Cannondale Scalpel si vs Scott spark
- Thread starter Dairyman
- Start date
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
Exactly half-fast. Fast only on the parts going down. I'm in no rush going up. I'm pushing around a 30lb trail bike, as that is where I find my enjoyment these days. I've regressed. I like to go downhill, jump, hit the harder lines, hit the bike parks. I used to hammer around on an xc race bike back in the day. Having said that, it looks like I'll finally have some training time this spring, hit the road bike, and may do a few races here and there. Enduro is definitely on the menu as my downhill skills are better than they've ever been, maybe a couple of H2H xc races in cat2. Problem is, I'll be doing those on that 30lb trail bike, should be interesting. Since I'm half fast, goal will be to beat half the field, then drink a whole beer.
Maybe you should get a xc bike for racing and have trail bike for enduros?
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
I'd also like a Benz Maybach for my daily commute and a Porsche 918 Spyder for the weekends.
I'm currently trolling the interwebs for a used bike. I looked here, but apparently all you people are circus midgets, everything is a medium or small. I did see a large Top Fuel that some racer dude beat the shit out of for a season, enough that he broke the frame, and now he's trying to pawn it off for $5k. Puh-lease.
MMuller
Well-Known Member
Yea, right? Everyone should be able to get a year-old top of the line $7k bike used for like $1,000.....
We are sponsored by Halter's, which is a Cannondale dealer. So...Sorta?
I saw that bike this weekend and it's mint. He gets a pro deal and gets 2 bikes every season. 1 for racing and 1 training. This was his race only bike. A couple of scratches but that's about it. I'm not in the market as I'm happy with my Czar but I wouldn't hesitate on that bike based on how it looks. Not that I'm telling you buy it, just saying it's clean with a bunch of new parts to boot.
ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Sounds to me like a valid approach.
Pearl
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Yes
Yes, factory cannondale... Ill be showing up at the short track on Sunday with fumic in the 18 wheeler
Juggernaut
Master of the Metaphor
.....with fumic in the 18 wheeler
Did you just accidentally make the case for the Spark??? Cuz Nino.
Dairyman
Active Member
Did you just accidentally make the case for the Spark??? Cuz Nino.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
For $3.5-4K maybe, but not more. Sorry, bike was ridden hard, and frankly speaking, if I wanted to spend $5k I'm pretty sure I could get something better, new. Plus, I'm not a Trek guy. Every single person I know who ever had a Trek mtb (or Gary Fisher) has broken it, just like that guy.
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Tinker broYes, factory cannondale... Ill be showing up at the short track on Sunday with fumic in the 18 wheeler
I forgot now that Pivot has the Sl and the trail, at jungle I rode the trail (like your bike) So I havent ridden the latest Sl version. The trail version, I loved it...just couldnt see myself trying an XC race with it.
In cat 2 I would see this from time to time...cat 1...rarely..Like I can think of 2-3 guys who were outstanding downhill to the point where it might have given them a extra place or two....Especially now that so many guys are on FS bikes.. But they also trained there asses off to go faster uphill...so they were by no means slow uphill....just not as fast uphill as a few of the guys they might beat on a given day. open/pro class....honestly I cant ever think of a race where I can recall someone who is an inferior climber being competitive. Like everyone is within say 5% of each other DH speed wise...There are guys who are better, but remember were talking XC courses, not DH courses...So the terrain isnt typically challenging enough that a superior downhiller is going to put more than 5, 10, 15 seconds on an "average" guy. And if a course has enough downhill that you can put 15 seconds on someone, it will also usually have enough uphill that 15 seconds can be erased really quickly. So for me anyway...how the bike climbs, pedals, handles...utmost importance...the difference in descending between rear suspension designs...im not denying that one is better than the other, but to me, its just not that big of a deal if a DW link can give me an extra 3 seconds of DH speed in a given 30min XC lap. But im talking about something like a mach429 trail, or a habit SE, tallboy vs my scalpel...Not the turner flux...thats more xc than trail. @Kirt has one, I havent ridden it, but I would probably really like it.
Monkey Soup
Angry Wanker
I have no aspirations of racing cat 1, that's training time I don't have (wish I did). Plus I like to focus on improving my technical skills while I ride, I'm glad the Enduro thing is gaining traction, although you absolutely need to be fit to do that well. Having said that, the Scalpel I tried would probably work for me, I think the wheels were on the flimsy side, but the overall fit and geometry of the bike was way better than older model. My expectations of a bike are skewed by having ridden a trail bike for so long. And I think your confusing the Flux with the Czar, the Flux is definitely more of a trail bike, however with the promotion that they have going now with the carbon wheels, I would definitely get that if I had $5g's burning a hole in my pocket. That would make a good Cat2 bike, and all around trail bike.
I am...the czar is the one I was thinking about.
Damn.