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Cannondale Scalpel 2011 Frame broken 3 times in 3 months!!!

26529 Views 47 Replies 30 Participants Last post by Expatriot, Jul 1, 2014

dgr123

Discussion Starter · Mar 1, 2011

Hi All
I have a Cannondale 2011 Scalpel. The frame has snapped three times since Dec 2010.
The break occurs at the base of the seat stay on the disc brake side and has broken on same ride, at same place on ride, every month since December 2010. Cannonodale have been brilliant and have replaced the frame each time but I am worried this will happen on a stage race.No one can explain?? is there anyone out there with same issue?? Or can anyone advise? No pics as frame is once again with Cannondale.

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rkj__

· #2 · Mar 1, 2011

dgr123 said:
Hi All
I have a Cannondale 2011 Scalpel. The frame has snapped three times since Dec 2010.
The break occurs at the base of the seat stay on the disc brake side and has broken on same ride, at same place on ride, every month since December 2010. Cannonodale have been brilliant and have replaced the frame each time but I am worried this will happen on a stage race.No one can explain?? is there anyone out there with same issue?? Or can anyone advise? No pics as frame is once again with Cannondale.

My honest advice is to re-sell the unridden warranty replacement frame when it arrives, and buy someting else. Out of all the things you have to worry about in the middle of a stage race, a seat stay failure should not be one of them.

yoohoo

· #3 · Mar 1, 2011

rkj__ said:
My honest advice is to re-sell the unridden warranty replacement frame when it arrives, and buy someting else. Out of all the things you have to worry about in the middle of a stage race, a seat stay failure should not be one of them.

That is good advice.

We jokingly call them "cracknfail"

What is your weight and riding style? Maybe a rize would be a better choice for you?

Sacke

· #4 · Mar 1, 2011

Same ******** message in three different topics... The only three messages dgr123 ever posted.

I don't believe it for one second.

ziscwg

· #5 · Mar 1, 2011 (Edited)

Sacke said:
Same ******** message in three different topics... The only three messages dgr123 ever posted.

I don't believe it for one second.

Hummm, that irks me. If you don't like Cdale, don't buy it. You dont have to make stuff up.

hypercycler

· #6 · Mar 1, 2011

His profile stated he's into "All Mountain" type of riding... That's a wrong bike at the first place.

nathanbal

· #7 · Mar 2, 2011

given the availability issues, does anyone seriously believe that he's been able to get 3 replacement frames in 3 months?!?!?! i know multiple people who have been waiting 9 months for the full bike!

cdalemaniac

· #8 · Mar 2, 2011

nathanbal said:
given the availability issues, does anyone seriously believe that he's been able to get 3 replacement frames in 3 months?!?!?! i know multiple people who have been waiting 9 months for the full bike!

Yeah, he's full of $hit....probably some 12 year old kid that's bored and just discovered this forum......

fokof

· #9 · Mar 2, 2011

nathanbal said:
.... does anyone seriously believe that he's been able to get 3 replacement frames in 3 months?!?!?!

:thumbsup:

XgreygOOse

· #10 · Mar 2, 2011

nathanbal said:
given the availability issues, does anyone seriously believe that he's been able to get 3 replacement frames in 3 months?!?!?! i know multiple people who have been waiting 9 months for the full bike!

:thumbsup:

dgr123

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 2, 2011

dgr123

Hi Guys

This is not a made up story and am Im only trying to gather info on wether this has happend to other 2011 Scalpel ULT owners.

The break occurs when negotiating a tight 90 deg. bend with a small dropp off of about 300mm , im on the back brakes to slow down and the frame snaps in the same place each time.
.Im a 38 year old mature rider with a weight of 83 kg and have been assured by Can. that they will carry on replacing frames .

2clue

· #12 · Mar 2, 2011

dgr123 said:
Hi Guys

This is not a made up story and am Im only trying to gather info on wether this has happend to other 2011 Scalpel ULT owners.

The break occurs when negotiating a tight 90 deg. bend with a small dropp off of about 300mm , im on the back brakes to slow down and the frame snaps in the same place each time.
.Im a 38 year old mature rider with a weight of 83 kg and have been assured by Can. that they will carry on replacing frames .

That is the first time I have ever seen someone reference a drop by MM.....
Regardless 1 foot drops are already too much for a frame that's not built to leave the ground. You would be best to keep this bike firm on the ground and you won't break anything on your 2010 scalpel that you got in 2011.

Sacke

· #13 · Mar 2, 2011

dgr123 said:
Hi Guys

This is not a made up story and am Im only trying to gather info on wether this has happend to other 2011 Scalpel ULT owners.

The break occurs when negotiating a tight 90 deg. bend with a small dropp off of about 300mm , im on the back brakes to slow down and the frame snaps in the same place each time.
.Im a 38 year old mature rider with a weight of 83 kg and have been assured by Can. that they will carry on replacing frames .

That's almost like placing your bike on a ledge, and letting someone about 20kg lighter than you jump from 300mm on the seat stays.

Of course it depends on how you absorb the shock with your legs, but if you snap it in the same place more than once... maybe it would have been wise to take it easy the next time.

