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2008 Scalpel Team Replica

6K views 34 replies 11 participants last post by  spartan23 
#1 · (Edited)
Found a 2008 Scalpel Team Replica @ my local Cannondale dealer. I currently own a Scalpel 3000 and was wondering if the new Carbon Frame is as durable as my 3000 frame.

I cracked several Campy Record seatpost so Im kinda leary about a Carbon Fiber frame.

Im ready to pull the trigger , any tips, feedbacks and advise on the 08 frames greatly appreciated.

thanks
 
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#6 ·
guys-
thanks for the feedbacks. Im 90% there...the taxes alone are driving me nuts :nonod:

I have 4 Cannondales and Im confident about their warranty- the only thing that worries me is the "crash warranty" --hope the Carbon frame holds well in that situation :)

Correct me if Im wrong but are the newer Carbon frames run a little smaller than the previous models..?? it feels that way..

thanks eliflap- I'll look you up when it comes to upgrades..love your bike and its what motivated me to go this route :thumbsup:
 
#9 ·
spartan23 said:
guys-
I have 4 Cannondales and Im confident about their warranty- the only thing that worries me is the "crash warranty" --hope the Carbon frame holds well in that situation :)

I've had nothing but good experience with cdale and their warranty. As for carbon and crashing, the stuff is really, really strong. I purchased a Taurine that was a demo and it looks like someone really treated it like a demo bike. It's got a couple gouges in it but this thing has been ridden hard for about year now and the gouges show no signs of change. The rep told me that if their ever was a problem with it, he'd take care of it.
 
#11 ·
thanks for the encouraging replies guys :)

nicholas- they are definitely coming off but cant wait to add the basket up front :D.

I think its required for bike shops to have the safety equipment on..(must be a California thing) :D....then our Governator wants $540 worth of taxes :rolleyes:
 
#12 ·
Hi Spartan,

My first frame was one of the two European frames that 'broke' at the chainstays. I was a bit scared with my new frame but after a wild Dolomiti-Transalp a few weeks ago with some extreme downhills I am back in love with the frame! It worked out very well. Now I am going for the Lefty-tuning at 88+. Uphill it's a monster, downhill it finds it way for you...

Good Luck!
 
#13 ·
triplejee- yes, I heard the 1st batch of productions were having issues. I was told by the dealer that the newer frames are solid.

I have a friend that is encouraging me to try the ibis mojo. I tried the Ellsworth Truth several weekends ago @ a local trail (Demo day hosted by summit bikes), gotta admit, love the power transfer of the Ellsworth Truth.

Anybody tried the ibis or ellsworth against our beloved Scalpel?

thanks again.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Ok, I ended up with the bike...we weighed the bike with flat pedals and all the funky reflectors @ 22.97 lbs. (not bad)

last question to Scalpel owners...what packet (manuals etc) came with the bike? Does it come with the adhesive protectors and chain guards?

thanks to all that replied :thumbsup:

 
#15 ·
My frame had in the box:

1 x Cannondale owners manual (read carefully)
1 x 3M Protective strip pack
8 x plastic cable housing guides
1 x BB Cable guide
3 x Cable stops (to fit in frame cable guides)

No Fox set up guide
No chainstay protector, this is already fitted. I also use a Lizzard Skin Slapsok
The Downtube protector is also prefitted.

Sag must be betweem 8mm and 10mm. That is around 60psi for me!! It's very low. I suggest you invest in a new gauge for your shock pump. One that reads to 100 or 150 psi is ideal to get the fine adjust, or buy a shock pumpwith a digital gauge.

I too have switched from a 2yr old alloy Rush 3000 to the Scalpel Carbon 1. The carbon bike is awesome! Its a lot stiffer although not that much lighters than the alloy bikes. Yes there is a crash disclaimer but that is also for the alloy bikes. Cannondale now also have a terrain definition scale that ranges from 1-5.

1 - basically a road bike
2 is basically a cyclocross bike
3 is essentially your XC and MArathon bikes. Warranty is for the duration of the life of the original owner.When you die, you take the warranty with you.. thats why I love Cannondale. I can take a bit of my dale to heaven with me,
4 is the AM kind of bikes
5 is the severe riding kind of bikes. These now have a 3yr warranty.
Apparently they have made these changes because some [word removed] people were going DH racing with XC Hardtails and doing jumps on Scalpels, the bikes broke and Cannondale had to replace them under warranty!
 
