While the glut of handwringing and aggressive proclamations surrounding this spring’s Avonix apocalypse might imply otherwise, there are still plenty of good, not-Avinox-powered e-bikes, and Mondraker’s Crafty Carbon RR S is one of them. In one of my smart bit of copy writing Mondraker says “Crafty has evolved to become Mondraker's reference e-bike. The most versatile. The most complete.” I read that to mean the Crafty is the best place to start when you’re trying to understand Mondraker’s e-bike line. There might be bigger and burlier, or smaller and lighter options, but they all share the same Crafty common ancestor. That made the Crafty a good entrance point as my first time on a Mondraker.

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR S Details

• Travel: 150 (rear) 160 mm (front)
• Wheel Size: 29” 
• Size Tested: M/L
• Build Tested: Carbon RR S
• Head Tube Angle: 64.5°/64.15°
• Motor: Bosch Performance Line CX
• Battery: 800 Wh (removable)
• Stated Weight: 51.5 lbs, 23.36 kg
• MSRP: $10,999

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR S Motor and Battery

The Crafty Carbon is powered by Bosch’s Performance Line CX motor, which, after this spring’s update, puts out 120 Nm of torque and 750 watts of power, while being powered by an easily-removable 800 Wh battery. So no, it’s not the most torquey or the most powerful, or the most anything, and the people who buy bikes based on stated stats, not on how they ride might discount it. But it was nice to jump back on a Bosch CX system and get a reminder of how solid it is.

For pure “mountain biking” applications (not riding on the streets, or blasting up fire roads) that's plenty of juice, and, especially at lower assistance modes, I dig how well the CX system conserves battery. My one beef with it is that the latest software update included an obnoxious chime anytime the bike thinks you’ve hit a jump. It’s not very accurate, and it’s quite distracting. I’d love to hear someone at Bosch try to justify this feature, because the first few times it happened I had a hard time not freaking out that something was wrong with my motor as I hit drops on a steep trail.

It’s also fairly easy to swap the battery, and you can buy a 600 Wh battery if you’re trying to shave weight, or Bosch’s range extender if you’ve got big missions planned.

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR S Geometry

Mondraker spent a fair bit of time close to the pointy end of the geometry conversation with its “Forward Geometry” philosophy. And, if you’re just looking at stated frame sizes, the Large Crafty is pushing things with its 500 millimeter reach. But, the Crafty is available in a M/L size that I rode with a 480 millimeter reach in the high flip chip position, 64.5° head tube angle, 647 millimeter high stack, 77.95° seat tube angle, and 455 millimeter chainstays. That’s right on the money for most bikes I ride, and I got along with the Crafty’s geometry quite nicely. 

There are two sizes of chainstay available, with the jump to 465 millimeter stays happening between the M/L and L sizes. I was happy with the M/L’s stays, but if I was a more straightline stability focused rider, the Large would be a great fit.

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR S Frame Details

The Crafty uses Mondraker’s dual-link Zero suspension system, which puts the shock in a tunnel through the seat tube. This has a negative effect on seatpost insertion, and, in a world where I can run 240 millimeter droppers on most bikes, the stock 180 millimeter option feels quite short. The Crafty comes with an Arcos range-blocking headset, which is fine, but also adds unnecessary complication. Otherwise, most of the other details, like the motor charging port, and cable routing felt detailed.

My one big frustration came when I noticed a rattle in the rear end on my first ride. My test bike had been ridden hard on the demo circuit before I got it, so that wasn’t surprising at all, but when I tried to tighten the pivots, I was frustrated to realize that the upper link’s bolts are blind, can only be accessed from the inside, and are blocked by the front triangle unless you remove the shock bolts. This led to some profanity and buggered bolt heads when I tried to tighten everything down with a multi-tool in the field. These blind bolts look good, but are annoying to work on.

The Crafty Carbon RR has a flip chip that allows you to slacken it out by .35°. That’s a super small change, and I think most folks will throw it in low and call it good.

Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR S Build

The Crafty Carbon RR S is a high-end build, and as such comes with a nice mix of parts. The mixed SRAM XO derailleur, XX cassette, and GX chain drivetrain shifted well, and the Maven Silver brakes left me with no regrets. The combination of Fox Float X shock and Podium fork is interesting. We saw something similar on the Pivot Shuttle LT. Reading between the lines, I'd assume the folks making decisions think the Float X is plenty of shock for anything short of a DH bike, and are pushing to spec it more broadly. I agree, but it will be interesting to see if consumer perception follows, or if folks will yearn for the Float X2 aesthetic. The Podium plays to the opposite attitude. It looks “cool” and “premium” and it rides just fine, but I’m still not convinced that for my riding it offers anything more than extra grams compared to the regular 38.

Finally, it’s a small thing, but I dug the cockpit on the Crafty. I love smaller diameter grips, and the Crafty’s are pencil thin. The bar is quiet and compliant, and the 30 millimeter stem felt like a fine match for the bike’s geometry. The 25 millimeter rise bar looks low, but the bike’s inherent stack meant I didn’t have any fit issues.

Riding the Mondraker Crafty Carbon RR S

I spent a lot of my time on the Crafty thinking about the phrase “reference e-bike” that Mondraker uses to describe it. At first glance “reference” bikes are boring because they are generally the most neutral bike in the line. They’re meant to be the most accessible bike to the most people, so any aggressive biases would be a turnoff. But, on the flip side, they also reveal a lot about the brand which makes for a cool window into its priorities.

Applying that logic to the Crafty is interesting. It’s very “Mondraker” with its lines, minimal insertion depth, and frame details. But its riding manners are very level-headed. It can hander gnarlier, steeper trails just fine, but it doesn’t need things to get wild to feel at home. Similarly, it’s not a handful on flatter, mellower trails. Instead it’s an easy bike to reach for when you’re just going for a ride and don’t have any specific intentions. 

Headed uphill it’s quite efficient, and I never felt any desire to touch the climb switch. The Bosch system isn’t quite as smoothly controlled as the Avonix motors, but it takes just a few minutes to acclimate and use its overdrive to an advantage when climbing tech moves.

I did find myself noticing the Crafty’s dual 29” wheels. Most e-bikes I’ve ridden in this travel range come with a 27.5” wheel out back, which I prefer since it lends more ponderous bikes a little more of a maneuverable edge. However, I didn’t find myself taking the Crafty into the sort of situations where I enjoy a smaller wheel that often. Yeah, it’s got a 160 millimeter Podium up front, but I didn’t find myself wanting to ride the Crafty on the steeper off-the-map trails where a smaller wheel makes so much of a difference. Similarly, on mellower trails, the Crafty was happier carving corners than trying to square them off or slap them, so I let it, and embraced the chiller manners and increased efficiency that comes with the larger rear wheel.

That’s not to say that the Crafty can’t be pushed harder, but in my experience at least, it’s fairly mild mannered until you’re really giving it the beans. It doesn’t encourage hooligan behaviour, but it can tolerate it, so the more your riding style leans towards clean lines, and efficient choices, the more I think you’ll dig the Crafty.

So where does that leave us? With an e-bike that does everything fairly well, but doesn’t stand out in any one place. That sounds like a pretty solid “reference point” for Mondraker’s e-bike line to me.

For Now

Mondraker’s Crafty Carbon RR S doesn’t try to do anything wild. It doesn’t have any one flashy feature or bias that stands out. Instead it’s a solid all-rounder that’s ready for whatever. That makes it a solid contender, given that you’re down for a little less seatpost space and less accessible hardware.

Learn more: Mondraker