This New Mountain Bike Has Us Stoked for One Big Reason

Cannondale’s redesigned Scalpel possesses a lot of promising features, but it’s the brand’s approach to suspension that stands out.

2024 cannondale scalpel xc mountain bike

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published March 26, 2024

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Updated March 26, 2024

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The best gear boasts qualities that enable us to speed up, rather than quirks that only slow us down. That notion is especially true when it comes to bicycles — and it appears to be alive and well in Cannondale’s new release, the latest iteration of its ultralight cross-country mountain bike, the Scalpel.

Beyond simply a fresh paint job or upgraded components, the new Scalpel has been seemingly re-engineered for optimal performance, allowing you to climb, descend and flat-out sprint with relative ease. While there’s a lot to get pumped about here, the one thing that really pops (in a good way) is the bike’s approach to suspension. Here’s why.

cannondale scalpel mountain bike — The Scalpel’s 120mm of front and rear travel can help you navigate tough trails without feeling weighed down.

Shock Treatment

When it comes to riding XC, the best suspension is the kind that’s so responsive to the ups and downs of the trail, you hardly notice it’s there. That dynamic appears to be at work in the Scalpel , thanks to 120mm (just under 5 inches) of front and rear travel, enough to help you navigate typical terrain without getting too heavy.

The Scalpel also integrates Cannondale’s FlexPivot technology — flexing carbon sections of the frame (rather than standard Horst Link pivots) resulting in a streamlined 4-bar linkage that provides stability and responsiveness without the weight and hassle of chainstay pivot bolts and bearings. Ultimately, there are fewer moving parts, maximizing durability and minimizing maintenance.

Perhaps even cooler, however, is something Cannondale calls Proportional Response. Recognizing that a rider’s center of gravity dramatically impacts how the suspension responds, the brand has consciously tailored the suspension kinematics to each of the bike’s five different frame sizes, enabling every rider to enjoy the same trail-taming benefits.

Inextricably linked with the suspension is, of course, the bike’s geometry. In this case, it’s progressive but stable, thanks to a 66.6-degree head tube angle (which the brand calls “devilishly slack”), a 75.5-degree seat tube angle and size-specific chainstay lengths, rolled into an ultralight, full-carbon frame that is equally capable of tackling uphills, downhills and flats.

Bonus Features

In addition to the different sizes, there are a number of trim levels, three of which can include the brand’s unmistakable Lefty Ocho 120mm fork. Prized for the needle bearings that eliminate friction for serious speed, the distinctive single-tine fork is available on higher-end skews, including the Scalpel Carbon Lab 71, Scalpel Carbon 1, and Scalpel Carbon 2 Lefty models (Europe only).

The Scalpel Carbon Lab 71, Scalpel Carbon 1 also boast the SystemBar XC-One, a new, one-piece carbon cockpit Cannondale says is lighter and stiffer than most two-piece options. It’s 760mm (nearly 30 inches) wide and equipped with internal headset cable routing to keep the bike’s profile streamlined as you shift and break.

All models come with beefy, rock garden-ready 2.4-inch tires and a standard feature we consider pretty dang indispensable: a dropper post. Because no matter how fantastic your suspension and frame might be, there’s nothing like being able to sink the saddle at the flick of a switch and roll into steep, technical terrain without sacrificing too much of the velocity that makes mountain biking so fun in the first place.

As you might guess, a package this light and fast can lighten your wallet, fast. The base model Scalpel Carbon 4 costs $4,000. Higher-level versions include the Scalpel Carbon 2 ($6,500), Scalpel Carbon 1 ($9,500, pictured in this story) and LAB71 Scalpel ($14,000). All bikes are available starting today.

2024 Cannondale Scalpel

Placing a priority on responsive suspension and progressive geometry, the Scalpel is designed to help you navigate the ups and downs of cross-country trails as quickly and smoothly as possible — and have a blast along the way. Highlights include 120mm of front and rear travel, integrated cable routing, 2.4-inch tires and a dropper post. Available versions include the Scalpel Carbon 4 ($4,000), Scalpel Carbon 2 ($6,500), Scalpel Carbon 1 ($9,500) and LAB71 Scalpel ($14,000).