Back in April, Cannondale showed us the first prototype of the Scalpel 29er mountain bike with frame weight claims of 1900g for the Large size.
Well, now there are all-but-production frames in the wild being demoed here at Eurobike (which means they’re rideable, which means they’re basically production spec frames) and we had a chance to weigh them just as Cannondale was packing up their demo booth for the day. Jump past the break for actual complete bike weights, specs and pics…
The size large complete bike weighed in at 23lbs 13oz without pedals. Spec is:
- DT Swiss Tricon 1550 tubeless ready Lefty wheels
- Cannondale HollowGram crankset with SRAM XX 39/26 rings and PFBB
- KMC X10SL chain
- SRAM XX shifters and rear derailleur
- XO front derailleur, cassette and brakes
- Truvativ Noir handlebar
- Fizik saddle and seatpost
- Lefty 29er Carbon XLR 100mm “fork” with Rockshox Solo Air tech
- MSRP $7,600
The frame uses their BallistTec hi-mod carbon, which appears to be pretty tough, and uses their integrated stem and headset with their Lefty fork. Cannondale afficionados may notice that the 29er Lefty now has 100mm of travel, up 90mm from the prior 29er Lefty model. This should make it a bit more appealing for those interesting in their Lefty for All adapters.
Note that the wheels on this demo bike are built with Stan’s NoTubes ZTR Arch wheels, not the full DT Swiss wheelset, so actual weight on the showroom floor might be a bit lighter. Afterall, the prototype came in at just 21lbs 4oz for the same size…but it didn’t have paint, either.
Oddly, Cannondale put their “team green” on the second tier build. The 2012 Scalpel 29er Carbon 2 comes spec’d with:
- Stan’s ZTR Arch rims with Left SLR front/Sun-Ringle Dirty Flea rear hubs and DT Swiss Competition spokes
- SRAM non-series 2×10 cranks with PFBB
- KMC X10SL chain
- SRAM X0 cassette
- SRAM X9 front derailleur
- Shimano XTR rear derailleur
- Shimano XT shifters
- Lefty 29er XLR 100mm “fork” with OPI integrated stem and headset
- Avid Elixir 9 brakes
- Fizik saddle and post
- Truvativ Noir handlebar
- MSRP: $5,300
Complete bike weight for size large is 24lbs 11oz without pedals. This is probably closer to what you’ll see on the showroom floor because the spec is pretty much correct.
Both models use the 12×142 rear axle standard and SAVE flex stays that were shown on the prototype. In fact, the frame looks to be pretty much unchanged from what we saw at Sea Otter. Cannondale’s literature shows a claimed weight of just 1850g without shock. They claim it’s the lightest full suspension 29er frame ever, anywhere.
Frame details include their shortest SI head tube, allowing for a low overall stack height (pretty important for a 29er, and it looked pretty good in person), really short chainstays and a bolt-on “C Stay Bridge” that connects the seat stays in front of the seat tube. Cannondale says these frame characteristics address the three main issues with 29ers: weight, stiffness and handling by providing a light, stiff and aggressive bike. The bent seat tube offers clearance for up to 2.3″ tires with room to still shed mud.
That’s all well and good, you say, but what about those of us that don’t wanna drop north of five large? Answer:
Two alloy models will be offered a little later on. The Scalpel 29er Alloy 3 (above) and Alloy 4 (below) will retail for $3,350 and $2,250 respectively with the expected spec downgrades like a SRAM X9/X7 mix, Elixir 3 and 1030 cassette on the Alloy 3 and an XT/Deore/FSA mix on the Alloy 4. Both still use the BB30 bottom bracket standard, a Lefty fork and get Formula hubs with Sun-Ringle rims.
