Cannondale Scalpel Review: 6 Weeks and a Stage Race

The Cannondale Scalpel is a lightweight carbon cross-country mountain bike built for riders who want to go fast, and this one came back from the Tokai trails in the south of Cape Town still wearing the dirt. The platform has been out for a few years, so why review it now? Because plenty of riders are staring at a bike that's a few years old and wondering if a step up is real or just marketing. The Scalpel answers that with modern geometry that puts you forward and centred, 120mm of travel front and back, and the single-sided Lefty fork that makes it instantly recognisable. It also climbs far better than you'd expect from a bike that isn't the lightest, which turned out to be our favourite thing about it. The Scalpel isn't perfect, though. There's a dropper post we'd swap straight away and a long-term question mark over Lefty maintenance, and we cover both. If you've got an older XC bike and a stage race or a few big days on the calendar, this one belongs on your shortlist. The bike was loaned to us by East City Cycles, and the opinions are ours.Chapters:0:00 — First Look: The Cannondale Scalpel, Fresh Off the Trails1:20 — Six Weeks and a Seven-Day Stage Race2:39 — Price, Geometry and 120mm of Travel4:36 — The Lefty Fork Explained6:02 — How the Suspension Rides Down and Up7:29 — Weigh-In: Claimed Weight vs Real Weight9:39 — Carbon Wheels and SRAM Transmission AXS11:09 — What We Didn't Like: The Dropper and Lefty Maintenance12:38 — Who the Scalpel Is For, and Can You Race It?14:50 — Is It Worth Upgrading? Final Verdict# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5GselFmeym7YgYXtcyPUXUApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/active-hobo/id1846864699# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================https://linktr.ee/theactivehobo# === PARTNER LINKS ===================================Specialized South Africa🔗 www.specialized.comDoolhof Wine Estatehttps://doolhof.com 🔗 Code: ActiveHobo (20% off wines)RH 77🔗 https://rh77.co.za226ERS 🔗 https://226ers.co.za/Code: ActiveHobo (10% off)SCICON🔗 https://theactivehobo.short.gy/sciconsports-discount (URL and 10% Discount code link)East City Cycles🔗 https://eastcitycycles.com/Gear Change Bicycle Store🔗 https://gearchange.co.za/# === THE CREW ===================================Dave @davlewjenkins# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================Latest episode: https://youtu.be/vSnCZ6pTguQ?si=4hvAobdbQznnyw10Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXHRelated episode: https://youtu.be/mgogDtiB_vg?si=RBaUt8VItbQisdTd# === WORK WITH US ===============================Sponsorships & collabs: david@activehobo.comSend a question for the show: noah@activehobo.com#TheActiveHobo #CannondaleScalpel #MountainBikeReview #CapeTown #XCMTB