Scott Scale 960

[jowwy]

Looking at getting one of these on the cycle to work scheme - so i can use the tracks, trails and towpaths to work (36mile round trip)

also its rural south wales, so hardly any tarmac on our towpaths, but i do have a tarmac cycle track to ride on for at least 5miles of the 18 mile inward trip

would like it to be a triple with a wide range, due to having a climb over approx 600ft on my return section, but total climbing back home is 1500ft

any advice appreciated and any other recommendations

i defo want a 29er, cause i want to do some off roading when my mates can't make the road ride training

 

[jowwy]

so we have no 29er riders out there

 

[Cubist]

so we have no 29er riders out there

Well, I have no strong feelings about wheel size, but both my MTBs are 26. MBR magazine have just done a "Hardtail of the Year" test, and the Scale 960 won the accolade in the £1k category. Interestingly the testers said that the parts package wasn't the best in test, but the frame and overall performance made it stand out from some more expensively equipped bikes.

Looks like a good choice, and I'd love to try one out. The testers were very positive about its riding position and poise. It apparently straddles XC and Trail in geometry. Never mind commuting on it, get it out on some of those Welsh trails and thrash it.

 

[jowwy]

Well, I have no strong feelings about wheel size, but both my MTBs are 26. MBR magazine have just done a "Hardtail of the Year" test, and the Scale 960 won the accolade in the £1k category. Interestingly the testers said that the parts package wasn't the best in test, but the frame and overall performance made it stand out from some more expensively equipped bikes.

Looks like a good choice, and I'd love to try one out. The testers were very positive about its riding position and poise. It apparently straddles XC and Trail in geometry. Never mind commuting on it, get it out on some of those Welsh trails and thrash it.

gonna be doing both on it cubist - commuting and thrashing

 

[Cubist]

gonna be doing both on it cubist - commuting and thrashing

 

[jowwy]

Well, I have no strong feelings about wheel size, but both my MTBs are 26. MBR magazine have just done a "Hardtail of the Year" test, and the Scale 960 won the accolade in the £1k category. Interestingly the testers said that the parts package wasn't the best in test, but the frame and overall performance made it stand out from some more expensively equipped bikes.

Looks like a good choice, and I'd love to try one out. The testers were very positive about its riding position and poise. It apparently straddles XC and Trail in geometry. Never mind commuting on it, get it out on some of those Welsh trails and thrash it.

what tyres do you use on your 29er cubist and what are they like on tarmac as i do have some sections of that to cover

 

[Cubist]

Sorry, I'm strictly a 26er myself. However, I like Schwalbe tyres, running them tubeless on both bikes. As a lot of my riding involves rocky stuff I use Snakeskin Evo Nobby Nics, but they'd be overkill on a commute. You could browse Singletrackworld for tyre advice, but be wary, as "What tyres for....." is a standing joke on the forum!

 

[Kevin Airey]

I got a Scott Scale 910 a few months back and love it, apart from one thing - the tyres!

Came with Rocket Ron tyres and they were great when conditions were damp/wet but now here in Spain everything is bone dry, rocky, loose gravel and sand, the tyres are horrific and make for a very nervous ride. I searched a lot on the net and it seems a common thing that people class them as dangerous in my kind of conditions and especially cornering!

So I too need to look a new tyres to suit our conditions.

I rode 26" prior and wouldn't go back, it's true what people say a 29 you feel like you are part of the bike whereas a 26 I feel like I am perched on top. This is personal preference though and I appreciate those that prefer a 26...

 

[Motozulu]

Cubist - just had delivered some Nobby Nic gatestar evo x4 snakeskins (takes deep breath) from bike discount in Chormany. Have'nt fitted them yet as I'm going to take the plunge into tubeless land with em but want to research it a bit first so...
1) Without wanting to start another 'What tyre' debate on here, what do you think of the Nics - I've had all the 'Naaah mate, what you want is Maxxis High rollers/Minions/Ardents blah blah' off various blokes out on the trails and
2) Going tubeless - seems an utter minefield..Stans..Ghetto....UST......what valves...your wheel type etc I may be 'overthinking' this as usual, but is there a definitive guide to how to achieve tubeless if you dont have tubeless specific rims?

Many thanks.

 

[Motozulu]

Came with Rocket Ron tyres and they were great when conditions were damp/wet but now here in Spain everything is bone dry, rocky, loose gravel and sand, the tyres are horrific and make for a very nervous ride. I searched a lot on the net and it seems a common thing that people class them as dangerous in my kind of conditions and especially cornering!

