Scott Launch 27.5" Plus Bikes
With underlying murmurs of Plus-sized bikes being around for some months, many hardtails have already been seen from various brands and the occasional full suspension bike. Scott Bikes - Switzerland's racing powerhouse - have come out all guns blazing with four models and 11 options in their range of Plus sized bikes for 2016. The Plus range includes the Scale hardtail, the Genius trail bike, the Genius LT big hitter (dare I say, enduro bike), and even the E-Genius. Scott were keen to point out that they are not replacing any of their previous range of bikes, simply adding Plus bikes to their range to give consumers extra options. And what options they have - add together all the aforementioned nomenclature, 27.5", 29" or 27.5" Plus wheels and a multitude of specifications and materials, you have 53 bikes to choose from. I travelled to the Tuscan countryside in Italy to get an overview of the new bikes, including a first ride on the top of the line Genius LT Plus Tuned.
Genius Plus
![Scott Plus 2016]()
There are three models of Genius Plus. The 700 Tuned Plus and 710 Plus use carbon mainframes, while the 720 Plus is alloy. Mainframes are shared with Genius 900 models but with a new alloy rear triangle to accommodate Boost 148mm wide hubs and create tyre clearance for the wider rubber. Scott's literature says the chainstays are "super short" at 445mm, to which I would disagree, now that 'super short' would be considered 435mm or less even on 29" bikes. The TwinLoc lever had been re-designed for 2016, and is now mounted underneath the handlebar on the left hand side, travel is adjustable between full lockout, 90mm or 130mm. Aggressive Nobby Nic tires front and rear.
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Launch 27.5 Plus Bikes]()
![Scott Launch 27.5 Plus Bikes]()
Scale Plus
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Launch 27.5 Plus Bikes]()
Genius LT Plus
![Scott Plus 2016]()
Now this is a monster of a bike and the one I was fortunate enough to test ride for two days in Tuscany. 160mm travel at both ends combined with the chunky tires, the LT Plus has the potential to take on some rowdy terrain. Travel can be adjusted via the new TwinLoc lever from full lockout, 100mm travel or 160mm. The FOX 36 fork also has the addition of low speed compression which wasn't on option on older TwinLoc systems. Again the front triangles are shared with the existing bikes, but the alloy 448mm chainstay and seatstay is new to accommodate Boost 148mm hubs. Big-hit capability is upped again with the EVOL air can on the LT 700 Tuned Plus and LT 710 Plus models, and even has bigger volume spacers fitted. The Tuned version weighs in at a (claimed) 28lbs, and we're still waiting on XL sizing for the tall guys.
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Plus 2016]()
Schwalbe Tires and Syncros 40mm rim combination
![Scott Plus 2016]()
![Scott Launch 27.5 Plus Bikes]()
First Impressions:
![Scott Plus 2016]()
MENTIONS: @SCOTT-Sports | @schwalbe
Genius Plus
There are three models of Genius Plus. The 700 Tuned Plus and 710 Plus use carbon mainframes, while the 720 Plus is alloy. Mainframes are shared with Genius 900 models but with a new alloy rear triangle to accommodate Boost 148mm wide hubs and create tyre clearance for the wider rubber. Scott's literature says the chainstays are "super short" at 445mm, to which I would disagree, now that 'super short' would be considered 435mm or less even on 29" bikes. The TwinLoc lever had been re-designed for 2016, and is now mounted underneath the handlebar on the left hand side, travel is adjustable between full lockout, 90mm or 130mm. Aggressive Nobby Nic tires front and rear.
Some Genius models have the new FOX EVOL air can upgrade.
All Scott Plus bikes are 1X compatible only.
2016 offers a new, more ergonomic TwinLoc lever.
Scale Plus
The Scale Plus is not to be confused with its pure-bred XC racing brother. The Scale Plus is marketed as a trail bike opposed to a racing machine, with more relaxed geometry alloy frames which weigh in at 1580g. The 710 model comes with a FOX 32 and the 720 model is the only bike to see a Suntour Raidon fork.
![Scott Launch 27.5 Plus Bikes]()
Genius LT Plus
Now this is a monster of a bike and the one I was fortunate enough to test ride for two days in Tuscany. 160mm travel at both ends combined with the chunky tires, the LT Plus has the potential to take on some rowdy terrain. Travel can be adjusted via the new TwinLoc lever from full lockout, 100mm travel or 160mm. The FOX 36 fork also has the addition of low speed compression which wasn't on option on older TwinLoc systems. Again the front triangles are shared with the existing bikes, but the alloy 448mm chainstay and seatstay is new to accommodate Boost 148mm hubs. Big-hit capability is upped again with the EVOL air can on the LT 700 Tuned Plus and LT 710 Plus models, and even has bigger volume spacers fitted. The Tuned version weighs in at a (claimed) 28lbs, and we're still waiting on XL sizing for the tall guys.