The Scalpel is just about the lightest full suspension frame, and even the manual recognizes that it has been achieved at a certain price, hence not recommending vertical drops of more than 600mm... and that is a straight drop without any vertical forces included!

A mountain bike will be able to take a lot of horizontal abuse, but your description of the incident is a totally different scenario.

1. 83kg + Equipment is indeed a grown mans weight, and at that weight, a lot of lightweight components would not even be covered by the guarantee.

2. Vertical forces from the sideways drop.

3. Additional force from a locked out rear wheel that will create a forward push on the seat stays when the wheel lands.

No offense, but to me it sounds like more or less self inflicted trouble, not taking into consideration the intended use, just like 2clue already mentioned.

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cdalemaniac

· #14 · Mar 2, 2011

Hey 2clue,
you probably meant his 2011 that he got in 2010....

LLOYDSTEVENS

· #15 · Mar 2, 2011

DGR123,
I too have a 2011 scalpel and weigh 90kg so far no problems, can you please post some pictures of the broken frames so we can see exactly were this is happening? failling this can you take a picture of your unbroken frame pointing at the problem area as i don't quite understand where yours are breaking.

WR304

· #16 · Mar 2, 2011

WR304 said:
Did the seatstay seperate completely from the drop out?

Is it a carbon fibre or aluminium 2011 Scalpel?

How much do you weigh?

What were the particular circumstances on the ride that caused it to break three times each time you rode there? Jumps?

The drop outs on the 2011 Scalpel do look quite fragile. They're very thin and appear to be tubes bonded together. When you look at it in pictures you can see that the seat stay tube is quite distinct from the drop out. There's going to be a lot of force exerted on this dropout by the pivotless suspension flexing the seat stays and chain stays when the suspension compresses.

If that was my bike and the frame kept snapping it would be gone. Once could be bad luck, twice is unfortunate but three times is a clear signal that either the frame design or construction method is flawed, or you require a more durable bike for the terrain you ride.

Pictured below: a close up of the 2011 Cannondale Scalpel Ultimate drop outs. You can see how it could possibly seperate along the seatstay/ dropout line.

dgr123 said:
Hi Guys

This is not a made up story and am Im only trying to gather info on wether this has happend to other 2011 Scalpel ULT owners.

The break occurs when negotiating a tight 90 deg. bend with a small dropp off of about 300mm , im on the back brakes to slow down and the frame snaps in the same place each time.
.Im a 38 year old mature rider with a weight of 83 kg and have been assured by Can. that they will carry on replacing frames .

This thread is a duplicate of the one started in the Weight Weenies forum.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=689863

This post by dgr123 answers some of the questions.

- The bike is a 2011 Cannondale Scalpel Ultimate

- Rider Weight is 83kg + riding gear (187lbs+ approx)

- The situation where the frame breaks is landing from a 30cm drop off whilst turning sharply downhill (right turn?) and simultaneously braking hard at the same time.

You can see why the seat stay might break in those cirumstances. There's presumably a large amount of both horizontal and vertical force on the drop out at the same time.

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LLOYDSTEVENS

· #17 · Mar 2, 2011

DGR123 forgot to say, if you don't want your replacement frame I would be interested in buying it!!!

WR304

· #18 · Mar 2, 2011

The Weight Weenies version of this thread:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=83472

"I've seen a different bike break there. Its due to disc brake forces and the combined suspension force (since there is no pivot there).

I will bet that it is cracking when you are braking then hit a sizable bump." Nitropowered

"I've seen this one time with a 2009/2010 Ultimate frame. There was no apparent impact...not sure what the cause was. Cannondale was good about replacing the frame. I just ordered my 2011 Scalpel; hopefully, if I have this issue, Cannondale will continue to be good about frame replacement." ckyle

nathanbal

· #19 · Mar 2, 2011

i'll say it again. cannondale have massive availability issues with the new scalpel.

1. he got his scalpel in dec - plausible.
2. he has broken it three times - also plausible. none of us have anything to refute... except;
3. he says that in the past three months it has been replaced three times. what a load of absolute horse sh1t. i know people who have broken a super six and have had to wait 12 months for a replacement. i know people who are STILL waiting for an ordered scalpel for over 9 months. there is no farkin way this guy has received 3 replacement frames in 3 months. what drugs are you people on to give credence to this muppet?

c_kyle

· #20 · Mar 2, 2011

WR304 said:
The Weight Weenies version of this thread:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=83472

"I've seen a different bike break there. Its due to disc brake forces and the combined suspension force (since there is no pivot there).

I will bet that it is cracking when you are braking then hit a sizable bump." Nitropowered

"I've seen this one time with a 2009/2010 Ultimate frame. There was no apparent impact...not sure what the cause was. Cannondale was good about replacing the frame. I just ordered my 2011 Scalpel; hopefully, if I have this issue, Cannondale will continue to be good about frame replacement." ckyle

The one I saw happened 2 weeks ago. It was the right seat stay, about half way up it. The crack was not a complete separation of the two halves. It looked like the top layer of carbon was splintering or fraying right at the crack. The bike still rode fine.

Cannondale shipped the replacement frame yesterday, I think. That's timely service to me; but, this all is about timing.

I do agree that it seem unlikely that three frames were replaced within 3 months.

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