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Submitted by
tyson kaman
a Racer
from marlborough, ct
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | competitive edge | | Strengths: | racer. i have ridden many bikes, and this is my favorite go fast rig. it isnt the best climber, it isnt the best decender, it isnt the best at acceleration, and it isnt the lighest (but sub 23 lbs with a responsible tubeless built isn't bad) and it isnt aflicted by any weekspot. all the handling aspects are good. the travel feels ample (not for big air and the like). the frame feels stiff and responds to power well. and though not 100% bob free it is not really noticable, even after i get tired and my pedal stroke goes to all hell. the lefty is awesome. and the lockouts work well, even without the elo. i didnt use the rear remote so i have no comment about that. the parts spec is the best. commonly skimped items were not looked over, xtr chain and 5degrees of sweep in the bar are things that make a bike better that catalogs dont really mention. i even liked the grips. | | Weaknesses: | with this part speck you cat look forward to upgrades.
the lefty can make putting the bike into the car a pain.
why didnt cannondale put a strait top tube on this bike? the increased standover isnt worth the cramping of the triangle's h2o bottle space. some might want a riser bar (not me for this bike) | | Similar Products Used: | i have owned and raced an epic, a sugar, ans several fsrs. ive also ridden just about everything out there but it is hard to judge a bike set up for someone else. | | Bike Setup: | stock but with a use carbon post and a slr seat. changed tires for stans filled regular pythons without anything but smiles | | Bottom Line: | if you want to dust your buddies on a variety of trails this is the bike for you. if you want to go big look somewhere else. i have replaced it with an 04 team issue so i could use the cannondale si crank with only 2 gears in front. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BingBang
a Cross Country Rider
from Bromont, Quebec, Canada
Date Reviewed: February 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | # 6 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | MOMO Sports | | Strengths: | Lefty, Lefty, Lefty. Super stiff. rear suspension really feels like 3 1/2" and plush. New XTR crank !!! | | Weaknesses: | I had the electronic device that control the ELO system changed. After that it ran perfect. | | Similar Products Used: | Spec. FSR, C'dale Jekyll. | | Bike Setup: | Changed Shimano dual control( brake-shifter combo) to Sram
X.0 grip shift and derailleur. Had the dual control on my previous Jekyll, think I got used to it and then borrowed a friends' bike with the new X.0 and realized I'm not going back to Shimano. Changed to a riser bar. | | Bottom Line: | I like the ELO and remote lock out for the rear shock, never felt more confident on an xc bike like the Scalpel. It handles very quick that takes some get used to it. Of course climb up everything. I feel so quick, my first ride felt like I could win a race.
Mavic UST are just great. This bike is for anyone who doesn't need 5" more travel. It's very quick and can be ride all day. I even got my best riding partner buy one in 2004. Of course the price set you back in your car payments, but look what you got for the money and what other company offers for the same buck, it conviced me. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Drew
a Cross Country Rider
from Cumming, GA
Date Reviewed: September 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything that is not pavement | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Adventure Cycles | | Strengths: | Looks, ride characteristics, weight | | Weaknesses: | rear pivot points, thin tubing | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel, Santa Cruz Superlight, Giant NRS, Specialized | | Bike Setup: | '02 Scalpel 2000, XT crankset, SRAM X0 shifters/derailer, XTR front derailer, tubeless, hayes, egg beaters, ELO Lefty | | Bottom Line: | This is the last time that I will review this bike. I figured a LONG term update might be usefull. The Scalpel ride is superb. Perfect XC riding machine. Unbelievably fast and nimble. Point the bike where you want to go and hammer the pedals with confidence. You don't really notice the suspension working, but it is! I trashed the original Magura Marta brakes for Hayes. Been on the Hayes for about 5 months now and they have not had ANY maintenance performed on them!! The Marta's were great brakes but too maintenance intesive for me. The SRAM X0 drivetrain rocks. Accurate and fast shifting, and extremly durable. No more lever/trigger flicking. Just a twist of the wrist and you are there. The Lefty is amazing. Much better than traditional forks. Pain in the ass to transport, but well worth it. The Scalpel frame has held up relatively well for 2 years of hard riding