Germany's cross-country ace Manuel Fumic was already on the road at the Cape Epic on a new, poison green Race-Fully (BIKE reported). He also battled his way through the jungle on it at the last World Cup in Cairns. Now he has Cannondale at the BIKE Festival Garda Trentino the bike is officially unveiled. Raising the curtain on the new Scalpel-Si, the latest version of the successful full-suspension race bike. The history of the Scalpel is long and successful: in 2002, the Scalpel was the first full suspension mountain bike to be used in an MTB World Cup - at that time with an aluminium frame, 63 mm suspension travel and carbon chainstays.
Time for a new Scalpel after four years
In 2012, Cannondale presented the last Scalpel, for the first time in 29 inches. In 2014, Cannondale pushed the new F-Si hardtail to the starting line. But a lot has happened in racing and in the MTB World Cup since then. "The routes have changed in recent years. The climbs have become steeper and the downhills more technical. There is no more room for error. And to win such races, 'light and stiff' alone is no longer enough; powerful and stable handling is required," says Scott Rittschof, Product Developer and Vice Head of Marketing at Cannondale. This was evident at the World Cup in Cairns: Most of the top riders were on fullys, Absalon and McConnell even used a dropper seat post.
The new Cannondale Scalpel-Si has racing DNA in it. The new frame weighs just 2118 grams including shock, thru-axle and small parts. That's quite something compared to the competition from Specialized and Trek. According to Cannondale, the Scalpel-Si is also second to none in terms of stiffness and drivetrain efficiency. The most obvious innovation is the two bottle cage mounts, which allow two medium-sized water bottles to be fitted even in an M-frame. This will please marathon fans in particular, who cannot and do not want to do without two bottles for long extreme distances and stage races.
Scalpel-Si with new geometry: slack steering angle, separate fork travel
Cannondale presents a new approach with the "Outfront" geometry. On the Scalpel-Si, the Americans combine a slack 69.5 degree steering angle with 55 millimetres of fork travel. This is made possible by the in-house Lefty. This combination is intended to unite the best of both worlds: a slack steering angle for a smooth ride and reserves for technical downhills as well as agile steering behaviour in slow uphill bends. This short front centre (measurement from the bottom bracket to the front wheel hub) should prevent sluggish turning or even "folding away" when changing direction slowly - as is often the case with bikes with flat steering angles. The 435 millimetre short chainstays also allow the rider to simply lift the Scalpel-Si over obstacles and pull it onto the rear wheel.
The Scalpel-Si also utilises the "Asymmetric Integration" (Ai) known from the F-Si hardtail. This means that the front derailleur, crank and rear triangle are moved six millimetres outwards. The advantage of the system, which works in a similar way to the new Boost standard, is that the drivetrain moves a little further outwards: more tyre clearance, more massive chainstays possible, space for front derailleurs and double drivetrains possible. In addition, the rear wheel can be spoked with spokes of identical length, which makes it stiffer. The rear thru axle, on the other hand, is a conventional X12 axle that is bolted on with an Allen key. The only disadvantage of the Ai system is that you need a special rear wheel that is spoked with spokes of the same length. Conventional rear wheels can be fitted in the event of a puncture, but are not centred in the rear triangle.
Scalpel-Si also in 27.5 inch and with two women's models
The new carbon shock rocker, which is manufactured using the injection moulding process and is already used on the Habit, saves almost 150 grams compared to an aluminium rocker. The second detail carried over from the Habit is the missing Horst link on the rear triangle. This task is taken over by the flexing seat stays. The rear brake mount has been moved from the seat stay to the chain stay. The stoppers are integrated inconspicuously into the rear triangle using the flat mount standard. The new Cannondale Scalpel-Si will also be available in 27.5 inches, but only in frame size S and, for the women's models, in sizes XS, S and M. Women's bikes? Yes, you read that right. There will also be two women's versions of the new Scalpel-Si among the total of ten models in carbon for 4000 and 6000 euros.
Cannondale Scalpel-Si: Models and prices
In addition to the €12,000 Black Inc., there will be three other carbon models of the highest quality, the Team, the Race version and the Carbon 1 model, followed by the Scalpel-Si Carbon 2 to 4 for €6,000, €5,000 and €4,000. The only aluminium version will be the Scalpel-Si AL 5 for 3000 euros. Plus two ladies' bikes. That makes a total of ten models, which interested parties can already test at the BIKE Festival Garda Trentino. The bikes will also be available in stores immediately.
A detailed test with measured values and ride report can be found in BIKE 7/2016.
