Ric’s Scott Genius 720
It’s been a pretty momentous month for the Genius and me. We’ve learned to love each other, and it’s all thanks to a bearded bloke from Wales.
The Scott and I simply weren’t bonding. Depending on how I set the suspension up, the bike either felt like it was plummeting straight through its travel or the fork topped out so much that it was difficult to commit to anything faster than a trail centre pootle.
Mojo’s Chris Porter suggested that I send the Fox 32 fork and Nude2 shock down so he could take a look. A week or so later a new Fox 34 fork and specially shortened Float X shock arrived, complete with frame-matching retro decals.
The original dampers were set up to work with Scott’s TwinLoc system – which offers rear travel adjustment and front and rear lockout from a single bar-mounted lever – and Chris reckoned there was too much going on internally to swap them out. He also said the beefier fork would get rid of a lot of the flex and twisting I was experiencing on my steep local trails. I’m a big believer in ‘less is more’, so getting rid of the TwinLoc cabling was a welcome move. It also meant I could use the frame’s tidy internal routing for my Fox DOSS dropper post.
The new fork and shock have made a massive difference. I don’t normally put much stock in Strava, but five faster times on the first ride alone speaks volumes. The Scott now feels much more planted on slower, steeper descents yet also inspires a lot more confidence when trucking on at full chat.
The Genius and I embarked on a 72-hour roadtrip down to Peaslake in Surrey this month to ride with Brendan Fairclough and Olly Wilkins, before heading back north again to Peebles in the Scottish Borders with Ruaridh Cunningham and Reece Wilson. From dodging Boris Bikes in central London to railing pine-lined singletrack, our marriage has really received a new lease of life – thanks, Chris!