QUICK HITS
• 150mm Zero Suspension
• Bosch CX Gen 5 Drive Unit
• 100Nm, 750W Peak
• 800Wh Removeable Battery
WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE MONDRAKER CRAFTY CARBON R
What is the Mondraker Crafty Carbon designed to be?
The Crafty Carbon is Mondraker’s flagship eMTB, designed to offer a lightweight and capable e-enduro machine. With a 150mm Zero rear end mated to a 160mm fork and pair of 29” wheels only, Mondraker claims this eBike offers more control than ever before.
What eBike drive system does the Mondraker Crafty Carbon use?
A Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 drive unit is fitted to the Mondraker Crafty Carbon, producing 85Nm Torque and 600W Peak Power as standard. Users will be able to increase this power to 100Nm and 750W Peak Power in the eBike Flow App, if desired.
Depending on the Crafty Carbon model selected, there’s either a 600Wh (6.6 lbs / 3 kg) or 800Wh (8.6lbs / 3.9 kg) battery powering the drive unit. This is removable from the underside of the downtube thanks to a bolted “Quick-lock” connection, making for easier off-bike charging and offering the possibility for riders to quick-swap a battery. Speaking of charging, the Bosch 4A Charger gets the 800Wh battery back up to 100% in around 7 hours from empty.
Displaying the key ride data is a combination of Bosch’s LED Hub for the Smart System in the top tube, combined with the Purion 400 display on the handlebar.
The Bosch eBike Flow App lets users apply over-the-air updates; tune the power modes, and access security and map features.
What are the details of the Mondraker Crafty Carbon frame?
Mondraker’s Crafty Carbon frame features a Stealth Air Carbon front triangle on all builds. The R and RR have an aluminum rear triangle, whereas the higher RR, S and RR SL builds use a carbon fiber rear triangle also, saving some weight.
The lower shock mount features a geometry flip chip, offering a small 3mm bottom bracket height and 0.35° head tube angle adjustment. There’s room for a water bottle or the Bosch PowerMore range extender on all frame sizes, and a tool mount on the underside of the top tube. Cable routing is internal via ports in the side of the head tube.
Mondraker backs their frames with a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
How much suspension travel does the Mondraker Crafty Carbon have, and with what linkage?
For the new Crafty, Mondraker revised their Zero dual-link suspension system. This is claimed to offer improved small bump compliance and bottom out resistance, with improved climbing traction. There’s 150mm rear travel paired with a 160mm fork.
What are the stand-out geometry figures on the Mondraker Crafty Carbon?
Mondraker added a M/L size to the range, giving small size jumps to let every rider find a good fit. There are size-specific chainstays, with the smallest three sizes having a 455mm rear end, and the larger two increasing to 465mm to offer better weight distribution.
What Mondraker Crafty Carbon build specs are offered?
Mondraker bikes are sold through bike shops worldwide, with a reasonable representation in North America.
Mondraker offers the Crafty Carbon in a range of builds from the “R” tested at $7,199, to the RR SL at $11,999. Even the entry-level “R” spec features high quality componentry throughout, with the 800 Wh battery powering the eBike system. The “XR” spec at $9,999 is designed to be harder hitting, with a 170mm fork leading the charge.
Our size M/L Mondraker Crafty Carbon R tipped the scales at 53.1 lbs (24.1 kg) with the Schwalbe Magic Mary and Albert Radial Gravity control tires fitted.
View the full build spec tested in the spec list.
THE DIRT
Setting Up The Mondraker Crafty Carbon R | The Mondraker presented no major difficulties in finding a comfortable baseline, though elements like rear shock access added a small amount of complexity for sag measurement. Getting the rear end to a 30% sag and airing up the fork to slightly over the recommended pressure left us in a happy spot. The lack of compression adjustment on the rear shock and the limited adjustability of the GRIP fork removed elements to consider. Ultimately the performance was still very solid out of these units, and likely to please all but the most discerning riders.
How Did The Bosch Performance Line CX Gen 5 eBike System Perform?
As one of the eight Bosch CX Gen 5-equipped bikes we had in this year’s eMTB Shootout, we became very familiar with the performance of the system. As it turns out, it provided our favorite all-round user experience, with the biggest highlight being the impressive control of the power delivery. Also very notable is the reduction in drive unit noise both up and down the hill, which enhances the overall ride experience and feeling of quality.
