs at the rear and Formula front hubs, combined with WTB KOM Trail i30 rims, which we have already tested on other occasions and have more than met our expectations. The aforementioned wheels are fitted with Maxxis tyres with EXO+ casing and 3C compound. The front is the Assegai model in 2.5" width and the rear is a Minion DHR2 in 2.4".

Apart from the FSA stem, all other components are from Cannondale. Special mention should be made of the Cannondale DownLow dropper seatpost, which performs spectacularly and despite its long travel (150mm in size M) has no play or backlash of any kind.
The Cannondale carbon handlebars are also very well finished and we found their shape to be perfect.

Squeezing the Cannondale Jekyll 2022

When we received it and as soon as we took it out of the box it caught our attention because of many of the details already mentioned, but the paintwork conquered us instantly. It combines two colours and depending on the angle from which you look at it and how the light hits it, it can be predominantly green, a spectacular copper colour or a 50% mixture of both. It is a very striking effect. And it couldn't be more in keeping with the name of this bike, as it really does look like there are two personalities that want to show off.

The shock absorber cover is not very well integrated, but they have tried to be practical here and it is true that if it were not separated with these openings, dirt and even water would accumulate.

The frame has a pronounced slooping that gives us great freedom of movement on the road and visually it looks very compact. The weight has been concentrated in the lower part of the frame and this is something that can be clearly seen when riding. And we are talking about a very powerful bike that does not stand out for being light but for its great rigidity and ability to withstand the most aggressive use. On our scales it weighed in at 15,680 kg without pedals. It's clearly not a light bike, but considering what it offers and how it's set up, we don't think it's a bad figure.

Once the basic adjustments have been made, it's time to set up the suspension, a more complex task than with more basic suspensions, as they offer multiple adjustments. For the fork we have a great help with the adjustment table printed on the right fork leg, which indicates both the preload and the rebound at high and low speed, depending on our weight. At our discretion are the two compression settings, which after a few test rides we were able to leave to our liking. We have to say that this table leaves us the fork quite tuned and we did not have to make many tweaks to get it to our liking. With the shock absorber we don't have the same help and we have to start from scratch, but after several tests we were able to adjust the rear.

See you at the bottom!

The slogan chosen by Cannondale for its new Jekyll 2022 couldn't be more accurate, and the sensations that the bike gives you as soon as you enter a downhill trail are addictive. From the very first descent we were totally in tune with the bike, no adaptation or anything else. We fit perfectly on a bike with a comfortable and balanced position.

It is difficult to tell whether this model's goodness is due to its suspension system, the quality of the suspension, the geometry or the low centre of gravity, all of which work together to achieve a performance that we found unbeatable.

The suspensions work spectacularly well, absorbing small bumps and big impacts equally well.
We were struck by the zero friction between the bars and bottles of the Fox Float Factory 38, and this is noticeable because there is no resistance at the beginning of the movement. On other forks, the fork's initial resistance to movement is not overcome until there is a certain impact force (however small). On the Fox 38 this is not the case, the fork is active at all times and it is enough to step on the slightest twig or stone to make the fork move, even if it is only a few millimetres.

When the impacts are of greater importance, the benefits of the GRIP2 cartridge come to light and, although the travel of the fork is 100% usable with the correct adjustments, the last stretch is reserved for large impacts or strong receptions. On medium impacts, hard braking or steep descents it does not sink more than necessary and this gives us much more control and confidence as the geometry of the bike is not altered.

The rear also behaved with impressive sensitivity and absorption. The benefits of the high pivot have convinced us and the bike has been very docile even in the most extreme situations, providing the rear with excellent control and grip.
However, we didn't get the full potential out of the shock, as it seemed too progressive for our characteristics. To get the most out of its travel we had to carry a little more sag than recommended. If this bike were for us we would remove some spacers from the positive camber.

Apart from the suspension we have to say that the geometry of the Jekyll seems to us to be very successful. It gives us a confidence and security that makes us dare to go a step further than we are used to. A 64° steering angle and a fairly long overall length (1227mm in size M) could give a priori a lot of poise but some slow reactions, but it didn't give us that feeling. Here we believe that the low weight distribution comes into play, the bike is very stable but responds with agility to our movements, obviously this is true with a minimum of inertia, but at the controls of such a contraption the difficulties are attenuated and it is easy to pass smoothly through the most technical trails.

We still have to evaluate an aspect that is very important in enduro, as it is of little use the most downhill enduro bike if when it comes to climbing it feels like we are dragging a tractor and we have to sweat blood to enjoy every descent. In principle, the characteristics of this bike, such as its somewhat high weight, long travel suspension and very downhill geometry, did not make us very optimistic about the climbs, but there are some details that play in our favour. The saddle angle, which as we have already said is one of the most vertical we have tested with its 77.5º, makes us position ourselves well above the bottom bracket and so our weight falls directly on the pedals, facilitating the transmission of power to them.

And the rear suspension has pleasantly surprised us with its low interaction with pedalling. Not so many years ago, an absorbent and swallowing rear, when pedalling, oscillated so much that it subtracted a large part of the energy that we contributed to the pedals, but the evolution is reaching levels of efficiency that are surprising. We have an active and sensitive rear when it comes to absorbing irregularities, but it moves very little when we pedal. And that's not to mention that the Fox Float Factory X2 shock has a lever that, although it's not a total lockout, it does almost completely minimise oscillations that are already not at all exaggerated.

As a result, the Cannondale Jekyll seems to live up to its name and changes personality when we need to gain metres of altitude. It's still a heavy bike at around 16kg in running order, but it has an effective pedal stroke and our riding position helps a lot. We also have a wide range of gearing with its Sram Eagle groupset so we can climb impossible ramps.

With the Jekyll to anywhere

Our conclusions after testing this new version of the Cannondale Jekyll, apart from the great qualities already mentioned, is that it is an enduro bike par excellence, with which you can compete in this modality with guarantees, since apart from standing out with its behaviour on the most complicated descents, you can get to the top with it without exhausting your energy.

But the Jekyll is also versatile enough to ride on technical trails where there's as much uphill as downhill. Or if you're a bike park rider, you're guaranteed to do just that, because the Jekyll has the personality for that and much more.

Cannondale Jekyll 1. Specifications and price

• Frame: All new Jekyll, 165mm travel, Carbon, Proportional Response
• Fork: Fox Float Factory 38, 170mm, 44mm offset
• Rear Shock: Fox Float Factory X2, 205x65 Metric Trunnion
• Chain: Sram NX Eagle, 12 speed
• Crank: Sram X1 Eagle B148 CL55, 30T
• Rear Cogs: Sram XG-1275, GX Eagle, 10-52, 12 speed
• Rear Derailleur: Sram GX Lunar Eagle
• Shifters: Sram GX Eagle, 12 speed
• Brakes: Sram Code RSC, 220/200mm Centerline rotors
• Handlebar: Cannondale 1 Riser Carbon, 30mm rise, 8º sweep, 5º rise, 780mm
• Saddle: Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite, hollow cro-mo rails
• Seatpost: Cannondale DownLow Dropper 31,6, 125mm (S), 150mm (M), 170mm (L-XL)
• Stem: FSA Grid 35, 35mm
• Hubs: Formula / Sram MTH700
• Rims: WTB KOM Trail i30 TCS, 32h
• Front tire: Maxxis Assegai, 29x2,5”, 3C, EXO+, tubeless ready
• Rear tire: Maxxis Minion DHR2, 29x2,4”, 3C, EXO+, tubeless ready
• Price: 6499€

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