from a 220lb'er. There seems to be some weaknesses in the rear swing arm though, and the tubing used to make the frame is really thin ( dent's really easy but, this is a light wieght racing bike). About two months after purchasing the bike, one of the tubes of the rear trangle came apart. No biggie. Replaced by C'dale. Lately the rear of the bike has become "mushy" feeling in the corners. Upon inspection, we found that the pivots have worn prematurely creating a lot of un-wanted movement. Kind of a pain in the anus, but C'dale is going to send new parts under warranty. So, I'll give the Scalpel 3 flamer's, but I'd have to give C'dale warranty department 5 flamer's for their support, so we'll average it to 4 flamer's over all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a
from Gladwyne
Date Reviewed: September 12, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Manayunk/Gladwyne trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Bike shop | | Strengths: | Read review | | Weaknesses: | Expensive | | Bike Setup: | Stock 2002 Scalpel 3000, go to Cannondale.com for full specs. | | Bottom Line: | This review is for a 2002 Scalpel 3000, not a 2003. The main difference being that it does not have the 2003 XTR, so I cannot comment on that. This is a terrific bike, I finally made the jump to full suspension and man am I loving it. The design/geometry of this bike really suits my riding style and the terrain I ride. I don't do a lot of big drop offs, if you do look elsewhere. I rarely drop off anything more than a few feet. Let me start with the Lefty, all I can say is WOW! It just gobbles up everything that comes its way. Yeah, I was skeptical at first, I had to ask myself, "Is this just a gimmick or is this for real?" Well after a lot of research and a season of riding I can say that it is legit. The action is great, and it is super stiff. The only downfall being that it obviously isn't going to work with a fork mount rack. This isn't really a downfall, just something you need to be aware of.
Now on to the rear suspension. I love this design, although it is obviously not super plush. It is designed for fast XC riding and it does it's job well. There have been times where I've wished I had a bit more travel on some really rocky descents, but it makes up for this on the climbs and overall maneuverability. It just carves in, out, up and over everything I come across. If I had to sum up the way it climbs I would have to say it is somewhere between a scalded monkey and a caffeinated mountain goat, in other words it climbs fast. This is not a 100 % bob free design. I can't honestly say, "Who's Bob?" The bobbing is kept to an almost unnoticeable minimum and does not pose any problems on climbs etc. I'm really happy with the rear suspension, but as I said earlier it is NOT designed for big drops, free riding etc. It is designed to eat up small to medium bumps and to go fast, it really excels in this department.
The components on this bike are top notch, not much needs to be said about full XTR with XT cranks. Read the reviews on those if you need to. I'm also very happy with the Magura Marta brakes.
This bike works for me, if you fit into this category you'll love this bike. Let's face it, there's lots of great bikes out there, and you can't go wrong with a lot of them, especially in this price range. This bike just fit me the best, and when I rode it it just felt right, if that makes any sense. I was in between sizes in several other brands. Take your time, Demo as many bikes as possible. You'll definitely be happy with the Scalpel if that's your choice. It is very $$$, so I can't give it a full rating on Value, there are just so many options at that price range, and a bit below. Just based on performance I give it the highest rating, five flaming turds, or whatever those things are. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Marin County CA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Tamarancho | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$3500.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Light, stiff, amazing fork action. ELO is great. I lock out the front suspension way more often than I ever did with my Rockshox SID carbon. The fork feels rigid when locked out, not creaky like the sid. | | Weaknesses: | Cables all over the place. You need to keep a bit more weight over the front end than some other bikes. | | Similar Products Used: | Moots YBB, Fisher Sugar. | | Bike Setup: | Scalpel frame with fox rl, Carbon Lefty, 03 xtr cranks, SRAM X-0 shifting, Syntace Carbon bars, Thomson seatpost, Dave's speeddream disc wheels with CODA front hub, kinf disco rear, Bontrager Mustang Disc wheels. 708 gram front wheel, 877 gram rear wheel! Magura Marta Disc brakes with SL rotors. Tires with Tubes- none of that tubeless stuff. Been there, Done that. | | Bottom Line: | A perfect bike for cross country racers and hardtail riders.
