Cannondale Scalpel 650b

evo3ben

2012 Cannondale Scalpel and finally decided to take the plunge and convert to 650b. Currently running Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.1 tyres which give ample clearance but do have a Ritchey Shield 2.1 and a Rubena 2.0 on there way from France. I think the Rubena gives 3mm more clearance than the Rocket Ron. More tyres being released for 650b as we go into 2014.
Will be testing more tyres out for UK weather and post up on here

2012 Cannondale Scalpel carbon ballistic frame
Lefty 100mm Fork
Rotor crankset with single 34T ring
X0 gears 10spd with MT Zoom ceramic jockey wheels
Avid Elixir 9 carbon brakes with KCNC 160mm rotors
MT Zoom carbon Bar
MT Zoom bar ends
KCNC Scandium seat post with Ritchey saddle
Front Wheel: ZTR Crest 650b rim, CX Ray spokes, Sapim nipples and Lefty SL front hub (660grams)
Rear Wheel: ZTR Crest 650b rim, CX Ray Spokes, Sapim nipples and American Classic 225 rear hub (740grams)
Schwalbe 2.1 Rocket Rons front and rear.

Total bike weight 20.7lbs 8)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10629435354/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10629444294/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10629437145/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10629486024/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10629499016/

WindyG

Great bike, not much clearance there though, I didn't see you after Hadleigh how did the 32T compare to the 34T, I was pretty comfortable on the 34T in the end.

evo3ben

Dont think i can remember the last time i had 5mm thick of mud above the height of the tread. Other tyre options on way with better clearance though 8) I use 26" for training until i can talk the wife into letting me get another 650b set lol. Thetford tomorrow so will see how it goes

Glad i put the 32T on at Hadleigh to be honest. Could climb up the monster hill nice and quick keeping good cadence and grip. Think the only other place i would think of using a 32 again is Langdon, rest of the time 34 or 36.

WindyG

Good luck for tomorrow, if I'm on my own I might pop over as I'll be at High Lodge anyway.

njee20

Looks good, bit heavy though, need to get that sub-20 ;-)

I found a 36 ok at Hadleigh in August, just wanted a few more inches travel on the descents!

evo3ben

njee20 wrote:

Looks good, bit heavy though, need to get that sub-20 ;-)

I found a 36 ok at Hadleigh in August, just wanted a few more inches travel on the descents!

Sub 20 lol, going to need to spend some big buts to shave a few hundred grams off. Lighter cassette and brakes would do it. Maybe next year lol.
36 would have killed me on the big climb at hadleigh unless i was running XX1 gearing.

evo3ben

WindyG wrote:

Good luck for tomorrow, if I'm on my own I might pop over as I'll be at High Lodge anyway.

Cheers mate did you manage to get to see any of the race? Was a good race but alot more singletrack than usual making overtaking with the high number of racers on track difficult. Senior and Vets started at same time so +300 made a long train of riders over the first lap.

Bike ran floorless and the 650b wheels worked really well. Cant say they made a huge difference but did feel they rolled faster. No issues with the clearence but wasnt that muddy to be honest.

WindyG

No I went and crashed into a tree instead. It doesn't get too muddy this time of year and BCP is quite sandy too so drains well. I didn't think 650b would be that of a difference.
Foam grips, now that'll take some weight off for small money.

rockmonkeysc

Plenty of clearance on the lefty fork!
Whats the reason for going 650b? How has it affected the bikes steering characteristics?

njee20

Pedals too - Egg Beater 3s with ti axles would save a bit for not a huge outlay.

evo3ben

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Plenty of clearance on the lefty fork!
Whats the reason for going 650b? How has it affected the bikes steering characteristics?

Was thinking of going 29er as it seemed that 29ers were that bit quicker in races. Looked at prices etc and to get a bike light enough for what i wanted was going to cost a fortune. Only had the Scalpel 8 months, love the bike so much and 650b is a very popular modification on the Scalpel in America i thought to give it a go rather than get a 29er. Im 5ft10" so suites me nicely.
Best of all worlds, faster rolling than 26", slightly more grip and just light if not lighter in my case. Lost 200gms over my 26" race wheels.
My handle bar is 620 same as with 26" wheels and not felt too much of a change. May put a 660 on in future but nothing bigger as dont think i need it.

njee20 wrote:

Pedals too - Egg Beater 3s with ti axles would save a bit for not a huge outlay.

Not much in it between them and my Candy's. About 30gms i think.

njee20

Candy 3s are 304, Egg Beaters 278g, but sticking ti axles in will drop another 40g or so.

evo3ben

Right, got some new tyres for testing.

Ritchey Shield 2.1 - Not the WCS tubeless version but still the same size. Wouldnt use this as a winter tyre but most definately an option in the summer. The WCS version is meant to weigh 522g which is a little heavier than Schwalbe Ron 2.1's but they do give a couple of extra mm clearence.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10891763415/


Pacenti Quasi Moto 2.0 Race tyre - The Americans rave about this tyre! Just have to give it a go. Looks like it will take a bit of mud and clear it fairly well. Weighs 556g on my scales but im going to have a race on this at Thetford in a couple of weeks. 1-2mm more clearence over the Rons. Im not too keen on having a Rocket Ron on the rear as i think they are a bit delicate so the Quasi Moto may be the choice for now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/10891807896/


Still waiting for my Rubena tyres to turn up from France. Heres hoping for next week.

evo3ben

Have now fitted the Rubena Charybois 2.0 tyres and wow, clearance from tyre to the arch is mega. I can fit my finger easily between the two. Way more room than any other tyre.
These tyres have good winter tread so ideal for training tyres. They are not the tubeless version but still only weigh 522g each.

