So today's ride was only 13 miles and primary goal was to get suspension dialed in for tomorrow's 25 mile ride at Daley Ranch that I do on a regular basis.
Its a great ride with lots of technical climbing, some fireroads, flowy singletrack and mixed with some chunk and techy downhill.
Had a lot to take into consideration today because after 5+ years of riding, I switched from a coil shock to an air, changed from a Shirgura brakes set up (Shimano Saint Levers with Magura MT7 Calipers/MDR-P Rotors) to the newish Hope EVO GR4 brakes with Galfer rotors and for S&G I installed radial tires for the first time!
To address the elephant in the room, the Avinox M2S motor is a beast! Not just the power (which is insane) but how intuitive it feels and performs.
Think about the sh*t ass grin you had the 1st time you rode an emtb and that's what I felt like on today's inaugural ride.
I've read all the articles, watch the videos just like most of you and it all comes down to personal preferences, but I'm glad I made the plunge and to each their own. For me, it was the right decision.
Made a few adjusts with tire psi, dropper post height and compression settings mainly on the fork during the ride and have have some more minor tweeks I'm making for tomorrow beta test. I dialed down the power settings in Trail and Boost and only used Turbo 2 times. Man, the power is insane and needs to be used with caution till you get used to it.
Oh yeah, this baby is thirsty! She likes to drink more power then my Bosch Gen 5 motor, but also seems pretty efficient in Auto Mode. Being able to ride at 28mph on the fire roads was pretty cool.
In regard to how the Mondraker frame/suspension performed, all the hype is real! It feels really smooth and agile for being a full fat emtb with a decent size wheel base. I was really impressed with the rear suspension, how it performed on technical climbing and of course the downhill.
I wasn't sure how the bike would feel with a 30mm stem. Thought it might be a little twitchy, but that was not the case at all. It felt very stable, yet agile.
Have read a lot of comments about the sizing on this thread and a couple reviews from content providers. I felt right at home on the bike from the get go, just like I did the 1st time I rode my 2025 Wild. The Zendit reminded me in one way that was very similar to my previous Yeti e160, the faster you rode it, the better it performed!
It was hard to decipher all the characteristics of the bike attributed to the frame design because so many of the components I was using were new to me.
Being honest in regard to the con's, not be able to run a 200mm dropper is disappointing. I also think Mondraker went the cheapo route on the stock dropper, wheelset, stem & bars and not including the fast charger on the RR model.
I can honestly attest that the Mondraker’s Zero Suspension System is an awesome design. The rear end stayed very stable while climbing and super smooth on the downhills. Its kind of hard to articulate, but it just felt natural.
Obviously this was only a short ride to see how it rode and to dial in the suspension, but I'm super excited about tomorrow's ride!
Been fortunate to have some pretty fun bikes over the years and the Zendit feels fun to ride already.
Will circle back with some additional feedback after tomorrow and am interested to see how the Zendit does on one of my favorite rides.
Think I listed my specs before, but I was dm'ed about it so here it is again:
Frame
Mondraker Zendit Size Medium/Large
Drive Unit
Avinox M2S 800Wh
Fork
RockShox Zeb Ultimate 29", 44mm offset, 170mm
Shock
RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate 205x65
Rear Derailleur
Sram X0 Eagle AXS T-Type 12 Speed
Cassette
Sram XS 1275, 10-52T, T-Type, 12s 10-52t
Crankset
SRAM X0 Eagle T-Type 155mm ISIS Direct Mount
Chain
Sram XO Eagle T-Type, 12s Flattop, w/Powerlock
Controller
SRAM Pod Ultimate AXS Rocker Paddle
Brakeset
Hope EVO GR4
Front-Green Pads
Rear-Purple Pads
Rotors
Galfer Shark 223/203mm
Stem
Industry Nine 318 30mm Stem
Handlebar
SQLAB 30 x 12° 31.8 x 780mm
Grips
Rev Grips Pro Series XL
Headset
Canecreek 40 ZS56/ZS56
Seatpost
Rockshox Reverb AXS 31.6x175mm
Saddle
Ergon SM E Mountain Pro Size M/L
Wheels
Industry Nine Hydra 2 Hub/Enduro 300 Rims 15x110 F/12x148R
Tires
Front - Schwalbe Albert Radial 29 x 2.6 Gravity Pro/Ulta Soft
Rear - Schwalbe Eddy Current 27.5 x 2.5 Gravity Pro/Soft
Pedals
Raceface Turbine