Cannondale Scalpel

Hi 8,

2 of the lads I ride with have 'dales with lefties (both 03 100mm), one rides a hard tail and the other a scapel. Having riden both bikes, and listening to what they say, the leftie forks are damn stiff and track well, but there is a bit of stiction throughout the travel, and aren't as plush as the fox forks or my well bedded in marzocchi's. they don't seem to need much maintenance, but when they do its a dealer service. good for changing punctures, but a pain for removing the wheel if you have disc's. they are pretty light to.

the lad who rides the scapel, is a bit of an XC head and it suits him fine, short travel, light weight so not much pedal feedback or powerloss. He loves it, and the bikes looks, and finish are sweet. So if XC is your bag it seems top, cannondale team xc riders use it (most of the time), so thats what its built for. If you like more fun on the trail and longer epic rides, then a bit more travel would be in order in my opinion. But its your money, so get what puts the most smiles on your face.

I don't know if the model you are looking at has that VRO bar/ stem combo thing, but I have never been able to get one into a comfy posistion, but try before you buy. At least cannondale have the guts to stick to what they think is right spec wise, but for the money you pay you could custom spec the frame of your choice. Hope this has been helpful
Steve