2024 Scott

Scale RC SL

Modern gravel bikes are becoming so capable that they’re starting to resemble 90’s mountain bikes. But would it really be such a bad thing?

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Our midpack XC tester sees the light – in every sense – as he hits the trails on the high-end RC World Cup model of Scott's legendary Scale

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Log onto Scott’s website, search for hardtails, and you’ll see the XC focused Scale dominates the options. With no long, low and slack hardcore hardtail in sight, it’s apparent that once you tip over the £1k mark, Scott hangs its hat firmly on the Scale range, with all models running 100mm travel forks. And the spread of options is nothing short of gargantuan. At the top end sits the flagship carbon RC World Cup AXS bike at £7,099. A bike that’s been a pedigree XC hardtail for years and under Nino Schurter has dominated XC racing like no other bike. And just like Nino, the Scale itself has dabbled with different wheel sizes, with Scott eventually settling on 29in wheels across all frame sizes, including the women’s specific Contessa options. So with years of evolution behind it, how’s the current Scale shaping up? Take a quick glance from a distance and you may feel a little underwhelmed; the tall seat tube and flatter top tube giving the look of a more conservative, almost dated frame. But under closer inspection, you’ll spot a raft of neat details blended in with well-honed and proven geometry numbers – the Scale’s frame is understated but elegant. With a frame design steeped in racing pedigree, you’d expect the alloy Scale 965 tested here to mirror the dimensions and geometry of the premium carbon bikes. And in many ways it does, but there are some key differences that aren’t immediately obvious. The head angle (we measured this bike at 68.5º), 29in wheels and 100mm fork travel are a constant for both frame materials, as are seat tube measurements. The BB drop is also consistent on both the carbon and aluminium Scale frames, consistently high that is. At 320mm the BB height on the Scott is inline with the Giant and just a hair taller than the Trek. And while 320mm sounds really tall for a hardtail with a 100mm travel fork, it’s been designed that way so that riders can keep the longer 175mm crankarms spinning in all situations, delivering maximum power to the rear tyre without having to worry about clipping a pedal on a root or rock and getting ejected over the bars. Where the frames depart is in chainstay length, the aluminium bikes get 15mm longer chainstays, measuring in at 438mm. There’s also a XXL size on the aluminium frame, so if you’re approaching 2m in height Scott definitely has you covered. You’d expect to see some performance-oriented details too and for a bike at this price the Scale 965 doesn’t disappoint. The tidy cowled dropouts not only allow the rear hub to drop effortlessly into place, but the 148mm thru-axle frame spacing opens up numerous options when it’s time for a wheel upgrade. The bridge-less seat stays are curved and long, increasing compliance but we did occasionally clip our heals on the equally wide chainstays. All cables and the rear brake hose are internally routed, with securely clamped frame ports for a …Continue reading »

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