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

Jul 25, 2023
by Henry Quinney  
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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The Neat R is the cheapest model, but at $9,699 USD, it certainly isn't cheap. That said, pricing in Euros does seem to be more competitive across the board. The bike features a Fox 36 29 Float GRIP EVOL Performance fork, SRAM GX Eagle transmission, SRAM G2 R brakes.

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Neart RR $12,499 has a Fox 36 GRIP2 Factory Kashima fork, SRAM GX Eagle AXS transmission, SRAM Level Bronze Stealth brakes, Fox Transfer Factory Kashima seatpost and Mavic E-DeeMax SL 29 wheels. For a bike like this, it would be nice to see Code brakes instead of the weaker even if slightly lighter Levels.

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The all-out, Neat RR SL $15699, which like the other bikes has better value in Euros, has a Fox 36 29 Float GRIP2 Factory Kashima fork, SRAM XX Eagle T-Type AXS transmission, RockShox Reverb AXS seatpost and Mavic E-CrossMax Carbon XL R wheels. Again, this has the Level brakes. Even if in their Ultimate Silver tier, to me it makes more sense to just go to the Codes.

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Pricing.



For more information, please visit mondraker.com/

Author Info:
henryquinney avatar

Member since Jun 3, 2014
322 articles

97 Comments
  • 147 44
 These new emtb posts were rather annoying until i bought one recently and was pleasantly surprised how many more miles of riding I could squeeze into a weekend, and how much more energy I had on tap at the beginning of the week. The excitement to ride my mountain bike has returned like when I first started riding over ten years ago. Also I would like to point out that my first weekend on the new emtb was in 90-110 degree weather. Clocked 64miles and 5400ft in 3 days.
  • 99 143
flag s100 (Jul 25, 2023 at 18:06) (Below Threshold)
 I also clocked 64 miles and 5400ft in one weekend. And felt like I had more energy for work Monday. That was the last two days of BC Bike Race. No e-bikes allowed. I first started riding in 92. In 30°C heat.
  • 45 6
 @s100: Jealous. i would love to ride in BC! Unfortunately my circumstances at the moment don't allow me to travel much because I have to look after my old dog. He can only walk on his front legs in a cart and needs help getting outside to goto the bathroom. Here in Phoenix, AZ it's 37 degrees celsius by 9am and tops out at about 46 degrees celsius by 6pm.
  • 156 1
 I think it’s so nice that both @devinkalt and @s100 had fun times on bikes they each enjoy regardless of what anyone else was riding.
  • 17 1
 @devinkalt: my dogs breath smells like dog food.
  • 12 0
 That was ChatGPT right?
  • 6 2
 @devinkalt: It's currently 4:50 am and 35 degrees. I'm getting ready to head out to Sonoran Preserve, for a Transition Repeater session!
  • 1 0
 @Rocky-Alta: haha what
  • 3 0
 @SwampThAAng: the early bird gets the worm
  • 19 8
 I find it comical how 1/3 of the feedback on your post is thumbs down. Everything you wrote was positive and encouraging and I have friends with the same experience, but there’s a certain number of people who are like cavemen, ‘electric bikes = bad, and don’t tell me anything else’. They’re awesome, fun, and can give you a great workout (despite what naysayers may say).
  • 17 2
 @Ryawesomerpm: Don't assume. I downvoted OP because of the imperial units, the cavemen among of units of measurement.
  • 4 2
 @s100: humble brag
  • 8 1
 @slickwilly1: Nothing humble about that brag.
  • 4 1
 @Ryawesomerpm: it appears to me that many mountain bikers were Amish in a past life, and may have to confront this version of themselves
  • 9 13
flag kookseverywhere FL (Jul 26, 2023 at 10:31) (Below Threshold)
 @Ryawesomerpm: thumbs down because why does everything have to be more more more? Its the instant gratification culture of e-bikes that annoys me. If you are after extra laps just go to a zone with shuttling or lifts. But if you want to go further and faster on regular rides commit to working on your skill and fitness. If you have an hour to ride, just go for an hour ride. Don't tell me ebikes are "actually a pretty good workout"... If you want a workout just ride a regular bike and leave our climb trails in peace.
  • 5 3
 @kookseverywhere: you can still spend most of your time riding in zone 5 on an ebike if you like to ride fast and can handle that much speed
  • 2 2
 @devinkalt: depends on the trails you ride. Greens. Yes.
  • 1 1
 @devinkalt: flow. Yes.
  • 2 1
 The review on bikeradar.com said it tapped out at 800m vertical gain. Ithese lightweight e bikes seem more of a hindrance than performance benefit
  • 2 0
 Rookie numbers.
  • 1 0
 What kind of bike / build?
  • 1 0
 @V7V: 2023 turbo Levo comp carbon
  • 1 0
 @AlanMck: I’ll have to get those numbers up Wink
  • 1 2
 @kookseverywhere: I have a turbo levo. Every trailforks ride I have a hrm. I can’t get my hr up like on a bike unless it is not technical riding. The jumps that were built for a certain speed the eBike is no use for. Overshooting past the landing and the berm with eBike speed is of no use to getting my hr into zone 5.

