Canvas Neo 1: Cannondale's Freshest Urban e-Bike Is Here to Electrify 2021

What you see in the cover photo, folks, is one of the newest e-bikes from world-renowned Cannondale. It’s called the Canvas Neo 1 and is ready to rock your urban jungle like no other bicycle of its kind.

Sure, we may have heard of the Canvas Neo before, but hey, it’s a new year, so out with the old and in with the new. But not everything new is better, so let’s take a minute or two to deconstruct this puppy and see what’s in store for us this time around.

Personally, whenever I look for an e-bike, the first component I usually inquire about is the frame. In this case, we find Cannondale’s SmartForm C1 alloy with a removable downtube battery, and even dual battery ready. However, the shape of the frame rather reminds me of a hardtail MTB. I know what gives off that impression: the slanted top tube. As for cables, all internal baby, giving this city-slicker one hell of a clean look.

The next component I like to pay attention to is the motor. After all, when you buy anything like this, you want to be the coolest and fastest grandparent around. To give you the speed you want and the power needed to haul more than just some groceries, the Bosch Performance Line Speed motor squeezes out a massive 75 Nm (55.3 lb-ft) of torque. That’s stronger than some e-MTBs, and those are made to haul up and down just about anything. But if speed is your thing, don’t worry. You won’t look old because you’ll be smashing around with a 28 mph (45 kph) top speed. That’s not even road legal in Europe, by the way.

As for the energy to power such a hungry motor, Bosch strikes again with a PowerTube 500. That 500 stands for the number of ‘Wh’ it cranks out. Sure, it might not be the 625Wh PowerTube, but then again, you probably won’t be taking this off-road, so it really isn't needed. How long the 500 will keep you rolling is hard to say as road conditions greatly affect range when dealing with an e-bike.

However, something to be highly appreciated about the Canvas is its ability to utilize a second battery kit. That one is to be loaded onto the upper side of the down tube where we would normally store our water bottles.

Most secondary components such as the derailleur, shifter, rear cogs, and chain are all furnished by trusty Shimano and set up on a ten-speed system, with most components originating from the Deore line. The brakes and rotors, too, are Deore, with hydraulic disks and 203/180mm rotors.

The only downside to this whole package that Cannondale offers is that you won’t find any pricing on their website. This only means one thing; you must use a dealership, meaning you’ll also be paying a middleman.

But with the way everything looks and sounds, this bad-boy shouldn’t run you anything over five grand, hopefully. Oh, and ladies, this young buck isn’t for you. Sorry, you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for the frame geometry that is suitable for the female sex or at least the unisex Remixte frame.