Review: Scott Genius 900 Tuned
Scott’s ‘Any Trail, Any Time’ promise is a bold one to bandy about, but, with the right setup, the Genius is impressive!
DETAILS
- Frame: Genius Carbon, Carbon SMC Link, Carbon swingarm, VLK Virtual 4 Link kinematic, 27.5″ (2.6 & 2.8) and 29″ (2.4 & 2.6) tire compatible with Geo -BB adj, Trunnion Box construction, 150mm/110mm/0mm
- Fork: FOX 36 Float Factory Air / Kashima FIT4 3-Modes with low speed compression adjust / 44mm offset / 150mm
- Shock: FOX NUDE TR EVOL Trunnion, SCOTT custom with travel/geo adjust of 3 modes. Ramp Adjust. DPS Kashima.
- Remote System: Scott Twinloc with 3 modes
- Wheels: e13 TRSR Carbon 29″
- Brakes: Shimano XT 4 piston
- Crankset: Shimano XT
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5WT EXO+ and Maxxis Minion DHR2 2.4WT EXO+
- Seat: Syncros Tofino 1.5 / Titanium rails
- Seatpost: FOX Transfer dropper remote, 150mm
- Bars: Syncros, 790mm, 20mm rise
- Stem: Syncros XM 1.5, 50mm
Syncros, 790mm, 20mm rise bars. 
The very neat internal cable routing cleans up the look 
FOX 36 Float Factory Air / Kashima FIT4 3-Modes with low speed compression adjust 
XT Drivetrain 
Syncros XM 1.5, 50mm stem 
Shimano XT 4-piston brakes 
The heart of the beast: FOX NUDE TR EVOL Trunnion, SCOTT custom with 3 modes of travel/geo adjust, plus ramp adjust.
GEOMETRY & FIT
THE TECH
A remote suspension adjust system transforms the bike from a fully locked out setup (front and rear), into a 110mm rear travel with open fork setup and finally into a 150mm (front and rear) mode. In the 110mm rear setting the bike rides slightly higher in its travel with the BB marginally raised and a slightly more progressive feel. This technology unleashes the many personality types of the bike (Fully rigid, Down-country and Enduro) and is perhaps, the fundamental advantage the Genius. The proprietary rear shock also features an external ‘ramp control’ lever which gives the bike a more linear rear or more progressive rear. This enables you to fine-tune the ride to suit the specific section of trail you are on.
External ramp control. 
Twinlock lever is neatly tucked away under the bar.
Scott is well known for producing incredibly light bikes and the Genius is no exception. The ‘over the counter’ Tune 900 edition (our test bike was a slightly custom version) weighs in at a remarkable 12.40kgs. The frame and shock, including mounting hardware, is a featherweight 2,249grams. This is one of the lightest in class. Regarding
MY SETUP
- Fork: 88psi with 6 clicks of
low speed compression - Fork rebound: 8 clicks from closed
- Shock: 205psi
- Shock
rebound : 7 clicks from closed - Front tire pressure: 22psi
- Rear tire pressure: 28psi
THE RIDE
Descending: Whilst the Genius is a shredder, I wouldn’t classify it as a “big hit drop your heels and smash it” bike. For Giba Gorge, Sabie, Karkloof or Helderberg Trails the Genius will handle just about all the gnarly lines there are – with ease. The BB is low though – so you want to make sure you are running the right psi, sag and spacer setup to avoid pedal strikes. You really will get the best performance out of this bike by playing around with that external ramp control on the rear shock. On smooth trails with lots of jumps and berms I ran the bike in the more progressive setting which helps with pop on the big jumps and to prevent wallow through turns. On straight line square edge rocky trails, the linear setting naturally works best. Don’t just set it and forget it. Play around with the settings and keep trying new stuff. It’s like a new iPhone, you don’t spend all that money just to make calls and send texts – the technology is there to improve the ride experience and with this bike
Cornering: So this is where the low BB and generous reach numbers put you into a good posture to nail turns. Couple all of that with some super supple suspension, great traction and – “voilà!” – you are dropping your mates. I especially liked the super agile feel of the bike in corkscrew sections, where you are hopping from left turn to right turn and back again. The bike is intuitive and does exactly what you are wanting it to, with minimal body language. This is really the sign of a good bike – it becomes an extension of your body – and this is something I don’t feel with every bike I test.
Technical ability: Without the external compression adjust on the shock you want to make sure you get your shock air pressure, tokens and rebound setup just right. I was slamming pedals a bit through some technical sections until I got things dialed in. With chainstays under 440mm they are firmly in the ‘play / agile’ range and it’s noticeable through the technical stuff, in corners and when jumping.
Climbing: On smooth transitions using the full lockout mode the bike moves swiftly. When locked out, the bike is pretty much a hardtail, delivering great efficiency. In the 110mm rear mode – or what Scott
SUMMARY
It was around 10 years ago when I first spent time on the Cannondale Jekyll which is a similar concept to the Scott Genius, in terms of the travel adjust and lockout modes of the rear shock that is. There is also the Canyon Strive which plays in this multiple travel / multiple personality space, but I haven’t ridden the Strive, yet. Ever since those rides on the Jekyll I have loved the on the fly travel adjust as it significantly broadens the spectrum of trail that a bike can rally. There is obviously extra cabling around with these bikes and that might turn some away. On this Genius, the cabling is well concealed. I can see why the Genius is a popular choice for EWS privateers – its does everything so well. I can also see that in SA with a 150mm fork it will do really well on all of the Enduro tracks. This bike also suits riders in SA who are perhaps moving away from marathon racing and are looking for a do it all bike that they can explore technical trails on, hit that gnarly line they have been scoping and boost the doubles.
Related: Review – Zipp 3ZERO MOTO Wheelset
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