Manuel Fumic finished seventh at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. So far this season, however, Mani has fallen short of his potential. The German figurehead's best result in the 2016 World Cup was 13th place in La Bresse, France. At the trial race in Rio last October, Manuel Fumic rode a hardtail on the track in Rio, but he wants to fight for the medals with his Scalpel-Fully.
How Manuel Fumic rides the Cannondale Scalpel SI
As soon as you click in, you notice that Fumic favours a firm suspension. So firm, in fact, that with a body weight of around 75 kilos (eight kilos more than Fumic), we didn't have to increase the air pressure in the shock and fork.
His mechanic tells us that Mani attaches great importance to a well-balanced bike. In fact, the harmony between the Lefty fork with special 88+ tune and the Rock Shox shock is just right. The shock and fork release their travel almost synchronised. On the climbs, however, we first press the hydraulic full-sprint lockout lever. After that, the suspension only absorbs the most necessary bumps.
Fumic was already one of the lucky ones with Sram's new Eagle groupset in Albstadt. We don't know whether he really needed the 50 sprocket. It certainly helped us on the Red Bull Climb. Downhill is the hour of the Scalpel. The faster we ride, the more comfortable we feel on the rather smooth-running Fully.
The thick foam rubber grips on the FSA carbon handlebars are comfortable to hold. By the way, sponge rubber grips are all the rage among professionals and were fitted to every bike we tested.
The Scalpel will probably be on the starting line in Rio three times, with Fumic's colleagues Marci Fontana and Henrique Avancini also speculating on one of the coveted medals.
What Fumic's team mechanic says
"I've been working for World Cup teams since 2004. Before my time with the Cannondale cross-country team, I worked for crazy guys like Cedric Gracia in the Downhill World Cup. Compared to the downhill specialists, working with Mani is super easy. He trusts me completely as a mechanic, has few extra requests and is always in a good mood. In Gracia's day, I often spent the night in the paddock for special requests."
The complete test story on the Olympic bikes of Fumic, Schurter & Co. can be found in BIKE 9/2016.
The complete issue
can also be read in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or in the DK-Shop reorder:
