Turns out the Scott’s got a secret spec upgrade

Our Bike of the Year testing uncovered an interesting detail on the Genius (it didn’t make the top 10, but look out for a review on BikeRadar). While the fork looks like a regular Fox Float 34, the chassis is actually from the ‘E-bike Optimized’ version (you can tell this because the standard volume spacers don’t fit). This is good news, because although it makes the fork a little heavier, it also makes it a fair bit stiffer. The regular 34 can feel a bit flexy in 150mm 29er form when pushed hard, but I’ve had no such problems on the Genius.

While it’s disappointing to see a ‘Performance’ series fork on a £3k+ bike, it does get the brand’s latest ‘GRIP’ damper, which is much more consistent on the trail than the old entry-level cartridge. Out back, the DPS shock is a ‘Performance Elite’ unit (not Performance, as listed on Scott’s website), so essentially a top-end ‘Factory’ damper without the fancy Kashima coating. They both settle quite deep into their travel, but there’s enough progression that the end stroke is really controlled.

Normally, after three months on a bike I’d have replaced the tyres with some of my favourites. While I’m not a fan of Schwalbe’s Nobby Nic in standard 2.25/2.35in form, I’ve been impressed by the 2.6in versions on the Genius, only occasionally wishing for a slightly toothier tyre up front. www.scott-sports.com