Test: The Austrian manufacturer KTM has once again revised its entire product range for 2015. The KTM Scarp 27 Elite introduced last year also got a small facelift with new paintwork and component updates. In the test, the 12,2 kg light bike made of carbon and aluminum convinces as an uncompromising racing machine with few weaknesses.
Fact check
[tab:Overview]RRP: 2999€
Weight: 12,2kg
frame material: carbon/aluminium
wheel size: 27,5"
Suspension travel front/rear: 100 / 105mm
[tab:Geometry] [easytable]Dimension, S, M, L
Horizontal top tube, 570mm, 588mm, 605mm
Seat tube length, 430mm, 480mm, 530mm
Seat Angle,74.7,74.7,74.7
Steering angle,69.7,69.7,69.7
Head tube length, 120mm, 125mm, 137mm
Chain stay length, 435mm, 435mm, 435mm
Wheelbase, 1092mm, 1111mm, 1129mm
Stack,584mm,588mm,599mm
Reach, 410mm, 427mm, 441mm
[/easytable] [tab:Equipment] [easytable]component, model
Fork, RockShox Reba RL 27 Solo Air 15mm
Shock, RockShox Monarch RL
Wheels, Mavic Crossride 27.5
Tires, Schwalbe Rocket Ron Evo
Brake, Shimano SLX M675
Brake discs, Shimano RT66 180/180
Rear derailleur, Shimano XT M786 Shadow Plus
Front derailleur, Shimano SLX M676-D 2-speed
Shifter, Shimano SLX M670
Crank, Shimano SLX 671 40-30-22
Cassette, Shimano HG50-10 11-36
Stem, Ritchey Comp 4-axis 6° 100mm
Handlebar, Ritchye Comp 2X flat 710mm
Seatpost, Ritchey Comp 2b 400/30.9
Saddle, Selle Italia SL Flow
[/easytable] [tab:END]frame and geometry
The Scarp 27 Elite is the cheapest representative of the carbon models in the Scarp series. In contrast to its more expensive siblings, only the main frame of the Elite is made of carbon, while the Austrians use aluminum for the rear triangle - a very clever move that reduces costs and only has a marginal impact on weight. The two different frame materials are not visually noticeable anyway. The Scarp 27 Elite comes in the typical KTM color combination of black and orange. The matte finish looks high quality and is less sensitive than glossy surfaces.
The processing of the frame is consistently successful and offers no reason for criticism. A nice detail is the integrated frame protection in the area of the down tube - so stones thrown up cannot harm the carbon. Speaking of the down tube: This offers the option of attaching a bottle holder both in the frame triangle and below the tube, which should be particularly appreciated by racers and marathon riders. The shape of the Scarp 27 is significant and therefore certainly not to everyone's taste; the massive area around the head tube in particular is likely to polarize opinions. Otherwise, soft edges and clear lines dominate, which are nicely picked up by the orange decals. The internal cable routing ensures a tidy look.
The rear end of the KTM Scarp 27 Elite is a supported single-pivot linkage that has proven itself over many years. The rear offers the rider 105mm of spring travel for enough reserves on cross-country and marathon routes. The 142x12mm thru-axle ensures good stiffness values and easy wheel installation and removal. The 180mm post mount saves an adapter, but if you prefer to use a 160mm brake disc on the rear wheel, look into the tube.
The geometry of the Scarp makes it unmistakably clear that this is a thoroughbred race bike. With a fairly steep steering angle of almost 70° and a seat angle of almost 75°, there should be more than enough pressure on the pedals even on steep climbs. At 435mm, the chainstays are a very nice compromise between agility and smoothness. Otherwise, the geometry is in keeping with the spirit of the times: the rather short seat tube and the rather longer reach ensure a sporty seating position.
