![\"ccs-62657-0-64182500-1590063918.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-62657-0-64182500-1590063918.jpg\")
<\/a>Keen-eyed South Africans might have had a little teaser of this bike as the Cannondale Factory Racing team did a fair amount of testing in the Cape. Those taking part in pre-COVID lockdown racing might have spotted Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini riding the bike at the Tankwa Trek ahead of the ill-fated Cape Epic. Also if you hung around at the right coffee shop in Stellenbosch, you\u2019d have gotten a glimpse of a lightly camouflaged bike during the summer. Well, the speculation is now over as we\u2019ve got all the details about the all-new Scalpel.<\/p>\n
We rode the previous iteration of the Scalpel<\/a> in early 2018 and the Ocho version<\/a> when it was released later that year. Back then we sang its praises and even by 2020 standards the bike mostly holds its own.<\/p>\n So what does a brand improve on when the existing platform is already well optimised?<\/p>\n Scott Vogelmann, Senior Product Manager at Cannondale, explained the process they followed in developing the new Scalpel via a Zoom call. Driven by feedback from the Cannondale Factory Racing, the ability to not hesitate during any part of the race was a guiding principle for the product team. Among other things, that means knowing you have traction on a slippery climb or not having to ease up when charging into a downhill corner with confidence in braking power.<\/p>\n The most obvious change is the all-new four-bar FlexPivot suspension design. The out-going bike used a single pivot with a swing link that dropped down from the nook of the top tube and seat tube. The new design utilises a more compact rocker that now connects to a mounting midway down the seat tube. Vital to the new Scalpel\u2019s suspension system is the flattened carbon fibre flex zones into the rear of both chainstays. Cannondale says that these flex zones perform similarly to how a Horst link pivot would. The advantages of this system to racers is weight savings and a stiffer rear end with fewer parts to flex under power. An important consideration for hot South African marathon riding is that there is still plenty of space for two water bottles within the front triangle.<\/p>\n Of course, on the front of the bike is Cannondale\u2019s iconic Lefty Ocho fork<\/a>.<\/p>\n Along with the new suspension, the Scalpel has undergone the knife on the frame shape too. The tubing has been refined with a more angular shape that carries the new Cannondale design language. The geometry has been adapted to be more forgiving with a 68-degree head angle (that\u2019s one-and-a-half degrees slacker than the outgoing bike) and sharper effective seat tube angle (now 74.5 degrees) to give the rider a commanding pedalling position in the saddle. The reach on the Large frame we tested is 455 millimetres with a 1175 millimetre wheelbase. Cannondale claim that the new Scalpel frame weighs just over 1900 grams with the shock.<\/p>\n This is the first Scalpel with Boost 148mm rear axle spacing and the bike continues to employ Cannondale\u2019s Asymmetric Integration (Ai) by outwardly offsetting the drivetrain and rear hub. This allows Cannondale additional space to shorten chainstay length (which is 436mm) while widening tyre clearance and improving wheel stiffness. The bottom bracket is PressFit with Cannondale\u2019s HollowGram cranks fitted across the range. Cross country riders who appreciate the benefits of higher volume tyres will be pleased to hear that the Scalpel is rated for up to 2.4\u201d tyres. The nifty Speed Release axle, developed in partnership with Mavic and carried over from the disc road bike models, allows for quick removal of the rear wheel.<\/p>\n The Scalpel has full internal cable routing. The chainstays now tuck neatly into an alcove just above the bottom bracket which allows for a completely internal cable path to the back of the bike while the shock lockout moves through the top tube.<\/p>\n It\u2019s mountain biking and you\u2019re bound to have a mechanical or flat. The all-new Stash Kit hopes to make carrying spares convenient. The Stash adaptor attaches neatly to the downtube of the Scalpel under the water bottle mount. A Fabric 8-in-1 multitool slides snuggly into a compartment with attachments for a Dynaplug tubeless kit and a CO2 canister or a mini pump on the other side. It\u2019s an included item on some of the higher specification models.<\/p>\n Cannondale will also be releasing a Scalpel SE for riders who enjoy a super-light trail bike or simply some comfort for longer format racing. The travel on the SE models is bumped up to 120mm on both the front and the rear; resulting in an even slacker, more compliant bike. The SE models will be equipped with higher volume tyres and a dropper seat post.<\/p>\n The bike is not ready alongside the launch of the shorter travel Scalpel but will be announced in detail later in the year. In the meantime, as the Scalpel and Scalpel SE use the same platform, the local distributor can custom build a 120 mm Scalpel using Fox components. Chat to your local Cannondale dealer<\/a> for more details on this option.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Testing out a new mountain bike during lockdown presents some unique challenges. My five-kilometre radius offers little in the way of terrain suitable for a proper thrashing of a bike destined for World Cup courses. With some imagination my neighbourhood transformed into an urban cross country circuit, but still lacked the features needed to truly test out the bike.<\/p>\n While I can\u2019t yet attest to the grip or braking performance under pressure, initial impressions are good. Visually, the new bike is still unmistakably a Scalpel with some modernisation. The Stash Kit is very neatly integrated with the frame and easy to access even while riding. The orange fade colourway on the new bike didn\u2019t appeal at first, but it\u2019s slowly growing on me.<\/p>\n On the bike my position felt a touch more comfortable relative to the previous Scalpel, with less of that aggressive \u201cover the bars\u201d feel. I was happy to throw it down a few steep staircases, despite the lack of a dropper post I\u2019ve become too dependent on. Uphill the bike is light and responsive, even helping to set a new PB on a sprint up a regular tar climb. Not bad with knobblies, but the real test will be on slippery, technical trails.<\/p>\n Although this is an admittedly thin \u201cFirst Ride Review\u201d, the new Scalpel has us excited. Let\u2019s be honest, it was hard to go too far wrong coming from the old platform. Aside from the visual refresh, under the \u201chood\u201d the new four-bar suspension linkage promises meaningful improvements in braking and traction performance. Finally, despite the death spiral in the value of the ZAR, the R 99,995 price tag is reasonable in the context of high-end carbon mountain bikes.<\/p>\n The new Scalpel is available immediately in South Africa from your local Cannondale dealer<\/a>. At launch the following models will be available Scalpel Hi-MOD 1, Scalpel Carbon 2, and Scalpel Carbon 3. There will be more models at varying specification levels announced in the near future but for now, take a look at the details of the available bikes below.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nAll-New FlexPivot Suspension<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>The FlexPivot bends to provide a pivot-like compliance for the Scalpel’s new suspension system.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGeometry and Frame Details<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nScalpel SE<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Scalpel Carbon SE 1<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nFirst Ride Impressions: Cannondale Scalpel 2<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/a>The Wheel Sensor records speed, distance and time which it transmits to your device or the Cannondale App.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\nAvailable Models<\/h2>\n
Scalpel Hi-MOD Ultimate<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Scalpel Hi-MOD 1<\/h2>\n