Between the lefty fork and Magura discs- this bike increases the speed that I can go safely. I can bring my speed down later and more predictably than with rim brakes. The lefty fork must be ridden to be beleived. Rolls over things that I used to need to lift my front end for. Rides light in spite of having 100 mm of travel. My bike weighs a
little over 23 lb- I could make it more like 22 lb. if I cared. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DirtDad
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange County, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Traction on technical climbs, taking small to medium bumps on descents, active suspension, XC geometry, lateral stiffness | | Weaknesses: | Suspension will bob and requires lock out sometimes for max efficiency. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale Raven, Jekyll, F4000, Super V, Giant MCM, Proflex 857, Trek Y22, Specialized Steel Stumpy. | | Bike Setup: | Lefty DLR, Forumula B4SL discs, Easton carbon post & flat bar, Single Track Systems Bar ends, Stan's tubeless, other lightweight parts. Weighs in at about 22.5 lb, and I can drop it to about 21.5 on race day. | | Bottom Line: | The frame feels very lively and flex free. Lots of long travel bikes are called "flex free", but the Scalpel is in another category. The rear suspension is light, simple, and reacts very fast, which is different from fast damping. The suspension is also very active. As a result, it tracks very well.
It absorbs small to medium bumps really well and does not bottom out harshly when you take a hit beyond its limits. It is actually a fun, capable descender. But pedaling is NOT isolated from the suspension. On the smooth stuff you have a choice. Lock out the rear, live with a tiny bit of bobbing, or firm up the rear to eliminate bobbing but also hamper the wonderful downhill performance. I choose lock out.
When the climbing gets technical, you will want the suspension enabled. The improved tracking more than pays for itself. Also, really hard pedaling causes the suspension to extend, which pushes the rear wheel downward, causing a noticable increase in traction. Sand, loose stuff, rocks, whatever, the rear tracks it all. I love this effect.
I have come to look at the rear suspension of this bike as more of a mini-DH set up than anything. It is certainly not a stable platform style of suspension. Instead it is fully active and gives you the option of a lockout for when it is not helping. I think that is a great compromise in suspension design.
By shinking the travel as Cannondale has, any downsides of this design shrink to near zero, traction remains high, and downhill performance shrinks less than you would expect. This is a great bike for a die hard hardtailer. I was riding a Raven with twice this amount of travel, and I find that this bike is more fun everywhere except on those really big hits. For that, I plan on building up a long travel bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randy Compton
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Wiss, Philly & South MT, phoenix AZ | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Guysbicycles.com | | Strengths: | Full suspention w/disc Brakes at the weight of a Hard Tail. Stability in the tight technical and fast downhills. MADE in the USA !!! | | Weaknesses: | Sizing, I am between a large and a medium, but, my Cannondale rep and the shop lent me a demo of each size to figure it out. Great customer service considering your about to drop $4000. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized epic, giant NRS, plush leather couch | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for Easton Monkey risers. | | Bottom Line: | Cannondale has delivered the fastest XC bike on the planet. If you like to ride hard and do agressive XC/or race you need this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert M
a Cross Country Rider
from Evergreen, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Any - Telluride, CO - Moab, UT | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$4000.00 | | Purchased At: | Big Ring Cycles - Golden, CO | | Strengths: | Beautiful & light. | | Weaknesses: | Silly fragile remote on ELO Lefty - what's this doing on a mountian bike?! | | Bike Setup: | Stock - exception: 2002 XTR Rapid Fire shifters, 2002 XTR rear derailluer, XT disc brakes, (old school) toe clips. | | Bottom Line: | The best description I can give for the type of riding I do would be, "endurance riding" - extremely long rides. I prefer up hill to down hill and would not use the word, "extreme" to describe how I tackle a decent. I do not race as I am in the sport for personal satisfaction however I do dominate on the trail. ;) I am 6'2", 185 lbs & 32 years old. I