Road biking is fine to use a motor for. Or Diamondhead laps. Not a lot of blacks or double blacks at Alice Lake or Valleycliffe here in Squamish are enhanced much by an eBike. Ok for the road to climb up?
  • 4 5
 @kookseverywhere: @kookseverywhere: You may be so lucky in Canada but where I live there are no shuttle zones or lifts within a few hours drive. Not sure about you but I have a full time job so I cant be doing those trips in the mornings before I clock in. Im jealous if you have that luxury of location and the funds to pay for a season pass or all that gas to drive the truck up the mountain multiple days a week. You must have never ridden anything with a TQ motor before - it wont go hard if you arent. you can pedal it around at 100 watts and it'll only give you about that much assist in the highest assist mode. I can guarantee I get as good a workout on my Fuel Exe as anyone else pedaling up the mountain, and I have the empirical power data to prove it. I can knock out 3 laps of a local trail in 45 minutes pedaling at 250 watts with 280 watts of assist. No amount of "skill and fitness" will ever allow me to do that on an acoustic bike. I'm a Cat 1 XC racer and Cat 3 roadie, so theres no lack of skill or fitness here. Why would I ever want to ride fewer trails in the same amount of time? The moment I want to do less of what I love will be the day I die. Go complain about a subject you actually know something about.
  • 4 3
 @dylananderson: I have a full time job too.. and if I only have time for one lap I only do one lap. Ride e-bikes, but don’t pretend you’re mountain biking. We’re the only sport having this ridiculous conversation. In golf if people want to drive further they don’t reach for and electric power club, kayakers don’t hop in a motor boat and say that they are still kayaking. Mountain biking doesn’t have space for motors.
  • 3 2
 @kookseverywhere: The false equivalence you made with golf brings up another point that exposes just how flawed your argument is. When golfers wanted to get more holes in, they started driving golf carts instead of walking from hole to hole... They're still swinging a club, just like I'm still turning cranks. Only difference is each of us is enjoying our sport more by doing more of it in the same timeframe. The only people making this a "ridiculous" conversation are kooks like you, and unfortunately they're everywhere. I'll reiterate this point because it seems to have been lost on you: go complain about a subject you actually know something about. E-mtbs are the fastest growing market segment in the industry right now, so you have to be some special kind of ignorant to think motors have no space in mountain biking.
  • 5 0
 @dylananderson: can we not use "acoustic" please. regular bikes dont play tunes unless they are badly out of tune !
  • 5 0
 @dylananderson: obesity is the fastest growing segment of the population in the USA today. Not fit people. Compared to 10 years ago, 40 years ago and 100 years ago, the USA is much less fit.
You cant stay obese and frequently ride 100 mi on a bike. You can accomplish it on a motorbike/eBike.

When that segment of the population is opened up to a new product, of course it will grow fast.

How many e-bikes were riding at Tour de Gnar yesterday? Do they lend themselves to the bleeding edge of mountainbiking? I would love to see how they are being used. Hidden cameras. The secret lives of e-bikes. Are people getting more gnarly with them and/or improving their riding skills?

Last night I took our club group ride on the new trail I’m building. EBikers didn’t have any advantage and none of them did my dbl black features/rock drops/rock gardens. They rode the blue lines/options. But they had an easier time getting back up the climb trail.

