[Yanick]

Hey, I just crack my Cannondale F800 frame, on the chainStay just behind the BB. It's warantied, I will one for free, but I also have the opportunity to get a discount on a Scalpel frame (will cost me 1000$CDN for the scalpel and his shock)

It's a bit expensive, so that why I'm wondering, thinking if it worth it.

when I bought the HT, I was looking for something fast, and that bike was fast, believe me. But now I also would like some comfort on the trail...

 

[indieboy]

Originally posted by Yanick
Hey, I just crack my Cannondale F800 frame, on the chainStay just behind the BB. It's warantied, I will one for free, but I also have the opportunity to get a discount on a Scalpel frame (will cost me 1000$CDN for the scalpel and his shock)

It's a bit expensive, so that why I'm wondering, thinking if it worth it.

when I bought the HT, I was looking for something fast, and that bike was fast, believe me. But now I also would like some comfort on the trail...

stay away from the scapel at all cost. everyone i knew that rode that bike when it first came out were all racing for different teams sponsored by them. they all put it to me like this, if someone was giving a free one off the side of the road w/ full xtr, they wouldn't take it from the guy, not even to sell it to someone else.

if i were you. i'd just upgrade to the top of the line hardtail. those frames will give you some comfort. the ultra thin walls on the seatstays that those frames use will take out the edge.

 

[Echo]

Not that I'm really that good of a person to ask, since my XC race bike has 5.3" of rear travel but I never even for a second considered the Scalpel... get the HT

 

[Yanick]

Jekyll then ? ?

 

[Heytouekutbenca]

Indieboy, where was the problem then?

 

[indieboy]

Originally posted by Heytouekutbenca
Indieboy, where was the problem then?

the entire rear end of the bike was just trash. many of had problems w/ the rear end coming loose from the aluminum socket/joint that they were expoyed into. there were many that the seat stay snapped. then there's the fact that the bike simply rode like ass. the suspension was, how can i say this in a nice way "overly active", those who had them either had them locked out all the time and unloaded them for the downhill sections. and yes, that problem continued no matter how they had the suspension set up.

 

[Echo]

Originally posted by Yanick
Jekyll then ? ?

That's what I ride. It's a 03 Jekyll 1000. I got it down to about 26 lbs with lighter cranks, carbon bars, different tires, and my favorite seat.

Overall it's exceeded my expectations, although I would like to get a Yeti AS-R next season if I can get rid of the Jekyll and the Lefty.

 

[gk02]

theyre pretty popular here in texas on the racing circuit. Some of the fastest guys in Texas are riding on them, granted they get them for free, they are still kicking butt on them and i havent seen one break yet. Its got a lifetime warranty so what do you have to lose if you like the way it rides. I think its a pretty cool bike, people it seems either love cannondale or hate everything about their bikes. I say give it a try, if it feels good, go with it.

 

[rockracing]

2 of my mates have just gotten Scalpels (one with headshok and other with lefty), If it were not for the price, I would ride one too, excellent performance and still very light, his scalpel wieighs the same as my CAAD5 h/t albeit with a couple trick parts thrown in.
A very versatile bike.
I'd say go for it.

 

[bikebabe]

I've been riding a Scalpel for a little over a year and love it. It has endured my abuse without problems. I appreciate the stretched out geometry. It climbs well---with or without lockout. On medium grade hills it is more efficient to lock it out but that's with almost any FS bike that doesn't have VPP or the Brain. On steep, loose hills I've found that "forgetting" to lock the rear out helps me maintain traction. The bike is not a plush ride, like the Jekyll, but it does take the edge off the trail and is much more comfortable than a hard tail. As for speed, the scalpel hasn't hurt me one bit. I have no problem keeping up with the guys in my group on titanium hardtails.

The durability of the carbon chainstays are a concern to me but so far they have held up fine. The position of the chainstay seems to be higher than on other bikes so it's more prone to chain slap if you cross chain or are descending at speed on very rough terrain.

 

[peter6061]

I've got sweet hardtails and burly full suspensions at home. I just picked up a scalpel a few months ago, and I can't say enough about it. I haven't seen one come back into our shop with frame damage. I built the thing and raced it two days later in a 12 hour solo race. The bike kicked a$$.

A month later I took it out to Crested Butte, CO. We spent about a week there and climbed close to 30,000 feet. Hopefully this trip will become an annual thing. CB's trail's rock! I can't say I used to lockout on the rear too much at all, though the lockout on the front(lefty) was used extensively. (that's where all the bobbing comes from). The bike was even tough enough(for the skeptical) to take some 4 foot drops on the way down Porcupine Rim in Moab,... not to mention the roughness of that trail in general.

Upon returning, I removed the remote lockout lever altogether from the rear and haven't looked back. I would reccomend this frame for anyone who wanted a xc/trail bike that climbed and descended well.

Obviously, this is not a big freeride/dh bike, so don't take the thing and go huck yourself,... buy another bike for that.... you can never have too many.

 

[SuspectDevice]

Early Scalpels had issues with rear end flex and play, but cannondale devolped a new seatstay and link that fixed that.
IMO the Scalpel Isn't worth the weight hit over an optimo hardtail. 2" of suspension with a 1.5 lb wieght gain sucks IMO.

I also find that the bike bobs too much when set up so the rear end works.

(disclaimer: I am so old school I'm pretty much the professor of old school when it comes to XC bikes. That being said $1000 cdn is way too much money to ever pay for anything, IMO unless it is a TI Crown Jewel)

The bike is undoubtably fast and more efficent than an optimo bike, but the feel is just not my cup of tea. Set up with a lefty you have and awesome fork and rear suspension that is just a comfort Item.

A jexyll frame with the Pro-pedal shock came into the shop the other day as a warranty on a raven and we built it up into a sick 25lb trailbike.

So if you race, get the Optimo HT, and if you are just a trailrider get the Jekyll with a lefty Jake

 

[Deyv]

Did you break it at the Raid?

I also say go with the Jekyll.

Mountainbike mag said that the scapel bobed a lot for a 2" xc bike and that they were using the lockout a lot.

 

[Yanick]

Originally posted by Deyv
Did you break it at the Raid?

Nope was broken before, actually I discover the crack when cleanning and preparing it for the raid. And after the Raid, the crack was bigger an longuer...

 

[Deyv]

Originally posted by Yanick
Nope was broken before, actually I discover the crack when cleanning and preparing it for the raid. And after the Raid, the crack was bigger an longuer...

I like your sig. LOL

do you put rocks in your pocket to crack bikes like that?

 

[vitox]

the other day i was out riding with a guy on a scalpel and his bike sure bobbed a lot, of course, bobbing from a 2,5" travel bike is never going to be a huuuuge concern but i was impressed by the poor suspension design that could create all that bobbing from so little travel
looks like its your choice of a lockout dependant bike or a no-sag setup. both of which im not really down with, my enduro weighs less than a pound more, doesnt bob, and has twice the travel???