After the muddle and excessive techiness of the past Jekyll, this version carries itself differently. Like it’s gone through some kind of Anthony Robbins self-actualisation course, and can finally express its real character. Unashamedly, it’s here for a good time, not trying to impress you with complicated proprietary tech solutions. Even the marketing language around this bike is right, read Cannondale’s blurb and it’s all about how the bike feels and should make you feel, rather than burying you in jargon and carbon layups.
It’s a full blown Enduro beast, not a long-legged trail bike like the old Jekyll. The angles are more relaxed than a medicated lap-dog, and travel is a robust 165mm out back, 170mm up front. A long reach paired with a 35mm stem, Maxxis WT rubber, SRAM X0 Eagle… all the fixings are there to see you through a very rowdy day out.
When this bike first emerged, there were a few comments out there about the unorthodox placement of the shock and linkage – it definitely goes against the usual trends in frame design of getting the shock lower and more rearward. But in the flesh it all ties together nicely, it doesn’t come across as kooky, and if it makes room for fitting a water bottle then we’re on board.
Cannondale haven’t abandoned the adjustability that has always been part of the Jekyll’s identity, but they’ve found a way to incorporate it in a far more appealing manner. You can still adjust the rear travel on-the-fly, but the rear shock no longer looks like a scuba tank and can be serviced like a regular FOX shock. When you toggle between the Hustle and Flow modes, you’re actually altering the usable air volume of the shock, which adjusts the available travel (165mm – 130mm) and the spring curve too, as opposed to simply changing the shock’s compression damping. It’s a similar solution to that found on the Scott Spark and Genius.
With the tubes ditched (honestly, why doesn’t this bike come setup with proper tubeless rim tape?) our Jekyll 2 weighs in a 13.8kg. We’re genuinely excited about this bike, and have been for sometime. The new Jekyll is the product of the involvement of Jeremiah Boobar (read our interview with him here), who was hired by Cannondale after a distinguished career at RockShox, where he led the team behind the Pike. The freshness that his involvement brings is written all over this bike, so let’s go hit some trails!
NB. Pricing on this bike is yet to be confirmed, we’ll update this post as soon as it becomes available.