mention the age because I finally switched to the full suspension due to my old-man back. A typical ride might last 3-4 hours and the constant jitter of the terrain here (Rocky Mountains, CO) takes its toll quickly. My last bike was bent in shipping over seven months ago. During that time there was no riding for me. Since the purchase of this bike I have ridden several of my favorite trails without suffering my annual early-season lower back problems. The rear suspension is just enough to fight off fatigue and does not interfere with my climbing - in fact I do not even lock it out on long uphills. I would recommend this bike to anyone who spends a lot of time on long rides and on technical trails... or who races XC (although I wouldn't know anything about that). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex Vasquez
a Racer
from Houston
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Webster Bicycle | | Strengths: | 03' XTR, Lefty Fork, Cross Max SL, On the fly front and rear lockouts | | Weaknesses: | rear tire mud clearance | | Bike Setup: | Stan's No Tubes system with Stan's Al. rotors. Shimano 959 pedals | | Bottom Line: | All of our racers loved it and so did I. The Scalpel 3000 is great in all terain. This bike got a beating from me being 190lbs and stood the test of time. I raced it over 240 miles and trained on it 300+. NO mechanicals, and NO flats all season long!!!! New XTR was very easy to get used.
Team Manager LSC. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harold Spencer
a Racer
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$4000.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike shop | | Strengths: | Light, no flex, does its job - fill the shocks up if you want it to ride stiff, less air for soft, or lock it out. No brainer. Most solid rear end of any FS bike I've ridden, no wag, no flex. New linkage has no slop. | | Weaknesses: | Putting the Lefty on your roof rack isn't the easiest and the ELO is tough to reach sometimes and seems fragile. But if I was that worried, I could just get the manual lockout. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel, Specialized FSR, Santa Cruz | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | It's for XC riding/racing, not hucking. Ther rougher the trail, the better the Scalpel is. In Texas, I keep the bike active and it steers where I want it to go. Cannondale rider Jason Sager lives in Texas and races the Scalpel, as does Tinker, so the bike must be doing something right. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cara C
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Wissahickon Valley | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$4000.00 | | Purchased At: | Sickler's | | Strengths: |
Excellent climbing ability, XTR components, disk breaks, ELO (electronic lockout) carbon fiber lefty headshock. | | Weaknesses: | Some problems dialing in rear XTR derailer. | | Bike Setup: | Eggbeater pedals work great for me, however I have heard complaints from others that they create hotspots. | | Bottom Line: | There is nothing that I can't climb on this bike. If you can't do it, there are no excuses other than your own incompetency. The guys at Sicklers did a great job fitting the bike for my needs and fixing the problems with the rear derairler. I experienced a significant amount of ghostshifting my first ride, but it was nothing they couldn't take care of in 10 minutes. The new Shimano XTR break/shifters take some getting used to, but haven't given me any significant problems as of yet. You might want to consider adding the carbon fiber riser bar. Overall, this is an amazing bike that boosted my riding confidence dramatically. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Wood
a Racer
from Waldorf, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Fredrick | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Bike Doctor | | Strengths: | The bike climbs very well, accelerates like a hardtail, and is as light as most. The new crossmax wheels are a nice addition and work well with stans juice and a standard tire. The left is stiff and precise, and can soak up anything you run over | | Weaknesses: | I opted to get ride of my remote rear lockout due to some previous gripes that I have heard. I also replaced 03 XTR rear Der. with the old school XTR and shifting has been awesome. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized rock hopper pro | | Bike Setup: | I changed the stock grips to something nice and soft, running stans juice with a standard tire (much lighter), and added the old school XTR rear Der. Nothing else needed to be done to a bike with full XTR | | Bottom Line: | This bike is completely awesome, the more you push the bike the better it seems to feel. I would recommend the scalpel to anyone who is looking for a sweet XC bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe Aponte
