Mondraker goes on a diet with its all-new Neat electric mountain bike

Sean White

With a TQ motor, sleek carbon frame and 150mm of rear travel, Mondraker's Neat electric mountain bike offers a compelling lightweight package.

Powerful yet silent. Stable yet agile. Mondraker’s design brief for its entry into the lightweight (or diet) e-bike category certainly has focus. But would the brand that opened gateways with its Forward Geometry thinking ten years ago, break new ground in this rapidly evolving category?

After all, Mondraker’s current Crafty Carbon full fat e-bike ticks plenty of boxes. It blends an integrated large capacity 750Wh battery and 85Nm Bosch Performance CX motor into a sleek carbon silhouette. Would Mondraker remain loyal to Bosch and drop the new lightweight Performance SX motor and battery into a similar blueprint or take another route altogether?

Mondraker Neat RR SL

The Neat e-bike uses the TQ HPR50 motor, also seen on the Trek Fuel EXe

Following Trek with its trail-orientated Fuel EXe and Scott with its more XC-focused Lumen, Mondraker has partnered with TQ for the Neat’s motor, battery and controller. It still looks very much a Mondraker though… even with the slightly lower top tube and more compact swingarm that’s the result of a reworking of the brand’s long-standing Zero suspension design. The signature head tube window is still there too.

Mondraker Neat RR SL

A revised Zero suspension system has resulted in a more compact swingarm

The Mondraker Neat is the longest travel TQ-equipped e-bike on the market. With 150mm of rear travel, paired with a stock 160mm fork, it goes head to head with the second generation Specialized Levo SL and Forestal Cyon, albeit with 10mm more fork travel.

And as with these two competing bikes (and the 140mm travel Pivot Shuttle SL and Trek Fuel EXe too), the Neat rolls on 29in wheels front and rear. There’s no mullet wheel option, even on the the smallest of the Neat’s four frame sizes.

Mondraker is on the money with the bike’s weight too. With the three models’ weights listed between 17.9kg and 18.9kg the Neat compares well to the key players in this diet e-bike category, whether powered by Brose, Fazua or TQ.

Mondraker Neat RR SL

The TQ display is neatly integrated into the carbon top tube

The HPR50 is TQ’s only mountain bike motor offering, so the tech spec on the Neat is identical to both the EXe and Lumen: 50Wh of torque, a maximum peak power of 300W and a removable 360Wh battery. Even the optional 160Wh down tube-mounted range extender looks identical to the Trek model, as is the top tube mounted display and handlebar mounted controller.

There are three modes available to let you quickly flick through the different levels of assistance provided by the motor: Eco, Mid and High. Within each of these modes you have a further 3 parameters which can be individually adjusted via TQ’s E-bike app: Max power, Assistance and Pedal Response.

Need to know

  • Full carbon frame including swingarm
  • 150mm rear, 160mm fork travel
  • 29″ wheels F/R across four frame sizes
  • TQ HPR 50 motor
  • TQ 360Wh battery with 160Wh range extender option
  • Revised Zero suspension system
  • SRAM UDH hangerless interface design
Mondraker Neat RR SL action 2

Stable and agile were key words in Mondraker’s design brief

The Mondraker Neat model line-up

Mondraker Neat R

The entry level Neat R uses the same TQ motor and battery as the pricier RR models

Neat R

  • Fork: Fox 36 Float Performance 160mm
  • Rear shock: Fox Float X Performance
  • Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle
  • Crankset: E.13 E*Spec Plus
  • Brakes: SRAM G2 R (200mm F/R)
  • Wheels: Mavic E-Crossride 29
  • Seatpost: Onoff Pija adjustable stroke dropper
  • Price: £6799
Mondraker Neat RR

Neat RR  (this image doesn’t represent the final production spec of the RR model)

Neat RR

  • Fork: Fox 36 Float Grip 2 Factory
  • Rear shock: Fox Float X Factory EVOL
  • Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle AXS Transmission
  • Crankset: E.13 E*Spec Plus
  • Brakes: SRAM Level Bronze Stealth (200mm F/R)
  • Wheels: Mavic E-DeeMax SL
  • Seatpost: Fox Transfer Factory (f/size specific stroke)
  • Price: £8499
Mondraker Neat RR SL

Mondraker Neat RR SL runs the all-new SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission

Neat RR SL

  • Fork: Fox 36 Float Grip2 Factory
  • Rear shock: Fox Float X Factory EVOL
  • Drivetrain: SRAM XX Eagle AXS Transmission
  • Crankset: E.13 TRS Race carbon e-bike
  • Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth (200mm F/R)
  • Wheels: Mavic E-CrossMax Carbon SL R
  • Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth AXS (f/size specific stroke)
  • Price: £10499

mondraker.com

Mondraker Neat RR SL

It looks like Mondraker’s Neat e-bike will cope with UK trail conditions