It immediately impressed us as a quick and lightweight cross-country weapon; however, it was specifically designed to be a race bike first and a trailbike second. I also liked how you mentioned that you set PRs on your local trails. The more the merrier IMHO... Reset needle bearings?? I found the post goes up and down fine, though maybe not as quickly as other posts. 2018 Cannondale Bad Habit. Support Us | It's built like a mini DH bike, capable of handling the toughest, gnarliest downhill trails you can find, yet able to be pedaled back to the top. But, it looks like Cannondale does equip their bikes with better hubs beyond the $5,000 price point. It's built for big days of pedaling, but with modern geometry and plenty of travel, it's still a serious descender. Still can't work out why remote lockouts still appear on bikes. Check out our Cannondale collection here. I kept the rear shock on trail mode for most of my descending also, but opened it up from time to time on loose and rocky descents to keep the tires planted. Best Bike Trails | would love to hear about the comparison "On the Trail" feedback re the Fork OFFSET between some of the big manufactures that has applied this "new" geo to XCO bikes . It’s slick and doesn’t offer a lot of grip, and it just feels a bit cheap. I found the rear hub a bit lacking in my tests. The Trail-Taming Banshee Titan Mountain Bike [Review], Full carbon frame with PF30 bottom bracket, Fox 34 Performance Elite with Fit-4 Damper, 110x15mm axle, 51mm offset, SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, 10-50t cassette, SRAM Level TL brakes, 180mm front,160mm rear brake rotors, Cannondale cockpit with 760mm wide bars and 60mm stem, Weight: 27.4 pounds, size medium without pedals. On most of the climbs I rode with the Scalpel, I mashed the pedals uphill as hard as I could, and the bike responded like a bull-whipped horse. Subject to credit check and approval. Cannondale has introduced a second version of the Scalpel dubbed the Scalpel SE. "relatively slack head angle at 69.5 degrees..." I had to snigger. Its not a trail side fix either. Finally, I yanked the top cap off of the fork and found five volume spacers underneath. Review: The Cannondale Scalpel SE2 Mountain Bike Carves Trail. Innovation loaded racer that’s a bike of two halves Our rating . For the maximum amount of fun on the Scalpel SE2 though, find the nearest jump and flow trail. The shifts are crisp and I appreciate the added range on some of the steeper climbs in Colorado. I’d use the “Q” word, but it’s played out. You need Scalpel SE. With this system you cant choose not to lock out the front. 2018 Cannondale Scalpel Si. Thanks for the feedback! Once the hub engaged, I was met with the “dunnngg” sound that I associate with inexpensive hubs. I thought rock gardens would push back and that I’d fall face first on steep descents, but I got the opposite effect. Still can't work out why remote lockouts still appear on bikes. It’s not that I don’t like 120mm bikes, but like many others I tend to stick with long-travel, do-it-all bikes that can potentially replace an entire stable. I kept the Fox Float DPS shock in the middle setting for most of my riding. A friend of mine rode most of the Fairtree Contour race with a locked out fork because the hydraulic remote failed. As such, the Scalpel SE retains the slender flex stays that run seamlessly into the top tube, where an injection moulded carbon link unites both halves of the frame. The remote lever is smartly designed with a ball and socket type fitting to allow customisation of the placement. Fastforward to 2018. Why not keep the climbing ability, and make it descend better, instead of the other way around? Both are linked to a dual remote lockout to quickly lock out should the need arise. All the benefits of a world-class XC bike for your backyard. It’s no small ask, but in the last two to three years we’ve seen the makers of cross country / marathon bikes solving for unicorns and with some success. A focus point for the Cannondale team in the development of the new Scalpel platform was its handling. The relatively slack head angle at 69.5 degrees gives a definite confidence and stability boost when the trail gets bumpy. How many people realize that on a climb a moving fork helps the bike climb - lower front end and rides over bumps better? It’s also got a more aggressive component package, which keeps the bike light, and adds confidence. I’m wondering if the stock cable length is too long for the bike, or if there was an assembly issue with my bike. We tested Cannondale’s Scalpel Si in April of last year. Cannondale sized them according to modern standards with a 2.25″ in the rear and a 2.4″ up front. The suspension felt bottomless at times and very progressive. It's still nimble and responsive through turns on both up and downhills and doesn't exhibit the sluggishness you might expect from the slackened geometry. I have had numerous warranty replacements on the unit and been to the shop on more occasions than I care to remember for the sole purpose of fixing/replacing/servicing it. Scott Spark at 51mm ( not sure if its diff between FOX / Rockshock Fork). I’m only about 160 pounds and not Richie Rude, so I settled on two tokens and about 68-70 psi. Terms | Privacy. Since when did you have to remove the Lefty for a bearing reset? Widgets, Explore i attempted a needle reset on the older lefty's gave up after a while, and told my mate take it to the shop! Their current mountain bike range spans the full spectrum of modern trail riding from cross-country to enduro. When a reviewer gets the opportunity to demo a bike for awhile on their local trails, it should always be noted for comparison sake how they did on climbs and descents (with the appropriate qualifiers if you’re not on normal fitness, bad conditions, etc). You won’t plow through boulder fields, but you will dance over them with enough confidence to keep a good amount of speed. They give problems and defeat the object of suspension. Cannondale certainly has our attention right now, with our recent review of the all-new Jekyll and the razor-sharp Scalpel last