Iconic Lightweight Hardtail

The Scott Scale is one of the most successful bikes in Cross Country racing history.  It has won World Championships, World Cups and countless other elite races.  But the Scale is so much more than a niche XC racing bike – it is perfect for any rider looking to explore natural trails and mixed terrain that extends beyond the reach of most gravel bikes, without the weight and complexity of technology that just isn’t needed for fast singletrack and general cross country riding.  The latest Scale is fast, capable, light and super reliable – it’s also supremely comfortable and has the kind of nailed on handling that you need when pushing the limits or getting to the end of a long ride.

The Scott Scale is the perfect blend of stiffness, light weight, and 30 years of carbon expertise. These characteristics, encompassed in an uncompromising frame design decisively accelerate the Scale away from the pack with every pedal stroke. The Scale’s design is a result of Scott’s drive for pure efficiency, strictly following the guiding principle of “Form follows Function”. In their search for the ultimate and least complex construction, Scott centred the design around the essentials and the result is a super clean and clear design, which provides the Scale with its distinctive character and aggressive looks: a bike that proudly shows off its characteristics.

The Scott Scale’s monocoque construction enables a production using only one mold for the main section of the bike, the front triangle. Applying their carbon expertise, the Scale therefore consists of only 3 separate pieces molded together. This directly translates into an increased level of efficiency due to the reduced number of junctions required therefore decreasing weight while keeping the superior stiffness – a major goal with hardtail race bikes. With the full frame constructed as a system, the monocoque design enables the frame to handle forces as a whole.

The Scott Scale is a true showcase of carbon craftmanship. Balancing the characteristics of different carbon fibres creates a specific mix for each section of the bike and develops the bike’s character – letting the differing materials do what they are meant to do, in a showcase of the carbon expertise Scott have gained over 30 years. In areas where stiffness is of the highest priority, a higher proportion of Ultra High (HMX) and High Modulus (HMF) carbon fibres are used, withstanding high forces with less deflection. This applies for main stiffness areas like bottom bracket and head tube. At the other end of the spectrum, fibres with a higher ductility and flexibility come into play to achieve a certain level of compliance where needed in order to allow for a well-rounded riding experience.

The Scott Scale is full of small design details that add up to significant weight savings and offer practical details that make a big difference to the bike’s simplicity and ease of maintenance.  Hardware weight almost halved in the latest version, from 82g previously to 45g in total, through reduced use of metal inserts, including the removable chain guide, and a reduced amount of cable routing parts due to optimized routing in general. A small service door, which is accessible through a downtube cover, allows easy access to the interior of the frame without the need to remove the bottom bracket.

One of Scott’s main design objectives was to provide a geometry that optimizes the ride position and handling characteristics for a wider group of riders and route profiles. Working with athletes like world champions Nino Schurter and Kate Courtney they were able to pinpoint exactly what is needed for fast riding over a wide variety of terrain – a geometry inspired by the race-winning geometry of the Scott Spark, but optimized to carve out the characteristics of a thoroughbred XC hardtail.