FAST BIKE FRIDAY – CANNONDALE SCALPEL CARBON SE 2

Have you heard the news? Cross Country Mountain Bikes are cool again! After an almost 25 year hiatus there suddenly seems to be a lot of attention on international Cross Country mountain bike racing and the innovation and technology being put into modern XC bikes, with the mountain bike media sitting up, taking notice and giving more air time and column inches to this discipline of mountain biking. There’s a number of factors that have rejuvenated the sport and brought it to the attention of a wider audience; firstly there’s the fact that the race courses have become more technical than ever, with some really demanding sections in each race helping to influence the results – races really can now be lost on the descents as much as on the climbs. In response to this riders have really upped their game, spending a fair chunk of their training time focused on technical riding and skills improvement.

Another really important factor in the recent success of cross country is the coverage – Redbull have done a brilliant job with their live coverage (available on replay). With an ever growing camera capacity at all races you see every inch of the track and all of the race action; this year there’s even live drone camera footage helping to really immerse you into the action. Race commentary is excellent too and the balance of attention on women’s and men’s racing is completely equal making stars of the best riders in both races.

The Cannondale Scalpel Carbon SE 2 could be described as a ‘downcountry’ mountain bike…

So what’s all this got to do with the Cannondale Scalpel Carbon SE 2 mountain bike that we’re looking at today in our weekly Fast Bike Friday feature? Well, alongside the evolution of the cross country race courses, the skill of the riders and the brilliant race coverage it’s fair to say that in recent times the bikes have really moved on, being able to handle the extra technical demands thanks to an increase in suspension travel, changes to frame geometry, the use of dropper seat posts and wider tyres – the Scalpel Carbon SE 2 is a great example of just such a bike.

The Scalpel’s lightweight BallisTec carbon fibre frame features smooth lines and a stunning orange glitter paintjob…

Not interested in cross country racing? No problem, this sort of mountain bike can be used for so much more than flat-out racing. You may have heard the slightly tongue-in-cheek term ‘Downcountry’ increasingly being used within social riding groups and within the wider mountain bike media. People are generally referring to bikes that were either originally deemed as cross country MTB’s that have been customised to be more capable on the downhills or as a bike that has been spec’d for this sort of riding from the get-go at the design and production stage. The Scalpel SE is just such a bike with a slack and stable 67˚ headtube angle combined with a shorter stem to give you a confidence-inspiring and sharp handling bike; bigger tyres, a dropper post and increased travel – 120mm compared with the 100mm typically found on cross country mountain bikes all help to make the Scalpel more versatile and fun to ride.

That large headtube, downtube & top tube junction is super stiff, helping to keep steering sharp…

The Scalpel SE 2’s lightweight BallisTec carbon frame featuring Cannondale’s FlexPivot design is something to behold, with smooth, sweeping lines and a stunning orange glitter paintjob. As you’d expect from Cannondale, behind this pleasing aesthetic is a considerable list of innovative features included in the design of this light, stiff and fast frame; at the heart of the Scalpel Carbon SE 2’s suspension platform is their patented 4-bar FlexPivot configuration which relies on a clever carbon fibre layup at the chainstays which flexes in unison with the plush RockShox SIDLuxe rear shock as it compresses and does away with the need for another set of pivots at the rear dropouts. The FlexPivot is the key to Scalpel’s incredible suspension performance AND light weight with this carbon portion of the chainstays creating virtual Horst link pivots to provide 120mm of rear suspension travel. Proven over multiple World Cup race seasons this system is incredibly durable and completely maintenance-free.

The RockShox SIDLuxe Select+ rear shock provides 120mm of plush suspension travel…

Jump back in time to only a couple of seasons ago and you’d see that nearly every World Cup cross country racer was still riding bikes with conventional seatposts (not a dropper in sight!) with 100mm of suspension travel front and rear being the established norm. In the present day nearly all racers are riding with dropper seatposts and the move over to 120mm of travel is starting to happen this year with even the most successful, influential racers making the change over to more suspension capacity – it’s another acknowledgement of just how technically demanding cross country racing is becoming. Cannondale have spec’d the Scalpel Carbon SE 2 with a pair of RockShox SID Select suspension forks with a Debonair air shock and 120mm of plush travel; it’s great to see a lightweight XC fork with a little extra capacity on this bike, making it more than ready for the demands of mountain bike marathons, super-techy XC races and for days spent looning around on your local trails.

