Charlie Aldridge opened up his World Cup campaign with a third place at the opening round in Mona YongPyong last weekend. Being one of the biggest and most powerful riders on the circuit enables Aldridge to make some more interesting choices rather than focusing purely on weight. His mechanic, Callum Wyllie, was kind enough to give me a full run-through of Aldridge's Cannondale Scalpel Lab71, providing a deeper insight into some of the choices the Scottish Olympian has made.
Alex Hunt
Measuring at 193 cm (6’4”), Aldridge is riding the XL size frame. A lot of brands don't make the largest of reaches for XC bikes, but the Scalpel has a massive 510 mm reach on the XL, ideal for Aldridge’s height. A 66.6º head angle is now a moderate-to-conservative option in the XC world, and the frame runs 120 mm of suspension travel front and rear.
