Cannondale Scalpel long term review

BikesReview

by Hannah Dobson March 12, 2025 5

I find it very hard to imagine being disappointed with the Cannondale Scalpel 1 (once you’d got over the actual spending of all that money!)

• Brand: Cannondale
• Product: Scalpel 1 Lefty
• Price: £8,550
• From: Cannondale

Pros

• Makes you feel like a hero
• Much more versatile than just an XC race bike
• Floaty light but comfortable

Cons

• Under powered brakes
• No mudguard option for the Ocho
• Internal routing and integrated bar/stem will upset home mechanics

I’ve been over all the tech details of the latest Cannondale Scalpel range before, in my first ride review, so head there if you want more than the recap that follows. When I took delivery of the Scalpel for testing on home trails, I was interested to see what it would be like to live with, and where it might sit in the spectrum of possible shed contents.

It’s the same model of bike as I tested at the launch – the Scalpel 1 Lefty. This isn’t quite the tippy top of the range, as you can also get the LAB71 carbon version, as ridden rather successfully by Charlie Alridge, which is a shade lighter – and a good bit more expensive. This Scalpel 1 Lefty comes with SRAM XO T-Type transmission, SRAM Level Silver Stealth 4 Piston brakes, RockShox SidLuxe Select+ shock, and of course the fork is the 120mm Lefty Ocho Carbon.

I kept the Maxxis Rekon Race and Aspen tyres on – I’d had the Rekon Race swapped out for my initial test ride on unfamiliar trails, but back on home turf I figured I could plan my routes according to the weather. Also, they’re pleasingly fast rolling, which does make for a bike that covers a lot of ground, both literally, and in the shed spectrum. More on that in a minute.

In fact, I ended up keeping almost everything as stock for the duration of the test – a pretty rare thing for me. That’s not to say everything was perfect, but broadly speaking, it’s very, very, good.

On the trail

By the time this test bike came to me, it had been ridden elsewhere. Fairly lightly, I’d say, but ridden nonetheless. Not straight out of the Cannondale mechanic’s shop, as on the launch. Back on familiar turf, one of the first things I noticed was that on my local descents – often steep, often with repeated hits – I could feel the TwistLoc moving under my hand. Not that it would twist all the way into a locked position – just that it would flex, pulling my hand round and away from the brake lever. Quite disconcerting on descents where you’re not wanting to slip or lose control. This was a problem quite easily solved by moving the TwistLoc inboard and fitting a standard set of grips instead of the silicone push on ones (the left grip is shorter where it meets the TwistLoc). Perhaps cable tightening and fiddling might also have solved it, but in all honesty I don’t really see the need for the fork lockout anyway.

The Lefty fork has me conflicted. Performance wise, it’s great – I didn’t have any weirdness when riding it, it just does what you’d hope of a fork. In fact, it does so without a bunch of flex like you might notice in other 120mm forks. But there’s no mudguard option for the Ocho, which is a pretty major drawback to my mind. I just don’t want to be having whatever the road or trail has on it being sprayed straight into my face and mouth. Even in a race situation where you might agonise over weight, I think there’s a reasonable chance you might also choose ‘being able to see’ as a trade off worth having. If you use a fork mounted system to transport your bike, you might find the single leg is an inconvenience there too. Much as I loved the Ocho, you should consider how well it will fit your needs before buying a bike with one on.

Note that older Lefties had a void in the fork crown that some mudguards were compatible with – the Ocho has no such void and right now there’s just no mudguard solution. Inventors, step this way, there’s a gap in the market.

Let’s get my final gripe over with: the brakes. Despite them being four-piston brakes, I just found the Level Silvers weirdly ineffective. There was a slight improvement after I upgraded the pads to some TrickStuff ones, but even then the overall feeling was spongy. It’s like you never reach a hard bite point, you just keep on squeezing. On the trail, that can translate into fatigue, because your hands spend time squeezing and holding rather than tapping the brakes.

Although they’re 4-piston brakes, they’re meeting some pretty small rotors: 180 at the front and 160 at the rear. This may well be a factor in the lack of stopping power. It was perhaps worst on something fast and open – like a road transfer – where that lack of stopping power translated into some scary moments. I had more than one occasion of wondering whether I was going to stop before I met the oncoming car, probably exacerbated by the fact that the fast rolling tyres don’t stick to the tarmac when you haul on the brakes.

