Cannondale Jekyll 3

Every manufacturer likes to make a song and dance when they release a new bike, and they will all invariably claim that their newest creation is the absolute best bike in its category. For the release of the new Jekyll, Cannondale took it one step further by creating a whole new category dubbed ‘Over Mountain’; with the one and only such bike on the market they absolutely guaranteed theirs was the best!

Released in 2011, worldwide demand was so high that up until now they were about as rare as lips on chickens here inAustralia, but finally we’ve been able to get our sticky mitts on a mid-range Jekyll 3 to play with. Bristling with unique technology, Cannondale claims it’s able to switch personality effortlessly between the mild-mannered doctor and his far more rowdy alter ego; the main difference being you control when are where it changes persona with the flick of a switch. Could this split personality bike really be the legendary quiver-killing machine come to life?

The Jekyll is available in four spec levels ranging in price from $3,999 to $6,999; the top two use a high modulus carbon fibre frame, whilst our $4,499 test bike is the upper of the two alloy-framed models. Its parts mix is mostly mid-range stuff from both of the ‘big S’ brands; the brakes and cranks come fromSRAMwhile the transmission is primarily Shimano. Fox handles suspension duties. There’s a 32mm TALAS RL fork up front, with a custom pedalling platform instead of the normal lockout. Following up the rear is the unique and purpose-built DYAD pull shock that is common to all Jekyll models (we’ll come back to the shock in a minute).

With mostly straight lines, clean graphics and big tubes (you could split the downtube in half and use it as a canoe), the Jekyll has a purposeful and stylish appearance. Our large test bike weighed 13.75kg without pedals (frame and shock 3,380g), so it’s far from light, but it does have a range of features designed to keep it solid and stiff, and the rear shock weighs around half a kilogram on its own.

Creating a Monster

The Jekyll was designed from the ground up for Cannondale by Peter Denk, who previously worked for Scott Bicycles to bring the Spark and Genius models to life; his design work is distinctive and readily recognisable. Common to all models are a range of frame features including a straight 1.5-inch head tube (and matching fork), they use ultra wide thru-axle style pivots for the rocker link and a correspondingly massive down tube. There’s also a BB30 bottom bracket shell, dual row rear pivot bearings and a light and stiff Syntace 142x12mm rear axle.

All of these features are designed in line with Cannondale’s concept of ‘Enhanced Centre Stiffness–Torsion Control’ (ECS-TC); basically the middle of the bike is designed to resist twisting under load, but the rear end is allowed a little lateral flex to aid compliance. In practice this holds pretty true, as the front triangle’s enormous tubes keep it impressively rigid, whilst there is some noticeable flex in the rear swing arm. Rather unusually, the main pivot bearings are probably the smallest in the entire frame; whether this will affect long term durability is impossible to say at this point, but most manufacturers go out of their way to oversize this highly stressed pivot.

The heart of the Jekyll is undoubtedly sitting just above the bottom bracket—the DYAD rear shock. The result of several years of collaborative effort between Cannondale and Fox, it’s a pull shock (it gets longer as the suspension compresses) with two essentially independent modes; ‘elevate’, which provides 90mm of rear wheel travel and is designed for climbing and tight terrain, and ‘flow’, unleashing the full 150mm of travel for descending at speed. Both modes have completely separate damping circuits with their own rebound adjuster, and you toggle between the two by flipping a bar-mounted remote lever.

In elevate mode, only one of the air chambers is used and the bike sits high in its travel to keep your body weight further forward. Flick to flow mode and the second air chamber also opens up, making the spring rate more linear; the bike sits deeper in its travel to slacken the angles out for stability at speed. This makes the Jekyll true to its namesake; it really does behave like two completely different bikes when you switch from one mode to the other—something Cannondale calls Attitude Adjust.

The DYAD shock operates at very high pressures, with average riders running between 350-400psi in the main air chamber, so the Jekyll comes with a large, high pressure shock pump that you’ll want to keep handy during the setup phase. Be sure not to lose it as a standard shock pump won’t cope at these pressures. Because there is no easy way of measuring sag with the pull shock, Cannondale have put a chart with recommended air pressure and rebound settings for different rider weights next to the shock. The shock is claimed to be quite linear in the first two-thirds of the travel before becoming more progressive towards the end stroke. We’d agree, however in use we found the ramp-up was so pronounced that going by the recommended pressures we doubt you’d ever see full travel. It also makes the 90mm setting feel like 70mm, and the 150mm setting feel like 120mm (which is probably all we were getting). We’d recommend using settings one or two weight levels below that stated on the chart. It would also be nice for Cannondale to re-think the DYAD’s remote lever so that it doesn’t sit up on top of the handlebar where it’s prone to being damaged in a crash.

Hard Edged...

As an ‘OverMountain’ bike, the Jekyll is expected to cover the full gamut of riding conditions, from XC style kilometre-crunching to quite serious and treacherous descents. Flip into elevate mode, and the bike’s relatively steep geometry and short-travel pedalling efficiency allow you to scale steep, flowing climbs with a level of comfort that few other long travel bikes can match; for prolonged fire road ascents you can even drop the TALAS fork to its short travel setting and switch on the pedalling platform to bring its efficiency more in line with the rear suspension. The overall weight means you’re unlikely to be first to the top, but you’ll arrive fresh and unflustered ready for the ensuing downhill fun.

Set to full travel and pointed downhill the Jekyll doesn’t just flow, it absolutely charges; this is where we reckon this bike is in its element. Set appropriately, the suspension gobbles up everything in its path and never feels out of its depth or troubled in any way. It’s more planted than playful, but once in the air the Jekyll feels stable, and the robust frame allows it to land with security and composure from any sane height.

