Cycling isn’t known as a particularly approachable sport. Once you get past the elitism harbored by some antagonistic bike shop employees (this is changing, thankfully), you face the bike itself, with all its accompanying questions (What type should you buy? What parts do you need? How much will it cost to maintain?). For those who want a simple solution, who want to ride without worry, Cannondale made the Treadwell.
The Treadwell is Cannondale’s latest cruiser/commuter bike. Perhaps the most notable feature is its aluminum frame, available in both a recognizable step-through version and a modified standover. Comfort is the idea here; the low top tube stays out of the way while straddling the bike at an intersection, but it also creates a comfortable zone to shoulder the bike while carrying it up and down stairs, in an apartment building, for instance.
Cannondale added lots of other small features that contribute to this ease-of-use ethos. There are the internally routed cables and the 1x drivetrain, as well as slightly oversized tires and an extra-comfy saddle. The Treadwell also boasts fenders and built-in rubber top tube guards that protect when it’s leaned up against sign posts and bike racks.
There’s also Cannondale’s new app, which works in conjunction with a wheel sensor integrated into the EQ version of the Treadwell. The app not only conveys pertinent info like speed and distance, which riders can monitor in real time via an integrated phone mount on the stem, but also it chimes in when it’s time to bring the bike to the shop for service.
Cannondale designed all these elements to make biking, whether to and from work or around the neighborhood on the weekend, simpler. Perhaps even better, though, it’s simply more fun.
The Treadwell starts at $635 and is available in three models, each with two different frame shapes.
