The Scalpel is intended for xc-racing, the Prophet is more of a trailbike. You'll have more fun on the prophet but you won't climb as fast as you would on the scalpel. The Jekyll is the previous generation of trailbike, a good bike but the Prophet is much nicer.
Difference between Prophet, Scalpel and Jeckyll
I've got a 95 (or so) Cannondale M900 hardtail with the original Headshock. I'm thinking about upgrading. I'm researching the new Cannondales but can't get a good straight answer to the differences.
So - I'm asking the experts.
What is the difference between the Phropeht, Scalpel and Jeckyll?
I'm in the Dallas Texas area. I don't do any downhill, it's all cross country. I retired from racing in 1997. I'm 6 foot tall and 200 lbs (and falling). I'm doing about 100 miles per week between my road bike and my mountain bike. I ride fairly aggressively, but I'm not doing any huge drops (24" at most). I do a lot of climbing, so I think weight and pedal bob will be an issue. I was fairly sold on getting another hard tail until I began really researching it. It looks like a lot of you guys are using full suspension for cross country.
Help me pick a bike.
So - I'm asking the experts.
What is the difference between the Phropeht, Scalpel and Jeckyll?
I'm in the Dallas Texas area. I don't do any downhill, it's all cross country. I retired from racing in 1997. I'm 6 foot tall and 200 lbs (and falling). I'm doing about 100 miles per week between my road bike and my mountain bike. I ride fairly aggressively, but I'm not doing any huge drops (24" at most). I do a lot of climbing, so I think weight and pedal bob will be an issue. I was fairly sold on getting another hard tail until I began really researching it. It looks like a lot of you guys are using full suspension for cross country.
Help me pick a bike.
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Tha Scalpel will be closer to your hardtail, it's like a light fast hardtail but better. The Lefty Speed is a world better than the Headshok you have now and the rear suspension is just enough to make you go even faster and make you flow through the trails, a very nice bike that just always wants to go faster. And even if it is marketed as a race bike, it doesn't mean it can't be ridden as a trail bike, depends of the trails you ride and personnal preferences.
If you ride more aggressively in more technical trails, then the Prophet might be a better option, it eats bumps for breakfast with the added travel front and rear, it will handle a beating more than the Scalpel (Scalpel has lighter and more fragile wheels for exemple). It's heavier than the Scalpel but it doesn't mean it can't climb well, the geometry has a lot to do with that IMO.
The Jeckyll, while still a good bike, has been replaced by the Prophet, there is only one left in the Cannondale line-up (2 with the women-specific model) but you could get a good deal on one if you can find a shop that still has one.
For choosing, it all depends on how and where you ride. Before, I would have got a Scalpel because I was mostly riding fast hardpacked trails with some rocks and roots, but nothing too hardcore. Now I ride much more technical terrain with huge rocks and big roots all over the place and a few downhill sections so rocky and steep that I couldn't even stay on my F1000 (long low stem, XC race position) so the Prophet fits the bill better for me. That doesn't mean you can't ride those trails with a Scalpel (in fact, my main riding partner has a Scalpel 2000) but it's all about choosing what you like best.
For me it was easy to choose, I've always been a good climber but wasn't as good a downhiller so now, with a slightly heavier bike with a more upright riding position and more travel, I am a lot faster on downhills and not much slower on long climbs. My Scalpel friend on the other side, is a natural downhiller but not as fast on long climbs so with our bikes, it all evens out.
The funny thing is, after riding a 5" travel FS last year, when I took out my old F1000, I was much faster on descents than I ever was, maybe the FS bike just gave me more confidence.
If you ride more aggressively in more technical trails, then the Prophet might be a better option, it eats bumps for breakfast with the added travel front and rear, it will handle a beating more than the Scalpel (Scalpel has lighter and more fragile wheels for exemple). It's heavier than the Scalpel but it doesn't mean it can't climb well, the geometry has a lot to do with that IMO.
The Jeckyll, while still a good bike, has been replaced by the Prophet, there is only one left in the Cannondale line-up (2 with the women-specific model) but you could get a good deal on one if you can find a shop that still has one.
For choosing, it all depends on how and where you ride. Before, I would have got a Scalpel because I was mostly riding fast hardpacked trails with some rocks and roots, but nothing too hardcore. Now I ride much more technical terrain with huge rocks and big roots all over the place and a few downhill sections so rocky and steep that I couldn't even stay on my F1000 (long low stem, XC race position) so the Prophet fits the bill better for me. That doesn't mean you can't ride those trails with a Scalpel (in fact, my main riding partner has a Scalpel 2000) but it's all about choosing what you like best.
For me it was easy to choose, I've always been a good climber but wasn't as good a downhiller so now, with a slightly heavier bike with a more upright riding position and more travel, I am a lot faster on downhills and not much slower on long climbs. My Scalpel friend on the other side, is a natural downhiller but not as fast on long climbs so with our bikes, it all evens out.
The funny thing is, after riding a 5" travel FS last year, when I took out my old F1000, I was much faster on descents than I ever was, maybe the FS bike just gave me more confidence.
Update:
I can't tell crap in the parking lot. They don't have them aired up, so both the Jekyll and the Prophet feel like pogo sticks to me.
They both seem light enough, but I can't seem to get my mind off the F600 or F800. Something about the weight and simplicity of a hard tail keeps calling me. Better components for the same dollars. To make matters worse, the two bike dudes (one hippy, one 16 year old kid racer) disagree on the hard tail vs soft tail issue. I did note that the racer dude rides a hard tail when he races.
The problem is, I can't convince anyone to let me demo a bike on the trail. And I can't fully test a bike in the parking lot.
Confusion Reigns!
I can't tell crap in the parking lot.
They don't have them aired up, so both the Jekyll and the Prophet feel like pogo sticks to me. They both seem light enough, but I can't seem to get my mind off the F600 or F800. Something about the weight and simplicity of a hard tail keeps calling me. Better components for the same dollars. To make matters worse, the two bike dudes (one hippy, one 16 year old kid racer) disagree on the hard tail vs soft tail issue. I did note that the racer dude rides a hard tail when he races.
The problem is, I can't convince anyone to let me demo a bike on the trail. And I can't fully test a bike in the parking lot.
Confusion Reigns!
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