The Cannondale Scalpel-SI Hi-Mod World Cup 2019 XC Mountain Bike is based on the bike the Cannondale pro team use &, as you would expect, it has the best of everything. It uses Cannondale’s special Hi-Mod carbon blend which is reserved for their best bikes & comes fitted with the carbon Left Ocho. The Scalpel-SI is designed for aspiring World Cup XC racers, marathon racers & anyone else who wants a fast XC race bike. The Scalpel-SI is an XC race bike so as you would expect the geometry is based around an aggressive flat back riding position. It is designed to be super-fast on the flats & lighting fast on climbs. XC courses have changed a lot on the last few years though with big drops, large rocks & super steep descents now being the norm. In response Cannondale have designed the Scalpel for what they call XXC. The Scalpel is where XC ability meets all-mountain stability. At the front is has Cannondale’s Out Front Steering Geometry which gives you the best of both worlds: slack & stable on hectic descents, yet quick & nimble everywhere else. At the back it has Cannondale’s proprietary Ai offset drivetrain which delivers super short chainstays for climb-winning traction & agile handling, without sacrificing tyre clearance or limiting you to single ring set-ups. The most distinctive feature of the Scalpel is Cannondale’s Lefty Ocho fork. It’s unbelievably rigid & precise so it can out-corner, out-handle & flat-out rides circles around its flexy XC competition. Its custom extra-long fork offsets (rake) makes Cannondale’s Out Front Steering Geometry possible. The Hi-Mod carbon used on the Scalpel-SI World Cup lets Cannondale make the bike lighter without compromising strength. The carbon Lefty Ocho reduces the weight even further with the finished bike coming in at 9.8kg. The gearing on the Scalpel-SI World Cup is a mix of SRAM XX1 with SRAM Level Ultimate hydraulic discs. Rather than Cannondale’s own brand carbon tubeless wheels the World Cup bike uses ENVE M525 Carbon rims. This bike is perfect for World Cup XC racers, marathon & endurance racers or anyone else who needs to go really fast cross country. The Cannondale Scalpel-SI World Cup is one of the lightest & fastest full suspension mountain bikes money can buy. If you are serious about winning races this is the bike to do it on. Key Features Ballistec Hi-Mod carbon frame & Lefty Ocho Carbon fork ENVE carbon tubeless ready wheels 12 speed SRAM XX1 gearing & SRAM Level Ultimate Brakes