![]() After a few minor air pressure changes and rebound adjustments, it was easy to get the suspension performing well on small bumps maintaining traction while climbing as well as soaking up larger obstacles while at speed going downhill. ![]() The 100 mm of travel at front and rear does a great job of soaking up the bumps, but still allows you to roll and even skip over obstacles while holding your line. Making corrections at speed through rough sections was handled with ease, helped out by the slightly shorter spec’d stem and wider 760-mm handlebars. The slacker head tube and shorter chainstays really give you confidence charging into steeper technical trails, where a traditional XC geometry would have you straight-armed and hanging over the rear wheel. The big surprise, however, came when I pointed it downhill. The Scalpel has always been one of the most efficient dual-suspension bikes, so it was no surprise the 2017 Scalpel delivered in this category. The stiffness and efficiency was helped by the very light Cannondale Hollowgram Si Crankset and BB30 configuration. It certainly felt like an efficient race bike as I ticked over the pedals. Cannondale says this bike is a hardtail alternative. I got a chance to take the Scalpel for a solid test through the trails surrounding Lake Garda. Climbing some steep trails near lake Garda, Italy My test bike did not come with Di2 or a dropper post, but it did have the XLoc Full Sprint lockout by RockShox on the Lefty 2.0 Carbon fork, which worked flawlessly paired with the Monarch XX shock. With dropper posts gaining popularity in cross country, the Scalpel has an adaptor mount that allows you to house a Di2 battery in the top tube so you can also run a stealth dropper post. Speaking of wires, another forward thinking innovation can be found in the top tube near the shock mount. The bike comes with several options depending on what cable/hose or wire setup you like. Cannondale was also thinking of serviceability when it included a set of cable-routing adaptors to help with internal routing. The rear linkage also got some updated hardware to make things lighter, cleaner looking and easier to service, such as the LockR link, which also helps to limit flex. A RockShox Monarch XX mounted on the new two-piece carbon linkage takes care of rear-suspension dutiesĬannondale went with a two-piece carbon rear linkage, shaving some weight from the previous aluminum version. While the flat-mount brakes and lack of a seatstay pivot help to keep things lighter and cleaner looking, the new Asymmetric Integration Offset Drivetrain (Ai) also helps to maintain traction and power transfer while climbing. The bike also has a flat-mount brake on the chainstay and Cannondale’s Zero-Pivot seatstays. The move allowed for more tire clearance as well as ample space for a front derailleur for double-crank setups. In order to shorten the chainstays, Cannonade had to push the whole drivetrain outboard by 6 mm. Tightening up the back proved to be one of the more difficult tasks according to the design team. Shorter chainstays were also added to help keep the rider’s weight over the back wheel and decrease the likelihood of going over the bars when things get steep and technical. The Scalpel maintains even balance throughout the line with offset and geometry tweaks specific to each size, including smaller 27.5” wheels for the small size and women’s models. The design isn’t new: Gary Fisher introduced G2 geometry to its bikes with custom offset forks to help make 29” mountain bikes handle more quickly. This change would have lengthened the wheel base, so Cannonade decided to offset the Lefty carbon fork by 55 mm to maintain a nimble, shorter wheel base. Cannonade started by slackening the head tube angle to a very relaxed (for an XC race bike) 69.5 degrees. They asked for a bike that could handle all the abuse of the newer, more technical World Cup courses. Manuel Fumic and Marco Fontana are the team’s top riders. RELATED: Raphaël Gagné’s Cannondale F-SI Black Inc.Ĭannonade started where they always do: with feedback from the Cannonade Factory Racing team. So what can you change with one of the lightest, most popular cross country bikes on the pro circuit? With four years since the bike’s last revamp, Cannonade had some work cut out for itself to improve upon one of the top XC rigs in the game. ![]() ![]() The 2016 Cannonade Scalpel-Si premiered recently in Italy’s Lake Garda region. ![]()
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