The 120mm RockShox SID Select suspension fork with Debonair shock can handle more technical race tracks and your favourite trails…

With 120mm of suspension travel front and year the Scalpel Carbon SE 2 perfect for mountain bike marathons, super-techy xc races and for days spent looning around on your local trails…

The Cannondale Scalpel Carbon SE 2 features a simple to use, durable and efficient Sram SX Eagle 12-Speed groupset which stands up really well to the rigors of rowdy riding and frenetic racing. Cannondale have spec’d a Truvativ Stylo 6K DUB crankset upfront with a narrow/wide 34T chainring which will keep your chain securely located even in muddy riding conditions; that said it’s nice to see that Cannondale have also included a small integral chain keeper to ensure there’s no unwanted unshipping of the chain over the rough stuff.

Simple to use and brilliantly functional, the Sram SX Eagle 1X groupset makes gear selection easy even when you’re under pressure and racing flat-out…

A lightweight Truvativ Stylo 6K DUB crankset with single chainring keeps the drivetrain simple and effective…

A 34T chainring keeps the chain located thanks to its narrow/wide tooth profile while extra security is provided by an integrated chain-keeper…

Outback there’s a wide ratio 12-Speed Sram cassette with gears ranging from a tiny 11 tooth cog to a whopping 50 tooth option for when the terrain gets really steep and loose. The 12-Speed Sram SX Eagle rear derailleur provides crisp, precise gear shifts every time regardless of your riding conditions and features a clutch mechanism to help keep the chain tight to prevent chain slap on the bike’s chainstays and add an extra level of security when it comes to keeping the chain located on the front chainring and rear cassette.

The 12-speed rear cassette features a massive spread of gears, from 11T to 50T…

There’s more evidence of Cannondale’s focus on developing a progressive cross country bike that can comfortably handle the downhills, when it comes to the brakes they’ve spec’d a larger disc rotor on the front wheel with a 180mm up front compared with a smaller 160mm out back. Powerful Shimano MT500 hydraulic disc brakes quickly and effectively scrub off speed when you need to slow-up rapidly, entering technical trail sections and so on; high speeds are inevitable thanks to those large 29” wheels, superlight frame and 120mm of suspension travel front and rear so it’s nice to see there’s plenty of braking capacity built into the Scalpel Carbon SE 2.

Shimano Deore hydraulic disc brakes combined with a 180mm rotor upfront and a 160mm rotor out back provide plenty of braking power to handle the extra speeds you’ll encounter on this capable 120mm travel bike…

When it comes to wheels Cannondale have spec’d a pair of Stan’s NoTube Crest S1 tubeless-ready rims built onto a pair of durable Shimano Thru Axle Boost hubs. Stan’s was pretty much the pioneer of tubeless tyre setup back in the day and has been influential in the development and refinement of a tubeless tyre setup on mountain bikes so seeing these rims featuring on the Cannondale Scalpel Carbon SE 2 is a real vote of confidence that you’ll be able to run your wheels and tyres tubeless without any significant hassle or reliability issues.

Durable Shimano Deore hubs with centre-lock disc rotor mounts will stand up well to the rigours of rowdy riding…

Fast-rolling Stan’s NoTubes Crest S1 rims and Maxxis tyres are both tubeless ready…

When it comes to tyre choice, again Cannondale’s ambitions for this XC mountain bike are clear; instead of a typical cross country tyre up front, with a minimal tread profile and a fairly narrow width Cannondale have fitted a more capable Maxxis Ardent with a more aggressive tread pattern and a wider 2.40” tyre width to handle the higher forces encountered when you’re ploughing into tight turns at speed. The Ardent will still roll fast and be efficient as it’s not a super-aggressive downhill tyre but it will definitely give you a little more confidence and grip when you’re riding gets a little more rowdy on tight, loose terrain.

