LUKE’S SCOT TRANSOM 720£3,599
A new enduro smasher for a new season
When the new Scott Ransom made its debut appearance last summer, it was a bike that instantly grabbed my attention. A 170mm-travel enduro slayer that can run both 650b and 29in wheels, featuring Scott’s ‘TwinLoc’ suspension system, which allows you to adjust the travel and damping on the fly. I was thrilled when I found out it would be my new long-term bike, because I was after something I could put between the tapes at both enduro events and UK downhill races. Thankfully, Scott delivered the bike quickly and I’ve already had plenty of opportunities to put it through its paces.
The price of the Ransom 720 seems a little high for its spec, but that’s partly because Scott (like the other brands here) sell through
traditional shops, not direct. It gets an NX Eagle transmission, non-series Shimano MT520 brakes and in-house Syncros components and wheels. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the performance of these parts, given their place close to the bottom of the component food chain. The Fox fork and shock are also less sophisticated ‘Performance’-grade versions, but I’ve no complaints so far.
While I don’t want to be a moaner, and love how the bike rides, I am having a few teething problems. The Syncros dropper post didn’t work for the first ride, but a quick cable change seems to have solved that hiccup. There was also no chainstay protector fitted, leading to some chipped paint and a noisy first ride. I’ve now fitted a homemade bodge using a road inner tube, which has made the bike far easier on the ear. Lastly, after several muddy rides, the gears have decided not to drop down the cassette any more and the front brake lever returns at a relaxed pace, if at all. I’m sure there’s nothing too complicated behind these annoyances, but after just a few weeks’ winter riding, I’d have hoped the bike would still be running smoothly.
On the plus side, I entered December’s Mini Enduro at BikePark Wales and managed to take the Masters win, so I’m looking forward to getting the Ransom back on track – in both senses of the term. www.scottsports.com