year. The problem was making adjustments to the seat post height. Fittingly, the Carbon 1 comes equipped with top end components for an altogether impressive and light build. And resale price halves one walks out the door. The manual says you should reset the bearings every 50hrs, I wish!! Riding a bike on familiar trails is really the best way to get to know it, and we would not be doing our job well if we didn’t talk about shortcomings. I have nothing against adjustable compression damping btw - that makes a lot of sense and is easy to use via a dial on the top of the fork leg. The Highline is an internally routed, cable actuated hydraulic dropper post available in 100mm, 125mm and 160mm drop options to fit 30.9 or 31.6 diameter seat tubes. You can also subscribe without commenting. I kept dropping air pressure in the Fox 34, but still couldn’t find a sweet spot. They give problems and defeat the object of suspension. Best MTB Gear | The problem with long-travel, all-mountain bikes is that they don’t do it all very well. About Us | The head angle on the SE2 is a degree slacker and the seat tube angle is a degree and a half slacker compared to the standard Scalpel. :-). No small feat, but from this encounter with the Scalpel-Si (and our earlier outing), we were impressed to confirm that Cannondale hit the mark on this. Other than that, it’s exceptional in the middle setting. Bruce is a writer who loves getting his bikes dirty, trying new tech, and riding tough trails that make him suffer for hours at a time. That's my guess anyway, having never troubled the podium myself. Now, the Scalpel isn’t a rock garden crusher. I just give my forks a wipe and leave the bike upside down for a while for slick performance, But your fork has suspension bushes that needs regular replacement, and suspension bushes has stiction and that is even for the low friction kind. It delivers a finely tuned balance of performance and capability that should tick boxes for a range of shoppers in the market for a short travel, do-it-all mountain bike. They descend exceptionally well, but most of the time, climb as if nothing depends on it. The Bad Habit is a 27.5+ trail bike meant for having a ripping good time. The Cannondale Scalpel SE-2 comes at this dilemma from a different angle, or a more popular angle for XC bikes now. They have some hot bikes in their stable for 2018 and some cool new additions, let's check them out. But you're right, I suppose for a bike like this its quite a risqué move. Its especially useful on steep descents where you want the fork to ride a bit higher in its travel. The slack seat angle does become noticeable on the Scalpel. Make no mistake, though, the Scalpel-Si is very much a race bike, but one built with the demands of a modern cross-country course in mind. The SRAM Level TL brakes were a bit hot and cold for me. Hopefully they have turned a corner. I mean, at that price, I can afford to buy one of each colour. Cannondale Scalpel-Si Carbon SE review. The fork offered sensitivity at the top and a solid mid to end stroke, and never felt flexy pushing into rocky sections. Let’s take a deeper dive and find out. You loose travel, I've measured as much as 35mm, and the performance is not so good. But even the middle setting gave the bike a very firm feel on the climbs, with the right amount of sag, and no noticeable pedal bob. If you're in a sprint for a podium position, wouldn't you rather be sprinting on a temporarily "rigid" bike? All three of the models mentioned share the same frame construction using Cannondale’s BallisTec Hi-MOD carbon construction which makes an appearance across their top tier carbon bikes. Did they hit the mark? If I pulled the post up or pushed it down into the seat tube, it lost engagement with the remote. And, that’s the intent of the SE2. Other than that, the remote on the Aeffect is pretty flimsy. *Rates between 10-30% APR with a promotional rate of 0% APR for qualified customers. Nice review! With five volume spacers in it, the fork generates a considerable amount of compression noise, akin to an angry hamster, but with two volume spacers and the right air pressure, the squeals were soothed quite a bit. And no, that has nothing to do with its single pointy leg out front. The aim of the Jekyll is to be the best enduro bike possible. They were on moderate, buff, and slightly chunky descents, where the Scalpel picks up speed very quickly and holds it. Payment amount depends on your purchase amount. Before hopping on to the Scalpel, I expected a rigid, anxious descent. There isn’t a whole lot to say here. Read about it here, but in short, it was a wet, and generally flat mix of urban, Atlanta trails. Cannondale and Specialized sit on the opposite of the fence re OFFSET and achieve the "trail tolerance" very differently. Scalpel-Si, 100mm, BallisTec Hi-MOD Carbon, Zero Pivot seatstay, Carbon Link, PF30, 1.5 Si head tube, Ai Offset, Lefty 2.0 Carbon, 2Spring, 100mm, XLR Isolated Damper Technology with XC+ tune and XLoc Full Sprint remote, 55mm offset (29), 50mm offset (27.5), RockShox Monarch XX, 100mm Travel, Remote, HollowGram 23, Superlight Hi-Impact Carbon, Tubeless Ready, 28hole, 23mm inner, HollowGram Lefty front, HollowGram by DT Swiss Rear, Star Ratchet, 142x12 , 28 hole (Ai Offset dish - Rear), DT Swiss Aerolite spokes, Schwalbe Rocket Ron EVO Snakeskin, 29x2.25", folding, Tubeless Ready, SRAM Level TLM, custom flat mount rear, Centerline Rotors 180/160mm, Truvativ Stylo Carbon Eagle, BB30, 34T, Ai Custom, This is not recommended for shared computers, spent some time on one in the launch year, First Look: 2021 Cannondale Scalpel adds spring to its step, Cannondale Factory Racing Returns to the Cape Epic, All-new SuperSix EVO gets the aero treatment, still lightweight, Epic Bike Check: Henrique Avancini's Cannondale Scalpel Si, First ride: Cannondale SystemSix Carbon Ultegra, New Lefty Ocho and Scalpel-Si lineup now available from Cannondale, Impressively stable and capable beyond what you might expect from a 100mm bike, Internal routing makes for a clean, clutter-free look, Price tag on the test model could challenge some budgets.