Reflecting how they see the Scalpel Carbon SE 2 being used Cannondale have spec’d a wider Ardent tyre upfront with a more aggressive tread profile…

The Maxxis Ardent rolls fast, clears mud quickly and provides enhanced grip in loose corners…

Out back there’s a more xc-orientated Maxxis Reckon Race tyre with a much shallower tyre tread profile to help ensure it’s fast-rolling with just the right amount of grip…

No modern, progressive cross country bike which is designed to meet the demands of the technical race courses that we’re now seeing would be complete without a dropper seatpost. Racing with a dropper post has quickly become the norm as more and more riders come to realise just how much they can alter the handling and agility of the bike on tricky technical descents; the Scalpel Carbon SE 2 features Cannondale’s own DownLow cable-activated dropper seatpost with internal cable routing. With that extra suspension capacity and the more relaxed, stable geometry fitting a dropper to further increase the capability of this bike on the downhills was a no-brainer, it really does complete the package.

No ‘Downcountry’ mountain bike would be complete without a dropper seat post – a Cannondale DownLow dropper takes care of business…

‘Progressive Cross Country’, ‘Downcountry’ or ‘Short Travel Trail Bike’ call it what you want the Scaplel Carbon SE 2 is a superb modern cross country mountain bike that really reflects the way this discipline has developed in recent years and it’s good to see Cannondale with their finger on the pulse. With 120mm of suspension travel, geometry that is stable at speed, capable tyres, larger disc rotors and that dropper seat post this lightweight carbon mountain bike is up to the challenges of a serious race campaign on technical race courses, longer mountain bike marathons and stage races or simply for pushing your riding skills away from the race track when you simply want to fly on the uphills and truly excel on the technical downhills.

What a bike! Superlight, plenty of suspension travel, geometry that’s a little more relaxed – there’s no doubting that more aggressive style cross country mountain bikes have become a thing…

The Cannondale Scalpel Carbon SE 2 is available in-store and online now.

Full Specification:

• Frame: All-New, 120mm travel, BallisTec Carbon, Proportional Response Tuned, FlexPivot Chainstay, PF30-83, Tapered Headtube,Speed Release 12mm thru axle, Ai Offset, Stash compatible
• Rear Shock: RockShox SIDLuxe Select+, 2-Pos mode adjust, adjustable rebound
• Fork: RockShox SID Select, 120mm, Debonair, 15x110mm thru-axle, tapered steerer, 44mm offset
• Head Set: Integrated Sealed Bearing, Tapered
• Shifters: SRAM SX Eagle, 12-speed
• Rear Derailleur: SRAM SX Eagle
• Cassette : SRAM PG-1230, NX Eagle, 11-50, 12-speed
• Bottom Bracket: SRAM DUB PF30 MTB83
• Chainset: Truvativ Stylo 6K DUB, Ai offset, 34T
• Brakes: Shimano MT500 hydraulic disc, 180/160mm RT54 rotors
• Wheelset: Front – Shimano Deore 15×110 Hub, Stan’s NoTubes Crest S1, 32 Hole, Tubeless Ready
• Wheelset: Rear – Shimano Deore 12×148 Hub, Stan’s NoTubes Crest S1, 32 Hole, Tubeless Ready
• Front Tyre: Maxxis Ardent, 29×2.40” EXO Protection, Tubeless Ready
• Rear Tyre: Maxxis Rekon Race, 29×2.25” EXO Protection, Tubeless Ready
• Stem: Cannondale 3, 6061 Alloy, 31.8, 7°
• Handlebar: Cannondale riser, butted 6061 Alloy, 31.8mm, 5° rise, 9° sweep, 760mm
• Seat Post: Cannondale DownLow Dropper, internal routing, 31.6mm
• Saddle: Fabric Scoop Radius Sport, steel rails

 

Written by Johnny Dodgin

Photos by James Vincent

 

Want to see more fast bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!

Click the link below and search our archive…