Right. Ten months down the line and a few thousand k's with the Scale 960: What I found first off is that the learning curve when you get back on two wheels after a decade or so is STEEP! But I have to say that technically, I managed to learn more quickly than I thought I would, due, I think, to having spent many, many hours on a Suzuki RM-Z 450 carving though De Wildt. I have to say that this Scott Scale 960 is an absolutely fantastic bike to ride. I have found it to be (within the limits of my skill set) very compliant in the rough and rocky sections, a sweet handler on any downhill singletrack, a Speedy Gonzales on steep climbs, and I'm damn sure that it will run out of capability in the technicals long after I have run out of ability and talent. I am in amazed that you can go out and buy a bike like this for a few thousand Rand. The one problem I did have was the Syncros Rims it came with. The front buckled like a Taco on a ride near Kyalami (admittedly, I was playing silly buggers with the front end) (oh, and I am 100 kg). But the nice men at Cycle Science in Broadacres replaced the wheels with Stans ZTR Crests (more about that later) and Sun-Ringle Dirty Flea hubs which had an immediate effect on the 960's handling. That said, I can thoroughly recommend this bike, full stop. More on the Crests though. I know they're rated to a maximum rider weight of 90kg but, although I like to hoon around on them and jump off stuff, they're performing just fine. Had to have them trued about 6 weeks ago though, so perhaps I should consider Stan's Arch's as a Christmas prezzie from someone..... Just some last thoughts on the whole bike buying and upgrading business. I am beyond impressed with the Scott, but, like everyone who rides, I can't help but look and drool over the magnificent hardware on offer. A chap can throw any amount of hard-earned's at this sport and still have a burning desire to upgrade to the next level. But the one thing that keeps (most of) my money in my pocket is this: I am very sure that I could upgrade to the latest and greatest Cannondale this or SRAM that, the lightest Ritchey thing or the best bits from the brothers Crank and I would still wallow like a Hippo in a mud pool behind a Nico Schurter at half speed on my daughters push bike. So while the hard carbon-based stuff is desirable, it is nowhere near as important as the squidgy carbon-based thing propelling it all along.