Facilities
As usual, KTM uses Shimano components for the drive. The Scarp 27 Elite comes with the complete 670 SLX drive group, only the rear derailleur comes from the XT series. The latter is installed as a Shadow Plus version - Shimano uses Shadow Plus to describe the rear derailleur damping, which significantly reduces chain slap and drops. The brakes also come from the SLX series and therefore fit in very nicely with the rest, both visually and technically.
The chassis of the black and orange racing machine comes from RockShox, more precisely a Reba suspension fork with 100mm at the front and a Monarch RL damper at the rear ensure comfort and control. Both spring elements offer a lockout - the Reba can be locked directly from the handlebars with a push lock, with the Monarch you have to flip a lever on the damper. But this is also easy to reach while driving.
When it comes to the wheels, KTM relies on Mavic's many years of know-how and installs the very popular Crossride wheels on the Scarp 27 Elite. These know how to convince with good stiffness values and durable hubs, but the rims are quite narrow with an inner width of only 19mm and with just over 1900g the wheelset is not necessarily one of the lightweights. The tires come from Schwalbe - the Rocket Ron Evo tires offer a good compromise between grip and smooth running.
For the add-on parts, i.e. stem, handlebars and seat post, the Austrians use parts from Ritchey’s Comp line. These rather cheap components don't really want to go with the otherwise consistently high-quality equipment. However, every rider has different requirements in terms of handlebar width, stem length and post setback. The stem on our test bike, which is quite long at 100mm, is striking. Although this provides a lot of pressure on the front wheel on steep ramps, we miss a more direct steering feel when going down steeply and we quickly feel like the bike rolls over. After swapping to a 20mm shorter stem, the handling improved noticeably.
On the trail
It's clear from the start: the KTM Scarp 27 Elite wants to be ridden fast. Due to the steep seat angle, the power lands directly on the forest floor, the 12,5kg of our test setup is up to speed in just a few turns. With slightly lighter wheels there would certainly be more liveliness, but the Mavic wheelset don't brake noticeably either. We deliberately forego the lockout on the fork and damper in order to put the chassis to the test. The rear end is pleasingly neutral in terms of drivetrain - although the damper naturally gives way a little, there is no rocking or pedal kickback.
The drive works well as expected - the SLX components offer the smooth shifting behavior typical of Shimano and the Shadow Plus rear derailleur ensures a very quiet drive by effectively preventing chain slap. The SLX brakes squeak a bit unpleasantly at first, but after a short break-in phase, this subsides and we can stop with a finger at any time.
The KTM masters steep ramps with ease – the fork and rear end remain neutral, and in an extreme emergency you can also use the lockout. However, we usually do without it in the test because the chassis works very efficiently even when it is open. We shoo the Scarp over a typical cross-country route - fast, narrow, winding, sometimes up and sometimes down. The 27,5" wheels, which are almost exotic in the cross-country area, are particularly popular in the narrow, winding passages in contrast to the usual 29". They offer a noticeable increase in agility and reduce the turning circle. The disadvantages then become particularly noticeable on technical climbs, where roots and larger stones slow down the smaller wheels noticeably more than their larger counterparts. The wheel question still depends on personal preferences and the route.
However, if the descent is a bit steeper, the KTM quickly reaches its limits. We mainly have to contend with three problems here: The Rocket Ron tire on the front wheel loses grip quite quickly if the entire wheel including the rider pushes – this is not necessarily the fault of the tire because it is not made for it. Much more serious is the nervous handling of the Scarp, which is mainly caused by the steep steering angle and the long stem. After swapping the stem for a shorter version, the handling improved noticeably on the descents.
Conclusion
The KTM Scarp 27 Elite is a really classy race bike that's a lot of fun on the trail. The chassis is tight, works efficiently and the equipment is also convincing with very few exceptions. The KTM only reveals a few weaknesses on longer downhill stretches, but these are of little consequence in view of the otherwise strong impression. The 12,2 kg heavy Austrian racing machine is therefore worth recommending, especially for racers and marathon fans.
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