And here is a pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/104156164@N05/11046056196/

ednino

As I read the spec, I thought to myself.. "this guy knows a thing or 2 about putting a bike together"

rockmonkeysc

With tyres that small the rolling radius can't be much different to a 26" wheel & tyre.

njee20

:roll:

It's bigger than an equivalently sized 26" tyre. Otherwise you're comparing apples with oranges - why don't road riders just use 26x2.5" tyres? Be about the same size.

rockmonkeysc

But that is a tiny tyre. Lots of pinch flats if there's a tube in it.

njee20

It's a 2" tyre. It's still bigger than a 26x2" tyre. It's smaller than a 29x1.8" tyre. It's smaller than a 26x2.4" tyre, but also lighter and faster.

Its not difficult, we know you don't like 650b.

rockmonkeysc

I have no problem with 650b, would have bought a Trance 27.5 if giant hadn't fitted a stupid and terrible fork.
I was just a little unsure of the logic of fitting 650b wheel then putting on tiny tyres which then give it a rolling radius close to 26".

njee20

What if you like small tyres? They're still bigger than the same tyre on 26" rims. Not everyone has to run massive tyres.

One more try. If you take a 2.25" Racing Ralph. The 26" one is smallest. Then 27.5". Then 29". With me? These are comparable choices.

If you change to a 26x2.4" then it's probably bigger than the 27.5" one. However, it's a different tyre. It's heavier, slower, just not the same thing at all. If you fit 1.5" mud tyres to the 29" wheels and 3" fat bike tyres to the 26" wheels then they become a similar size. They're not the same though. See?

If you don't let your choice of rim size bias your choice of tyres (ie you use the same sort of thing on all of them), then 27.5" will always be bigger than 26". It's a bigger number. Make sense?

sefton

looks great, which scalpel is it / or was it originally?

I've been looking at a scalpel 3....would you know the true weight?

can't make my mind up - scott scale 29er or take a punt and go with a scalpel in the sale (26" though)

will be just for racing on.

evo3ben

Thanks for clearing that one up 'neej20'
I race on nothing wider than 2.1 which is purely my preference. 27.5x2.1 will always have a larger diameter than 26x2.1.
Can run a slightly lower pressure on a 27.5 tyre as larger volume and always race tubeless but use tubes for training.

Thanks ednino! Im certainly no expert though lol but try my best.

'sefton' - originally it was a Scalpel 2 (large) but not much left of that now though apart from frame, shock and lefty. I picked it up earlier this year for £1800 which in my eyes was a complete bargin considering the original price tag of £3600 :shock:
I cant remember the actual weight on my scales but i was pretty dam close to spec weight with out pedals. 23lbs i think. What i do know is that the price of the bike plus the 650b wheelset is a lot lighter than an equivalent price 29er.

sefton

cheers, I have seen a scalpel 3 for a good price...I wanted a scott scale 29er for racing but then spotted the scalpel.

chick0

Nice Scalpel. Have always really wanted to try one of these..

evo3ben

Cheers mate Def worth a test ride if you get the chance.

evo3ben

Fitted the Pacenti Quasi Moto 2.0 tubeless and its grown in height from when tubed by 2mm :? . I thought this was meant to be a low profile tyre! a 2.1 rocket ron has more clearence.
Going to put the Ritchey Shield on and see how that performs in the mud, im not expecting it to do well though. Should still be a good tyre for winter racing at Thetford though with a little more clearence than the RR and a great tyre in the summer with teh WCS tubeless version.

Seems to be a few good options coming out in January 2014. www.nextdaytyres.co.uk are pretty good for 650b tyres 8)

evo3ben

As i will be stretching my legs this year with some long distance endurance racing, i have been contemplating my gearing set up. At present i run 1x10 with a 34 or 36 on front depending on course and an 11-36 cassette on rear.
SRAM XX1 looks like a great set up and suit me well but wow is it an expensive set up! I have a set of race wheels and a set of training wheels so would need 2 cassettes at £250 each and 2 hub conversions to fit them!! ouch! def not going down that route.
I have found this though and definately worth a look! http://www.pinkbike.com/news/General-Le ... -2013.html
This would give me all the gears i need for endurance racing with out the added weight of extra chain rings, deraileur and shifter keeping the chances of mechanicals low.

Also, BB30 now fully gone. Got fed up of having to take the crank off to clean the bearings after every muddy and wet ride. My Rotor crank is same shaft width as Shimano (24mm) so i used a Wheels Manufacturing converter for it. But now have taken the BB30 bearings out and run a Rotor BB30 - 24mm bottom bracket so now the bearings have more protection. BB30 may be stiffer and a bit lighter but very high maintenance especially in winter.

Twelly

XO1?

njee20

Barely any cheaper, the cassette is about £20 less.

You could swap cassettes pretty easily between wheels, but you'd need two XD bodies.

AaronHaach

Looks absolutely lovely