Mtbr riding the Scalpel.

Mtbr riding the Scalpel (click to enlarge).​

Cannondale's core strength

XC race bikes are Cannondale's forte. They sell more Scalpels than any other model in their line-up. In German laboratory tests, they lead the class in weight and stiffness tests. But in this newest iteration, they spiced it up a little bit as they designed a bike that could go very fast in technical downhills as well. World Cup XC courses demand it and riding styles are changing to a more aggressive and fun descending style.

World Cup races don't look like the old XC courses.

World Cup races don't look like the old XC courses (click to enlarge).​

Core to the updates are a 2 degree slacker head angle at 69.5 coupled with an increased fork offset of 55mm. Top tube has been increased 10mm and the chain stays shortened to 435mm. What it delivers is a new bike that handles rocky, rooty descents with confidence. The front end goes up and over obstacles that used to be momentum killers or endo-inducing encounters. The rear end coupled with this front delivers quick handling with excellent climbing traction.

Technical downhills are the target of the redesign.

Technical downhills are the target of the redesign (click to enlarge).​

The Scalpel is still a 29er with 100mm of front and rear travel. There's 8 men's model and 2 women's hinting at this bike's importance to the Cannondale brand. All men's bikes use the 29er wheel size except for the Small which uses 27.5. All women's sizes use the 27.5 wheel size to ensure optimal fit. All models which use the 29er wheel size now accommodate two water bottles in the frame's front triangle.

Scalpel is a 29er but smaller sizes use a 27.5 wheel.

Scalpel is a 29er but smaller sizes use a 27.5 wheel.​

"Over the last few years, cross-country courses have been changing. The climbs are getting steeper and the descents are getting nastier. There's no room for error and to win at this game, you need more than just light and stiff,you need capable and stable handling Scalpel-Si is literally built for the world stage," said Scott Rittschof, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing.

Continue to page 2 for more on the 2017 Cannondale Scalpel Si 100mm XC race bike »

Frame has smooth, clean lines.

Frame has smooth, clean lines (click to enlarge).​

Technical advantages

Cannondale has key technical advantages which revolve around weight and stiffness. And even as they pursued a more aggressive descender with the Scalpel Si, the core strength of this model was not lost in this iteration. It is still the lightest and the stiffest as verified by a third party test. At 2118 grams or 4.67 lbs for a medium frame, shock and hardware, the Scalpel shaves over 100 grams over the previous Scalpel and bests the Specialized Epic by 240 grams.

Frame weight of the Scalpel is lighter than the competition.

Frame weight of the Scalpel is lighter than the competition (click to enlarge).​

Stiffness is not lost in the equation as well as the Scalpel Si topped the head tube and bike center stiffness tests conducted by Zedler bike testing facility. Such stiffness translates to better power transfer and handling precision.

Stiffness rating of the Scalpel as tested by an independent lab.

Stiffness rating of the Scalpel as tested by an independent lab (click to enlarge).​

The remote hydraulic lockout too is a key feature of the Scalpel. With the press of a single button, both the front and rear suspension can be locked out for hardtail climbing efficiency for long, smooth climbs. This is quite a feat integrating the Lefty front fork and the Rockshox Monarch rear shock with a single hydraulic lever.

Rear wheel offset is pushed 6mm to the right.

Rear wheel offset is pushed 6mm to the right (click to enlarge).​

Continue to page 3 for ride impressions and a photo gallery »

Tech climbs are a core strength of the bike.

Tech climbs are a core strength of the bike (click to enlarge).​

Ride impressions

We got to ride this bike in the rolling single track forests above Lake Garda in Italy. Response to pedaling is definitely noticeable. The bike scoots forward, eerily quiet at every pedal stroke. Handling is precise like a scalpel indeed as any steering input is obeyed with precision.

The front is now complemented by the playful rear which responds to rear end body english with enthusiasm. It's easy to get the front and the back where you want it to go at speed.

Suspension lockouts on front and rear are accessed by one integrated button.

Suspension lockouts on front and rear are accessed by one integrated button (click to enlarge).​

The course was littered with rocks and drops but the bike handled them well. Unlike old 100mm bikes (including the old Scalpel) that ran out talent quickly and gave the rider that pitch-forward feeling, this new Scalpel would go up and over obstacles uncharacteristic of previous bikes of this pedigree. We had about 40 riders go through the rock gardens repeatedly without any carnage despite the lack of a dropper post!

Geometry has been revamped to be more capable on descents.

Geometry has been revamped to be more capable on descents (click to enlarge).​

The discovery for me was with better descending abilities comes faster lap times. This doesn't come merely on DH run times but in the roller sections. When the rider of a bike like brakes less and goes faster through the tech sections and corners, one is able to utilize the acceleration of the bike and pick up the pedaling quickly on subsequent risers. This feeling was mildly addicting that we've found absent riding a lot of Trail and All Mountain bikes recently.

The pricing

The pricing for the Scalpel Si is broad and deep. After all, this is Cannodale's #1 selling model. They sell more Scalpel's than any other bike in their line-up so they have a very broad range of models, 10 to be exact, from $3k to $12k. So surely if you have XC racing aspirations, there is a Scalpel in this line-up for you.

Pricing on the Scalpel covers a broad range.

Pricing on the Scalpel covers a broad range.​

Bottom Line

What do we really think? This is a weapon of mass velocity indeed. You may not win an XC race but you will achieve your PR. Be assured that the bike is not holding you back. And more important, this bike will keep you upright with speed and flow through the rough parts to get ready for the uphill kickers.

Better yet, put a dropper post and a more capable front tire and just do hot lap after hot lap on your favorite trails.

For more info visit www.cannondale.com.