The new Cannondale Scalpel Si has not only got heads turning but also tongues wagging. Rudolf Zuidema puts the mean green machine through its paces and lets us know what he thinks.
To understand the Scalpel you have to understand Cannondale. Its is a brand defined by innovation in the pursuit of making a better complete bike and nowhere is that more evident than the Scalpel – from it’s first revolutionary design to its latest incarnation. Having owned the previous two versions of Cannondale’s Scalpel, getting to test the Scalpel Si was a real geluk!
So what’s new about the Si that has everyone talking ̶ apart from the obvious frame changes to allow the placement of two water bottles in the frame?
Let’s start out front with the big changes; firstly there’s the slackest head angle of any XC bike at the moment at 69.5 degrees along with a new 55mm offset on the Lefty. It’s this combination that gives the bike exceptional handling at speed and in tight technical terrain, more in line with what you’d expect from a short travel trail bike than XC Speed Machine. The new Hybrid Lefty 2.0 is sublime. Love it, hate it or mock it; its performance is undeniable. Having spent the last two years riding conventional forks from both Fox & Rock Shox, including the beefier stanchion models like the Pike & 34 it was immediately noticeable how much better the tracking and smoother the damping is on the Lefty, especially considering that it is the lightest XC fork you can get.
The new Si frame is well thought out and very easy on the eye, with full internal cable routing running through two configurable ports on either side of the head tube have that allow any configuration of shift, brake and suspension controls including Di2 wires. On that topic the Si also features a custom Di2 battery mount, allowing internal mounting of the battery in the top tube which still allows the use of a dropper post. To make space for the seat tube mounted water bottle the standard metric rear shock mount has been integrated into the top tube with the routing for remote running directly through the tube. This configuration has not only made space for the extra bottle, but also increases stand-over. All pivots run on sealed bearings and the new collet style LockR pivot hardware cut weight and increases stiffness without needing special tools to disassemble.
Out back the rear wheel now features the same 6mm offset and shorter chain stays as found on the new F-Si hardtail introduced last year. This results in a more evenly dished wheel that is stiffer and tracks better, although it is definitely not as stiff as wheels built on the new BOOST 148 standard hubs. The only benefit that we can see for Cannondale going with this format is that consumers can still use existing wheels with 142 x 12 axles and just have them re-dished to fit the new bike.
The suspension design doesn’t fit into any box, but is essentially a single pivot design with a “pivot” on the seat stay, by way of flexible stays. Getting the rear suspension dialed too eliminate obvious pedal bob when the suspension was in open mode took quite some fettling between Air Pressure & rebound adjustment. Once dialed the bike pedalled well in all conditions while seated in the open mode, however we can’t help but feel a Fox damper on the rear would definitely make setup easier and given the wider array of tuning options make most of the bikes versatility.
We tested the Carbon 4, which comes specced with an Alloy Lefty, XT brakes, 2 x 11 XT drivetrain with Cannondale BB30 Si Crank, Stans Rapid rims on Formula Hubs and an array of Cannondale Alloy finishing kit. The bonus of this spec is that while the Si crank is Cannondale’s entry level forged crank it can be easily converted to a direct mount 1x drivetrain, giving one the option to run either 1x or 2x. The money saving has definitely come on the wheels, which seems to be a common occurrence at present. While the rims are reliable, finding spares for the Formula Hubs can be problematic.
With its new geometry, stiff frame and Lefty the Si blurs what is capable on a 100mm travel bike, whipping through tight trails at speed and absorbing big hits with ease. The simple rear suspension design requires getting the shock setup just right to get the most from the bike and in our opinion could benefit from a switch to a Fox unit. The size large frame comfortably fits 2 x 750ml bottles, although getting to the seat tube mounted bottle is a stretch and requires you to stop pedalling.
I really enjoyed the Scalpel Si; it’s fun & predictable on the trails and can sprints up the climbs when pushed. If it were a human being it would be equally comfortable in Lycra or baggies. The solid, future proof frame and versatility of the bike is sure to make it a huge success for the green C and should definitely be on your short list if you’re considering a new XC/Marathon bike.
