Scott USA launches revised CR1, Genius bikes

• Photos

By Zack Vestal

Marketing manager Adrian Montgomery at Scott USA knows he’s got a good thing going.

For one, his brand is on the upswing. After five years back in the U.S. market, Scott bicycles are gaining traction with dealers and riders alike. Scott sponsors the Columbia-HTC team, and with speedster Mark Cavendish racking up wins at a furious clip, the brand is earning more recognition than ever. Plus, with the new Plasma3 TT bike turning heads this spring at the Giro d’Italia, even more people are paying attention to Scott bikes.

Accompanying the business success, Scott USA recently moved into a new building. The classy, modern stone building sits in an office park just a few blocks north of downtown Ketchum, Idaho. A large showroom is fitted with displays including most of the cycling, skiing, and motocross products. Offices extend down spacious hallways. A huge break room includes a kitchen that belongs on the set of a TV cooking show, with stainless steel appliances, two espresso machines, and extensive seating, plus a flat-screen television tuned to CNN. Employee locker rooms include large tile showers, laundry machines, and towel service. Underground parking and a workshop complete the accommodation for employees.

But good things depend on more than just marketing success and nice buildings.

Location, location, location

The company is headquartered in Ketchum, a central Idaho mountain town bounded by mountain ranges on all sides but the south. The Sun Valley Resort village abuts Ketchum to the east, and the hulking mass of Mount Baldy, with an extensive network of ski runs and singletrack, towers to the west. The Big Wood River flows north to south, cutting a scenic, trout-filled valley between countless square miles of National Forest and BLM land in all directions.

And strewn through the pine, aspen and sage-studded foothills of the Pioneer, Smokey, and Boulder mountain ranges that surround the Wood River Valley are singletrack trails—lots and lots and lots of trails.

Montgomery knew what he was doing when he invited the press to visit Ketchum and spend two days riding new, 2010 Scott bicycles. He kept the product presentation to about 13 minutes, if an audio recording is to be believed. Rather than flying journalists all the way to the mountains of central Idaho, only to stuff them into a conference room for hours of PowerPoint presentations punctuated by short, scripted outings on ill-fitting demo bikes, he built the entire event around riding.

Why preach when you can pedal?

Despite unseasonably cold and wet weather in the days and weeks leading up to the event, Montgomery stayed on track with his plan: two days of road and mountain bike riding, punctuated by an overnight campout and supported by the Western Spirit guiding company. Even when fresh snow appeared on the surrounding peaks, the very day before scheduled departure, he remained committed to the riding (and the campout).

It took a washed out road, flooded trails, and an inaccessible campground to finally alter the planned rides, but with so many nearby options, Montgomery adapted easily. Day one: a chairlift ride to the top of 8500-foot Mt. Baldy and almost a half-hour of singletrack descending on 2010 Genius full-suspension bikes, followed by a leisurely 2-hour spin to an alternate campsite on new CR1 road bikes kept the group entertained.

Upon arrival, the campsite on Cabin Creek road looked like headquarters for a small expedition. Company reps from Nemo, a small tent company from the Northeast, had set up almost 20 demo tents. A gourmet meal prepared by Western Spirit guides and Camp Chef barbeque specialists felt especially satisfying in the light of the setting sun. And although overnight temperatures dipped below freezing, the entire group survived intact, ready to face another day, this time on the trails.

After a quick descent on the Cabin Creek trail, Western Spirit shuttled the group to Greenhorn Gulch for a 15-mile, 100 percent singletrack adventure. Although the distance was short, the ride felt suitably “epic,” given the substantial, occasionally steep climbing and average elevation of around 7000 feet. The climbing gave everyone a chance to try a new lockout feature on the Genius bikes, and the ensuing singletrack descent offered a perfect reward for the work.

About those new bikes

With so little emphasis on scripted presentation, and so much time spent in the saddle, it was hard to return focus to the actual technology of the bicycles. But the 2010 line from Scott includes some refinement to existing models, the addition of a few new ones, plus a push into softgoods and clothing.

