Back in May at the first DH World Cup, we got a really good look at the new 2025 Scott Gambler DH bike as a prototype being raced by their factory team. Quite familiar with the similar-looking but shorter-travel Ransom, which I ride from home trails to my local bikepark, I spotted a lot of interesting tech on this new Ransom. But there’s even more adjustability that I didn’t see – 5 independent track-tuning adjustments, plus more travel than ever at a whopping 210mm from the new hidden-shock 6-bar design…
2026 Scott Gambler 210mm travel carbon downhill bike
This new carbon Gambler DH race bike is Scott’s final full-suspension mountain bike to get their Bold-inspired Integrated Suspension Technology redesign. First, it was the XC Spark, next the trail Genius, then last year’s enduro Ransom.
Again, tucking the rear shock out of the way, inside the frame gets the center of mass low and in the middle of the bike, protecting the rear shock’s sensitive seals & bushings from the constant barrage of mud and dust a DH bike see.
Plus, the new Gambler inherits the same new 6-bar suspension layout that Scott debuted on last year’s 170mm Ransom which gave their engineers more control over refined kinematics. The 6-bar allows for much more independent refinement of shock leverage rate, axle path, chain growth, and braking influence. And it gives the development engineers the ability to tweak different suspension performance characteristics at different points in the bike’s travel – especially important in this long 210mm travel configuration.
“The new Gambler gives you the best of both worlds—plow-through confidence like a high-pivot idler, with the speed-generating efficiency of a 4-bar layout.”
– Ethan Craik, Scott DH Factory rider
All the DH adjustability
What I noticed at the Bielsko-Biała World Cup was tons of adjustability, letting racers easily & quickly dial in the bike’s feel for each track. That’s not a big surprise on a DH bike, where track-specific adjustments are a necessity. But we didn’t realize was just how adjustable the new Gambler would be. Scott describes the new Gambler’s 5 independent adjustments.
Flip-chips everywhere you look
First, you can adjust frame Reach with a classic set of eccentric headset cups. The bike includes a zero offset cup and a +/-6mm cup, letting riders tune the fit of their bike based on their riding style. And since the cables don’t go through the headset, it’s a pretty easy change.
Next, you can adjust bottom bracket height +/-16mm with the 2-position flip-chip at the upper shock mount. At that same flip-chip, you can also independently change the leverage rate of the rear shock. Pick More Progressive for increased small bump sensitivity AND stronger bottom out resistance (30% progression), or go with Less Progressive for more consistent support throughout the bike’s travel and a more linear feel as you push the bike into hard turns and compressions (25% progression).
Then, you get 15mm of chainstay length adjustability. We noticed the unique solution Scott came up with here to get a UDH and a flip-chip at the axle. What you get is a simple, traditional flip-chip on the non-driveside and a 2-position postmount brake adapter that bolts into the top of the seatstay.
Then on the driveside, you get 1 of 2 different bolt-on dropouts that ensure future-proof UDH compatibility.
Lastly, you can pick either the standard 27.5″ rear wheel for the most maneuverable mullet setup, or opt for a 29″ rear wheel for max rollover and pure speed. Since there’s so much other adjustability range, Scott figures riders can mix-and-match wheelsize swaps with BB height, chainstay length & progressivity to find their ideal sweetspot on any racetrack.
Scott calls in the ‘ultimate tool’ for gravity racing.
Tech details
- hi-mod HMX carbon front triangle, mated to either HMX carbon or alloy seat & chainstays with alloy links
- 210mm of 6-bar Integrated Suspension Technology rear wheel travel with the shock hidden inside the frame
- removable lever-locking lower front cover provides easy shock access and stores integrated Syncros mini-tool
- mini rear covers provides access to lower shock mounts & rebound adjustments
- compatible with all coil and air shocks
- includes excellent external sag and rear travel indicator
- independently adjustable frame Reach, BB height, chainstay length, shock progressivity & wheelsize
- fully guided internal frame routing through external cable ports that double as fork bumpers (for traditional or moto routing)
- electronic or mechanical shifting compatible
- integrated bolt-on MRP upper chain guide
- integrated Scott custom bashguard beneath the chainring
- wraparound rubberized chainstay & seatstay protectors quiet chain slap
- includes removable cage mounts for a water bottle, tool carrier, or telemetry data acquisition device
- press fit BB107 bottom bracket
- 12x157mm rear thru-axle spacing
- UDH
- mullet 27.5″/29″ combo or full 29er wheel setup compatibility
- 3 frame sizes available (M-XL)
2026 Scott Gambler DH bike – Pricing, options & availability
The all-new Scott Gambler downhill bike is available in two complete builds sharing the same carbon front triangle, and both with mixed-wheelsize mullet setups – one DH race and one bikepark-ready. Plus, there’s a 4000€ full carbon frameset with Fox DH X2 Factory air shock if you want to build your own custom gravity shredder.
The 2026 Scott Gambler RC is the downhill race-ready build with the full HMX carbon frame and rear triangle at a claimed 16.84kg (37.13lb). It sells for $9300 / 7600€ with a Fox 40 Factory fork, DH X2 Factory shock, SRAM X01 DH 7-speed mechanical drivetrain, and Race Face Atlas wheelset.
Then, there’s a more affordable, burly $5900 / 4900€ Gambler 10 build that Scott put together for riders looking to “smash park laps all day” at a claimed 17.54kg (38.67lb). It gets a sweet black & brown crinkle paint job over the HMX carbon front triangle and alloy rear end, a RockShox Boxxer Base fork, Vivid Coil shock hidden inside, a GX DH 7-speed drivetrain, and alloy Formula+Alex wheels.
The new DH bike is available to order from your local dealer today, with availability ahead of this launch vaguely communicated as ‘Fall 2025’.
