Cannondale’s Newest Moterra E-MTBs Finally Hit North America

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Cannondale is starting 2026 off with some pretty exciting announcements in support of its mountain bike presence, and the new Moterra and Moterra LT come just after the news of the new Bad Habit. The new Moterra models certainly borrow some inspiration from the aforementioned Bad Habit, especially the Moterra LT.

Depending on how you feel about eMTBs and the current war on power, it’s pretty cool to see more brands sticking with Bosch, which is a proven innovator and advocate for more realistic and manageable eMTB motors and systems. However, the latest update suggests that Bosch is well aware of how things are trending.

Regardless of eMTB power opinions, the new Moterra offerings are pretty slick looking, and thanks to revised geo and suspension kinematics, the Cannondale Moterras are looking like some really well-considered eMTB options from the legendary brand.

Overview

The Moterra comes in two flavors, with the LT variant being the longer-travel option, and the one that most of us are probably most intrigued by. The Moterra sits on full 29” wheels, 160mm of front wheel travel and 150mm in the rear, and comes with some gnarly-looking through-headset cable routing. On the other hand, the Moterra LT does not route the cables through the stem, has more travel (170mm front, 165mm rear), and uses an MX wheel setup. 

Both models utilize the Bosch CX motor, somewhat proportional geometry, and revamped suspension kinematics tuned for specific wheel and frame sizes and riding styles. Both Moterra and Moterra LT bikes are compatible with either a 600Wh or 800Wh battery, and Bosch’s 250Wh PowerMore range extender to really maximize laps. The timing of this new Moterra line coincides with the recent update that Bosch rolled out for its CX motors, allowing riders to unlock more power and more torque.

Despite the headset cable paths on the Moterra, it’s still a pretty impressive-looking unit for someone looking for an eMTB that will do most things really well, but, as I said before, the Moterra LT is the bike that aggressive riders will gravitate towards. It’s bigger, badder, and basically takes the selling points of the Bad Habit and puts some power into the chassis.

In terms of suspension design, both Moterra models are going with a tried and true Horst link style linkage, because it’s just the right pick for a bike like this. The Moterra comes in 5 build kits (1,2,3,4 and 4+) as well as two frame materials (carbon – 1 & 2, and alloy for 3,4, and 4+), with slight differences to play to the strengths of each, whereas the Moterra LT is carbon-only.

Moterra LT Suspension Details

Pricing & Geometry

Build Kits