Light and Versatile 2016 Scott Genius 700 Tuned Plus Full Suspension Mountain Bike Review

Nimble, Stiff and Sleek, the 2016 Scott Genius 700 Tuned Plus is Ready To Rumble

Any Trail, Any Time

The overall weight of the Genius 700 Tuned Plus is only 12.3kg, the Genius LT 700 Plus weighs in at only 12.7kg. When it comes to realizing a capable Plus rig, the rear triangle is one of the key features on which to focus. The entire rear triangle has been newly developed, providing increased stiffness and the clearance a Plus format needs. The CST Genius 700 Plus measure 445mm (CST Genisu LT 700 Plus is 448mm), and are even shorter than the ones of the CST Genius 900.

Ride Quality

Loose, rocky climbs and technical, root infested sections can be tackled out of the saddle and on the gas.  - Bike Radar

When descending, the Genius 700 Plus provides a lively ride and can be thrown all over the place. Scott has done a good job with the geometry, sitting the rider in a fairly neutral position that allows for easy weight shifts and instils confidence on steeper sections. Providing you’re within that pressure sweet spot, there’s enough support from the wide (40mm internal) rims to carve turns hard, with no real squirm from the tires.

The Genius 700 Plus has 140mm of front and 130mm of rear travel, the Genius LT 700 Plus has 160/160mm of travel. Both bikes feature the latest evolution of FOX’s suspension highlights as well as Plus tuned suspension. Together with SCOTT’s patented TwinLoc system incl. true lockout and the SCOTT geo- metry adjustment chip, riders couldn`t ask for more adjustability or versatility. Our Plus geometries come with slacker head angles of 67.5° (Genius Plus) and 65.8° (LT Plus) and provide for super stable handling in rough trail and downhill sections and for more aggressive cornering.

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It’s when it comes to tackling particularly dicey obstacles or sections of trail that the pluses of the Genius Plus really come to the fore. The well-balanced suspension and rollover confidence and overall boost in traction from the girthy tires make you feel invincible when carving root-covered cambers at speed.

Geometry

The Genius Plus’s geometry has been redesigned to perfectly accommodate the new plus-size tire measurements and standards. 

The super-short rear triangles are Boost-ready and provide clearance up to 3.0”. Rear (148mm) and front hubs (110mm) enable wider bracing angles, increased wheel stiffness and better overall handling of the bikes. Both Genius 700 Tuned Plus and Genius LT 700 Plus feature a SRAM X01 optimized 1x11 Boost Drive Train. Even though Boost pushes the chainline out three millimeters, the Q-Factor remains the same.



The headtube angle on the Genius Plus is a slack-and-stable 67.5 degrees, and the bottom bracket is a tad lower on the plus model than on the previous 29er model.

Wider Tires

Scott worked closely with Schwalbe to develop the 27.5+ tires on Scott’s Plus line, and the general thinking behind it is that wider is better for stability, traction, acceleration, and cornering. In order to give the tire the right shape to accomplish all those lofty expectations, the Schwalbe rubber is mated to 45mm-wide Syncros rims (40mm inner-width and 21mm height). Scott bought Syncros in 2012 in hopes of using the in-house brand to develop components technologically specific to its bikes, and the Plus rims are a good example of that: The wider rim allows for an increased tire volume, presumably leading to a more comfortable ride, more traction in corners, and more lateral tire support.

INCREASED STABILITY WITH LESS AIR PRESSURE

Combining a wider tire with a narrow rim requires higher air pressure. On the other hand, increasing the width of the rim results in better stability. Wider rims add a significant amount of lateral support to the tire and reduce the walking effect. Wider, bigger tires come into play and enable riding with lower air pressure. From trail to all-mountain and enduro riders, the Syncros 

27.5'' Plus wheel set offers a unique ride quality 

including the fun factor.

According to Scott, the 2.8-inch tires offer a 21-percent increase in contact-patch size over a comparable 2.35-inch tire with a minimal increase in rolling resistance — only 5 watts. With all that width, Scott has still managed to avoid increasing Q-factor, so pedaling feels comfortable and intuitive, unlike true fat bikes that have vastly larger Q-factors.

Circle City Bicycles and Fitness

5506 Madison Ave.

Indianapolis, IN 46227

(317) 786-9244

ed@circlecitybicycles.com

www.circlecitybicycles.com