All Mountain Shootout: Cannondale, Rocky Mountain and Haibike up to 9000 euros

Three rivals that are among the latest on the E-MTB market. Cannondale's downhill-orientated all-rounder Moterra Neo was only unveiled in spring 2022, while Rocky Mountain's playful Instinct Powerplay and Haibike's new Bosch All Mtn bike are only just starting to arrive at dealers. As is so often the case, the top models are available first - both for us in the test and for end customers on the market - more affordable models will follow.

Cannondale, Rocky and Haibike: Not just top parts for top models either

Although two out of three manufacturers can deliver their top model straight away: At the beginning of this test, there is disillusionment. All-mountain bikes up to 9000 euros were once the ultimate class. Shiny silver XTR parts, shimmering golden Kashima coating. Plus full carbon frames, carbon rims, carbon handlebars. Admittedly, that was a few years ago. Years in which the E-MTB has developed at breathtaking speed. Key words: larger batteries integrated into the frame, more connectivity, more suspension travel, wider range of use. Not to mention general price drivers such as inflation and the pandemic.

But the fact is: even in this price range, there is not much left of the splendour of earlier days. However, manufacturers such as Rocky Mountain and Cannondale have always been among the brands at the upper end of the price scale. Well-meaning people say that they simply invest more in frame development than in equipment alone. So the exciting question is: Can these bikes justify their high price even if expensive parts and high-quality materials are not omnipresent?

All the details of the Cannondale, Haibike and Rocky Mountain tests can be found in the detailed individual test reports:

• To the test report: Cannondale Moterra Neo Carbon 1
• To the test report: Haibike All Mtn CF SE
• To the test report: Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay C70

Expensive means light? A look at the weight:

A simple look at the facts shows that there is hardly any added value to the three premium bikes. This also applies - with slight limitations - to the weight. Apparently, expensive does not mean light. Cannondale's Moterra Neo Carbon 1 and Haibike's All Mtn CF SE weigh as much as we are used to from most bikes with a carbon main frame and Bosch Smart System. Just under 25 kilograms.

Only the Rocky Mountain performs better here. The full carbon frame is not only well made, but also seems really light and helps the Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay C70 to a significantly better weight of 22.91 kilograms. The relatively light battery also plays its part in this. The Rocky battery offers a nominal 720 watt hours, but is still over 700 grams lighter than Bosch's 750 Powertube in Cannondale and Haibike.

Uphill, downhill, touring and riding fun: what a good all-mountain bike needs to be able to do

Can the three E-MTBs finally score points in practice? The chances of this are good, because in no other bike class do the candidates have to deliver top performance in such different categories as with all-mountain bikes: they want to be taken on long tours, they should climb the steepest uphills just as confidently as they guide their riders down rough downhills. And on fun trails, they should be lively and fun to ride. A collection of shiny add-on parts alone will not achieve this. Rather, the decisive factors are successful geometry and sophisticated kinematics. Have Cannondale, Rocky Mountain and Haibike invested in development here? The moment of truth is on the trail.

Uphill: Haibike confident and uncomplicated

Accompanied by the whirring of the Bosch CX drive and the somewhat more intrusive rattling of the Rocky Mountain, the three rivals storm up the first ramps and root steps. A confident performance, but there is no real aha effect. Because even cheaper bikes score a lot of points on the climbs, and even the high-end all-mountain bikes are not completely free of weaknesses. The Rocky climbs a little earlier and hits the cranks on roots and steps where the two rivals still pedal through with ease.

Although we measured a very steep effective seat angle on the Cannondale (78.8°), the seat tube is offset far in front of the bottom bracket and runs flat towards the rear (71.5°). In practice, this means that the higher the seat tube angle, the more unfavourable the riding position because it is more rear-heavy. In technical uphill terrain, the rear suspension should also respond a little more sensitively. The fact that the Cannondale still performs well on steep climbs is mainly due to the longer chainstays. The most convincing performance on the climbs comes from the high-traction Haibike. The handling is uncomplicated, the front end doesn't rise too early and the rear end of the bike from Schweinfurt yields sensitively when encountering obstacles without sinking too deeply into the suspension travel. Points are also awarded for the excellent motor, which is of course also used in the Cannondale.

