FIRST LOOK: Scott Genius 920
Scott claim the new Genius is set for "any trail, any time". Can that be the case? We have a Genius 920 on test to find out.
This year Scott Sports overhaulled their Genius range, on the back of reinventing the Spark and Scale in 2016 ahead of the Olympics, where the Scott Spark did pretty well.
The Genius, while carrying a very similar silhouette to the Spark, and what looks to be the same suspension platform, it is a completely different beast on the trail. With the Spark RC focused on elite XC performance, and the Spark aiming to be the fast trail bike the climbs, descends and blasts trails with the agility of an XC bike and capability of an all-mountain rig – the Genius is aimed at those who ride fast, ride big, and ride hard. We've got a Scott Genius 920 ($5399) on test for our next issue.
With 27.5" and 29" options of the 150mm bike, the TwinLoc system remains, which means you can flick the rear suspension to 100mm and firm up the fork, or completely lock both out with the flick of a switch. The TwinLoc sits under the bars and has a mount that also integrates the dropper post for the Fox Transfer dropper, AND is the locking collar for the grip. There's a spacer for the clamp if you choose to run a non-lock on grip.
The Genius has a chip in the top shock mount so you can make the bike a little lower and slacker, or a bit higher and more agile. It's about 5mm in bottom bracket height, and 0.6 degrees in head angle.
Having owned a few Scott Sparks 'back in the day' I'm pretty used to the TwinLoc, but also the Scott geometry. Scott bikes run a little slacker than others, and the Genius is pretty slack. The large 920 in the 'Low' has a 65 degree head angle. And a pretty long 1232mm wheel base. With 29×2.6" Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres it's a big and stable bike, and it's very easy to feel pretty comfortable tipping the bike over.
