Review: Scott Genius Super Trail | The hardcore version of the new Genius
The Genius gets that distinctive integrated shock and a top-up of ‘sendy’ DNA for badass trail riders.
| WORDS: Myles Kelsey | IMAGES: Retroyspective | LOCATION: Helderberg Trails, Somerset West |
The Genius ST is the marginally more aggro version of the new Scott Genius and is designed for riders who prioritize the descending element of trail riding. There are eight models in the new Genius lineup and three of them carry the ST (Super Trail) stamp. Essentially, the ST models feature a different rear shock that is tuned to support bad behavior on the descents. I’m fortunate to have ridden both previous generations of the Genius (which impressed me immensely at the time) and was pretty eager to swing a leg over this latest rig and sample the tech, firsthand. Baie dankie to Andrew Neethling and Scott Sports for affording me this ‘first in SA’ test on what turned out to be Andrew’s personal steed. Also, as you’ll probably see in the video and images, Helderberg Trails in Somerset West is an incredible bike park that in my opinion is heavily underrated. Every line is designed and built just like a true European bike park with wide trails, berms with a catch or punch in the right spot, jumps that don’t kick and a great mix of high and low-speed flow sections. Spoil yourself with a weekend in the area so you can ride everything, twice. Do it.
VIDEO SUMMARY
FEATURES & DETAILS
The Genius is a 29er-specific trail bike with the same 150 rear travel as the outgoing model but now with a 160 fork which is 10mm more than before. The more obvious change is the integrated shock technology that Scott has trickled up from their XCO World Championship winning Spark RC. The crew at Scott assured me that hiding the shock inside the frame serves more than mere aesthetics.
Inside the downtube, the shock is mounted further down than on the previous model which lowers the center of gravity. The construction around the BB area is stiffer too (allowing less lateral movement) which makes for a more efficient bike when climbing and a far more precise experience when descending. That beefier undercarriage also reduces lateral forces that can creep into the shock and hurt performance and shorten its life.
Naturally, with the shock hidden inside the frame, it is not subject to dust, mud and trail debris anymore. Scott says there are over 600 layers of carbon in the frame that are layered to create a stiff zone (head tube, downtube and chainstay) and a lightweight zone (top tube, seat tube and chainstay). This dedicated stiffness zone approach to frame construction is not new to Scott and is featured on at least two other bikes in their lineup.
The forged shock link is made from a burly yet light 7075 alloy and incorporates larger bearings that increase the contact surface to handle loads more effectively. Boosting the ability to handle torsional forces Scott has redesigned the link into a splined fit. The new Genius is also available in aluminum chassis that carries all the integration, geometry and features of the carbon models.
The downtube door pops open with a push of a button and the shock is accessed from under the bike. If the shock needs to be removed for servicing, a small window on the side of the seat tube gives access to the mounting bolt. All pretty simple really.
Inside the frame is an all-new shock that Scott developed with suspension maker FOX, specifically for this bike, the Float-X Nude. The big deal is it has three ride modes. In Descend Mode, both air chambers are open and it’s a little easier to use all the travel – this would be the setting for rougher trails.
In Ramp Control Mode, one of the air chambers inside the shock is closed, which increases progressivity of the system – this would be a good setting for flow lines with bermed corners and jumps. In Climb Mode, the compression damping is closed off and the suspension firms up for climbing and the frame geometry simultaneously steepens (just a little) for a better climbing position.
The FOX Float-X Nude shock was set to 175psi, with rebound set at 6 clicks from fully closed and low-speed compression at 5 clicks from fully closed. These are Andrew’s personal settings (quick! jot them down bru) and there was no need to stray away from those numbers – they worked perfectly for me too.
Scott also says they pulled some of the kinematics from their bigger travel Ransom and applied some of those leverage curve and anti-squat numbers into this new Genius. Onto the fork then, the FOX 36 was set at 82psi, low-speed compression at 12 clicks from fully open, VVC at 1 click from fully open, low-speed rebound at 5 clicks from fully closed and high-speed rebound at 3 clicks from closed. Again, these were all Andrew’s settings and I felt no need to change a thing.
Scott has revised their all-mountain one-piece cockpit with more trail-friendly numbers. 800mm wide, a 25mm rise, the choice of a 40 or 50mm stem and an aggressive (rider position) 7° back sweep. The Syncros Hixon bar/stem combo weighs a claimed 327g and has all the mounting options needed for things like GoPro’s, Wahoos, Garmins and lights.
The shifter, rear brake, dropper post and shock cables tuck straight into the headset and then into the frame. A far stealthier setup than the earlier Genius model that had around six cables floating around the front of the bike.
As a former professional racer, Andrew Neethling enjoys support from FOX, Shimano, e13 and Kenda meaning the build kit on this test bike is slightly different from the stock model. This bike has an XTR drivetrain, e13 wheels and Kenda tyres. Out of the box, this bike will retail with SRAM XO1 Eagle AXS drivetrain, a Syncros dropper post, Syncros Revelstoke wheelset and Maxxis tyres.