Cannondale, Haibike and Rocky Mountain: A comparison of the motors

Bosch's Performance CX, the latest version of which is fitted to Haibike and Cannondale with the Smart System, is the top dog among E-MTB drives. According to the manufacturer, it offers 85 Newton metres of maximum torque at a weight of 2.96 kilograms (EMTB measurement). The great strengths of the Bosch: good modulation and its focus on the E-MTB. For sporty uphills, the Bosch is therefore unbeatable. No drive is more sensitive when traction is limited on the climbs, and the E-MTB mode with its deliberately long overtravel helps you over key technical sections where you can hardly pedal. With around 550 watts of peak power, there is always enough power available. Unfortunately, the overall system with the in-house batteries is heavy, and communication with third-party devices could also be better. The gearbox on the Bosch CX rattles noticeably downhill, which doesn't feel very high-quality.

A characteristic that Rocky's in-house Dyname drive in the Instinct Powerplay fortunately does not share. Here, at least on the motor side, everything remains calm downhill. However, Rocky Mountain's powerhouse, which releases up to 700 watts and 108 newton metres (manufacturer's specification), struggles a little on the climbs with the background noise and a rough pedalling feel. The cranks and pedals vibrate slightly during operation due to the many deflections and the motor is also somewhat more impetuous and less smooth than a Bosch. Ideally, you should try it out for yourself beforehand to see whether this is annoying or whether you actually like its directness. Incidentally, the powerful motor only releases its full thrust when the rider pedals hard. In our test rides, the Rocky drive still provides a noticeable boost even above 200 watts of pedalling power. As a result, the Rocky Mountain e-bike motor is slightly slower than a Bosch at moderate pedalling power, but clearly outperforms the Swabian drive at sporty pedalling power. Unfortunately, the Rocky motor then heats up quite quickly.

The high-end bikes don't show any weakness when it comes to altitude - all three candidates are recommended for long tours. Bosch's Smart System performs well as usual, and the Cannondale even climbs easily over 2000 metres in Turbo mode. The average speed on our standardised test climb was a sporty 14.7 km/h. The Rocky is not far behind in terms of endurance, but at 12.3 km/h it gets the rider up the mountain much slower. The reason for this is that the powerful motor only releases its full power well above the 150 watts of pedalling power used on our altitude test rides.

Downhill: Rocky scores with riding fun and taker qualities

When the long climbs are followed by the rough descents for which these bikes are designed, none of the candidates have any real weaknesses. Rocky Mountain, Cannondale and Haibike: All three bikes score points with powerful suspension and modern geometries, but Haibike and Rocky can still set themselves apart. The Haibike converts the generous suspension travel into enormous suspension comfort without becoming too undefined. This makes the all-mountain bike from Schweinfurt an uncomplicated tourer that can also cope well with sporty trails at high speeds.

However, the Rocky Mountain Instinct reaps the real laurels downhill. This E-MTB really sucks up the trail, but is still easy to get airborne and onto the rear wheel. It feels lively, is easy to manoeuvre through corners and remains very composed at high speeds, even with little rear travel. In terms of trail handling, it only just misses out on top marks. The Cannondale offers a solid performance on fast downhills, but on manoeuvrable trails it feels a little bulky and falls a little short in comparison to the other two candidates.

The rating in detail: Rocky ahead of Haibike and Cannondale

Conclusion Adrian Kaether, Editor EMTB

Is it worth investing in a high-end all-mountain bike? The added value compared to cheaper options is not huge, but it is noticeable. Haibike and Rocky Mountain score particularly well on the downhills and are therefore the duel for the test victory. If you value playfulness and trail handling and can overlook the somewhat unpolished drivetrain, go for the Rocky. The Haibike offers very balanced performance and the Bosch motor, but it can't keep up with the Rocky on the trail.