Whilst riding for a recent ‘What Mountain Bike’ magazine photo shoot, I unexpectedly fell in love! The magazines editor was intrigued as he watched the relationship flourish over the day and later commissioned me to write an article.[left]

I’m very lucky in that I get to ride a fair few bikes as part of my job. Some bikes blow me away, some bikes need expletives to describe them, and some are just… meh! Race bikes have usually found themselves in to one of the final two categories for me. Boring and usually uncomfortable rides that make you wish you were spending your Sunday watching the Grand Prix rather than XC racing. However, I knew the minute I swung my leg over the Scalpel that something was different.

“The craziest part of this bike is the super flexy chainstays”

This is a world cup winning cross country beast, brim full of mad technology! The craziest part of this bike is the super flexy chainstays, as there is no main pivot! Say what!? Yeah there is no main pivot! A seriously flexible back end meant that the ride not only felt comfortable, but fun and controlled too. Wanna know more?

Click here to read part 1 of the write up I did for Bike Radar. For the second part, click here!

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