If I were to design and build specific to eBikes, what would be different? What would be the same? It’s questions like this that I think about a lot. I design trails now to ride the same, but to start and end where shuttling is more convenient. Because those trails get ridden more, by that segment of the population. So far, if I want to build super popular trails for the eBike crowd, I have found that I need to put in more ride arounds for the features I prefer to ride. But that could just be a BC thing. Who knows.
  • 2 2
 @s100: its clearly not due to the bikes. same happens here on the other side of the big round rock. e-bikers are made of two halves. Those of us who are finding it too hard to stay fit enough to climb our gnarly trails and those who are less skilled/strong/beginners. The majority of e-bikers are generally less skilled but that's simply a function of what they are there to do. support the less willing or able. It's great to see loads of kids now riding to school but they are riding on e-bikes. They will naturally move to e-mtb bikes if they or their parents can afford it and then likely be part of the 'more skilled' e-bike set. It's not the bike. it's the rider.
  • 1 1
 @Rocky-Alta: With the news and media claiming everything to be AI, this bike better be AI enabled or it's not worth anywhere near $15K MSRP. I wonder when this AI BS is gonna stop when data apps were called data-driven years before this AI marketing BS came exploding out last year.
  • 54 3
 imagine spending 15000 on a bike that comes with mavic wheels and e thirteen cranks…
  • 6 0
 Probably a SX or NX part hidden somewhere too.
  • 48 1
 Imagine spending 12500 on a brakeless bike
  • 12 0
 @Padded: well they are stealth brakes.
  • 7 1
 Current mavics are fine. They responded my emails quickly too.
  • 3 0
 @Padded: or 9700 for a bike with a front brake hose that is severed in the middle!
  • 5 4
 It’s just depressing at this point. Luckily E bikes have died a death around here I’m guessing people have been burnt and won’t be burnt twice wasting a house deposit on a cheap entry level mountain bike with the motor from a cheap wireless drill bolted to the bottom bracket that almost instantly disintegrated and felt to bits.
  • 3 1
 @thenotoriousmic: tell us you have implicit bias, with a lot of extraneous words.....lol
  • 1 0
 What would be the best build instead of those cranks, wheels, and brakes?
  • 35 1
 If I'm buying an e-bike, give me ridiculous travel. I'm already getting free power, I might as well get some benefits for it. Otherwise, I'll just ride a bike if I want only 150mm of travel.
  • 7 1
 And that's exactly why I bought a Kenevo!!
  • 3 1
 Yeah, just demoed the Pivot shuttle SL and LT and definitely agree. Wanted more travel on the SL, LT was a pig in the turns and in the air. Lightweights are about the same as alloy DH bikes so they're sick to jump and rail turns with, but just don't have the spare travel for the most part. Where are all the 170mm lighweights????
  • 4 0
 I have a Mondraker Foxy, and it's 150/170. setup correctly it doesn't go through it's travel, and feels bottomless on some massive hits. My legs give up befor the bike does on the big stuff. I would suspect this bike(which has very similar geo, the same suspension platform, although revised) will handle nearly identically....

the Foxy is the best enduro bike I have ever ridden. pedal efficiency out the wazoo and can be built up under 30lbs w/DD casing tires. modern enduro needs bikes you can pedal, as most stages have flat or even uphill sections. That is where most stage wins come from. your legs and lungs. lol
  • 2 1
 @NickMT: Transition Relay, pnw builds are 170mm stock and the 29er builds just need travel spacer removed.
  • 1 0
 150 mm of travel is a ridiculous amount of suspension in my neck of the woods.
  • 1 0
 @NickMT: specialized Kenevo sl 170 F & R
  • 22 0
 When any bike comes with a 36mm+ stanchion fork, brakes should be on par with Codes or better…
Bloody XC brakes on something that is heavy or intended for hard riding is stupid.
  • 39 0
 You can tell its neat by the way it is
  • 10 0
 for going out in neature.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm3JodBR-vs
  • 2 0
 @dhrider92: not to often you can get all this neatness in one place
  • 3 0
 Neat too bulky, but neat affordable. In summary, neat my kind of bike.
  • 3 0
 Neat does not rhyme with 150. But Nifty does.
  • 9 1
 That’s what they were hiding…
  • 11 7
 Another bike brand who COMPLETELY ignores what the riders ask for: a light emtb with more suspension (around 160mm.)
Even if you don’t want to ride enduro more suspension will make you go faster and more comfortable due to the fact that you are sitting down a lot on an emtb.
  • 7 0
 Yes. More lightweight long travel rigs
  • 1 0
 I wonder about this...I do see a market segment of riders who have no interest in venturing past easy black trails, and don't want to imply that they skill to do so. I think it's like having a 140ish mm bike acts as a visual signal to attract similar riders who also want to stick to blue and easy black trails. And so there's a market for ebikes with travel to match.

