First Look: Mondraker's New 'Neat' Lightweight eMTB

There's a new lightweight eMTB in Mondraker's lineup, the Neat. Powered by a TQ HPR50 motor, the bike has 150mm of travel provided by a revised version of the Spanish brand's dual-link Zero Suspension design.

To the outsider, a lightweight eMTB seems very much par for the course. Less power, less weight and aiming to give a bike that offers a more traditional feeling mountain bike. In the category, TQ has established itself as one of the motors of choice for brands to partner up with. The TQ HPR50, to be precise. This system aims to blend into the bike more than the louder, more powerful and heavier systems out there. While they do miss out in terms of total output, they can offer a halfway house and aim to blur the lines between normal bicycle and power-assisted e-bike.


While these motors are relatively commonplace and often share many of the same features and functions irrespective of the frame they're packaged within, Mondraker feels that it has now launched a groundbreaking example of the lightweight eMTB, the Neat. It's unclear how this bike achieves this but there in the information provided to us there is mainly talk of "redefining the current concept of mountain biking" etc.. Bad copy, hubris and a potential overindulgence of Google translate to one side, the bike does look good, and ticks many of the boxes that you would expect from a lightweight eMTB.

The frame, less the battery and motor, is made of Mondraker's own Stealth Air carbon and weighs 2.3 kilograms. Whole builds have a claimed weight of around 18 kilograms with trail-esque builds featuring Exo+ tires and Fox 36 forks. The bike integrates TQ's system wholly, including the screen in the top tube and the option to make changes to the system via a mobile app.


The system can be configured into three distinct modes Maximum Power, which is adjustable between 30W and 300W, Assistance, which is adjustable from between 25 and 200% of your effort and Pedal Response. Each profile can be configured individually.

The bike, much like other TQ equipped bikes, delivers 50Nm of torque. The battery, which is entirely removable, weighs around 1800 grams. The motor itself has a similar claimed weight. There is also an option to add a battery extender, which weighs just under 1 kilogram and fits into a bottle cage.


The Neat also uses TQ's Pin-Ring. This mechanism is how the brand aims to deliver instant engagement and a quieter system. The TQ motors, when reviewed, are often considered some of the quietest available, and this is an important component of that.


Geometry

The bike uses comparatively long-reach values in its range. This is important to acknowledge straight away because it provides context for other values such as relatively long seat tubes and long effective top tubes. In fact, the medium is more of a medium/large by other brands' definitions. For instance, while the 470 reach isn't massive it is relatively long, and will only feel longer when sat down thanks to that effective seat tube angle of 76.5 degrees. It's not slack by any means, but could certainly do more to rein in that long front center for seated climbs. The benefit to this will be more weight going through the rider's lower body of flatter terrain which, dimensions aside, can be more comfortable.

The bike has reach values of 450, 470, 495 and 515 mm for their small through extra-large sizes. These are all coupled with the same 450 mm rear end. The stack is relatively high, too. This when combined with the longer rear end, especially in the smaller sizes where the rear end makes up a greater proportion of the bike's total length, should give a bike that tracks well on steep terrain while also having enough weight on the front to feel balanced on flatter trails. All the bikes feature a 64.5 degree head angle.

Models

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For more information, please visit mondraker.com/

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eMTB Reviews and Tech First Looks Mondraker