SCOTT Genius 710 Review
Fast and flowing, steep and stony, dust-covered or ravaged with roots, constant switchbacks, tearing along a ridge, or in the deepest, darkest jungle of trees – waterlogged or bone dry – the trails of this world are almost as limitless as the universe, and that’s exactly why we mountain bikers love them. This group test set out to determine the perfect bike for all of these challenges that any ride might encounter – and the results are in! Check out ENDURO issue #016 for the full grouptest and all results!
The SCOTT Genius might have been doing the rounds for years, but it is definitely not one to be written off. Quite the contrary in fact, as given its current setup and the very cool colour scheme, it couldn’t be much more up‐to‐date.
Even before we’ve hopped on it, we’ve fallen a little bit in love with the sleek frame and colours of the Genius 710. Fans of black and orange are going to love this bike! The swing arm at the rear tidily meets the seat tube and contains an adjustment chip on the rearward shock mount to adjust the geometry, although we never needed this during testing. On the flat, we rode the bike using both settings. Standing at 180cm tall, you fall somewhere in between Scott’s medium and large frame sizes. We left the decision up to Scott, and lived with the compact, but no less comfortable, pedaling position on the medium.
Thanks to the Twinloc technology, the bike is a veritable rocket on climbs, willingly shooting forwards as soon as your feet touch the pedals. With the suspension locked out, you forsake a little traction on technical terrain, so we found ourselves consistently choosing to ride in the aptly‐named Traction setting. As the 2×10 drivetrain and steep seat angle (74°) keep your momentum at a peak, there’s just one thing to say: the climbing ability of the Scott Genius 710 was unrivalled.
But, uphills are only half the challenge – what really counts is the performance on the trails. And it didn’t do too badly here either – after all, the Genius is generous and forgiving with 150mm travel. However, the stock Fox suspension doesn’t come into its own until the bumps grow in size. On minor chatter it’s rather unresponsive at the front, although the rear effectively absorbs impacts with gentle end progression. Rapid changes in direction and swooping trails are masterfully conquered with this compact Scott, but it’s a little skittish on tough terrain with the steep head angle of 68°, demanding extra attention from the rider.
Conclusion: trail bike efficiency has just got a new name – the Scott Genius 710! Reaching any mountain summit faster than the other test bikes, it’s super pedal‐power efficient and stays playful. If you’re after a bike for technical adventures or max speeds on ascents, then this bike should satisfy your cravings.
Strengths:
- Mountain Goat
- Cool Details
- Well thought-out spec
Weaknesses:
- Nervous on technical sections
Specifications:
- Fork: Fox 32 Float Factory CTD
- Shock: Fox Nude CTCD
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Shimano XT
- Seatpost: Rochshox Reverb Stealth
- Stem Syncros Tr1.5 70mm
- Bars: Syncros Tr1.5 750mm
- Tires: Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25/Rocket Ron 2.25
- Wheelset: Syncros TR2.0
- Weight: 12.5 kg
- Price: 4,299 €
All bikes from the test: Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp Carbon 29 | Cannondale Trigger Carbon 2 | Cube Stereo 140 Super HPC Race 27.5 | Giant Trance Advanced 1 | Rose Root Miller 3 | ROTWILD R.Q1 FS 27.5 | SCOTT Genius 710
Words & Photos: Christoph Bayer
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