Scalpel: The fastest ride in town
Punch your ticket and clip in; this is a thrill ride like no other
The challenge
Cannondale wanted to launch their next-gen Scalpel XC bike with a bang, capturing the sheer speed and thrill of their most advanced model yet. The idea? A fairground-themed campaign where the Cannondale Factory Racing team sneak into the grounds to try out “the fastest ride.” But pulling it off wasn’t exactly a walk in the (play)park.
We needed to plan and shoot across two hemispheres—in the middle of winter—blending the UK and South Africa into one seamless story. Add in the challenge of shooting with and without the full race team, and stitching it all together into a continuous ride using in-house post-production and visual effects? A wild idea to pull off, but stranger things have happened.
The idea
We leaned into the shared DNA between mountain biking and theme park rides—the adrenaline, the velocity, the whoops of joy. Shot like a retro 80s adventure flick, the film follows the CFR team on a covert night mission to the fairground, only to discover the real thrill isn’t the Waltzers or Ghost Train—it’s the Scalpel. Blending nostalgia with cutting-edge speed, we created a launch film that feels like Stranger Things met World Cup XC.
Bringing it to life
We shot across two locations: a private fairground in Kent and the dusty training trails of Stellenbosch, South Africa. With body doubles, green screen, and over 40 VFX composites, our in-house team stitched both worlds into one coherent ride.
To sell the illusion, we built a fully bespoke launch pad from scratch, combining BMX start gates with ghost train aesthetics, Scalpel branding, and full fairground lighting. The entire sequence was finished with a stylised grade: film grain, anamorphic flares, and a healthy dose of fog to deliver on that Spielberg-meets-singletrack mood.
A launch (pad) like no other
Taking cues from classic fairground rides and BMX racing, we mocked up our bike launcher, which incorporated a working start gate, aluminium chequer plate, and fairground-esque lighting, complete with on-brand Scalpel signage to blend in with the rides from our first location.
Constructed by set designer Mark Davis, the ride launcher features ghost train-style PVC curtains and a hydraulic riser.
The results
Thousands of organic shares across the MTB and racing communities
Strongest cross-country launch Cannondale has delivered to date
Cemented the Scalpel’s rep as the go-to XC rocket
Created standout brand storytelling in a category often stuck in gear talk
Proof that product launches can be pure entertainment, too
Watch the hero film here, and don’t forget to scream if you wanna go faster.
Campaign and BTS stills by Rupert Fowler.