The digital camoflage detail is a nice touch.
Scott have taken colour co-ordination to the maximum.
Syncros Plus rims and Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires.
Plenty of clearance for the rear tyre.
Schwalbe Tires and Syncros 40mm rim combination
All Scott Plus bikes will be supplied with Schwalbe Nobby Nics or Rocket Rons dependant upon model. The 820 gram, 2.8" tyres will be mounted on Syncros rims with an internal 40mm width across the range. What I found interesting with the Schwalbe tyres in comparison to say, the WTB or Specialized offerings, is that they have basically just made their normal tires bigger. Other brands seem to have opted for lower profile or more tightly packed tread patterns to decrease rolling resistance that will inevitably increase due to the tire volume. The Nobby Nic does have slightly closer, and comparatively smaller knobs than the 'normal' sized tyres but is basically a 2.35" tire on 'steroids'. Despite this, Schwalbe claim some impressive numbers, with comparison drawn between a 2.35" tyre at 1.7bar/25.5psi and a 2.8" tyre pumped up to 1.0bar/14.5psi. Snake-bite resistance is improved by 8%, the contact patch is 21% larger and only a claimed 1% increase in rolling resistance. The principle behind Plus bikes isn't speed. Most mountain bike development comes from racing, cometh the age where designers are looking to increase grip, comfort and fun factor for Average Joe and get more people on bikes rather than less seconds around a race track.
![Scott Launch 27.5 Plus Bikes]()
The wide shoulders of the 40mm rim reduce chances of tyre burping
First Impressions:
 | I spent two days riding a Genius LT, as it was the long travel machine captured my attention. While it's not a huge amount of time to adapt to such a different animal, some things were clear by the end of the trip. It still feels like a mountain bike! Cruising out of the car park, I would say there is no noticeable difference in acceleration or rolling speed. OK, I'm sure if you took identical bikes with different tire sizes and did back-to-back runs you would feel something, but there isn't a feeling of "why are these tires so big and slow". When heading to the trail, the bike quickly felt comfortable and I was instantly confident. Climbing traction is clearly increased and roll-over too. Running low 15psi pressure means that the tire deforms more easily when you hit bumps and less energy is pushed through the suspension and chassis. Combine this with the outside diameter of the tire which is about 10mm smaller than a 29" x 2.35" tire, you should be rolling faster than ever through the rough stuff. When descending everything feels on point, but there were a few instances when the bike felt a little vague, but I just couldn't put my finger on what caused it. My main fear of Plus came from the recommended low tire pressures and the possibility burping air from the tires in corners. This worry never materialised. I was sure I would roll the tires off the rim, so much so that I tried to start a winner-takes-all sweepstake on who would be the first journalist to rip a tire off. But try as I may, I couldn't do it. Even training down the hill with Brendan Fairclough and squaring off every berm wouldn't budge the sidewall. I would go as far to say that it's more reliable than any standard sized tubeless system I have used. After discussing this with the engineers, we put this down to the bead shoulder being much wider on the 40mm rims. Even if the tire rolled, you would still need to move the bead around 10mm from the rim sidewall to lose any pressure. I did manage to puncture my Snakeskin carcass tyre, but a similar hit would have taken out a normal sized Snakeskin tire. A foreseeable issue with the larger tires will come if you need to upgrade to a more robust carcass to tackle your preferred terrain, as grams would add up quickly, but maybe a ProCore system could be put to good use here? Overall, I was surprised by the Genius LT Plus bike. Performance was better than expected across the board. After riding pre-production Plus tires from another brand I wasn't convinced with reliability when trying to push limits, but this Syncros/Schwalbe pairing has changed my view. I'm looking forward to getting more time on one of these machines to really try and find its limitations and answer some remaining questions - how will it perform in deep mud where consensus lies with narrow tires performing better? Will deep ruts be difficult to negotiate as the soft tire tries to climb the edge rather than sliding to the bottom? Will heavier duty tires add even more grip and fun, or will the added weight override this? Will it be suitable for racing? How can suspension be tuned to support the ride now that small bump compliance is improved? Will consumers boycott the Plus size because they are already seemingly tired of new 'standards?' Overall, I'm confident that there are benefits for the general mountain biker, especially novices and intermediates who ride trail for the grins and not to beat the clock. - Paul Aston |
MENTIONS: @SCOTT-Sports | @schwalbe
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However, Boost 148 (aka 141mm hub spacing) and press fit bb's can still bugger off. It should be 157axle/83 threaded bb and just do a custom offset.
