Cannondale Moterra Neo 5 pedal strikes

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MtBkGrl

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Hope this the right place to ask - I have a size small 2021 Cannondale neo 5, the bike has been fine and a lot of fun, however I've been plagued with pedal strikes lately. I had one so bad it launched me sideways to the right while making a sweeping left hand curve. Happened so fast! I was stuffed into the ground still mounted on bike. Luckily no trees, rocks, or cliff! Bruised left heel and banged up my right knee. I'm a 67 year old lady who rides fairly aggressively but can't really afford to take heavy hits at my age!

Per specs the bike has 35cm of BB clearance and FAS Shimano 165mm cranks with 34t Megatooth ring . Will going to a shorter crank help?
If so how short? 160, 155,? Any recommendations for crank, does it need to be another Shimano to fit? Shimano DU-E7000 motor.
 
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Wife (5'7", size M bike) and me (5'10", size L bike) have Trek Rails and suffered from pedal strikes because a lot of our trails are deeply rutted. Went from stock 165mm to 155mm, far less pedal strikes. TBH probably could have gone to 150mm.
 
MtBkGrl said:
Hope this the right place to ask - I have a size small 2021 Cannondale neo 5,
Click to expand...
Is it the Neo or Moterra? Neo looks like a gravel bike.
If it's the Moterra and you have an air rear shock, you could try adding 1-2 volume spacers. This will cause the rear suspension to ride a bit higher in the travel, effectively giving you more clearance. Volume spacers allow you to do this without necessarily decreasing sag.
 
Emailsucks98 said:
Is it the Neo or Moterra? Neo looks like a gravel bike.
If it's the Moterra and you have an air rear shock, you could try adding 1-2 volume spacers. This will cause the rear suspension to ride a bit higher in the travel, effectively giving you more clearance. Volume spacers allow you to do this without necessarily decreasing sag.
Click to expand...
Thread title is "Cannondale Moterra pedal strikes"
 
Hi, sorry, got busy today. Yes it's a full suspension Moterra Neo 5 (changed title) with 155mm travel.
shock is X-Fusion 02 Pro RL, fork is Suntour XCR 140.
Not a bad bike, bit of a tank. Actually thinking of finding something with 27.5 wheel set F&R for a more nimble ride on the single tracks. Maybe with less power but lighter.
On the cranks - are the BB shafts all the same size like the old days, or do I need to find a specific size to fit the Shimano DU-E7000 motor?
Are these volume spacers available for the X-Fusion? Might like the option to try either or both but not real happy to lose more standover height (short legs).
 
May we ask how much you weight/height? Is your current bike full 29" ? (The info I found online says S are 27.5")
I'd definitely say mullet (best) or full 27.5" (2nd best) is preferable for shorter riders, I mean even at 177cm I prefer mullet over 29".
I am sure volume spacers will be available for your x-fusion shock and should be inexpensive. They usually come with the bike, if not they may be a special order. Also typically easy to install. If your shock hasn't been serviced it's due, could do it all at once.

All that said, for smaller lighter riders, SL ebikes are awesome. I prefer them at 185lbs, and my 140lb partner definitely prefers hers.
 
I found this interesting. Also check the comments. Shorter inseam people tend to say how positive shorter cranks are for ergonomic comfort too.

What about going to minimalist clipless pedals for more clearance?

Also, maybe record video of yourself cornering or get a coach or someone to observe and see if you are inadvertently dropping the inside pedal?

 
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Pjensen641 said:
I found this interesting. Also check the comments. Shorter inseam people tend to say how positive shorter cranks are for ergonomic comfort too.
Click to expand...
There is a downside to shorter cranks which is when going downhill feet are closer together. At 5'10" I certainly noticed feeling less stable and it took a few rides to get used to, but reduced pedal strikes was very welcome.
 
Hi, well I'm about 5'6" and 125lbs. The Neo 5 definitely has 29" wheels (even the small) - not sure where you're seeing 27.5"
Not real interested in going to a mullet bike, the large front wheel would still feel like a motorcycle! So used to the 26" mtbs I rode for decades. Will keep an eye out for a full 27.5 bike. Not much available! The Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 looked good but still kinda heavy and over-powered. Want something lighter and better suited to single track twisties.