On the Genius (150mm travel) trail bikes, the news is a revised, 3 position lockout lever, co-developed with FOX and DT Swiss. Called TwinLoc, all the benefits of the original TracLoc remain, but the first position now locks out the rear shock and front fork simultaneously. TwinLoc works as follows:

• • Position one: fork and rear shock fully locked out;
• • Position two: fork active, rear shock at half travel;
• • Position three: fork active, rear shock at full travel.

Furthermore, the rear shock is upgraded for 2010, with a revised damping schedule based on rider feedback. The entire Genius line gets TwinLoc, as does the Spark (110mm travel) XC line.

For many riders, the best news coming out of Scott USA is about pricing. Recognizing that cyclists are probably more frugal than in the past, given current economics, Scott is focusing on value. The XTR-level Genius 10 will retail for $6500, and an XT-level Genius 20 is $5250. Scott plans to de-emphasize the top of the line Limited models, given that prices range toward ten thousand dollars.

The CR1 model was Scott’s flagship road bike before being supplanted by the racing-oriented Addict. The Addict remains unchanged for 2010, but as the CR1 was not fully differentiated in the line, it gets a major redesign. New features include:

• • A slightly taller head tube, for a more upright position;
• • Sculpted seat and chainstays, with specific flex zones molded in to permit 2mm of vertical “give” in the rear of the bike;
• • CR1 borrows IMP (Integrated Molding Process) construction from the Addict to shed a little weight;
• • A slightly shorter top tube, for less reach.

The overall goal is a high performance but comfortable bicycle that sacrifices nothing in terms of lateral stiffness, weight, and handling.

As with the mountain line, pricing on the road side aims to be competitive. A high-end Dura-Ace equipped CR1 retails for $6300, and models extend down the range to about $1700.

Other new products:

• • The Scale 29er, an aluminum 29er hardtail that will be offered in one model for $1600;
• • The Voltage Freeride full
• • suspension line, which encompasses three models spanning the range from park and slopestyle riding to dirt jumping;
• • Not a new product, but adjusted production of the Addict CX cyclocross bike to offer availability in time for fall;
• • And a full line of apparel, gloves, and footwear.

So how was all that spectacular riding?

The Genius line of carbon trail bikes claim to be among the lightest, if not the lightest, in the 150mm travel category. As such, the Genius pedals very well, more like a bike with an inch or so less travel. Now, with the ability to simultaneously lock both front and rear suspension with one lever, it feels even more versatile than ever. Despite the steep climbing, it felt very rideable. And descending, the bottomless sensation of more than 5 inches of travel on a light, quick bike is luxurious.

The new TwinLoc lever worked flawlessly for the four hours or so total ride time we spent with the demo fleet. Previous efforts from other companies on cable activated, combined front and rear lockouts have been sub-par, and this looks like a big step in the right direction. However, it remains to be seen if the potential for contamination of the cables and potential hassles with setup cause any issues.

The CR1 delivers on the promise of a comfortable ride that still feels stiff and responsive. The taller and shorter fit is not so dramatic as to feel out of place on a carbon road bike, but it won’t appeal to racers. However, the stiffness and handling are perfectly in line with what a racer would look for. Plus, the ride is indeed quite comfortable, with noticeable damping of road chatter.

There’s no question—with a world-class line of road and mountain bikes, plus world-class surroundings, Montgomery and the whole crew at Scott USA have a good thing going. And the best part? They’re eager to share it with the rest of us.

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FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech

Zack Vestal

Zack joined VeloNews in 2009, bringing 15 years of industry experience to the Tech Editor position. Most recently manager and mechanic for the Trek-VW mountain bike team (2004-08), he has an unused geology degree from Whitman College (and a well-worn Ph.D. from the school of hard knocks). Vestal covers the latest in cycling gear online, and brings in-depth perspective to the magazine.

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