Cannondale Tesoro Neo X: the e-bike for urban adventures gets given a refresh

Cannondale's updated Tesoro Neo X ebike is designed to handle the rigours of daily city use, as well as the rough and tumble of mixed terrain and off-road trails. 

It's a bike brimming with features and added extras, notably – at least in the the context of Cannondale's refresh of its Synapse endurance platform – integrated lighting. 

We'll run through the nods to practically before highlight the more rugged aspect, rounding things out with the pricing and availability.

Practicality

Perhaps the most important aspect of an ebike is the battery, and the Tesoro Neo X certainly doesn't skimp in this department. Packing a massive 750 watt hours (Wh), Cannondale puts the projected range at sizeable 175km /108mi,  

As mentioned, there is some tech shared with the new Synapse endurance bike. Although integrated front and rear lights that run off the main battery are nothing new for utility e-bikes, the Tesoro Neo X also benefits from the Varia radar system, which provides alerts on the traffic behind you.

With full length mudguards as standard, its under no illusions about the (at times) wet reality of daily use. A pannier rack comes ready assembled into the bike to boost your cargo carrying capacity from the get-go. For easy loading, the bikes come built with a stand and there's an integrated locking system for extra security. 

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For riders of differing flexibility (and thoughts on aesthetics) the level of step-through-ness comes in three flavours. There's a full height top tube model, low top tube and a full step-through version to choose from. The smaller sizes also get 27.5in wheels for better proportionality, while the larger sizes get full 29ers

Rugged

To soak up the impacts when taken off-road – or when simply ridden through pot-holed back street – the Tesoro Neo X comes with 100mm of front suspension, as well as a suspension seatpost. Plump 2.1in tyres help to sound out higher frequency vibrations, as well as providing greater levels of grip on loose terrain.

The drivetrain is Shimano's 10-speed LinkGlide system with an11–43t cassette, designed to be more durable and better cope with heavy use. To help pull you to a stop quickly, the disc rotors are massive at 203mm and use a set of Magura CT 2 callipers. 

Unlike some other e-bikes that are designed solely for city use, the handlebar position of the Tesoro Neo X has been designed to balance comfort with sportier riding. It's by no means a head-down XC bike set up, but it still is designed for cooporating when the pedals are turned in earnest. 

Pricing

The Tesoro Neo X is available to be bought now, but only in this one spec: there aren't any other models to choose from. It'll set you back £5,000 or €4,999. We'll update you once the USA pricing comes through.