Engineering: it’s what they do. The 2012 Scott Carbon Scale Expert 29′er

The engineers at Scott Bicycles are back at it again. Like kids set free in a toy store, these bike gurus head straight to the best tools, materials and technologies they can find to build the ultimate toys for the bike enthusiast. The 2012 Scale 29 Expert (little brother to Scott’s 899 29′er aka the lightest 29 mountain bike frame around at 899 grams) is an impossible mountain bike model to ignore given its enviable combination of cutting edge technology, extensive R&D, and affordable price.

For 2012 this softer riding hard-tail has more built-in compliance, meaning that the bike can flex vertically to absorb trail or street feedback, yet is laterally stiffer for more efficient climbing and faster acceleration — a few more steps towards the “holy grail” of ride qualities. Scott has once again raised the “laterally stiff/vertically compliant” bar for the MTB industry.

Though the 29′er wheel is larger than its cousin the 26″, the Scale’s carefully considered geometry makes it a tight and nimble handing machine, dominating rocks, trees, cars and street construction. The Scale’s nimble handling, combined with the inherent ability of the larger 29 inch wheels to roll over technical terrain, its light/efficient/compliant carbon frame, Shimano XT/SLX components, DT Swiss wheels, and Reba Rock Shox fork make this a ride we highly recommend.