2025 Mondraker

NEAT RR

Mondraker enters the mid-power, diet e-bike category with the Neat; a trail/enduro bike with a TQ motor and battery. I travelled to the Pyrenees to give it ride and find out how it stacks up against the best electric bikes on the market. Need to know Full carbon frame and TQ system adds up to a sub-18kg e-bike New Zero suspension layout with 150mm rear travel Removable 360Wh battery and optional 160Wh range extender Four frame sizes and three models starting at £6,799 While the bike industry is currently battling strong economic headwinds, no one seems to have told Mondraker. Against a backdrop of demand suppressed by rapidly rising prices, and a market flooded with excess units, the Spanish brand enjoyed growth of 50% last year. For a physical manifestation of its success, one needs only look at its impressive new facility in Elche, just outside Alicante. Resembling a glittering glazed doughnut, it could easily be confused for a contemporary art gallery or a tech company HQ. And housed within are not only the white collar departments, but a substantial assembly line, a move that gives the brand greater flexibility when it comes to production, and insulates it to some degree from potential future shocks to the supply chain.  “The perfect blend of Crafty Carbon and Foxy” – Israel Romero, Mondraker To thank for this enviable growth are rising sales of its e-bikes, and chiefly the Crafty trail/enduro model. There are other models in the range, with varying intended uses, but it’s the 160/150mm travel category that seems to be the sweet spot for the brand, and where demand is strongest. To bolster this segment, dip its toes into a growing sub-category, and hopefully attract a new audience, Mondraker is launching this brand new lightweight e-mtb. It’s called the Neat, and it’s basically a Foxy with a motor.  Full run through of the new Mondraker Neat e-bike model range Sub-18kg for the top model As well as breaking new ground, the Neat also signals a new design direction and a fledgling partnership with German motor manufacturer TQ. What it’s not is Mondraker’s first sub-20kg e-bike. Back in 2019 it built a Crafty Carbon with full-fat Bosch system that weighed considerably less than anything with a similar engine and fuel tank. Although not as light as rivals such as the Scott Lumen and Rotwild R.X275, the new Neat saves 2kg over the old flyweight Crafty, as well as bringing a ride experience that claims to be much closer to an analogue bike in terms of noise, handling, and drag.  Ground Zero: A fresh configuration for Mondraker’s suspension system Even a casual glance is enough to tell you that the Neat gets a reconfigured Zero twin-link suspension layout. The shock still actuated by a rocker link, but it now reclines at an acute angle and is anchored at the swingarm rather than the lower link. What this does is allow Mondraker to lower the rocker link assembly without interfering with the motor, …Continue reading »

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