For what it's worth my bike came with Rons on front and Ralphs on the back. Have actually thought they were quite good until Monday - we've had a very dry spell at Cannock and I was going a bit quick over the rock and rollers when the Ron landed on the dry stuff next to the rock facing of the rollers, washed out and dumped me, ribcage first against a rock, sat here now unable to ride with badly bruised ribs. I blamed myself for lack of skill/going too fast but maybe there is something in the 'they don't like it too dry' theory.

I am always wary of this though as tyre manufacturers don't set out to kill us and a lot of us do tend to blame tyres/conditions to cover up our own (in my case) poor riding technique. TBF parts of the monkey were so dry it looked like Spain and felt like riding with ball bearings on the floor - maybe not too many tyres could have coped well with that.

sorry for the ramble.

 

[Kevin Airey]

Rocket Ron's front and back, great in the winter and damp, but now the tracks are bone dry its like riding on ball bearings all the time, corners are downright dangerous...

Some of it is down to confidence and skill, but my confidence has been dented a permanent twitchy front and rear is not helping. More tyre pressure, less makes no difference :-(

Need to try something else on the rear but having read above not sure it will make much more difference if a Ron is still on the front....

Anyone got ideas for grippy tyres on dry track? Can get some good prices on Continentals, use them on the road but no experience of their off road range....

 

[Cubist]

Rocket Ron's front and back, great in the winter and damp, but now the tracks are bone dry its like riding on ball bearings all the time, corners are downright dangerous...

Some of it is down to confidence and skill, but my confidence has been dented a permanent twitchy front and rear is not helping. More tyre pressure, less makes no difference :-(

Need to try something else on the rear but having read above not sure it will make much more difference if a Ron is still on the front....

Anyone got ideas for grippy tyres on dry track? Can get some good prices on Continentals, use them on the road but no experience of their off road range....

Dry hardback tyres tend to be the small block types, Kenda Smallblock 8 are a well known one, or DMR Moto RTs. without too much of a shameless plug I have some DMRs for sale, check the classifieds.
@Motozulu I use Nics in all conditions, But my rims are Stans Flow and Arch Ex so can run tubeless using stans rim tape and valves with stans sealant.

What rims are you using? A surprising number of rims will work with stans kit. Your tyres are already tubeless ready, and it is just possible that your rims will seal using ordinary stans tape. However, if they don't, you could use a stans rim strip which is like an inner tube and valve that slots onto your rim. You can replicate this using a 20inch BMX tube sliced open along the circumference, opened out flat and with the tyre fitted over the top. (ghetto)

UST is a fully tubeless system like a car tyre where the tyre locks solidly in the clincher to create a seal without sealant etc, but they are hugely heavy and really designed for DH.

Tape valves and sealant on a TLR rim like Flows benefit from lower weight, and you can run lower pressures, so with a grippy tyre like a gate star you will get the most benefit, without fear of pinch flats on the rocks. I'm surprised you have a gate star rear though, pace star is quicker rolling and wears better. What tyre sizes are you using?

 

[Cubist]

Rocket Ron's front and back, great in the winter and damp, but now the tracks are bone dry its like riding on ball bearings all the time, corners are downright dangerous...

Some of it is down to confidence and skill, but my confidence has been dented a permanent twitchy front and rear is not helping. More tyre pressure, less makes no difference :-(

Need to try something else on the rear but having read above not sure it will make much more difference if a Ron is still on the front....

Anyone got ideas for grippy tyres on dry track? Can get some good prices on Continentals, use them on the road but no experience of their off road range....

Forgot to say, not wrong with a Ron on the back, but you have to,learn to live with the drift. A grippy compound NIc or Hans Dampf on the front may make it behave better. Look for trail star or gate star compounds.

 

[Kevin Airey]

Hi Cubist thanks for taking the time and making a detailed reply!

The simple answer is yes my rims are tubeless ready Syncros / DT Swiss XR 2.0

My only concern is that your tyre suggestions may be based on smooth dry tracks and drifting round corners? The only reason I say that is I can cope with the drift of the rear its just that now the trails are like marbles but also with largish rough stones that don't move, so the drift (too much of) is what can land you in trouble, not to mention the 200ft plus drop at the edge!

There isn't the perfect tyre for this situation just something better as the Ron's do not seem to get good dry reviews from many people.

Tubeless I have never thought about or researched too much, local racers use it but I just stuck with the quick repair of replacing a tube, I will have to look into this more....

 

[Cubist]

Here's tempting fate, but since fitting tubeless a year ago I haven't needed any tyre levers or patches. .......... You can run lower pressures so a soft compound tyre can grip better. Marbles you have to deal with as you find, I don't suppose any tyre will deal with them, but a decent front with bags of side knob grip like a Nic or (I'm told) a Dampf will be a good starter for ten on most trails, but I stress, go with the gripper Trailstar or Garestar compounds up front.