SamDaBikinMan

Afetr a tight single track ride today on the Scalpel I have come to more conclusions to the delimma as to which one to ride and why.

Both bikes perform like a dream overall and either one is good for any application.

Now that I have had adequate time on the EPIC today I loaded the scalpel for a 17 mile single track ride. I am finding the decision of which bike to ride will depend upon the particular type of riding conditions.

The EPIC performs best in my opinion on more open trails where you are really gonna be able to fly. A mix of double and single track with long climbs and fast downhills will be the territory for the EPIC.

If the trails are of the very tight twisty turny kind the Scalpel has the advantage. It handles the really tricky stuff a bit better then the EPIC but by a very small margin. I found making a tight turn in a steep short climb felt better on the Scalpel and moving into and out of quick twists in the trees was a bit more effortless.

I am certain it boils down to frame geometry and perhaps head tube angles etc.. which make these subtle differences noticable. I set both bikes up exactly the same as far as the dimensions go, ie bottom bracket to seat height, seat tip to handlebar length.

Rollling and sweeping fast singletrack, long climbs and descents and doubletrack belongs to the EPIC.

Tight tricky singletrack with quick ups and downs belongs to the Scalpel.

Jim311 will be pleased to read the Cannondale has one up on the EPIC.

You can't go wrong with either one my friends. So if you are in the market I hope my personal findings might help you out.

Dannihilator

But if you want it to be a true test, would not a Santa Cruz Blur and/or an Intense Spider VPP be included?

If the Santa Cruz or the Intense were included in this field, the results would be somewhat different.

SamDaBikinMan

Sorry Danka, can't afford every top notch bike. I can barely ride two at once and that is a trick

I'm merely posting notes on the two bikes I own. But if you'll be kind enough to send me the Santa Cruz.....

Dannihilator

It's true that I have a vpp Santa Cruz on it's way, but mine will take more abuse, since mine will be a V10.

SamDaBikinMan

Our local bike shop is now a Santa Cruz dealer. They will be getting the initial inventory shipment soon. I talked to the shop owner about it last week and they are excited about the new line. They have 20,000 dollars worth of SC bikes in route so I will have to at least go and take a look at them.

A friend of mine will be getting a Blur soon and perhaps he will let me take it for a spin.

sm266

My BF loves his Blur a lot. I ride the Epic and tried out the Gary Fisher Cake a couple of weeks ago at a demo on our local trailhead. It was too squishy and sluggish for me to really enjoy after being on my Epic. I'm glad you're enjoying the Epic. It's a fun bike.

SamDaBikinMan

I am looking forward to seeing my buddies Blur. When you hear a lot about a bike you want to see what all the fuss is about.

Jim311

Booyah for Cannondale!


I've heard good things about the Blur as well. I can't decide at all what the next frame I buy is going to be. There's too damn many selections.

rancid_chicken

I built a cake not too long ago for the shop and after setting the shocks to what the factory suggests, I think it's probably the best full suspension that I have ever ridden.

Even though I am a big Cannondale fan, every f/s that they have built has made me want to never want a one again. I'd even go as far as saying that they all suck as bad as my old Klien Mantra Comp.

SamDaBikinMan

Hey RC,

After owning a super V2000 back in 96 and a jekyll from 2000 until 2002 (which I rarely rode ) I agree that cannondales FS designs are a bit off. I thought I would like them and did not. Both were like riding pogo sticks up hills unless I jacked the shock pressure to the point it was nearly a hardtail. I rode my hardtail 85% of the time while I had the jekyll and SV both.

My Scalpel is much better and I love it. It does pogo a small bit but much less and it has just the right amount of travel for cross country riding.

Jim311

I like my Jekyll alright.. it's plush as hell.

SamDaBikinMan

Plush was the problem for me. At 190lbs the bobing sapped all my climbing power. I climb quite well with the scalpel and epic.

Jim311

I just upped the pressure a bit. I don't think it's possible to remain plush and yet retain all that climbing ability without electronic lockout of some sort. The Jekyll gets me into all sorts of sketchy situations. I end up carrying way too much speed and it makes me way too confident. I get hurt all the time when I ride it

SamDaBikinMan

I find myself downhilling just as fast on the bikes I have now as I did the Jekyll. But my extra weight makes it easier to keep the bike planted. I think you are around 130-140 right Jim? You can get bounced around quite a bit. I can tell a differnece in control when My weight drops to close to 180.

Jim311

I weigh about 140-150ish, yeah. That's what I like about the Jekyll.. even when things get scary steep and rocky it absorbs all those nasty bumps that throw me around badly.

SamDaBikinMan

Oh, and to further update the performance of the EPIC...
Yesterdays ride was in about 30 degree weather where I guess the hydraulic oil was a bit cold and thick. I did notice some delay in the shock engagement one initial bumps due to the cold. But this kind of thing is to be expected from anything oil driven in cold temps.

Jim311

Brrr.. too hardcore for me, Sam.

rockstar

just a question, why did you get 2 bikes that are so similar you can't decide which to use? i tried to get a blend on different style bikes for the different tech trails i ride. i have my blur for XC/epic, steel hardtail commuter flat fire roads, my cheap SS for commuter rides to 7-11, and my intense uzzi slx (piecing together as i type) built tuff for my big hit bike.

SamDaBikinMan

Rockstar, I decided I liked the EPIC enough to just get one. The fact that it and the Scalpel are so close means if one bites the bullet for some reason and is down for repairs I won't have a big learning curve to switch up and ride the other. Plus, one will be the spare bike for races this year and for our 24 hour race where I want swapping bikes to be a seamless effort. I swapped between A hardtail and the a Jekyll most of this past year and the two require totally different ride styles.