Scott unveil their 2016 bikes

Scott are a quintessentially Swiss brand. They test product extensively before it comes to market, they collaborate with athletes for research and development, and they build bikes that go up very well, and bikes that go down very well. Have you been to Switzerland? They have big mountains. It’s the sort of place you want your mountain bike to come from.

Want to know more about mountain biking in Switzerland? Check out these features:

Vertical Valais | Mountain Biking in Grindelwald | Exploring the Engadine Valley

Scott are brought into Australia by Sheppard Cycles, and they just showed off the range down in Melbourne. We can’t show you all of it here – it’s an immense range – but these are some of the highlights from the key ranges.

Genius: Any trail, any time

Bring the family – the Scott Genius family

The Genius line has been through a few iterations, but what you have now is a dedicated 27.5″ platform with 130mm of travel that can be reduced to 90mm or locked out via the TwinLoc system. If you have been away from Scott bikes for a while, you’d be please to know the current Nude shocks are made in collaboration with Fox, and the new Nude DPS will bring all the 2016 Fox Technology to the Scott specific shocks.

The Genius 750 gets you in the door with an alloy frame and 2×10 group set at $2599.95, but the Genius 740 with alloy frame, DPS shock and Float 32 with SLX/XT 2×10 group at $3699.95 should really hit the mark. The carbon 710 with M8000 XT and a Float 34… that looks like a bike to rule them all!

The Genius 700 Plus

27.5+ is the new fat bike… well it would be easy to say that but it’s just not the case. 27.5+ is a new standard that’s easy to recoil at with horror that there’s yet another standard to wrap your head around. But 27.5+ is aimed at trail riding more than anything else.

Testing has shown that the right 27.5+ setup (being tyre and rim width and pressure) has a minimal change in rolling resistance, but big increases in traction. Schwalbe claim just a 1% increase from a 2.35″ to 2.8″ Nobby Nic. As such, Scott are speccing 2.8″ tyres on 45mm (40mm internal) for their Genius Plus bikes. The colours and build of the alloy 720 Plus ($4499.95) look killer – but the carbon 710 Plus at just under $6000 and with a SRAM 1×11 group set would be a great bike to get out for a test on.

The Plus range use Boost 148 and 110mm axle spacing, but the tolerances allow a 29x 2.25 tyres as well. So as a bike, with two wheel system options, you might have something very versatile.

Scott Spark – evergreen performance

My first performance full-suspension bike was a Scott Spark. I looed the thing. Light. Agile. Adaptable. It had close to 5″ of travel that I could control from the handlebars, and still weighed 10.5kg with real tyres, brakes, a great group set and wide bars (before they were cool, just saying).

The Spark range are now available in both 27.5″ and 29″ options (except for the HMX carbon Di2 Spark 700 Ultimate), with 120mm and 100mm of travel respectively. It’s this style of bike which sees a lot of crossover in many brands. Trail bikes can be either 27.5″ or 29″ – there’s no strict guideline, it comes down to the rider and how they want the bike to handle. Scott suggest that the 29″ size is the marathon racer’s choice, with lower travel but increased stability, whereas the 27.5″ 700 series is lighter weight, faster accelerating, and still has better roll over ability compared to the 26″ models. Each bike has adjustable geometry anyway, so you can slacken the steering and drop the BB by 6mm, or keep it a bit taller and sharper.

While there hasn’t been a huge change here, the 700 series bikes have some tweaks to the downtube for better bottle clearance, which was previously an issue on even medium sized 29″ bikes – so that’s good news.

The Premium 700 grabbed our eye, as like the Genius 720 Plus it has a sweet matt grey and fluoro orange paint job. Oh, the M9000 XTR and colour matched Fox suspension look pretty sweet too. It’s not cheap at $8999.95, but it’s not overpriced for what you get either. This year you can even get the same suspension kinematics with the Spark 760 or 960 – from just $2199.95. They are 27 speed with triples, but that may well suit your riding.

Contessa – strength in numbers

The Contessa range (Scott’s women’s range) has been around for a long time, but the numbers and options in Australia have typically been thin on the ground. Not for 2016. Six models will be available, with 4 of them high performance. With two Contessa hardtails below a grand, the performance range has two Genius models, the 710 at $4299.95 and the 700 at $6399.95. These were so new they didn’t even have the proper spec on them. The 710 (pictured) is a killer ladies carbon trail bike will come with Shimano M8000 2×11 XT and a Fox Float 24 with the awesome Fit 4 damper. A stealth dropper post is included too – and while it’s got some pink, it still falls into the “stealth with some fluoro” scheme Scott have rolled out for the coming year.

The Spark 700 turns the colour scheme up a bit, and like the Genius models the Spark’s are 27.5″ only for the 700 and 700 RC. Both will be XT 22 speed, but the RC brings a carbon frame, a higher end Fox 32 fork and a more complete M8000 group. These bikes should be available in September – good timing for some spring time adventures, big trail rides or endurance events.

Scale – the race whip

The SCale platform has long been the no-holds-barred race machine. Just ask Nino Schurter, Michel Heydon of Geoff Kabush. These things go fast! The SCale 700 was arguably the bike that really made the world wake up to 27.5″ wheels, when Schurter won a World Cup on it, and rode ‘that line’ at Houffalize. There’s no big change here – BBs are still pressfit, the drop outs are interchangeable for142x12 or, 135×12 or 135QR (but not Boost). The 910/710 with a carbon frame and full XT M8000 and Fox 32s looks like a great race bike, albeit it at $4799.95.

But the Sclae 940/740 with an alloy frame, Fox 32 fork and M8000 2×11 and SLX parts mix at $2799.95… now that’s a great value race bike! And it’s matchy matchy.

Big hitting: Voltage and Gambler

There’s not much change here save for options with the Fox X2. They are still super strong, slack, and very adjustable for head angle, chainstay length and BB height. The Voltage FR haven’t been brought into Australia before, but should prove popular with the range of adjustments starting at $3599.95

What, is that it?

No! There’s a whole range of Apsect hardtails for those getting into the sport, shoes, helmets, gloves, a performance fat bike and more. But if you want more specific details, go visit your local Scott dealer for the low down.