To be honest, I would love to try out 27.5+, and expect I would want to keep it. I remember the first time going from 1.95" xc tires to 2.35" dh casing tires, and the entire bike was 8000% more awesome. Sure, a bit less nimble, but the ability to plow through ruts and crap just made everything more fun. I imagine 27.5+ would just take things further in that direction.
Hey Scott, hook me up!
imagine how a hummer dealership operates and you will get it, no one is mentioning the words small dick but evryone knows thats what they are compensating, same way as no one mentinon the words skill to joey but evryone knows thats what they are compensating.
now I know + bikes are not made for me and you, they are made for joey they are al those catch words of enduro and lateral stiffnes and nimble and playful all put together into one easily digestible package so your retard bike salesman can wow the shit out of joey.
Hot damn! Those genius bikes look hungry for some serious ripping. Mmmmmm! .....I'll be back in 5 minutes....
I'm an intermediate rider, 6'1", and over 200#; I settled on a 29er over 27.5 because, as an intermediate rider, I loved the rollover and the stability. Yes, I'd like my chainstays to be a little shorter - but they've got that now, so that would give me all the nimbleness I want. Yes, I'd like my front triangle to be a bit longer - but again, the latest batch of aggressive 29ers does that, too. I have been eyeing the newest iteration of that genre (Process 111, Smuggler, Following, whatever Santa Cruz brings out as their next iteration Tallboy/TBLT) as where to go next. Are you saying that from your experience, the 27.5+ should be considered a contender for that niche?
The way I see it a 27.5 Plus is a "fat-lite" 29er and when you want to rip some flow trails you just throw some 2.35 tires on there. Best of both worlds.
C'mon Trek, show us what's up your sleeve. I want my 27.5 Remedy with Boost so I have an even more versatile bike. Thanks.
No suspension, no wheels, just good ol floating fun.
forums.mtbr.com/canfield/2015-canfield-brothers-riot-29er-fs-943963-18.html
That's some weak sauce feedback, Thustleweiner.
Wake up and realize you're not drinking cool aid, but lukewarm piss.
According to your "experience" these have "all", not some, but "all" the advantages of wagon wheelz, fattie wheelz, and 27.5 wheelz. Maybe in Texas but not the rest of the world. Do yourself a favor and take the high road, move to the mountains and ride your bike. You'll never look back.
@fercho25 -> nailed it!!!!!
They also don't talk about the Fox 34 fork and if it is 27.5+ specific. Wouldn't if have to be? Or is the new 34 built to accommodate the bigger tires?
Then again, these are Scott bikes, at prices that make you wonder whether any of that stuff (recreational riders making decisions at least in part based on budget considerations) actually applies.
Are you trying to say you now will no longer be able to fit the tire between a 2.35" gap? Or are you worried about mud performance? Because from personal experience there is nothing below the worst of mud except more mud. I can't think of a situation where more tire contact patch would be worse, especially with my "huge" 760mm handlebars trimming bush.
"trimming bush" tee hee
Schwalbe is testing rolling resistance of a hard pumped tire being pressed against a rolling steel cylinder. In my opinion you could not compare this test with real world resistance. If only 1% more is true, then congrats Schwalbe you just changed MTB tires for ever. Please produce normal tires with this kind of technology.
Ta dah...
www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/tubeless-latex-butyl-tubes
@racefacer that video is slightly oversized road wheels which comes out to ~27in so yeah we could call it 27.5- haha
So, not quite as shitty as expected? That's a ringing endorsement if i ever heard one.
we ALL look ridiculous, but it's all functional, so who cares?
A $10,000 bike for novices.
srs though, whats the advantages of plus size wheels this time? thought 650b settled the argument ffs.
What that means in the end is, the bike you want will be sold out way before the season has even begun (because there is only a limited market. more options--> less units per option) and you have to wait for the 2020 batch if you are willing to preorder.
This shit is getting ridiculous.
www.pinkbike.com/video/410473
These are: forum.dirt.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=207444
LOL WUT
I did manage to puncture my Snakeskin carcass tyre, but a similar hit would have taken out a normal sized Snakeskin tire. A foreseeable issue with the larger tires will come if you need to upgrade to a more robust carcass to tackle your preferred terrain, as grams would add up quickly, but maybe a ProCore system could be put to good use here?
COOL STORY
1500 GRAM TIRES INBOUND.
This makes no sense, how ProCore does help when you need a tougher carcass? The grams are definitely going to add up quickly if you add a ProCore setup.
www.tetongravity.com/video/bike/in-rare-moment-top-pros-have-bad-day-too
Look in all seriousness if you're satisfied with your slowness ride all the plus bikes you want and have fun. And thanks for financing the bike industry. If you want to ride hard and ride fast and get better at biking there are manufacturers and shops out there that make and sell product to allow you to keep pushing yourself to get faster and go bigger. Different strokes for different folks.