a Cross Country Rider
from Allamuchy, NJ
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | All | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Cycle works | | Strengths: | Frame | | Weaknesses: | alot | | Similar Products Used: | Blur | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This bike sucks. It doesnt even come close to the Santa Cruz Blur. Its all over the place, the components are shoddy, the frame is thin and tends to crack. "Crackendale." I DID feel alot of bob when climbing. You know what it is with this bike? Its just not FUN to ride. All this talk about FS XC race bikes. Please. Give me a break. Give me a nice , quick, responsive 100mm of travel bike like the Blur or Intense and throw the VPP in there and I'm happy. I am selling my Scalpel on E Bay if anyone wants it. Already put my order in for a Blur. This bike is not even in the same league as the Blur. Amen brother. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Freeze
a Racer
from Houston
Date Reviewed: May 18, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Rocky Hill Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Webster Bicycles | | Strengths: | Handles and looks great, love the new xtr, one ride on the lefty and no other fork will do. | | Weaknesses: | rear derailler this seem to be a problem many have had with the new xtr it does not seem to be Cannondale fault | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Stan's no-tubes and brake rotors | | Bottom Line: | Anyone who races cross-county owes this bike a ride. It is a dream to ride and looks great too. It is super light and climbs like a goat. I have never been so impressed with a bike in 20 years of racing. Cannondale is a great company and this bike is light years above anything else out there. Give this bike a try and you will be hocking your car to get one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Henrik Crone Köser
a Racer
from Denmark (Europe)
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Fusion Denmark (Åhus) | | Strengths: | The way it handles on the technical trail... and ofcaurse the uphill climbs... it´s like a rocket. i´m still not a fan of the XTR-03 shifters, but the crank and brakes are the Scalpel3000 is best i have ever tried.. and!!! the Crossmax wheels - whauuu, they are fast as hell and looks like a supermodel. overall rating - this is my my dreambike - nothing else comes close | | Weaknesses: | ..the XTR-03 shifters, i have allways been using gribshift.. so!!! and also the cannondale lock out on the handlebar, combined with the DTswiss rear sus. not the greatest thing in this world.. so i took it off. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale hardtale, Specialized m4, Commencal VIP, | | Bike Setup: | complete with 2003 XTR, 03-Crossmax (lefty)..and a USE carbon stick + Fizík alliente sadle (titan) | | Bottom Line: | This i the fastest bike on earht if you like racing xc and 24 hours... I´M IN LOVE.. IN MY BLACK BEAUTY | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rich
a Racer
from Indiana Pennsylvania
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Purchased At: | Indiana Schwinn | | Strengths: | I have been riding a scalple 2000 for a yearnow which si the same as the 2003 3000 except for the lefty shock. This bike is the cats meow. excellerates like a scalded dog and is a snappy handler. the only down fall is it doesnt have the Lefty. I rode a Jekyl with the lefty for a year and all I can say is WOW! the lefty shock swallows everything you give it.The combination of the Scalple frame with the Lefty is my next move. | | Weaknesses: | The only problem I had was the transition from the Jekyll to the Scalple. The scalple being a full blown CC Racer handled a little differently than the Jekyll did. Especiallly downhill. Of course I hade the Jekyll dialed in to accomidate my riding style. | | Similar Products Used: | Scalple 2000, Jekyll 1000, Super V 800 | | Bike Setup: | Factory Specs | | Bottom Line: | Im a Headshock, Lefty Junkie. I have never ridden another shock that offered the handling or resoposive characteristics of either of these 2 shocks.You wont regret owning this bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Drew
a Cross Country Rider
from Cumming, GA
