@ UVcyclist
I think that you will really enjoy your new Scalpel. Sometimes I ride my full-sus XC-Gravelbike on all-pavement rides and sometimes on all-singletrack rides and sometimes on all-gravel rides but frequently on a mixture of all three. I’m still surprised at how fast it is on pavement while still being so capable on singletrack. Sometimes I get bashing my way down some rocky singletrack and I have to slow it down so I don’t shred a tire. It’s the tire holding me back not the bike. I don’t think this would be true with a typical full-rigid dropbar Gravelbike. I’ve gotten to where I ride my XC-Gravelbike as much or more than I ride my Trailbike and especially so in the winter when my local singletrack is un-rideable because of snow, ice, and mud. You won’t regret this purchase.
Might I suggest that you set up your bike with 700×50 Panaracer Gravel King SK tires which I think are a happy middle ground between Gravel and XC tires. The SK’s roll much faster on pavement than XC tires but are wide enough to perform well on singletrack. There is also a more durable SK+ version. that you might want to check out.
When you get your bike, please report back on your Scalpel “all-surface” riding experiences and impressions?!