#18 ·
eliflap said:
PSI difference :

60 psi with a FOX RP 23 ???

i think it's too low !!! it works at more high pressures , as 140 psi for example

60 is correct for a DT Carbon shock , that has a littler chamber ...

i use 70-80 on my DT
If the diameter of the piston (chamber) is smaller, it would require more pressure, not less. PRESSURE*AREA=Force. Keep in mind that the chainstays on the Scalpel provide suspension compression resistance, and thus the low shock air pressure.

From the Scalpel 100 Owner's Manual Supplement:

"The living hinge seat and chainstays work in conjunction with the rear shock and provide some of the spring rate. This integrated spring force results in riders requiring much less air pressure than normal."

-Pete
 
#19 ·
yes i know the manual supplement ... but i use only a DT on my bike

my spare , new, unused , RP23 was sold yesterday on ebay ...so i never checked the real difference from these shocks at work in same frame ...

8-10 mm of correct sag are in PSI for a 70 kg rider for the RP 23 ?
 
#20 · (Edited)
I weigh in at 79.3kg and have my RP23 inflated to 26psi to achieve 8-10mm sag on the Large size Scalpel frame. I imagine the required psi would be linear as a function of rider weight on the same size frame, but possibly different on different size frames as one would assume the rear triangle has a different stiffness on each size frame. There's no point in guessing when it's so easy to measure the sag with the shock's o-ring, though.

-Pete

Edit: Brad's numbers are likely correct below. I don't have an accurate in-pump guage, and it would appear my attempt to measure the pressure with a stand-alone guage let out a considerable amount of air. Although I can't tell you exactly what pressure I'm running to achieve 8mm sag, it's at least 50psi.
 
#21 ·
Spartan,
The bike is shipped with all those goodies. Your LBS shop mechanic should exercise more caution with the goodies in the box. Everything is in there, including the top cap for the stem because that is shipped with the stem. It is not a separate item. Take it up with them and insist they replace it.

For a whole bike there should be:
Lefty manual
Fox manual
Cannondale warranty card
Cannondales Owners manual
Split cable guides (8off)
Cable Housing stops (3Off; 1 for front derailleur and 2 for rear,on right side seat stay)
XC3 Stem steerer top cap
seat collar clamp
Cable hooks for Lefty (2off)
Oil seal (1 off)(this will be assembled on the bike if it's on theshop floor)
Headshok Si Heaset bearings (2off)


Eliflap,

I weigh 77kg, ride a medium and to achieve 8mm sag the pressure in the RP23 is 66psi. to achieve 9mm it is 60psi and 10mm it is 56psi. This will change once the shock is run in. Not the upper values somuch but the range will decrease.
The leaf spring does add a lot of spring rate hence the low air pressure. The DT shock is also a High pressure unit. On any other bike the Dt and Fox would work at similar pressures.

Also because of the leaf spring, the rider must set up the rebound properly. I have found that Fox rear suspension units rebound damping only works in the last two clicks. I use mine 2 click out from max rebound damping.
 
#24 ·
I've got your fun fact for the day (it's actually quite useful, though):

The outside diameter of the open end of the valve cap on the Fox RP23 is exactly 8mm, which, coincidentally, is the minimum recommended sag for the rear end of the Scalpel. Very convenient if you ask me.

Do, however, be careful not to touch the cap to the shock piston as any scratches can compromise the function and/or lengevity of the shock.

-Pete
 
#25 ·
Pedalphile said:
I've got your fun fact for the day (it's actually quite useful, though):

The outside diameter of the open end of the valve cap on the Fox RP23 is exactly 8mm, which, coincidentally, is the minimum recommended sag for the rear end of the Scalpel. Very convenient if you ask me.

Do, however, be careful not to touch the cap to the shock piston as any scratches can compromise the function and/or lengevity of the shock.

-Pete
thanks for the pointer as I have been trying to figure out how long 8-10mm is :D

so its the "cap" and not the rp23 itself right?
 
#26 ·
spartan23 said:
so its the "cap" and not the rp23 itself right?
At the risk of replying to sarcasm: Yes - it's the outside diameter of the open end of the cap, not the RP23 itself.

That's what makes it so convenient. If you're playing with the air pressure you're going to have the cap off anyway, and it can easily be held close to the gap between the shock body and the o-ring for comparison. It's a lot easier that trying to eyeball with a tape measure, and not everyone has a set of measuring calipers (certainly not on the trail).

-Pete
 
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