Okay, here we go, full thoughts on the new Scalpel. I demo’d both the L and the XL and ended up buying the lowest model but added some upgrades, which I’ll list below. Getting the green Hi-Mod would have ended up costing close to 12,000 freedom units after a power meter and dropper post and I just can’t stomach spending that much. I’m actually very happy with the color now, even though I started out a bit meh about it.
First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room, which is sizing. I bought an XL, and I’m running a 125mm dropper and a 90mm stem. I’m 5’11/180cm ish, but with a bit weird proportions since I have some scoliosis that wasn’t large enough to get fixed, So let’s just say 6 feet for my ego’s sake. There is no way that someone who is actually tall would be able to properly fit on this bike, to the point where I have to believe that the numbers from Cannondale are either wrong, or somehow based on a different set of metrics compared to the industry standard.
Compared to the new Epic in size L that I demoed, the Scalpel XL is 5mm more in both reach and stack, has a slightly less slack seat tube angle, and comes with a 15mm longer stem. And yet if fits me. Doesn’t make any sense!
For the first ride, I went with close to the recommended suspension pressure, which the shop said would be a little bit too firm and they recommended dropping by 10psi on both the fork and shock. With the recommended pressure and rebound, the bike pedals really nicely on trail, easily on par with multi-link designs without the extra pedal-kickback that you would usually get with a high anti-squat single pivot, or the stiffening feeling you would get from a DW-Link from pedaling over square edge rocks. This is most noticeable on a rocky section of climb with baseball sized rocks spaced in really awkward ways. The bike floats over chunk under power really smoothly and was a big selling point for me.
I’ll probably drop the PSI down just a touch and slow the rebound a bit for the type of riding I do while training, but I’ll definitely bias towards the recommended pressure for smooth fast courses.
Descending-wise, the pseudo-horst link with the flex pivot does a good job of isolating the movement of the suspension away from braking influences, although not truly to the level of a real horst-link. With the pressure a touch softer, you can get a really supple feeling that works well across a variety of terrain with minimal to no downside.
On the pavement, you’ll want to use the dual-lockout. The Scalpel does not have a high anti-squat percentage and while it doesn’t bob or really move, the lockout works well. I’m not exactly sure if its the large junction for the bottom bracket or the way the shock is mounted, but when you lock the bike out, there is almost zero perceptible flex from the pivot system when sprinting. You also don’t get any unnerving pivot flex during regular pedaling, which was a big reason why I avoided the dual lockout on the Scott Sparks and some of the other bikes I’ve tested.
I do a lot of “ride pavement to trail” with where I live, so having something that pedaled really normally when locked out was an important consideration for me.
Here is the list of components I’m running for now:
- Scalpel frame, (non-HiMod) XL
- Lefty Ocho Carbon (paid an extra $500 since it saves more weight than the HiMod frame)
- Power2Max NGEco power meter
- Wolftooth 12speed HG+ ring 36t
- Hollowgram crank with 170mm regular hollowgram arms
- XT rear deraileur
- SLX cassette (10-51)
- SLX shifter
- KS Lev CI 125mm dropper
- Deore brakes
- 90mm stem
- 760mm flat bar
- Stans Crest wheels that will be replaced asap
- Prologo Dimension saddle (came with the bike and I don’t mind it)
- Cannondale Stash kit
Here is what is on the way or ready to be installed:
- Nobl TR32 wheelset laced to i9 Hydra rear hub and P321 Lefty hub
- Sram Level Ultimate brakes (take off from my last bike)
- XTR 10-45t cassette
- Carbon bar (haven’t decided yet)
- New grips
I’ll have to get a proper weight after I get the new wheelset, my guess is that it will end up somewhere in between 24 and 25 pounds; this won’t really be a weight weenie rig. . The existing wheelset and tires are so heavy and flexy that they really are the weak point on the bike for right now. It’s still super fun to ride, but that wheelset is only really good as a backup.
Main thing that I’m still mulling over is whether to eventually try a 38t ring. I didn’t use the 51t cog at all and honestly I don’t love the spacing right now. I think the 36t with the 10-45t should be better.
I didn’t cover everything, but if anyone has questions about specific components, fire away.
A few important things to note about the Hollowgram crank/ring that comes stock:
- You can swap literally any Hollowgram crank arm on to the crank spindle and its easy to find pretty cheap and light arms. I got a pair of 170mm arms on eBay that were lighter than stock by a good amount for less than what it would cost for a single arm retail through Cannondale.
- The stock SpideRing on most builds seems to have issues with the Shimano 12 speed, especially in the large cogs. This was an issue on the demo bikes, but not an issue with the Wolftooth ring I have.
- The spacing is super weird for the chainline and I’d recommend consulting a professional if you want to fit a crank other than the Hollowgram or stock cranks that come on full builds.