Somehow stuck at the bottom of the hopper of Interbike coverage, we almost missed our coverage of Scott’s new 27.5″ full suspension wonder bikes. As an early adopter of the middle weight wheel size, Scott has been slowly rounding out the line up introducing most recently a 170mm long travel Genius , and a race ready 120mm Spark. The Spark sits along side its 29er cousin so you can still pick your size, while the Genius LT 700 replaced the 26″ LT for long travel supremacy. As a bike that hasn’t gotten much attention, Scott also released a “Tuned” version of their Genius 700 – basically how you would spec a dream 150mm lightweight build.
The result is impressive, and may be one of the lightest 150mm 27.5″ bikes out of the box. See it on the scale next.
As Scott’s own component company, the Genius 700 Tuned is heavy with Syncros. Well, not really heavy since most of the parts on this bike are carbon. Fully equipped with Syncros’ 1.0 saddle, seat post, handlebar, stem, and wheels, the light but burly parts help cut down on weight. Suspension duties are handled by a Fox 32 Float Factory CTD FIT Air / Kashima fork and the new Fox Nude/Scott custom rear shock. Both ends of the suspension are controlled by Scott’s TwinLoc single lever system with three travel/geometry settings (climb, traction control, descend).
Further weight savings include the SRAM XX1 drivetrain with an e13 XCX chainguide (ISCG 05) thrown in for good measure.
On the scale the Genius 700 Tuned clocked 23.5 lbs, or 10.66kg without pedals. Claimed weight is 23.32, but this bike was set up both with tubes and a Nobby Nic in the rear instead of the Rocket Ron that comes stock. We’ll give them a pass. And 23.5 lbs!? Sign me up.
If you want more details on the new Genius 700 LT make sure to check out our previous post, but if you’re just here for the weight the Genius LT 700 Tuned slots in at an equally impressive 27.31lbs (12.39kg). This bike was built for the demo with a more aggressive rear tire and tubes, so factor that into the final weight. Keep in mind that this is for a 170mm travel TwinLoc suspension bike with dropper post, chain guide, meaty tires, XTR Trail brakes with 180mm rotors, and X01 drivetrain.
If you’re looking for a race ready option in 27.5, look no further than the Scott Spark 700 RC. While it’s not the lightest Spark in the 700 line, the bike is a replica of the Scott Swisspower and 3Rox team bikes – minus the Fox ICD suspension.
Like the other bikes, the Spark 700 RC gets a new Fox Nude/Scott custom rear shock that adjusts between 85-120mm of travel via TwinLoc. Drivetrain duties are given to a SRAM XX/X0 mix with Shimano XTR M987 brakes bringing things back from race pace. Of course the frame, like the others here, benefits from Scott’s IMP carbon technology with HMX net carbon. The frame also gets an adjustable geometry through a rear shock mount chip that changes the BB height 7mm and HTA 0.5°.
Total weight? 22.49 lbs with tubes. Not light enough? Then check out the Spark 700 SL which tips the scales at a claimed 21.12lbs (9.60kg).
Speaking of Geoff Kabush and Scott 3Rox, congrats on the recent Iceman Cometh victory!