Personally, I want a proper E-DH bike, though Big Grin
  • 1 0
 Although the top tube is long it does run on a 30mm stem so take 10mm away from most bikes using a 40mm and the reach figures are all of 1cm longer than the market average. I wish they'd factor it in. My 2017 large foxy though, 503mm reach with a 74 degree seat tube, that is too long
  • 5 0
 What’s not Neat are these prices. Give me a break.
  • 1 0
 yeah but does it still have the progressive/regressive low leverage ratio that makes for a harsh as balls ride but great to pedal up fire trails? Mondraker need to explain if their new rear setup has fixed their horrible kinematics of their foxy's
  • 1 0
 and as for the geo. its actually a sensible medium made for average height men ( 5'8" - 5'11" ) rather than most mediums which are too small or larges a tad too large. Kudos to Mondraker there. ETT is only 615 so that's less than a Firebird Medium. Reach is irrelevant to seated position feel. its about how the bike feels when standing up. It is also about preference for stability or agility. I think Mondraker have still leading the way with Geometry.
  • 2 0
 Mentions twice that the price in Euros is cheaper - also won't tell us what that price is. I did take a look at the Mondraker website but it doesn't list any prices either.
  • 6 0
 The pricing changes a lot depending on location. It's a bit convoluted but the full breakdown is here - www.pinkbike.com/photo/25229504
  • 7 0
 also mentions a battery and battery extender but doesnt state the size of either. What a neat article
  • 1 0
 Dont worry you will be able to buy one with 2000 quid off next year ebikes like this years mondraker , just bought a crafty rr
  • 1 0
 @henryquinney: unaffordable or totally unaffordable? Good to make the distinction.
  • 2 0
 wow so if you live in Spain you can drive to Portugal and save 1500 euro. even weirder isn't mondraker a Spanish company.
  • 2 2
 They put the Level brakes on the SL because they have to spec Sram, and they know when they do that anyone buying a $15k bike is going to bin whatever Sram brakes are on there anyway. No reason to spend more for the top of the line Code RSC or anything.
  • 1 0
 Level ultimate stealth and code rsc stealth are the same msrp.
  • 2 0
 At $9700 for the base model, there are way to many other eMTB's brands that offer way more value and will have just as much fun riding.
  • 2 0
 funny pricing in europe. is portugal paying some euros to enhance the "fly-in-buy-a-bike-make-holidays-go-back-and-still-save-some-bucks" tourism?
  • 1 0
 Mondraker are always really good at clean lines on thier frames, really liking this new shock orientation, look forward to it finding its way to the normal bikes, maybe with a steeper seat tube angle though.
  • 2 0
 Those Levels do look lighter on the RR model
  • 2 0
 That's what under the bag on the DH bike.
  • 1 0
 It looks good, but dang is it expensive. Need more competition to bring the prices down.
  • 2 0
 I spy a spot for a tinyfckinframebag. Bicyclepubes will be happy
  • 1 1
 I’m much less enthusiastic about mountain biking , it is no longer my primary sport. Perhaps an ebike would rekindle my excitement as it has for devinkait
  • 1 0
 Why no frame only options on the light ebikes? Similar weight to most DH bikes, so know problem swapping gear over.
  • 2 0
 There is a frame only option on this. Speak to a dealer.
  • 2 0
 I was interested until I saw the $
  • 1 0
 Silly to have anything less than a 38 170mm+ fork on an E.

They are pigs meant for dh training, not flow trails.
  • 3 3
 Was interested in the Pin-Ring system till I rear the price and got Ring-Sting...
  • 1 0
 The grey one has the best brakes, flintstones technology
  • 1 1
 I very well might have purchased this over my Relay if I known it was coming. I love Mondraker's generally. Oh well.
  • 1 0
 The seatpost insertion length seems to be far too short.
  • 1 0
 Neart RR..
Is that the Neat built for nerds?
  • 1 0
 Pretty much a pointless article without the battery size.
  • 1 0
 Italy is missing bceause we are poor.
  • 1 0
 Light
  • 1 2
 What is the rear travel? I don’t see it on the website or in this article. Maybe I’m overlooking
  • 7 0
 Yeah you overlooked it. It’s the second sentence of the article.
  • 1 0
 Lol 15k
  • 1 0
 Those prices!
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