Hello- I'm a new eBike owner. My wife and I just purchased two Cannondale Compact Neo bikes and we're loving them. Do they have the best specs? Nope, but that's OK. They are super light and really fun, and the power is plenty for what we're doing (around town). We were also looking at the Lectric XP 3.0 for about half the price but we wanted to keep it local and we also liked the Cannondale weight better than the Lectric. Happy to be here!
Hello from PA, USA
- Thread starter JCW308
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JerryB
Well-known member
Welcome and congrats on the bikes.....have fun.....be safe.
Thanks! Any idea how difficult it would be to have a brake cable shortened? One of ours came from the factory with over a foot too much. Would like to clean it up.
"A"
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I always feel that hydraulic disc brakes with small wheels, narrow tires are overkill.
Cable actuated disc are just fine if you're not traveling down hill at high speed over long distance (miles downhill).
Besides, brakes, who needs them; they only slow you down.
Cable actuated disc are just fine if you're not traveling down hill at high speed over long distance (miles downhill).
Besides, brakes, who needs them; they only slow you down.
I liked the hydraulic disc brakes much better. It's smoother but now I'm learning that they are harder to work on.I always feel that hydraulic disc brakes with small wheels, narrow tires are overkill.
Cable actuated disc are just fine if you're not traveling down hill at high speed over long distance (miles downhill).
Besides, brakes, who needs them; they only slow you down.
"A"
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No doubt hydraulic disc brakes are nice, but whether one rider needs that much brakes is debatable.
If you are not constantly on the brakes trying to slow yourself down from high speeds, cable disc brakes are plenty sufficient for normal type cycling.
The fact doesn't change about their more complicated process to change brake hose vs cable housing.
Smaller wheels/tires don't require as much brake force to lock up the wheels, powerful hydraulic brakes can also influence that occurrence.
Changing the brake fluids can be a hazardous, vs changing out a cable.
Personally, I try to use any brakes as little as possible, hard enough just to keep pedaling.
I don't live near any mile long hills that require me to hold the brakes for extended amount of time,
therefore hydraulic brakes are overkill for me; doesn't mean that applies to everyone.
If you are not constantly on the brakes trying to slow yourself down from high speeds, cable disc brakes are plenty sufficient for normal type cycling.
The fact doesn't change about their more complicated process to change brake hose vs cable housing.
Smaller wheels/tires don't require as much brake force to lock up the wheels, powerful hydraulic brakes can also influence that occurrence.
Changing the brake fluids can be a hazardous, vs changing out a cable.
Personally, I try to use any brakes as little as possible, hard enough just to keep pedaling.
I don't live near any mile long hills that require me to hold the brakes for extended amount of time,
therefore hydraulic brakes are overkill for me; doesn't mean that applies to everyone.
JerryB
Well-known member
Good plan.
Jrocc
New member
Hi there JCW308. Congrats on the new bikes. How are you liking the Compact-Neo? What kind of real world performance are you getting? I am on the fence about getting one and haven't found many reviews out there to help make up my mind.
So far so good. As I mentioned previously (above) there are some features I wish it had. It has no shocks at all so the ride is firm. Non-forgiving. You can feel every bump. The handlebar height is not adjustable but the seat height is. Folding handlebar and pedals is awesome. The phone apps are really cool. I did several firmware updates on all of the systems when we got the bikes. A down-side to the Cannondale app is that the data cannot be viewed online. So you are stuck with the app and just the app for all ride tracks and info. Battery life is decent and the power is OK I guess. It won't win any speed records with the 250-watt motor but the bike is VERY light. It's just under 40 lbs. I've had it up to 27 MPH so far. So it does not have issues going up hills. My first ride was straight up a steep hill and it was doing 20 mph the whole way up. Build quality is awesome. The breaks are great. Battery cannot be easily removed so plan on plugging in the bikes in the garage or something. Other than that, so far so good. No issues at all. I strap a crate on the back and take my packages to the post office when the weather is good (see photo). When I do that, the total weight with me and the packages must be around 220 and it has no problems at all. Love them for what they are, they are super light and easy to handle. We were going to get the Lectric XP 3.0 (x2) but decided against them due to the weight. YMMV
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Smaug
Well-known member
If you don't need the whole bike to fold, you probably made a better choice, vs. the XP 3.0. I question the value of a 65 lb. bike folding, as it then becomes a back-breaker to lift into the vehicle.
As for the long brake hose, they probably did that so you'd have enough length for folding and full-lock steering. I'd leave that alone, if I were you.
As for the firm ride, get yourself a Suntour NCX shock seatpost. It makes a night & day difference and will be the best $90 you spend on that bike.
Welcome to the forum from SE Wisconsin and enjoy your stay!
As for the long brake hose, they probably did that so you'd have enough length for folding and full-lock steering. I'd leave that alone, if I were you.
As for the firm ride, get yourself a Suntour NCX shock seatpost. It makes a night & day difference and will be the best $90 you spend on that bike.
Welcome to the forum from SE Wisconsin and enjoy your stay!
Thanks! Will the Suntour NCX shock seatpost work on the Cannondale? The guys at the local shop said there's nothing available that will work.
They don't have one that will fit my bike, which has a 31.6x540mm seat post.
Smaug
Well-known member
They made a proprietary size, just to prevent others from taking a slice of the aftermarket? That’s pretty dirty!
At any rate, it might be worth searching for alternatives.
At any rate, it might be worth searching for alternatives.
Post thickness is standard, height is very weird though.
"A"
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540mm is an odd length for seatpost..
You can easily get a shim to reduce the seat tube diameter from 31.6 to 30.9 or 27.2 and use a suspension seatpost that's 30.9 or 27.2mm in diameter.. but not likely to find one at 540mm length.
You can easily get a shim to reduce the seat tube diameter from 31.6 to 30.9 or 27.2 and use a suspension seatpost that's 30.9 or 27.2mm in diameter.. but not likely to find one at 540mm length.
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Jrocc
New member
Nice to hear it does well on hills. There are a few on my planned commute to work.
The local bike shop I tried one out made a comment about the seat post being long. I had to drop it as low as it would go on the test ride. They didn't mention it being propriety, but I didn't ask. Was defiantly thinking a suspension post would be in the future. Could you use a shorter post if it was the same diameter?
The local bike shop I tried one out made a comment about the seat post being long. I had to drop it as low as it would go on the test ride. They didn't mention it being propriety, but I didn't ask. Was defiantly thinking a suspension post would be in the future. Could you use a shorter post if it was the same diameter?
No I can't use a shorter post. Will keep looking!
