[F5000sl]

I've been riding Cannondales for 6-7 years now and love'm.
However I have yet to ride a Scalpel and I am thinking about buying one.

I am a 190-200lb rider, but I tend to be light on my equipment. (meaning the gods have graced me by not having me break stuff all the time)

Any owners of a Scalpel out there around my weight?
How does it ride?

Thanks,
Jay

 

[uktrailmonster]

I've been riding Cannondales for 6-7 years now and love'm.
However I have yet to ride a Scalpel and I am thinking about buying one.

I am a 190-200lb rider, but I tend to be light on my equipment. (meaning the gods have graced me by not having me break stuff all the time)

Any owners of a Scalpel out there around my weight?
How does it ride?

Thanks,
Jay

I'm 190 lbs and owned a Scalpel 800 for about a year. It rode more like a soft-tail than a true FS bike. The rear travel is very limited at well under 3". It's a fairly harsh ride by FS standards and a soft ride by HT standards, if that makes sense. I would only consider the Scalpel if you are a hardcore XC racer looking at an alternative to a HT. If you are looking for a more all-round XC/trail bike, then the Prophet or similar is a much better bet.

For reference I found the Scalpel too limiting for my own needs - technical XC and all-day trail riding. I moved to a much longer travel XC/trailbike, which I'm much happier with.

 

[brderj]

Though I have only ridden the Scalpel twice, and not very hard, I have to agree that it felt a lot like a hard tail to me. I have not been riding as long as you so my opinion could matter about less than nothing. Since you have been riding Cannondale as long as you have you probably know the type of ride you want. It is very light, probably one of the lightest FS bikes I have ridden and my friend who races his loves it. Good luck with your find.

 

[dlwilson42]

me too

I would agree with every word uktrailmonster said. I'm even the same weight as him. The one nice thing about it was how light the Scalpel is. I didn't own a scale when I had the Scalpel, but it was really light. I never broke one of the carbon chainstays, but I never fully trusted them either. I miss the light weight and super-quick steering, but my Fuel is a much better match for me.

Dave
www.davewilson.cc/Bike