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Adventure Cycles | | Strengths: | Near hardtail efficency with benefits of full suspension, quick steering, looks | | Weaknesses: | Easily dented, initial quality issues | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Fuel, Giant NRS Air | | Bike Setup: | SRAM X.0 shifters/r.der., XT crankset, UST, Marta's, lefty ELO, Egg Beaters | | Bottom Line: | Actually, my bike is a 2002 Scalpel 2000 spec'd to a 3000. The ball burnished finish is much more durable than the painted or anodized versions. I have had the bike for a year now and figured a long term review would help anyone interested in dropping this kind of dough on a bike. The initial quality of the bike sucked bung hole. The rear fox shock was rebuilt twice in the first two months, and the rear swing arms came apart. C'dale fixed this under warranty. No problems since. The Marta's are high maintenance and the pads wear quickly (third set in 700 miles) but they have a longer lasting compound available now. The stopping power and modulation are awesome though. Well worth the maintenance. I swapped the XTR gear for the SRAM X.0 stuff. The SRAM gear shifts faster and more accurately than does the XTR. I swapped the 44 tooth big ring for a 36 tooth ring. This works much better for XC riding because I actually get to use the 36 on fast single track. The frame tubing is easily dented from rocks. Very thin walled aluminum. The wheelset (Onxy rear hub, Lefty front, 24 hole, Mavic UST rims) has held up like a champ (even at 220lbs and ridden hard). I have only had them trued twice.
Overall, I think the bike is over priced, but it is a great handling bike, very fast, and has held up fairly well once past the initial warranty issues and easily dented issues.
I'll rate it 4/4. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daryl Roberts
a Racer
from Webster, Texas
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Cameron Park in Waco | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Webster Bicycles | | Strengths: | 03 XTR w/disc brakes, Anodized finish, and beautiful looks | | Weaknesses: | dirt can easily get into 03 XTR rapid-rise rear der. (right where the cable comes out of the der.) which causes for often replacing the lower section of cable housing from the frame to the der. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Epic Comp | | Bike Setup: | Stock with Stan's Aluminum rotors and UST/Regular tire tubless system (much lighter), 959's, SLR XP saddle, Titec foam grips | | Bottom Line: | I have now had the chance to ride this bike a bit and compete in a 12 hur MTB race on it. (another message posted below) I cannot get over how awesome the full-suspension and disc brakes are. I really enjoy the downhills much more and see myself taking them so much faster now. I went to the Stan's UST/regular tire rim strips in order to dsave a really significant amount of weight (all rotational). It was not really hard to install either. Just follow Stan's directions on his site. The only complaint that I have is the 03 XTR rear der. and with Shimano not putting the small grunge boot in the area where the cable comes out of the der. from the cable housing. The dirt gets in there really easy and it effects the shifting. Here in Texas, there has been a lot of rain over the past several months and there can be several somewhat muddy sections to pass through. I am going to create some sort of grunge deflector and hopefully end all of my problems. Other than that - still no CrossMax, but the X3.1 UST rims, Hugi rear/Lefty front hub wheels are doing a great job and are probably comparable in weight when compared to the CrossMax. Oh - I also prefer the black color and can't figure out why the new CrossMax SL's are Silver ? Why Mavic - Why ? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bill
a Racer
from Lewisville, Tx
Date Reviewed: February 2, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Bar H | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Plano Cycling & Fitness | | Strengths: | Surprisingly plush rear with a stiff and light carbon Lefty front suspension. No shortcuts on component selection. Cannondale and bike shop support. A full suspension easy to clean! | | Weaknesses: | Cable routing. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek Y22(95-00) and Fuel 100(2002), Specialized S-Works FSR-XC(2001) | | Bike Setup: | Stock w/ Hugi Hubs and Mavic 3.1X tubeless wheels IPO Crossmax. | | Bottom Line: | If you want a race specific bike then this is the bike for the job. The first ride on this bike was done at Johnson Branch with a buddy on the racing team. Also my first time with the XTR disc and rapid rise shifting. Rear Shifting was very self intuitive. The push/pull analogy works well for the Shimano design. The "old design" rapid fire shifter required a "pull" of the index finger to upshift and a "push" to downshift. Same reflex is required for the new Shimano design! "Pull" or close the hand to upshift and "push" the fingers out to downshift. Like I said very self intuitive as it only took 5 minutes into the trail to be comfortable with it.