Cannondale has frame feel right; in corners it feels responsive enough to hold the line you’ve chosen, and yet strangely forgiving if said line is less than ideal—even the overstretched 32mm fork feels more solid thanks to the straight 1.5-inch steerer. Combine this with the low centre of gravity afforded by mounting the shock so close to the bottom bracket and you’ve got a bike that changes direction and nails downhill corners with a fluidity that’s impossible not to love. When pushed it squats easily into its travel so you really feel ‘in’ the bike, and drifters (the riding type, not the no-fixed-address type) will find it highly addictive. About the only way to improve the Jekyll’s downhill performance would be to ditch the 90mm stem and 680mm handlebar for something both shorter and wider; in fact we’d recommend this upgrade as almost essential to bring out the bike’s full potential. Rest assured that if you’re not going very fast downhill on the Jekyll the problem is you, not your bike.

...But Soft in the Middle

Virtually everyone agrees that different bikes suit different riding styles, but we also believe that different bikes suit different terrain. The Jekyll excels at the ends of the riding spectrum (especially the gravity end), so if you’re riding commonly involves a lengthy, steady climb followed by a prolonged descent it’s just about perfect. What it doesn’t do so well is all the stuff in between these two extremes; the constantly changing, up then down, on the gas then off the back, ledgy climb followed by rock garden descent kind of stuff that makes up the majority of Over Mountain (or all-mountain) riding in many areas. Whilst few competitors’ bikes will match the Jekyll at what it does best, many will absolutely smoke it in this middle ground.

In elevate mode the Jekyll generally doesn’t have enough travel or compliance to maintain traction on rough climbs, so you’re compelled to switch into flow mode. Whilst this provides a lot more usable grip at the back tyre, it also comes at the expense of pedalling efficiency and climbing-friendly geometry; so you find yourself wasting precious energy and wandering off line rather easily. You could, of course, run higher pressure in the rear shock to compensate, but then you’ll be compromising its descending prowess; damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

On trails where both the descents and the climbs are short and sharp you’ll again have to settle for just one of the modes and tolerate the shortcomings, or else flip the remote lever so often that you’ll end up with a right thumb like the Hitcher from The Mighty Boosh. Either way you’re behind the eight ball.

We’ve got a couple of other concerns too. Firstly, the Jekyll’s adjustability makes it a relatively complicated bike. You’ve effectively got four different geometry settings (fork or shock up or down) so it’s relatively easy to enter a section of trail in the wrong setting and you don’t always have the option to let go of the grips to make appropriate adjustments. Add a remote actuated dropper seatpost (which the Jekyll is crying out for) and you’ve got one of the most cluttered handlebar setups imaginable.

Secondly, we’re generally not fans of proprietary parts, and although Fox shocks have a great reputation for reliability, the Jekyll is built around a shock which cannot be changed or swapped for any other should you need or wish to do so. You also need special tools to adjust the preload on the rocker bearings when the time comes for a service (although at least it is adjustable, unlike many other bikes). Finally the components, whilst completely serviceable, are a little basic for the asking price, and the rims are not easily converted to tubeless (an upgrade we’d suggest to everyone).

Are Two Bikes Better Than One?

A lot of thought and effort has gone into the design of Cannondale’s new Jekyll, and from a purely engineering standpoint there’s a lot to admire. Whether or not it deserves to be on your shortlist will, however, ultimately come down to where you ride as much as anything else.

If your typical outing is an extended climb up a smooth flowing trail or fire road, followed by a protracted screamer of a descent, we’d say it’s a great bike. Despite being a little portly it climbs efficiently and comfortably, and pointed downhill it’s stable, fun, and fast, fast, fast. But its greatest strength is also its biggest weakness; possessing two such distinctly different personalities makes for a bike that isn’t so easy to live with on constantly varying, rough trails, or if you’re a ‘set and forget’ type rider. Depending on terrain, and just like the character/s it’s named after, at its worst the Jekyll can be decidedly unpleasant, but at its best it really is very, very good.

Pros

Efficient on smooth climbs (elevate mode)

Bomber descender (flow mode)

Variable geometry

Cons

Inefficient pedalling in flow mode

Undulating terrain demands frequent use of the travel remote

Proprietary shock design

Specifications

Frame: Smartformed Alloy

Shock: Fox DYAD pull shock (90-150mm travel)

Fork: Fox 32 TALAS RL w/Custom Threshold, 120-150mm travel

Headset: Tange Seiki 1.5-inch

Handlebars: Cannondale 2014 alloy riser, 680mm

Stem: Cannondale C1, 1.5-inch

Shifters: Shimano SLX

Front Derailleur: SRAMX.7

Rear Derailleur: Shimano SLX

Cassette: Shimano HG62, 11/36 10-speed

Chain: KMC X10

Cranks: SRAMS1400, 22/33/44

Bottom Bracket: SRAMBB30

Pedals: N/A

Brakes: Avid Elixir 7

Rims: SunRingle Inferno 25

Hubs: Formula front, Sun Ringle Dirty Flea rear

Spokes: DT Swiss Champion

Tyres: Schwalbe Hans Dampf 2.35

Saddle: Cannondale Stage CrMo

Seatpost: Cannondale C2 Alloy

Weight: 13.75kg without pedals (Large frame 3,380g)

Available Sizes: S, M, L (tested) and XL

Price: $4,499

Distributor: Cycling Sports Group (02) 8595 4444 / www.cannondale.com