Market: At the Eurobike Media Days that are currently taking place, the Swiss manufacturer Scott is also presenting its Genius Plus model series, which is completely new for the 2016 season. The well-established, popular and award-winning Genius frame serves as the platform. Above all, the 27,5+ tires and the motor support from Bosch for individual models are new.
Almost every manufacturer is presenting mountain bikes these days that are equipped with 27,5+ tires, which are still quite unusual in this country - including Scott. The basis is the Genius, which since its introduction a little over 10 years ago has firmly established itself on the market as a universal trail bike right through to enduro.
Scott Genius Plus – Advantage through volume
Why the decision in favor of the 2,8″ thick Plus tires? Depending on the area of use, the wide tires often have more advantages than disadvantages. Primarily, of course, the grip improves, especially on soft or wet surfaces. The reason for this is the significantly increased contact surface of the tires, which are usually driven with a pressure of less than one bar. Tests by Schwalbe have shown that the rolling resistance only increases by a negligibly small amount compared to 2,35″ tires. One disadvantage, however, is the increasing weight - at over 800g, a Plus tire is significantly heavier than its narrower counterpart.
In order to be able to accommodate the oversized tires, some adjustments are of course necessary. On the one hand, there needs to be enough space in the rear triangle and the fork so that the tires can still turn without rubbing even with a possible mud pack. This is one of the reasons why Scott now uses the new Boost standard for the hubs. These are a lot wider at 110mm (front) and 148mm (rear), which enables the wheel engineers to achieve a high level of rigidity in the rear triangle and still create enough space for the tires. Of course, such a wide tire must also harmonize with the built-in rim or wheelset. The Genius Plus comes with the in-house Syncros TR 27,5″ Plus rims with an impressive inner width of 40mm - so the tires don't wobble even with low air pressure.
A total of three models of the Plus Genius will be available: the 700 Tuned Plus, the 710 Plus and the 720 Plus. While the first two come with a carbon main frame, the 720 Plus uses an aluminum construction. The frames have one thing in common: 140mm at the front and 130mm at the rear.
Scott E-Genius Plus – E-drive fun factor
The combination of electric drive and the new 27,5+ tires promises lots of trail fun: the advantages of the thick tires, namely the high level of grip and excellent damping, are retained, while the disadvantages such as the additional weight and higher rolling resistance due to the motor support only play a supporting role. The electronic heart of the Scott E-Genius is the new Bosch CX mid-motor, which contributes 250W of additional power. A 500kWh battery will provide the necessary endurance.
In contrast to its unmotorized brother, the E-Genius will only be available with an aluminum frame. The geometry remains largely unchanged, only the chainstay grows by 45mm to a quite impressive 490mm due to the additional space required by the motor - so the E-Genius Plus will certainly provide a high level of safety on the trail, but at the same time it will lose some agility . The bike will come onto the market in three different configurations, the E-Genius 710 Plus and the E-Genius 720 Plus. With the E-Contessa Genius 720 Plus, Scott will produce a model for women that is specially tailored to the female anatomy in terms of geometry and features.
More information about availability, equipment and other details can be found on Scott's website: www.scott-sports.com