Johnson Branch trail offers every type of "racing" terrain from rocks to hills to fast singletrack including downhill and uphill switchbacks. My buddy was riding the new S-Works Epic, so it was a good comparison of the new top of the line racing suspensions and beleive me each of us were out to see who was faster! The Scalpel won both laps, but all in all I would call the two suspension designs a toss up. The Epic had the advantage on the big rocky downhills with the longer rear suspension, but the Scalpel had the advantage on the acceleration out of the corners and all the climbs. The impressive Lefty suspension with the super lightweight titanium/carbon unsprung weight handles the small hits so much better than the Sid Race I've had the previous two years. And as a no comparison the stiffness of the Lefty is light years ahead of the Sid!
I give both ratings 5 flamin' chilis because of the following:
1) The fastest bike I've riden with a personal best lap time on the Johnson Branch Trail.
2) The guys at Plano Cycling and Fitness with assistance from the Texas territory Cannondale rep did everything possible to get me one of the few 2003 Scalpel's currently available on this planet. The bike was setup for my first ride with minimal ride setup. I didn't even have to change the seat height!
3) The no shortcut full XTR group with quality Cannondale handcrafted painting and welding makes this bike so valuable, just like the Peterbilt's, Cadillac's and Harley's in the world! I waxed this bike the first day and cleaned/waxed it again after the first ride! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matthew Hindman
a Cross Country Rider
from Foresthill, CA
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | clementine loop (auburn, CA) | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$3800.00 | | Purchased At: | Auburn Bike Works | | Strengths: | great climber. Fast and light. | | Weaknesses: | XTR rear derailleur problems. See below. | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for seat and post. Also upgraded to shimano M-959 pedals. Not much else is needed for this bike. | | Bottom Line: | Hey, if you are seriously considering this bike then you should definately buy it. It has been everything that I wanted in my conversion from hard-tail to full suspension. It is light with 4 inches of travel in the front and a little less than three in the rear - just perfect for aggressive cross-country riding/racing. The electronic lock out is very useful and the carbon lefty is just like butter, baby! I'm definately impressed with it's performance, control and handling over my hardtail (without sacrificing too much weight - mine weighed in at 4.5 lbs). I did have a big problem with the new 2003 shimano rear derailleur, however. After about every 4 rides the rear derailleur cable would stretch to the extent that it needed to be replaced. I didn't think that replacing cables after every 4 rides was reasonable considering the amount of money I paid for this bike. This became a real reliability issue, so Cannondale replaced the rear derailleur with the 2002 XTR and everything is working fine now. My dad also had the same problem with the new XTR rear derailleur, so this seems to be an issue with this years new XTR product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, Callifronia
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Steven's Canyon, Kennedy | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2400.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | The suspension bridges the gap between hard and soft tail. Lefty is great--especially the ELO. Efficient rear. | | Weaknesses: | None yet...except my bike rack and cyclometer won't accomodate the Lefty. | | Similar Products Used: | Nothing similar. | | Bike Setup: | Nearly stock 2002(European). Cannondale 2 X 9 crank. San Marco carbon fiber saddle. Hutchinson Scoprions. | | Bottom Line: | I don't race but ride aggressively about twice a week on steep fire road and single track; so a lot of climb and descent with some flats mixed in. Trail surfaces vary including rock, gravel, and some sand. When it is wet, the "mud" actually has a lot of clay in it. There are no big hits or drops but a lot of "chatter" and "ruts" caused by running water that will shake your teeth out without suspension. I've delayed upgrading from my old bike because I couldn't decide between hard or soft tale. The Scalpel is the answer. I'm 6' 160 lbs and feel like the bike was custom built for me-great geometry and perfect for "my" trails. I never lock out the rear suspension. It keeps the tire to the ground while climbing with negligible loss of efficiency and soaks up the garbage during descents. The Lefty with ELO must be experienced. I run it a little soft to take advantage of the travel and just lock it out with a push of the button when sprinting. It also has great torsional stiffness. This bike goes exactly where you tell it. The tubless tires hold air and roll well at 35 psi giving great traction. The XTRs work well but aren't a significant upgrade from XTs (I not at a level where a few grams matter). One of the pistons on the Magura Martas wouldn't retract; but thanks to the tech advice on the Cannondale website, it was fixed in less than 5 minutes. The 2 x 9 was a little tricky to dial in, but now I couldn't go back to three rings. The middle ring was a waste of time.
