JCW’S SCOTT GENIUS 940£3,099

With grippier rubber itted, it’s time to try and quieten things down

I hit the trails with new confidence this month, after fitting tougher tyres. Last month’s blowout at BikePark Wales reinforced my opinion that skinny sidewalls are definitely not for me, so I opted for some Maxxis Minions with the middleweight ‘EXO Protection’ casing. They’re not quite as fat as the 2.6in Schwalbe Nobby Nics they replaced, at 2.5in front and 2.4in rear, but are ‘Wide Trail’ versions that have been optimised for use on wider rims and still blow up pretty big. I’ve used the DHF for years, so I know I get on with it. The DHR II is more of an unknown quantity, because I’ve tended to run a semi-slick on the rear for faster rolling. But I’m riding more off-piste and bike park stuff these days and fewer trail centres, so I figured I’d try something with a bit more braking and cornering grip.

First impressions are promising. During my first trip to the excellent Black Mountains Cycle Centre I never felt short of grip, even with the tyres being the dual-compound rather than pricier ‘3C’ version – although there were admittedly no wet roots or polished rocks to try them out on. I didn’t feel like the knobbly rear was holding me back either. In fact, I went so fast (by my own meagre standards)

chasing Jonny and Jimmer down the awesomely-named and crafted Well-Oiled Weasel that I didn’t notice a sniper root lying in wait for me and ended up taking an up-close look at the undergrowth. Fortunately, I was able to bounce right back up.

With no bad behaviour from the tyres to distract me, I could focus on the ride. Well, that and the annoying rattling. I identified two causes

– the mess of cables out front of the bar, due to Scott’s ‘TwinLoc’ suspension-adjustment system, and the integrated Syncros bottle cage and multi-tool that Scott sent to me along with the bike. The first requires some judicious application of electrical tape, while I’ve hopefully already fixed the second by tightening up the tool’s pivot bolts and the bolts securing the cage to the frame. Fingers crossed, I’ll be making my way down the hills much more stealthily on my next ride! www.scott-sports.com