GEOMETRY & SIZING
With four sizes on offer, the reach numbers are now 430 on the small, 460 on medium, 485 on large and 510 on the extra-large. The seat angle is a little over 2° steeper than the previous model and now sits around 77°. The head angle is 64.5° with the ability to go 0.6° slacker or 0.6 steeper through adjustable headset cups.
When comparing the outgoing model with the new generation Genius it’s apparent Scott never strayed too far from their ‘any trail any time’ intentions here. However, worth noting is this new gen Genius could be the bike that you need to downsize on.
RIDE IMPRESSIONS
He may be a few years into retirement (from racing) but I’ll confirm the guy is just as fast as ever. So yes he is an ambassador for the brand however including Needles in the review highlights the capabilities of the bike, like no other.
With Andrew having attended the launch in Italy he already had a lot of time on the bike and it was entertaining to watch him slay the bike right to its limit, from the start of the trail.
“The minute I got on this bike I was blown away. I had a lot of time on the old Genius which is an incredible trail bike. With new technology, the modern trail bike has progressed and this bike is aimed a little bit more at the gravity side of things but they haven’t lost its climbing capabilities. This is the ST model, Super Trail and obviously, someone like me who comes from a Downhill background definitely enjoys the descents more than the climbs I’ve noticed no difference in the climbing capabilities of this bike. The new shock on the back just gives me so much more stability. With the integration, I can notice more stiffness around the BB so when you really attack the downhills, you’ve got that stability. Then, for someone who says they are not a Downhiller the standard Genius is such a good all-rounder option.” – Scott Trail Ambassador, Andrew Neethling
In terms of sizing, the large test bike has a 440 seattube coupled with a 485 reach – which is a great ratio. There’s plenty of space in the cockpit and the saddle slams far enough to free up the hips for techy riding. At 1,76m tall, I’d definitely go with the shorter stem option.
Considering Scott never fiddled too much with the geometry on this new Genius it’s remarkable how different the ride feel is. As an example, under hard braking, the Genius ST tracks the ground exceptionally well. I’d say the new shock is partly responsible for the bike’s chilled-out disposition and then that stiffer lower portion of the chassis has to be making a difference too. It’s calm and planted.
The previous model Genius had a small lever located on the shock to flick between Ramp Control or open settings. You can now do it on the fly from the bar-mounted lever. In Ramp Control mode the bike maintains a better dynamic geometry for fast bermed turns and jump lines. It could also be a mode worth experimenting with if you are thinking of racing Enduro’s on this bike, it could be particularly useful on any stages that demand more pedal watts.
There is a noticeable difference between the Ramp Control and Descend Modes in the shock but it’s not worlds apart like I recall on the previous model. I like that. The last thing you want when dropping into a line is a bike that behaves completely differently when in an alternate shock mode. I think Scott and FOX got those settings spot-on.
The last thing I want out of a trail bike is to toil up a climb and then not be able to play on the way down. We had over a decade of doing that and I feel like I’ve paid my school fees there. Let’s get real, any trail bike with Enduro casing tyres is not going to climb like a Downcountry bike and I’d be sugarcoating the climbing ability of the Genius if I said it climbs like a 120 bike. But, it’s truly not a slog, even with ‘Morzine legs’. Steep seat angles, climb mode and a longer reach contribute to the bike’s climbing efficiency. To give you an idea of the versatility here, I’m pretty sure with a little more road miles in my system (and XC rubber) this IS a bike capable of fun riding a Wines2Whales or similar, if I had to. That shouldn’t be the intended application though.
I’d need more time with that revised one-piece cockpit before I say I absolutely love it. It really isn’t bad though and Scott may have completely nailed the angles there. It is light though, and very clean.
TAKEOUT & WHO IS IT FOR?
On the trails, the Genius Super Trail gallops up to speed very quickly and is a bike that rides faster than I thought it would, so much so I needed to tweak braking points to not overshoot things. The damping is exceptional and staying safe and in control is easier. I’ll sum up the ride feel as a perfect cocktail of planted and playful.
Things are changing and many brands are telling me the Trail market (in SA) is their fastest-growing segment. It’s cool to see more and more riders just out on the trails having a good time and not worrying about training numbers. That’s who this bike is suited to. The Genius Super Trail is an easy-to-ride bike that will help many riders unlock trickier features on their trail. I think it’s suited to riders who are migrating from the Endurance gig and are looking for a first trail bike. Seasoned shredders will also be happy on the Genius. It’s also the best option from Scott for local Enduro racing.
MODELS AND LOCAL AVAILABILITY
This top-of-the-line Genius Super Trail will be a special order item for the South African market with around a 3 month waiting period. In a couple of months’ time (with everything going on there have been delays) the carbon framed 920 model with a Shimano and FOX spec will land and retail for R87k. The alloy 930 model will retail for R78k and runs a mix of Shimano, SRAM and FOX components. More: scott-sports.com
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