Race-Ready 2015 Scott Scale 900 RC Review - Maximum Efficiency, Lightest in Class

2015 Scott Scale 900 RC - Impressive Stiffness, Handling and Remote Suspension Creates a Top Value Superbike.

Ride and handling: click, click, boom 

"One click forward on the neat grip-mounted RideLoc remote lever cuts shock volume and travel (to 85mm), creates a more progressive spring rate and makes pedal nod negligible. Two clicks let you totally lock out both fork and shock for smooth surface situations, and the more time you spend on a Spark the more you’ll get used to toggling the suspension through its modes almost as much as you change gear. SRAM’s XX1/X01 single ring drivetrain means there’s nothing else for your left-hand thumb to do anyway as well as saving a big slab of weight and adding rough terrain chain retention over a twin ring system.

The finishing kit is all race focused,
with a SRAM XX1 drivetrain 

Another weight saving component selection that surprised us with how well it worked was the Ritchey WCS Streem Evo saddle. We’ve raced on SDG’s I-Beam system for years because it’s absolutely bombproof in terms of saddle stability and really light, but we’ve always had to accept a brutally firm ride from the solid base single rail saddle. Ritchey’s saddle uses a similar single beam design, but with a long cutout between saddle and rail that allows almost as much flex as a conventional saddle. The Schwalbe Rocket Rons are a generous enough volume to add float to the ride and reduce vibration fatigue over long marathon sessions too.

Having ridden the Spark family through various generations we know that the unique twin chamber shocks needed for the multi-mode remote control suspension have always come at a cost in terms of ultimate suspension control compared with conventional dampers. What surprised us in the desert was how sorted the Scott felt on the terrain it’s designed for.

Yes, you can get the shock to clatter and choke slightly if you really batter it into staccato rock sections or sequential step-downs. Over random rough trails, braking bumps and even off single drops it was much more composed, keeping the bike taut and driving hard in Traction mode or sucking up hits and maintaining descending momentum well in full open mode. Front and rear shocks work well in tandem, so once you’re dialled into the XC-style handling it’s a bike that lets you get away with far more than you expect at first – and one you soon come to rely on to push the pace properly hard on technical trails.

The only obvious issue we had once we started dropping our shoulders and taking liberties with lines is that it could wander off the narrow desert singletrack easily, then struggle to cut back quick enough to avoid a spill. Swapping wheels with a Niner we were also testing proved it was twangy wheels that were the culprits, not a fork or chassis issue. Given the impressive level of spec and super-light performance of the frame, it’s still very good value for riders after a seriously high velocity yet surprisingly fun and versatile machine."

Ride Review done by Guy Kesteven of Bike Radar

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Circle City Bicycles and Fitness

5506 Madison Ave.

Indianapolis, IN 46227

(317) 786-9244

ed@circlecitybicycles.com