Review: Scott Genius Plus 720

[Iwan Kemp]

Plus bikes are designed to help give mountain bike riders more traction on the trails. SCOTT Sports was one of the first big players to launch 27.5+ bikes, with four models and 11 options in their Scale (Hardtail) and Genius (Dual Suspension) platforms. Courtesy of SCOTT Sports SA and Olympic Cycles, we were sent a Genius Plus 720 to test.

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[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I must ride one. 

 

Seriously though. Am I imagining things, or is the price VERY reasonable given the current USD exchange rate?

 

Still looking for mini-fat rims that don't break the bank. 

[Rocket-Boy]

That price is quite reasonable, sure some of the components are fairly low spec but not annoyingly so.

[Odinson]

Nice review, Iwan.

 

I still remain intrigued by the 27.5+ bikes. Whether I'll ever actually buy one is a different story.

 

Must say, the TwinLoc system makes for a very, very messy cockpit.

 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Nice review, Iwan.

 

I still remain intrigued by the 27.5+ bikes. Whether I'll ever actually buy one is a different story.

 

Must say, the TwinLoc system makes for a very, very messy cockpit.

 

Indeed. Most off-putting feature on this bike. 

 

4 cables is plenty, and I even get pedantic about that. 

 

Can't wait for the lockouts to be servo-controlled or at least magnetically charged so they can be fed with wire / bloutand. 

 

Couple that with an electronic / bloutand controlled drivetrain. Shooowee. I'd pay for that. 

[Iwan Kemp]

Nice review, Iwan.

 

I still remain intrigued by the 27.5+ bikes. Whether I'll ever actually buy one is a different story.

 

  Thanks

 

I feel the least one can do is have an open mind and give it a go - if you like it and it suits, then cool beans. If not, then no harm in at least trying. It definitely won't be for everyone - but, honestly speaking, it could be a great one bike for A LOT of people. 

 

Most riders I've spoken to or bumped into on the trails were keen to give it a go and there was very little resistance for no apparent reason like there was when 29ers first broke cover - that's a good sign!

[Slowbee]

how available are the "spares" for this i.e tyre choice and wheel choice ?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

how available are the "spares" for this i.e tyre choice and wheel choice ?

Getting better all the time. Wide wheels are now fairly well available, although a bit pricey compared to the narrower rims, in some cases. 

 

Wide tyres are going to be increasing more and more. 

[Slowbee]

so its all about clearance then if you want to go from a 27.5 to a 27.5 plus ?

 

would wide tyres be any advantage to long distance riding ? or do you go skinny and narrow ?

[Duane_Bosch]

Oh Yay!! Another pointless "standard"

 

And then we all wonder why a buycycle costs more than a Motocross bike.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Duane_Bosch

[Iwan Kemp]

so its all about clearance then if you want to go from a 27.5 to a 27.5 plus ?

 

would wide tyres be any advantage to long distance riding ? or do you go skinny and narrow ?

 

I don't think skinny and narrow is good for anything other than Road or CX. Schwalbe has done extensive tests that show wider with lower pressures are the way to go when riding off road. 

 

Clearance is the thing here, yes. 27.5+ bikes can run 29" wheels and tires - well, most of them can.

 

You won't be able to retrofit as the bike will need boost 148 rear and 110 front and the rear tri needs plenty of space to clear the tires and mud. 

[Iwan Kemp]

Oh Yay!! Another pointless "standard"

 

And then we all wonder why a buycycle costs more than a Motocross bike.

 

Try one first, then call it what you want. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

so its all about clearance then if you want to go from a 27.5 to a 27.5 plus ?

 

would wide tyres be any advantage to long distance riding ? or do you go skinny and narrow ?

you can't. Plus tyres on a 27.5 would be just too big to fit into a 275 frame, as the circumference & diameter of the 2.8 / 3.0 tyre is just that much bigger than the 2.35 / 2.5 options.

 

Generally speaking, a 29 frame MAY be able to take 27.5+, and a 27.5 frame MAY be able to take a 26+ but then it's all about clearance, which "normal" frames may not have.

 

a 27.5+ frame will accept 29er "normal" rims and tyres without a hitch. 

 

Closest you can get to the + size on an existing "non-plus" frame is by buying a set of wide rims (40mm or so) and fitting a 2.35 / 2.5 high volume tyre. This way, the outer circumference of the tyre remains the same as it would be on a "normal" wheel, but you gain the advantage of higher volume, better sidewall support and consequently a capacity for running either lower pressures or lighter tyres. Still ridiculous levels of grip, but not quote the same as the plus (or so I'd imagine)

[Iwan Kemp]

how available are the "spares" for this i.e tyre choice and wheel choice ?

 

Still limited, but Scott dealers will be able to help you out. Spez and Trek are on board with Plus bikes and Stan's NoTubes have a rim available - this should help.

[Mr X]

so its all about clearance then if you want to go from a 27.5 to a 27.5 plus ?

 

would wide tyres be any advantage to long distance riding ? or do you go skinny and narrow ?

 

275+ is heavy and needs a lot more power. The only advantage to long distance riding on 275+ is you will come back with new muscles in your legs you never knew you had.

[Duane_Bosch]

Try one first, then call it what you want. 

I've ridden the Specialized Stumpy one.

 

There's loads of "suspension" in the tires which is ****. You can literally hear the tires clawing at the ground. So rolling resistance sucks balls. The fat tires make it feel like a boat in terms of handling.

 

I will concede that the clearance allows you to run a 29er wheelset as well as the fat wheels which is good.

 

Sorry to sound like a grouch but really. This just fills a spot in the market that shouldn't be there in the first place.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Duane_Bosch