Cannondale develops a new Habit for 2019
Trail bike adds brand's "proportional response" size specific suspension design
For Cannondale’s launch of the 2019 Habit the brand does more than just bring the 130mm trail bike in line with current slack-and-29″ trends. The new look Habit adds Cannondale’s “Proportional Response” size specific suspension design.
Proportional Response is a new approach to size specific engineering. Cannondale relocates the pivot location for each frame size, adjusting the suspension kinematic to react the same for each frame size and corresponding average riders size. The change in design is intended to take into account how a rider’s center of gravity influences suspension performance.
Cannondale set up riders of different sizes with sensors, then sent them out riding. The company found that, in general, smaller riders were experiencing worse suspension performance under breaking, while larger riders were experiencing worse pedaling performance. By designing the suspension for each frame size with this in mind, Cannondale says they 2019 Habit will have a consistent suspension feel and performance across the size range, from XS – XL.
“All other bikes use the same pivot locations across their size ranges because it’s easier to design,” commented Luis Arraiz, Cannondale frame design engineer. “With Proportional Response, rather than simply changing the stack and reach dimensions of the frames, we’ve custom tailored the suspension pivot locations for each size bike and rider.”
The 2019 Cannondale Habit adds a range of other updates to bring the bike in line with a modern trail bike. The bike rolls on 29″ wheels with an increase to 130mm of suspension front and rear. There’s clearance for 2.5″ tires, which come spec on several models. That means there’s space for 27.5-plus tires, with the flip of a chip on the rear linkage.
Geometry has been adjusted with a slacker 66-degree head tube angle, and steeper 74.5-degree effective seat tube angle and 435 mm chainstays across all sizes. The visually unique Lefty fork has been dropped from the line in favour of more traditional dual-leg forks, and Fox takes care of the rear shocks across the line.
The 2019 Cannondale Habit will be available in full carbon fibre frames, carbon/alloy mix, and alloy models in both men’s and women’s frames. Sizes will run from XS to XL. Cannondale’s Habit uses Directline internal cable routing, using internal carbon tubes to direct the cable easily through the frame.
The Bad Habit line will be designed around riders who want to prioritize 27.5-plus tires. Bad Habit builds get also get a bit of extra squish up front by upping the front travel to 140mm.
At the top of the Cannondale Habit line, there’s the high end, 12-speed Shimano XTR equipped Habit Carbon 1 at $10,200 Canadian. The new trail bike will be available in a full range, with the XTR build balanced out by a Shimano Deore level $2,700 Habit Al 6.
2019 Cannondale Habit Carbon 1
2019 Cannondale Habit Carbon Women's 1
2019 Cannondale Habit Carbon 2
2019 Cannondale Habit Al Women's 2
2019 Cannondale Habit Carbon 3
2019 Cannondale Habit Al Women's 3
2019 Cannondale Habit Al 4
2019 Cannondale Habit Al 5
2019 Cannondale Habit AL 6
2019 Cannondale Bad Habit Carbon 1
2019 Cannondale Bad Habit Al 2
| 2019 Cannondale Habit – Canadian Pricing | ||
| 29 Habit Carbon 1 | $10,200.00 | |
| 29 Habit Carbon 2 | $6,900.00 | |
| 29 Habit Carbon 3 | $5,200.00 | |
| 29 Habit Al 4 | $4,200.00 | |
| 29 Habit Al 5 | $3,500.00 | |
| 29 Habit Al 6 | $2,700.00 | |
| 27.5/29 Habit Carbon Women’s 1 | $5,200.00 | |
| 27.5/29 Habit Al Women’s 2 | $3,500.00 | |
| 27.5/29 Habit Al Women’s 3 | $2,700.00 | |