I wouldn't have paid $4500 for a new one but feel like I stole this bike for $2400. This Scalpel has thus far exceeded my expectations. If you ride hard and need to soak up small to medium hits, I'd strongly recommend this bike.
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Submitted by
Daryl Roberts
a Racer
from Webster, Texas
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Cameron Park in Waco | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Webster Bicycles | | Strengths: | Absolutely beautiful! New '03 XTR. Anodized finish. Color selection. | | Weaknesses: | Haven't had the chance to ride it yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Last bike was a Ti DEAN Hardtail. | | Bike Setup: | Only changes are the 959's, Selle Italia Gel Saddle and Mosquito Tubeless Tires. | | Bottom Line: | I purchased this bike as part of a race team, so I got a great deal on it. If this bike could win the race off of looks then it would win 1st without any doubt. I recieved my bike with the some wheelset as last years Scalpel because Mavic was having trouble producing the Crossmax SL's in time for this bike to go out. The wheels that I received are still really lightweight and super sweet (Mavic X3.1 Rim, DT spokes/nipps, Hugi 240 rear & Lefty front hubs). I won't be able to give a proper review until I get out and ride it for a while, but wanted to at least let anyone know who is looking at this bike that there is an extended wait period for the new CrossMax. They will not be available until late Jan. or early Feb. It is worth purchasing the bike and getting the last years wheelset and then purchasing the special CrossMax later. Hope this helps out................... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a
from Ridgefield, CT
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | light weight, responsiveness, component selection | | Weaknesses: | limited travel, but this isd a cross country racer, not a trailbike or freerider | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale Raven, Super V, F3000 | | Bike Setup: | As stock, however with Shimano 959s, Selle San Marco Aspide saddle, and Hutchinson Scorpion UST tires | | Bottom Line: | I've owned this bike for a year now, and am still as enthusiastic about it as in earlier reviews. Its name is wholly appropriate; its reflexes are razor sharp through the tight singletrack, and is plain fast, fast, fast. Through rock gardens it's rock solid, and the limited rear wheel travel is enough to take the sting out of impacts-the Lefty Carbon is plush and responsive. The components are top notch-operating flawlessly under all conditions-Magura Martas allow true one finger braking with full modulation. The anodized black finish is darn near bulletproof and always looks crisp-For the type of riding I like to do, I would buy this bike again in a heartbeat. It is expensive, but so is everything else out there in its league. If you want a North Shore bike for big drops or trail bike plunking, look elsewhere. If however, you have the need for speed, look no further. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Roberto
a Racer
from Hoboken, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Difficult ones | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Strengths: | The new disc brakes are on par with other high-ends. A good replacement for the Marta's. The Crossmax SL's work like they should and don't come out of true easily. The new XTR shifting is interesting, but works good once used too. New XTR cranks are superb, a "bullseye". | | Weaknesses: | Rear travel is too short for anything but XC racing. New XTR takes getting used too. Crossmax SL's aren't that much lighter. Price is a bit much for most people. | | Similar Products Used: | Scalpels from the last two years | | Bottom Line: | If you race XC seriously and got the cash (not just have the cash), buy this bike. If you're looking for a more everyday rider and want something high-end, go for a Trek Fuel or something with more rear travel. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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