Scott Bicycles 2016 Product at Eurobike
Scott at Eurobike, huge stand, lots of bikes and a real push for the plus size tyres…
Scott were one of the first stands I visited at Eurobike, and I wrongly assumed they were setting a trend that was going to haunt me for the whole show. The big news at Scott is the new 27.5+ size wheel and tyre format. Wider rims seat tyres up to 3″ wide the thinking is that much like 27.5 was the goldilocks number between 26′ and 29ers “Plus” is the happy medium between fat bikes and normal ones…
Scott are making a huge push for the Plus format in 2016.
Whats that I hear you say? You don’t need a happy medium between a fat bike and a “normal” one, well we were all clamouring about 29ers a good few years ago, and 27.5 was a hot topic after that. You can’t deny that we know all mostly roll around on the later and 26, our once favourite and only choice arguably looks set to be redundant in a few years. There is a case then that the market will dictate a shift to the new +size option.
2.8 arguably isn’t that much different from a chunky 2.4 or 2.5 inch tyre…
However before we all get excited, or some of us throw our arms up in disgust, there have been back to back comparisons between “plus” and “normal” bikes and the results haven’t been as stark as those between a 26 and 29er. What benefits does plus offer? Increased traction, better rolling through increased momentum, less risk of pinch flats, all nice things to have but all at a cost of weight, acceleration and no doubt a big debate on handling. Improved grip vs less “flickability” will no doubt rage for a while.
Get used to the Plus buzzword, we have a feeling it will be hear to stay.
There is no denying that Scott have got well and truly behind this format though, and whilst nearly every brand had one or two plus models on their stands Scott were by far and away the stand out brand when it came to the totality of adoption. The Scale, their World Championship winning XC bike gets the plus makeover, as does the trail influenced Genius and the enduro focussed Genius LT. There are three versions of the Genius Plus, three of the Genius LT Plus and two of the Scale, add in the electric models and all of a sudden a lot of real estate on the stand was given over to the new format.
The new Scott Genius LT 700 Plus, top spec, full carbon and some big ass tyres!
Time will tell how the market adopts these bikes, my initial response was that 27.5 was dead, long live 27.5+, however once off the Scott stand it was clear lots f the other brands were sticking with 27.5 and Scott were in the minority with launching three different ranges including 8 different models. Of course I haven’t mentioned E-Bikes yet, and yes you’ve guessed it they all get the Plus make over too!
E-Bikes still command a huge amount of attention at Eurobike, people are literally falling over themselves to check them out… Put big tyres and an engine on it and people start losing their sh!t. This is the Scott E-Genius 710 Plus, it’s probably what Robocop would ride if he shredded the gnar…
One area where the new plus size doesn’t get a look in is at the extreme ends of the spectrum, DH race and XC race, OK so the Scale gets a makeover, but the Spark is really the heart of the Scott XC program and refreshingly that set up remains firmly in the 29er and 27.5 camp.
Purists can relax, the Spark remains true to it’s 27.5 and 29er roots. No plus size here…
If you ride XC and you want to try out the Plus thang, the Scale 710 and 720 Plus have your back…
The Gambler, the DH rig used by Brendan Fairclough and Neko Mulally on the World Cup circuit is back again, tuned for 26 or 27.5 wheels, it ships with the later, this could be one of the most versatile DH bikes on the market. These days where the tracks differ so much that can be hugely important. The bike is seriously adjustable so you can tune it to the track and the way you ride. In addition to the wheel size choice you get an adjustable head angle which can go from a ridiculously slack 61 to more modest 65 degrees. If thats not enough for you to tinker with you can also adjust the chainstay length, depending on where you set your BB height you get 4 different lengths! In the low BB setting the two options are 440mm for fast flat out tracks and 425mm for tighter twistier courses, put the BB in the high setting and these adjustments become 421 and 435mm respectively.
The 2016 Gambler 720 perhaps one of the most tuneable DH rigs on the market…
We’ve not ridden the new Plus format yet, so the jury is well and truly out as far as we are concerned, it certainly seems like Scott is banking on it though and has gone all in from what we can tell. MTB trends usually have a habit of running true, so we’ll expect to see more Plus bikes from other brands next year. In closing we’ll leave you with the fastest bike on the planet around a cross country track, Nuno Schurter’s ride…
Nino Schurter’s winning machine was on display!
For more information on the 2016 range of Scott bikes head to your local dealer or check out:
Tue 1st Sep, 2015 @ 10:25 am
