New Cannondale Scalpel, Cape Epic-winning bikes and more

To whet your MTB appetite this long weekend, here’s our weekly tech roundup.

Adwitiya Pal

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Mar 30 2024

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The Cape Epic is over but we’ve got some juicy new bikes for you in this week’s tech roundup, including the winner from both men’s and women’s categories. But it’s not all about the Cape Epic, there’s also basic but useful stuff such as Crankbrothers’ neat little tool storage solution, as well as some cutting-edge 3D-printed saddles from Specialized. So sit down and get ready for a jam-packed read about lots of cool tech news ahead…

We had a look at Cape Epic men’s winner Matt Beer’s S-Works Epic 8

Kicking off this week’s Tech of the Week is the bike belonging to the man of the hour, the South African MTB maestro Matt Beers from team Toyota-Specialized-NinetyOne. He’s not only taken the top spot at this year’s Cape Epic — arguably the most difficult MTB stage race on the planet, but also the winner on two previous occasions.

We visited the team’s opsite before he put in a performance for the ages to take the prized yellow jersey. The bike’s fitted with SRAM’s old AXS Rocker shifters, XX carbon cranks, XTR pedals and Quarq power meter.

Check out some other details on Matt Beers' Cape Epic-winning Specialized S-Works Epic 8 here.

Crankbrothers made tool storage simpler

We’ve all been there when we’ve left a tool back in the car to save a few hundred grams and then ended up needing that exact thing to work on the bike... And while most other brands are looking at ways to utilise negative space to store tools and other bits and pieces, Crankbrothers has gone back to the basics: utilising mounting points that already exist on the bike.

Its latest Save Our Shred (S.O.S) series is a collection of five storage methods that allow for the semi-modular storage of the handy bits and bobs like its own S.O.S Multi-tool, S.O.S CO2 Chain Breaker, a proper tyre lever with a built-in tubeless repair kit, and a handy tube stash.

To see how it all comes together on your bike, read the article: Crankbrothers introduces its S.O.S on-bike tools.

Specialized launched Phenom with 3D-printing tech for more comfort

Spesh has been using 3D-printing tech for saddles for quite a while and the S-Works Phenom is the latest in its iterations, promising 28 per cent less sit-bone pressure and featuring more struts and nodes that enhance cushioning and ride support for those long days on the gravel or mountain bike.

It’s a stark-looking, futuristic bit of saddle made using the California-based company’s Mirror technology. And if you’re in doubt about how it stacks up against traditional saddle foam, we can tell you that several Cape Epics have been won atop Specialized’s Mirror tech, including the last three, won by Toyota Specialized’s Matt Beers.

Check out this saddle here: S-Works Phenom stretches Mirror for more comfort.

Cannondale showed us the new Scalpel with its Lefty fork

The steed of choice for current mountain bike marathon world champion Mona Mitterwallner who rode it to second-place finish at the Cape Epic, Cannondale's flagship XC bike is the third bike to go under the knife in as many weeks, following the Specialized Epic and the Yeti ASR.

The outcome is something that blurs the lines between trail and cross-country, with an aggressive geometry, more suspension travel, a burlier build kit and a dropper post with 150mm of travel, with Cannondale asserting these changes make the biker faster over climbs and giving the rider more control and confidence at speed.

There are a lot more updates to the bike, so read our news story for all the details: The 2024 Cannondale Scalpel gets proportional suspension. And as a bonus, we’ve also got a hands-on story about Austrian wunderkind Mona Mitterwallner’s Cannondale Scalpel, right after she finished the Cape Epic.

We shared our guide to understand disc brake pads

Selecting new upgrades, as well as looking after your MTB can be challenging and complicated sometimes. And one bit which needs looking after, as well as careful selection are brake pads.

But don’t worry because we’ve got just the thing to explain it all to you, from the difference between organic, sintered, and semi metallic, to how to replace them, we’ve got it all covered here: Disc brake pads explained.

We caught a glimpse of Anne Terpstra’s Cape Epic-winning Ghost Lector FS

We’ve got another race-winning bike for you, this time belonging to Ghost Factory Racing’s Dutch MTB marvel Anne Terpstra, who took the top spot at the Cape Epic women’s category.

The Ghost Lector FS turned out to be perfect for Terpstra and and her and partner Nicole Koller, who debuted at the event. And having a close look at the bike, we can see why. It was one of the few bikes to use RockShox’s new Flight Attendant suspension, with a 100mm travel front and rear. It also featured an AXS dropper post and Maxxis Aspen 2.25 inch tyres.

To see more pictures and have a more in-depth read about her bike, click here: Anne Terpstra's Ghost Lector F.