But… despite these complaints I did love riding this Scalpel 1. On a dry day, just rolling along, it’s an absolute joy. It manages to be both snappy enough to feel fast, but comfortable enough to enjoy. More capable than a gravel bike, yet barely any more effort to ride. What you might lose against a gravel bike in a little bit of rolling resistance I think in all but the most roadie of gravel rides, you’d easily make up for in technical sections or an overall reduction in body fatigue. Riding the Scalpel 1 really had me questioning the wisdom of owning a gravel bike. But then, the price tag reflects the fact that it is a mountain bike, with many more components than a gravel bike. But… if you compared the price of a gravel bike and a trail bike to the Scalpel… well then the Scalpel 1 starts to look like a bargain.

And indeed, this is a trail bike, to a point. Just look at the kind of World and Elite level courses that get called ‘XC’ these days, and there’s every chance that’s as gnarly as much of your trail riding. The Scalpel is great fun to ride down twisty trail, even rocky ones. Once I’d moved that TwistLoc in board, it’s really only the brakes that have limited where – or at what speed – I want to ride. Having a bike that is so light, so responsive to power through the pedals, yet really confidence inspiring and capable is just good solid fun. You’re not wasting any energy or effort, and yet you’re not being beaten up. It’s a combination that made me feel like I had spent a great off season in the gym (despite that most definitely not being the case). Getting back on a heavier trail bike, or something with sticky tyres… after riding the Scalpel, your ego shrivels a little. Why does everything suddenly feel so hard? The answer is that the Scalpel makes everything feel good. And when a bike makes you feel good, you want to ride it, and you’ll find yourself adding on miles and detours just because you can.

Despite the fact that they’re not the easiest to attach lights to – or to get the lights to stay put on a rocky descent – I do like the handlebars when riding. They’re comfy, and they just look right. I’m not really a computer and numbers kind of rider, but the integrated mount makes attaching a compute a neat affair. And, being such a fast bike, it’s quite fun to watch your numbers a bit as you ride. Yes, I might change my mind about the merits of all this integration if I had cause to do any significant or frequent mechanical fettling, but the same goes for any integrated or covert cabling. Perhaps consider this bike a racing stallion, and make sure you have a stable hand to give it some TLC.

I want there to be a mudguard, and I want this to have brakes that match the brilliance of the rest of the ride. But I still didn’t want to give this bike back. Would the Scalpel 3 – the highest specced option without a Lefty fork – give the same performance? With 6mm difference in fork offset, would you lose some of the confidence that comes with the Ocho? My Scalpel 1 weighed in at 11.44kg, and costs £8,850. The Scalpel 3 costs just £4,950 and has the same frame (if we manage to establish a built weight for this model we’ll let you know). Or is it just wrong to have an XC Cannondale without a Lefty? The Scalpel 2 is £6,750 for the not-carbon Ocho…

Ultimately, I struggle to rationalise who should buy this bike. Or rather, who shouldn’t. I find it very hard to imagine being disappointed with the Scalpel 1 once you’d got over the actual spending of all that money. Despite its tippy top price tag, it just feels so great to ride, in so many situations. There’s fun and performance in one package – this is no hurt machine. Like a Lamborghini there are some impracticalities as a result of all that performance. But for feeling like a hero every time you get on the bike, it feels like it might be worth it. I’m going to miss it.

Cannondale Scalpel 1 Lefty specification

• Frame // Series 1 Carbon, 120mm
• Shock // RockShox SidLuxe Select+, TwistLoc Ultimate, 190x45mm
• Fork // Lefty Ocho Carbon, 120mm
• Wheels // DT Swiss XCR 1501
• Front Tyre // Maxxis Rekon Race 29×2.4in
• Rear Tyre // Maxxis Aspen 29×2.4in
• Chainset // SRAM XO T-Type, 34T
• Brakes // SRAM Level Silver Stealth 4 Piston, 180/160mm
• Drivetrain // SRAM XO T-Type 10-52T
• Stem // SystemBar XC-One
• Handlebars // SystemBar XC-One
• Grips // RockShox Smooth Silicone
• Seat Post // Fox Transfer SL Performance Elite, 150mm
• Saddle // Prologo Dimension NDR

Geometry of our size M

• Head angle // 66.6°
• Effective seat angle // 75.5°
• Seat tube length // 400mm
• Head tube length // 90mm
• Chainstay // 438mm
• Wheelbase // 1,175mm
• Effective top tube // 597mm
• BB height // 42mm BB drop
• Reach // 450mm
• Weight // 11.44kg

Review Info

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

More posts from Hannah