KTM SCARP MASTER
£4,479.99 More traditional geometry paired with an excellent spec
KTM’s Scarp range is made up of six bikes. The thirdfrom-top Master model boasts a full-carbon fibre frame with 95mm of rear travel, matched to a 100mm Fox fork.
THE FRAME
The incredibly svelte chassis has super-smooth tube junctions and some of the skinniest flex-seatstays we’ve seen. These run in line with the Fox shock, which is driven by a neat carbon swinglink. Seat tube and multiple down tube bottle bosses give ample hydration options. All cables, including that for the shock’s remote compression-damping lever, are routed internally. Geometry tends towards the traditional – a theme running through the bike’s character. The reach is the shortest in this test at 458mm (large), as is the wheelbase at 1,170mm, and the head angle is the steepest at 68.5 degrees. However, the seat tube angle is more up-to-date – we measured it at 75.8 degrees, the steepest here.
THE KIT
Spec highlights include Fox Factory suspension – a featherweight 32 Step-Cast fork and a Float DPS shock. Shimano’s XT drivetrain is a consistent performer, and the bike rolls on Mavic Crossmax CL wheels wrapped in a Schwalbe Racing Ray and Racing Ralph combo with the brand’s new lightweight ‘Transparent Sidewall’. All this comes in at 11.01kg (large) – nearly a kilo lighter than the competition here.
THE RIDE
Give us a long, undulating or punchy climb, and the Scarp would be top of our list of bikes to jump on. KTM have engineered it to be one of the most rock-solid bikes under pedalling that we’ve ridden in a long time, even with the shock damping fully open. Add to this the lowest overall and lowest wheel weight here, plus Schwalbe’s fastestrolling rubber compound, and you have a rocket ship on nearly every climb.
Even with its stiff, no-compromise suspension, the Scarp deals reasonably well with rooty climbs, too. It doesn’t flatten them to the same extent as the Scott or Intense, but offers enough give to ensure reasonable grip, and doesn’t compress and then lurch over rooty steps. On steep muddy climbs, we were surprised at how well the Racing Ralph rear tyre dug in, generating more grip than we expected. Add the steepest seat tube angle here, and it was our legs that gave up before the bike.
As you might expect, then, the KTM is eager to accelerate on the flat, too, encouraging you to push harder with every pedal stroke. On fireroad drags,
we found ourselves flying along. The Scarp also impressed on smoother ‘rollercoaster’ trails, such as trail centre XC loops. With plenty to push against via the pedals, the bike pumps through undulating terrain impeccably, enabling easy maintenance of speed and flow, so long as you weight the front wheel confidently through corners. On rough traverses, however, the direct rear end does hold it back a touch, making it harder to maintain a pedalling rhythm.
As we expected, given its geometry, the Scarp doesn’t fare as well on more technical descents. Its short reach and steep head angle make the handling a little twitchier than on the other bikes here, not helped by the narrow 720mm bar. Add the fairly aggressively-damped fork and the firm rear suspension, and it’s a pretty involving ride on the downs. We ended up running more sag than usual to soften the suspension and give a little more confidence, although this impacted on the climbing performance and we still found ourselves delving deep into the rear travel when we’d have liked a little more back-up. Also, while we were impressed overall with the Schwalbe tyres, over wet roots and rocks, their rounded profile, 2.25in width and go-fast rubber made them more skittery than the higher-volume tyres of the Scott.
Yes the Scarp did fall behind on descents, but with its winning pedalling performance, it’d still be ideal for riders from a more road-based background who appreciate the direct connection from crank to wheel, and those tackling marathon-type events where efficiency is key. While other machines in this test inspire more confidence downhill, with careful line choice and laser focus the Scarp will capably negotiate race descents. And, as with the other bikes here, there is a more descent-friendly version available, the Scarp MT, with a dropper post and Maxxis Rekon rubber.