At the presentation of Cannondale's 2013 products in Park City/Utah, this one brand new bike stands out: it's called Trigger and fills the gap between the race fully Scalpel (100 mm travel) and the all-mountain Jekyll (150 mm travel).
The Trigger has the essential features of the Jekyll and also adopts its suspension technology. As with its big brother, the Trigger also features the Fox DYAD2 damper, which offers two independently adjustable suspension travels. Here it is 120 mm in Flow mode and 70 mm in Elevate mode. As with the Jekyll, the riding position is controlled from the handlebars. The geometry (69 degree steering angle) is aimed at all-mountain sports use - or as Cannondale categorises it under its "Over Mountain" label: Cross Mountain.
Unlike the Jekyll, however, it is not equipped with Fox forks, but with the new Lefty with 130 mm travel. The top-of-the-range Trigger Ultimate model is said to weigh ten kilos and comes with Cannondale Hollowgram cranks (38/24), Evne carbon wheels and a SRAM XX drivetrain.
Cannondale Trigger soon also in 29 inch
Three models of the 26-inch model are planned. Without giving any further details, a 29er Trigger was also shown at the presentation, which could not yet be photographed. It is not due to be launched until Eurobike. This much is already clear: the 29er Trigger also has 130 mm of travel and comes with the adjustable Fox DYAD RT2 shock (130/75 mm). According to developer Peter Denk, Cannondale has put a lot of effort into the system stiffness, which is often a weak point on twentyniners. The question is, who should decide in favour of the 26er Trigger - presumably the 29er rides in the 26er Jekyll range. We are curious...
Cannondale Jekyll gets a makeover
As the Trigger will be catering for sportier riders from 2013, the product managers thought that the Jekyll could be more downhill orientated. After all, some riders have already pimped their bikes with a 36 mm Fox 160 fork.
So the upcoming Jekyll1 and Jekyll2 will be launched with a more aggressive specification. The new fork is not everything. The 2013 Fox Talas offers 160 millimetres instead of the previous 160 millimetres, and with a 34 mm tube diameter instead of 32 mm it is stiffer than before. The gear ratios have been adjusted (double 36/22), bashguard and chain guide round things off. This makes the Jekylls at least 400 grams heavier than before.
The more affordable aluminium models remain with Fox 32 F 150 Talas as before.
Special Jekyll for enduro racing
Jekyll MX is the name of the model developed for enduro competitions, which is fitted with a 160 mm steel spring Fox. It also comes with a 36/22-tooth double crankset, MRP2 chain guide and WTB wheels and tyres. The bike has aluminium suspension and weighs over 14 kilos.
Cannondale Scalpel 29 inch with new design
The bike remains the same, it won the comparison test in BIKE 7/12, so there is little reason to change the concept of this bike. However, we really like the new colour combination of the Sclapel 1 model. Price: probably around 4500 euros.
The top model Scalpel 29 Ultimate is completely matt black and will again be priced in less affordable regions. It has carbon wheels from Enve, which will also be completely black in series production.
Cannondale Scarlet: The Jekyll for girls
As in 2012, the Scarlet, the lady version of the Jekyll, is also in the starting blocks. The basic principle of this model has not changed.
Cannondale chief developer Peter Denk explains the details of the new Triger and Jekyll models in this video:
