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Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 29er

Christoph Listmann

 · 21.10.2011

Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 29erPhoto: Markus Greber
Cannondale Scalpel Carbon 29er
The large wheels transform the minimalist race rocket into a sporty tourer with a wider range of use.

Much wider, is the first thing that comes to mind when you roll just a few metres on the carbon Scalpel with 29-inch wheels. The Scalpel 29er doesn't really have much in common with the uncompromising 26-inch racing arrows in terms of chassis and character. With a frame weight of just 1590 grams including shock, the existing Scalpel 26 sets the benchmark in terms of light weight. By consistently dispensing with a defined pivot point (flexing carbon chainstays), the chassis is light and stiff, but offers the rider only limited comfort with perhaps 65 millimetres of usable suspension travel. You could also say: a hardtail with reserves. Thanks to the taut design of the rear triangle, the existing drive influences of the rear triangle are not so extremely noticeable. The Scalpel 29er has therefore been completely redesigned for the 2012 season and eliminates the weaknesses and one-dimensionality of the 26-inch model.

Boosted to 100 millimetres of travel and with a defined main pivot point at the rear, the Scalpel 29er works much more sensitively and actively than its 26er counterpart. On rough trails, the suspension even gives the impression of 120 millimetres of travel instead of the nominal 100 millimetres. This extends the range of use from marathon use to relaxed trail surfing. Cannondale engineers Thomas Fuderer and Peter Denk paid particular attention to short chainstays and a compact design in order to keep the agile handling great and the transition from the 29er hardtail Flash as small as possible. The result: the Scalpel 29er has the same wheelbase and trail as the 29er hardtail with only 444 millimetre short chainstays. In addition, the extremely high rigidity of the
of the main frame, which is reflected in the playful and very precise handling. Sophisticated detail solutions were used to realise the high rigidity of the 1900 gram frame (without shock).


ConclusionStiff, propulsion-orientated marathon machine with touring potential.


PLUS Very stiff frame, active chassis, wide range of applications
MINUS Sporty translation

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bike/M3960043Photo: Markus Greber The spacer on the head tube can also be mounted at the bottom as an option. This flattens the steering angle by just under 0.5 degrees.Photo: Markus Greber The spacer on the head tube can also be mounted at the bottom as an option. This flattens the steering angle by just under 0.5 degrees. Both bearing points of the rear triangle have 15-millimetre hollow axles. By clamping on the axle and not on the bearing, both sides are connected to each other in a torsionally rigid manner. The rocker is made of forged aluminium.Photo: Markus Greber Both bearing points of the rear triangle have 15-millimetre hollow axles. By clamping on the axle and not on the bearing, both sides are connected to each other in a torsionally rigid manner. The rocker is made of forged aluminium. The 26-inch Scalpel has been uncompromisingly trimmed for racing and only has just under 70 millimetres of rear suspension travel. There is no defined pivot point on the rear triangle. The necessary movement is created by the flex of the carbon rear triangle.Photo: Markus Greber The 26-inch Scalpel has been uncompromisingly trimmed for racing and only has just under 70 millimetres of rear suspension travel. There is no defined pivot point on the rear triangle. The necessary movement is created by the flex of the carbon rear triangle.


The technical data are manufacturer's specifications.

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