I first caught wind of the Titan Tropic this August, with an email asking if I'd like more information on a five-day mountain bike stage race during the first week of December in Cuba. Yes, Cuba, the up-to-just-recently off-limits (for Americans) island to be found a mere 90 miles south of Florida. My interest was piqued.
- The bike: Cannondale Scalpel-Si Carbon 2
- The course: Titan Tropic five-day mountain bike stage race in Cuba
- The equipment goal: Fast, light, maintenance-free bike with suspension for my back and repeated huge efforts day after day
The bike
Knowing it was on the edge of the rainy season in Cuba, and it being Cuba in general (without many bike shops and limited resources), I wanted a simple, reliable full-suspension bike. One with decent mud clearance also weighed on my mind. I also considered the terrain and the back-to-back days of riding so I knew light was the way to go, which meant short travel was in order.
Cannondale's revamped Scalpel fitted the bill. It was light, somewhat slack at the front, had tight rear stays and a sporty 100mm of travel. While 100mm isn't much, it feels even less on the race-hungry Scalpel with a drastic ramp up on both ends. But it was adequate for my endeavour and it made the bike feel like a rocket.
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It took a bit of futzing to get the Scalpel set up. I flipped the stem so it had rise instead of drop, moved the saddle around a bunch, and experimented with suspension air pressures and settings until I got the performance I was needing. A big 'thank you' also goes out to guys at University Bikes in Boulder for knocking out some quick warranty work on a bunk XT disc caliper.
I toyed with the idea of swapping the Schwalbe tires, the thin, hard grips, and even the flat bar, but decided against it. Outside of tweaking the fit and suspension I ran it stock to see if the out-of-the-box build was suitable for racing.
Additional gear
The racing
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
The right choice
Calm and welcoming
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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