This comes with the caveat of our time testing a beta version of the new EMTB+ mode, which was released alongside the upgraded 100Nm and 750W peak power in Bosch’s update. This EMTB+ mode proved to be a little unwieldy for the most technical climbing moves, with the extended boost (aka overrun) removing the fine control that the drive unit otherwise ranked so highly on. As such, we found ourselves toggling between the different power modes in order to obtain the feeling and control of the system that each unique trail situation demanded. We will be interested to test the consumer version of the software update and experiment with the mode settings on the Flow app to determine whether the EMTB+ mode is indeed as difficult to manage as we’ve experienced so far.
With the 800Wh battery fitted, the range of the system was very solid, and we would imagine most riders will be satisfied. Of course, there’s always the possibility to boost this a further 250Wh with the PowerMore, for the biggest days. The flip side is a 2lbs (900g) weight penalty, which impacts the overall handling dynamics slightly compared with the lighter 600Wh battery. For quick laps and the best performance we’d likely opt to switch to the smaller battery, but we appreciate that riders with more time on their hands or demanding to go full-Boost will enjoy the extra capacity.
How Did The Mondraker Crafty Carbon R Climb?
In short, the Mondraker climbed very well. Perhaps the best climbing bike in our shootout, the Crafty Carbon R offered a fine combination of comfort and traction with solid climbing geometry. Add in the control of the Bosch Gen 5 system, and we had an eMTB that was a true pleasure to tackle technical climbs on. The slightly higher weight than some others in the test was detrimental for the most awkward and technical moves, but otherwise the Mondraker left us very impressed going up.
How Was The Mondraker Crafty Carbon R On The Descents?
We were impressed by the overall performance of the Mondraker on the way down the hill. Given it was one of the shorter travel eBikes in our 2025 eMTB Shootout, with the smallest price tag and “worst” suspension spec on paper, you wouldn’t have known it when riding. The suspension balanced impressive sensitivity with good big hit absorption, and punched far above its weight when the going got rough. Compared to Mondraker bikes of the past, square edge hits were notably more muted, leading to less rider fatigue and improved momentum carrying abilities in rough terrain.
Had the suspension not been up to scratch, then the fairly long and stable geometry of the Crafty could have risked encouragement to overstep the limits. Thankfully though, all elements of the Mondraker came together to work in harmony and provide a pleasant ride overall. A ride that will provide a comfortable platform to cover some solid ground, but still offer enough support and control to push hard on more technical enduro descents.
The combination of weight, supple suspension and long rear end mean the Crafty Carbon R was not a playful machine, though. Where some bikes feel sharp and ride lighter than their ticket weight, the Mondraker rode more true to its slightly portly weight figure. That’s not to say you can’t have fun on it, but it took more rider input to get airborne and change direction than the likes of the Haro E Greer.
Finish And Value On The Mondraker Crafty Carbon R
As the cheapest bike on test and one which features robust dealer support, the parts spec suffered in some areas on the Mondraker. From the lack of adjustment in the suspension to the alloy rear triangle, on paper there was risk of a notably reduced ride quality. Much to our relief though, the Crafty Carbon R felt like a quality machine overall, and once you were on board it was apparent that smart decisions had been made rather than corners being cut.
While the paint job wasn’t our favorite, the overall quality of the frame was solid and neat details like the well secured but easily removed battery added to the overall user experience. As one of the only bikes with Shimano brakes this year – the same XT’s found on the Orbea at almost $3k more – we appreciated the ease of a quick lever bleed to freshen them up, but at times found ourselves missing the power of the likes of the TRP and SRAM Maven brakes on other bikes.
All in all, at $7,200 we’d feel quite comfortable with our purchase, with the option always there to upgrade parts as you see fit to dial in the performance that little bit further. The Mondraker ran quietly and remained dialed, until a freak rim tape leakage followed by a stray rock-induced derailleur explosion spelled the end of its running on the last day of the shootout.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Packing solid value, excellent climbing prowess and impressive descending, the Mondraker Crafty Carbon R did not wow any of our testers but offered a very well rounded performance package that’s likely to suit many riders.
Who Is The Ideal Mondraker Crafty Carbon R Rider?
We would suggest the Crafty to riders who are keen on backcountry epic rides and value a comfortable pedaling machine, but still demand a bike that can hang on the gnarly descents.
Price: $7,199
Website: Mondraker.com
About The Pack
During the production of our 2025 eMTB Shootout, we had the Ari Timp Peak 2.0 tested under 8 different riders and compared to the other 11 bikes. The Loam Wolf crew spans heights from 5’10” to 6’2” (177cm to 189cm), and weights from 160lbs to 220lbs. For this year’s test, we also included one of our supporting members, Leonard Johnston from Indiana. His “real world eMTBer” insight was invaluable to us as we evaluated the performance of each of these eBikes.
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