Cannondale Tesoro Neo X E-Bike Review

Images from manufacturer's website

73 mi

RANGE

28 mph

TOP SPEED

4.5 hrs

CHARGE TIME

52 lbs

WEIGHT

Mid-drive

MOTOR TYPE

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Cannondale Tesoro Neo X Review: Takeaway

If you’re after a quality commuter bike that has a good lick of speed and kicks like an angry bull when you need to get up a nasty hill, consider the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X.

Ideal as a car replacement with its powerful motor, this is an electric road bike that will take whatever you throw at it easily and comfortably.

Planning long rides in the countryside with your lunch and photography equipment? This will carry all you need and do the big miles with up to 73 miles of range on a single charge.

Want to cycle at close to the speed of traffic in the city? With a maximum pedal-assist speed of 28 mph, you won’t be left behind.

Ideal for...

Long distance commutes

Day touring

Multi-day touring

Replacing the second family car

Utility/errand running

E-Bike Overview

Thanks to its maximum pedal-assist speed of 28 mph, the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X will handle most city traffic conditions without cars or trucks trying to get past you. Though not legal in many states (this is a Class 3 electric bike), where permitted, you’ll get the respect you need from other road users.

When it comes to range, Cannondale says this e-bike will do 73 miles thanks to its 625 Watt-hour battery. In reality, in a city like San Francisco, you’ll get as few as 40 miles a day — but this is still a lot of miles in the saddle.

It’s well designed for light off-road uses (perhaps a forest track in extreme cases) with its 100mm travel fork and Schwalbe Big Ben Plus Performance 28″ tires that won’t suffer on a bit of dirt. This wheel size is bigger than most other e-bikes, giving you more control over bumps and obstacles.

When it comes to evening riding, the bright head and tail lights will both alert other road users to your presence and show you the road ahead with no trouble. It also comes with a horn preinstalled so you can alert others that you’re passing.

Reasons to Buy

We love the range offered by the 625Wh battery. Up to 73 miles is a very good range as far as modern e-bikes go. For touring, you can happily do a full-day ride at 12-14 mph with perhaps lunch and dinner in the included pannier bags. That makes this e-bike an ideal machine where you may plan to plug it in by night and ride by day for a few days.

The 85 Nm of torque offered by the Bosch Performance Line Speed motor — offering up to 340% of the power you give to the pedals — will heave you up even the steepest of city streets without you breaking a big sweat.

With its suspension seat post that smooths out impacts, the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X is a comfortable road machine that few others in the segment can beat.

Things to Consider

Even with a 10-tooth top gear on this e-bike, your legs will be pumping like crazy to reach the top speed of 28 mph. If you ride this at similar speeds to most riders — 15 mph is usually standard on most trails — then you won’t get where you’re going in a ball of sweat.

At a price of $5,500, this electric bike is a bit expensive. However, if you’re looking for a solid commuter e-bike, this is certainly a machine that will make you want to leave your car behind.

Specs & Components

Motor

Bosch Performance Line Speed 250-watt drive-unit

Battery

In-tube 625 Wh

Display

Bosch Kiox

Power delivery

Pedal assist (PAS)

Frame

SmartForm C1 Alloy

Drivetrain

Shimano Deore M6100 12-speed, 10-51 tooth cassette

Brakes

Magura MT5 hydraulic, 203mm rotors front and rear

Tires

Schwalbe Big Ben Plus Performance, 28” x 2.15”

Fork

SR Suntour Raidon 34, 100mm travel

Extras

Lights, horn, rack, fenders

The specs above come from the manufacturer and may vary from what you’ve experienced. Notice something that needs correcting? Let us know.

Ratings

Power

 5/5

The Bosch Powerline Speed motor is only 250 Watts but kicks like a mule with up to 85 Newton meters of torque. This will get you up even the most severe climbs without breaking too much of a sweat.

With 2.15” wide road tires, this bike has some rolling resistance, meaning you won’t hit big speeds on those downhill stretches where you can let go of the brakes. However, this isn’t a road racing bike, so that’s not a huge loss. It should be noted that it lacks a throttle and is pedal assist only, so it rides like a traditional bike.

Range

 4.5/5

4.5

At full power on the flat, you may well get the advertised 73 miles on a full charge — maybe even a little more! Of course, real-world riding involves a mix of uphill and down, using different power settings according to the terrain. In these conditions, you’ll get fairly good distances per charge thanks to the 12-speed cassette and a good range of ratios to choose from.

When it comes to e-bike range, headwinds, big hills, and a higher-than-optimum rider weight can shorten the real-world range of riding and should be factored in ahead of planning a ride.

Comfort

 5/5

The Tesoro Neo X has a parallelogram suspension seatpost to protect your behind as you ride. This doesn’t move as far as the 100mm travel Suntour forks but will certainly cushion you against much of what America’s roads and unpaved tracks will throw at you.

You’ll be in a leaned-forward, trekking position, so you may start to feel the ride in your upper body after a certain distance, but the trade-off is the somewhat aerodynamic riding position. The 28″ wheels with 2.15” road tires round off what will be a very comfortable ride, even after 50 or so miles.

Durability

 5/5

Service this electric bike well, and it’ll reward you with thousands of miles of comfortable riding. If ridden hard, the KMC X12 chain will stretch enough to need replacing every 700-1,000 miles or so. Keep it oiled, and it won’t need replacing at an inopportune moment. Depending on terrain and whether you ride in rain, you may need to replace the brake pads every 700 miles or so, too.

Cannondale offers a lifetime warranty on its frames, while third-party manufactured components like the forks and motor will be subject to their manufacturers’ individual warranties.

Style

 5/5

With its refined, light gray color scheme and looks that reflect that of the best current electric commuter bikes, the Cannondale Tesoro Neo X may almost be considered a thing of beauty. We love its shape with the 28” wheels and large tires going well with its well-proportioned frame. It’s definitely an electric bike to be seen arriving at your destination!

Our Research Methodology

We personally research and test every e-bike featured in our reviews and guides to provide accurate, data-driven recommendations. Learn how we review.

About Our Editorial Team

Written by Robb Dorr

Co-founder

Robb is a massive cycling enthusiast who has more than 20 years of non-motorized cycling experience. He started eBikes.org to lower the barrier of entry to cycling and reduce the intimidation people can experience when getting into the cycling world.

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