Bike Check: Johan van Zyl’s Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike

Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike

20-year-old Johan van Zyl had a fantastic race season in 2021. 12th overall at the Absa Cape Epic with Daniel van der Walt, 3rd at the South African Cross-country Championships and top 30 rides at the UCI World Cups are all excellent results.

This year, Johan is targeting the UCI World Cups and we caught up with him at the first round of the Western Cape Provincial XC series to take a closer look at his bike and set-up.

Johan weighs 66kg, is 1,71m tall and rides a size medium Cannondale Scalpel HI-MOD Ultimate. This is his set-up:

Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
On the rollers before a stage of the 2021 Cape Epic.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
Johan weighs 66kg, is 1,71m tall and rides a size medium Cannondale Scalpel HI-MOD Ultimate.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
Cockpit-wise, his ENVE M5 bars have a 9° sweep and are trimmed down to 720mm.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
Ritchey 90mm stem with a negative 25-degree angle and no spacers under the stem. Johan rides (and races) with a Garmin unit.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
The Lefty Ocho carbon is a 100mm travel single-sided and upside-down fork made by Cannondale. PSI is 115.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
He runs the standard FOX Float DPS Factory shock that is custom-tuned for the Scalpel. Both the shock and fork can be locked out and Johan says he uses the lockout quite a lot when racing.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
He uses 160mm SRAM Centerline X rotors with…
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
… SRAM Level Ultimate brakes.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
The drivetrain is SRAM’s XX1 Eagle AXS wireless shifting with a 10-52t cassette…
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
…and a 38t chainring for the Bloemendal XCO track. The crank length is 175mm and he uses a Quarq power meter.
Bike Check: Johan van Zyl's Cannondale Scalpel XCO race bike
ENVE M525 carbon wheels with 2.4″ Maxxis Aspen EXO casing tyres at 18psi front and rear. Johan doesn’t use any inserts.
Johan uses dropper posts on more technical and steeper courses but didn’t feel like he needed one for Bloemendal. Saddle wise he rides the Prologo Tirox set with the nose pointed down, a little.
All the best for the season Johan!

| IMAGES: Bert Pauw |

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