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It’s not the first time we’ve experienced this with a SRAM Eagle rear derailleur, so hopefully SRAM are onto it!Īside from the Genius’s performance when the terrain gets challenging, it’s the level of refinement and attention to detail that impressed us most. We also managed to bounce the chain off the lower jockey wheel a couple of times, causing the drivetrain to jam up. It’s not the first time we’ve had the chain jump off the lower jockey wheel of a SRAM Eagle derailleur. Those big 2.6″ tyres weigh close to a kilo each, and at high speeds it’s a little reluctant to make quick direction changes, but that’s the trade off for stacks of grip and confidence obviously. If you run the bike in the 100mm mode, it’s much more nimble on smooth trails. The addition of some volume spacers is recommend to help resist the thunk of a bottom out too, as the rear end seems more progressive than the fork.
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We found that the fork, with its GRIP damper, can’t quite match the performance of the rear suspension when the hits come big and fast. On the bigger, uglier hits we felt it could use a bit more ramp up or high-speed compression damping. The 150mm-travel FOX 34 uses the more basic GRIP damper. On smooth trails, or when trying to make really fast direction changes, it does feel like a fair bit of bike to throw around. The Twinloc system is golden on technical climbs too – hitting the lever and engaging the 100mm mode provides a firmer suspension feel (and helps raise the bottom bracket height for pedal clearance on tricky climbs), but without impinging the bike’s small bump compliance like a traditional lockout would. Then on the climbs, it just claws up everything – the tyres have a big contact patch, and you’ve got plenty of low-range gearing.
![scott genius scott genius](http://content.26in.fr/p/guidematos/3/6/36301/53202.jpg)
It’s slack, with a 65-degree head angle (or 65.6 in the steeper setting), and the wheelbase is quite long too with a 438mm rear centre, giving it good stability in the rough and at speed. While the Genius is a far cry from some of the burly Enduro bikes on the market, Scott have definitely shifted this bike’s focus towards rowdier terrain. The cable ports make dealing with the internal routing pretty straightforward really.Īnywhere technical, both up and down. 30mm-wide rims give plenty of support to the 2.6″ tyres. This version, the 920, rolls on the big wheels, and is carbon up front and alloy out back, for a reasonable $5399. The 27.5 version gets 2.8” rubber, and even the 29er runs chunky 2.6” tyres (on proper 30mm rims too!). The Genius comes in both 29er and 27.5 formats, though it’s actually the same frame, only the wheels change. Bonus marks for the neat integration of the dropper lever into the grip clamp too. Your thumb learns to navigate all the levers quickly. The system’s downside is the extra clutter and annoyance of the cables, but some time invested with cable cutters and some brake line trimming can get it all pretty neat. The Twin Loc system, which lets you reduce the rear travel via the FOX NUDE shock from 150-100mm at the push of the lever, or lock the suspension out entirely, is a hallmark of Scott’s bikes. It’s undeniably effective and simple to use. The key to the Genius’s all-rounder abilities has always been in its suspension adaptability, and that hasn’t changed. It’s amazing how much you use this feature once you’re in the habit. What’s remained? You learn your way around the Twin Loc levers pretty quickly. Bombing through the trails of Hornsby Mountain Bike Park. At the same time, Scott introduced more aggressive and trail-oriented versions of the Spark, allowing them to position the Genius as bike for more serious terrain. It’s unique in that you can adjust the air volume (and the shock’s travel) remotely, and it doesn’t feature a traditional compression adjustment or lockout.Īll of these changes have flowed from the Spark, which was given an overhaul 18 months ago. The Nude shock is a partnership between FOX and Scott.