Compare-O First Look: Scott Genius 710
This article is part of the Mtbr’s Enduro Compare-O. See all the stories in this special section here–https://reviews.mtbr.com/category/enduro-compare-o-2014
In the US, Scott is one of those bike companies that’s more heard than seen. For the past several years the Swiss brand’s daring designs have wowed us at press launches and trade shows, but seldom did we see those bikes on the trail in the real world. That may change soon, however, as Scott appears to have hit the reset button with a new US division headquarters, some US-friendly spec changes, and a bevy of cool bikes in the hopper like the smart-looking Genius 710.
Scott’s Genius line of trail and all-mountain bikes breaks-down into three variations—the Genius 900 series—29-inch wheels with 130mm of travel, the Genius 700 series—27.5-inch wheels with 150mm of travel, and the Genius LT 700—a 170mm-travel version of the 27.5 platform. Scott also produces a pair of Genius 700-series bikes under their women’s Contessa moniker.
Bikes within the Genius line come in both alloy and carbon varieties, and our $5,799.99 710 falls into the latter category. Made using their proprietary Integrated Molding Process (IMP), Scott claims to have reduced weight by removing 11% of the material from the headtube intersection, while increasing strength by adding high modulus stressed fibers in critical areas.
Perhaps more notable than materials is Scott’s switch in partners for their proprietary Nude shock system. Formerly manufactured in partnership with DT Swiss, the custom shock is now made by Fox—a change that may make Scott a more attractive option to US buyers. The lightweight, low volume shock is controlled by Scott’s TwinLoc handlebar remote, and it eschews Fox’s CTD—Climb, Trail, Descent—nomenclature in favor of their own Climb, Traction Control, Descend settings. We’ll let you know if we can discern the subtleties between Trail and Traction Control when we get some time on the 710.
In the first edition of our enduro bike shootout, we tested the Scott Genius 720 and while it was a solid performing bike, it didn’t stand out in any single area. We are hopeful that this year’s Genius 710 will show some solid performance gains. We rode the Scott Genius 710 in size medium with an MSRP of $5799.99.
Spec Highlights
The TwinLoc feature is an integral part of the Genius’s overall performance. The “twin” in TwinLoc is a reference to it’s simultaneous duty controlling the fork in tandem with the rear shock. The first position is open, the second (half-way) position provides a platform and the third position is fully locked out.
In year’s past, the Scott’s Nude shock was built by DT Swiss. This year, it’s been completely revamped in conjunction with Fox. Also visible in the photo above is the changeable shock mount chip that varies bottom bracket height by 7mm, and changes the head tube angle by half-a-degree.
Scott bought component-maker Syncros about two years ago and have spec’d it liberally across their line. The gloss-on-matte saddle, bar, grips and stem match the frame’s stealth look perfectly. The wheels are aluminum Syncros TR 2.0s.
With so much to control—front and rear shifting, front and rear shocks, front and rear brakes, and a dropper post—things get a little nesty out front. Thankfully, there’s tidy internal routing to keep the clutter to a minimum.
Just when you thought the all-black 710 couldn’t get more stealthy, it get’s spec’d with a RockShox Reverb Stealth seatpost.
A 2×10 Shimano XT drivetrain almost feels dated compared to the 1x option spec’ed on many of the other test bikes, but XT brakes get nothing but thumbs-up from our crew.
2014 Scott Genius 710 Key Specs
- Weight: 27.40 lbs.(size medium)
- Wheel size: 27.5 inches
- Frame Material: Carbon
- Travel/Suspension: Rear,150mm/Fox Nude/Scott Shock; Front 150-100mm front/Fox 32 Float Factory CTD
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT 2x; 38t,24t chainring, 11-36 cassette
- Brakes: Shimano XT Disc, 180mm front, 180mm rear
- Seatpost: RockShox Reverb Stealth 125mm
- Wheelset/Tires: Syncros TR2.0 27.5″/ Schwalbe Nobby Nic EVO / 2.25
- Bars/Stem: Syncros FL1.5 Tbar/ Syncros TR1.5
- Bottom Bracket Type: BB92
- Head Tube Angle: BB low=67.9 degrees, BB high=68.4 degrees
- Seat Tube Angle: BB low=74.0 degrees, BB high=74.5 degrees
- Chainstay Length: 439mm
- Bottom Bracket Height: BB low=344.9mm, BB high=350.4mm
- Bike MRSP: $5799.99
For more information visit www.scott-sports.com.
Read our Bottom Line Evaluation of the Scott Genius 710 here.
This story is part of Mtbr’s 2014 Enduro Compare-O. Check out our intro story here for all the ground rules and goings ons.
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