SCOTT FOIL 20 DISC £3299
› Is Scott’s softer, fatter Foil still fast?
Scott was one of the first to adopt large volume, hacked tail aero tubes, and the FO1 principle that gives the Foil its name is still in evidence here. The designers have gone deep with aero and disc integration, starting with the thruaxle fork tips, which include a short tail tab on the driveside but a bigger fin sitting mostly below the calliper on the brake side. The head-tube has cutouts top and bottom to sync with the extended tail stem and fork crown. There’s enough room for oversized 1.25in top and 1.5in bottom fork bearings, which helps increase front end stiffness by 13 per cent compared to the previous Foil.
The flat-backed boat-shaped down-tube takes the concept of chopped teardrop aerodynamics to the extreme. The chainstays that extend from the bottom bracket box are equally huge, making what’s still a large asymmetric seat-tube look relatively small. It does shrink down to more conventional dimensions above the fastback seat-tubes [meet the stays at the back instead of the side of the tube] and the D-shaped seatpost is relatively demure. Seatstays are comparatively skinny, with a very narrow stance that only just clears the tyres.
Downsizing diameters and changes in the composite layup mean Scott claims a vast 86 per cent increase in vertical compliance, essentially comfort. Both wheels use 12mm thru-axles with removable levers and shaped internal dropout shoulders for easy wheel installation. There’s even an optional direct-mount Shimano rear derailleur mount for faster wheel removal.
The Foil 20 is one of the more expensive Ultegra-equipped bikes here, but that means you get a full set of Shimano’s latest disc groupset including the chain, wider-rangethan-average 11-30 cassette and
The designers have gone deep with aero and disc integration
radical RT800 rotors designed to improve cooling and prevent ‘chop’ injuries in crashes.
Otherwise kit is all from Scott subbrand, Syncros. That includes an aero profiled, extended stem that’s oversized to match the fork top and syncs with the top-tube cutout. The carbon aero seatpost matches the F01 tube shapes, and the minimalist saddle is a lot more comfortable than it looks. The DT-based, shallow aero Syncros wheels complete a very coherent package that connects to the ground with high-volume Continental tyres that are listed as 28mm but actually measure over 30mm, even at 80psi.
While fatter tyres potentially add aero drag, they’re a shrewd move for a bike that’s previously had a reputation for a punishing, take no prisoners ride. Add the increase in compliance and the Foil feels more welcoming and smooth than it ever has before. It’s still no softie and you’ll want to avoid big lumps, but the combination of fat tyres and frame sucks up road buzz in a distinctively damped way.
The F01 aerodynamics are assured and predictable at all speeds and wind angles. The whole bike delivers a calmness that could be mistaken for being slow, until the road or pace rises and you put the power down. At that point the bike wakes up and those big tubes conduct every watt from the bar through the bottom bracket and down the chainstays to the back wheel, and you’re travelling through the landscape a lot quicker.