I did a search on pedal strikes (guess I should have done that right off!) and see that it's very common complaint. I assume that it's more of a problem on e-mtb because of the ability to pedal easily uphill through varied terrain.
Have encountered pedal strikes before on my analog bikes but seems to happen more frequently on this bike. Was never a major problem until this latest crash. I was making a fairly gentle sweeping left turn on level ground with minimal rut and not heeled over very much - was very surprised at how dramatically the counterforce of the pedal strike launched me to the right, so much so at first I thought someone or something had hit me!
Is it possible the e-motor added to the torque?(was in "trail" mode) I went back and examined the ground - only thing I found was a small root ball - my pedal must have hit at just the right time and place to pitch me so forcefully.
I understand about leveling pedals to manage terrain - so not a complete novice - and was not pedaling hard while heeled over at a steep pitch, just a slow cadence in anticipation of upcoming climb. Hence my thinking I might need shorter cranks. I will not use clips (never have, never will) but maybe some smaller pedals might also help. My other strikes have been on tight rugged trails while climbing - but mostly expected, this strike was out of the blue.

Guess I'll have to go into town for some help with selecting cranks (live in small mountain village and usually shop online and do my own work) Looking online there seems to be specific mounts for Shimano motors.
 
175mm cranks were the norm at the dawn of MTB and then front suspension came along which didn't seem to have effect on pedal strikes but when adding 150mm or + of travel front and rear then subtracting that amount under compression it is only fair to say that pedal strike opportunities rise.

I personally discovered this the hard way when in a left hand turn with my right foot down and it dug in and I got bucked when on an early ride after switching to 150mm sus. on a heavyish ebike. I was like WTF and after thinking about it only thing I could consider as a bandaid was shorter cranks and went to 150mm from the 170's that came on the bike.

I learned many years ago to be careful and ratchet my cranks when I even thought there was danger of pedal strike but there is always a time when you are going to get caught out I guess but since switching to 150's I haven't had any strikes. Also it ratchets up my spin some which the motor seems to respond to but the bike isn't much fun to ride without power that's for sure!
 
MtBkGrl said:
I'm about 5'6"
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My wife is 5'7" on a 2022 Medium alloy Trek Rail with 29" wheels. I took off the 165mm cranks and fitted 155mm cranks and she didn't even notice. When I asked if she had less pedal strikes she said yes she did - with that look in her eye which is the "what the he'll have you done to my bike" look. Just shrugged and said "fine". Result. Also worth remembering that pedal strikes transmit a lot of force into the motor so the less there are the better for the motor. Also helps to have chamfered edges on pedals to help minor hit deflection.
 
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MtBkGrl said:
Hi, well I'm about 5'6" and 125lbs. The Neo 5 definitely has 29" wheels (even the small) - not sure where you're seeing 27.5"
Not real interested in going to a mullet bike...
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Some random thoughts to ponder...

You could remove 10mm from each crank, but reducing your sag from 30% to 25% on a 140mm bike will raise your BB 7mm. Adding volume spacers would have the same BB raising effect, without necessarily changing your sag- it just makes the end-of-stroke firmer. I really think many people who complain about pedal strikes just have their suspension set up too soft or too linear. Adding compression damping could also help, and it's all a moot point if your shock hasn't been serviced at least annually.

It looks like the current Moterro Neo, in a S, is 27.5"- that's where I found that.

You could convert a mullet to full 27.5" by adding 20-30mm to the fork travel, when you change the front wheel. This depends on the bike and has some risks, but my partner did something similar with her last 29'er- she went full 27.5" and replaced the 150mm fork with a 180. I loved it, thought it rode great. She moved on from that bike due to the weight.

Short cranks are great, I'm just not sold that long cranks are the culprit behind pedal strikes. Especially if you're cornering pedals-level.... then your feet are farther apart horizontally, and it's your BB height that's the culprit, which brings us back to suspension set-up.
 
According to the E7000 Shimano STEPS service manual, it seems you are looking for Shimano STEPS compatible cranks with 24mm splined/serrated BB shaft. Seems Shimano don't make 150-155mm cranks, so if you want any appreciable reduction from 165mm, aftermarket seems the only way. I sort of gather that the EP8/EP801 are different, but the cranks that fit older E7000/E8000 are what you need.

https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/sm/2020_E-BIKE_CAT_AU/SM-2020_E-BIKE_CAT-002-ENG-AU.pdf

Maybe these? I cant personally verify...

Delta LS Cranks RF SH
 
Thanks for the help. Yep, no shorter cranks from Shimano and unfortunately not much from other brands (mostly "out of stock") or else ridiculously expensive! I'll keep looking. Plan is to go with 150 and then ride that a while before messing with any changes in gearing and I'll look into the shock options.
Would be nice if the cranks were standardized.
 
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