Just don't try and tell me it's faster or better. It's not. It's a celebration of mediocrity. If it was better it would have been winning world cup (xc enduro or dh) for the last two years.
I've introduced a few of my mates to mountain biking and got them to ride 29, 650 and 26" bikes.... They all preferred 26" or said there was no perceivable difference between 26 & 650, none of them liked 29" and found it slow and hard to manoeuvre... So these bikes aren't even in the best interests of beginners either.
It seems they are ready to monster truck everything you can throw at them!
I think this is what 650b should have been from the get-go. It is pointless in it's current form since it is really no different from 26".
And the fact you can run a 29" wheelset on your 650b+ frame and fork means I'd be covered for XC races.
I will ride one and if I like it, one will likely be in my future.
So given more resources, you would get lazier and not use them? No question why big tires are boring to you.
Have you ever ridden one? Try it. You might find it fun. You might not. If you don’t, then get something else. As you say yourself, “Depends what you ride and at what level.”
If there was literally no ‘point’ in 27.5+, I struggle to believe that there would be so many of these bikes coming out. Not everyone will want a long travel all mountain or mini DH bike: for example, there’s a large quantity of people in the UK who are after steel hardtails because they suit their riding perfectly.
I think 27.5+ looks like fun; certainly, I’m not going to complain about more growth in the sport - especially not before I’ve ridden one.
Ones is the current hub widths were designed for 26" wheels and have a reasonable trade off for weight and stiffness. 27.5 and 29" wheels using the same hubs result in less stiff wheels and more problematic spoke tension on the drive side of the rear wheel. Not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but less than ideal. So the boost 148 hubs push the spoke flanges out a bit, increase stiffness, and decrease the tension imbalance between drive side and non drive side.
Another change is rims have been improving. The weight increase going from 23-28mm up to 40mm rims is minimal. This increases tire volume with the same size tire. Wide rims also provide better support for a tire, thus you get less burps because the sidewalls are better supported. Keep in mind that mountain bikes have been very unsual with a large ratio of tire to rim compared to motorcycles (on and offroad), bicycles, cars, etc. Wide rims return this ratio to similar numbers that the rest of the tire using world uses.
So as a result you can end up with a 28 pound bike with larger (in width and diameter) tires, run lower pressures, get better traction, and have less issues with burps, rim damage, and lack of traction in soft soil/sand/snow.
Because of these improvements you can have great traction in a wide variety of conditions, nice stiff rims, and minimal weight penalties. Sounds good to me. Not sure I'd run 2.8" every day, but it's a nice option, especially if you have a single bike instead of a stable of bikes for every different need.
What all this wheelsize variety does, it creates confusion of a magnitude where you can't any longer form a counter argument, you can do is do your own thing within your decision-making capacity and go with the flow.
I'm starting to think I wouldn't want a bike that couldn't be converted between 27.5+ & 29 though. 27.5+ isn't fun everywhere, or at least, not as fun as 29 some places. It's a good compromise, but I think, if money were no object, I'd have a FS fatty like the Bucksaw, & a normal bike, rather than one bike with kinda fat wheels.
least an upgrade to what the poor soul rides at the moment, in most cases sending the bike on diet. Even if we go for upgrades, shop staff is rarely educated to give tips on fundamental advices like changi g cockpit, pedals, setting up suspension. How often do you see shops advertising skills clinics, how many shops have established relationships with coaches? Which company in the industry promotes that? Short 1,5h event with coffee and donuts, after closing with a coach saying how to get most of your training? There are thousanfs of people who believe that volume training on road bike once or twice a week will help them rip trails. Demo days are a step forward but clinics days and trail building days are where we want to be.
Coming to a shop near you- the masterchief upgrade! *full face not included
And I'm not sure what the last sentence means. There are plenty of advanced riders who also ride the trail for grins and not to race the clock...... but this is aimed at the less experienced riders? Whatevs......
Ha.
"The 820 gram, 2.8" tyres will be mounted on Syncros rims with an internal 40mm diameter across the range. What I found interesting with the Schwalbe tyres in comparison to say, the WTB or Specialized offerings, is that they have basically just made their normal tires bigger. Other brands seem to have opted for lower profile or more tightly packed tread patterns to increase rolling resistance that will inevitably increase due to the tire volume"
Ok first off, its internal 40mm WIDTH not diameter for the rim, and secondly it should be "to DECREASE rolling resistance" not increase.
..then adds three cables to the left bar to compensate.
Trying to make up my mind to go with the Santa Cruz nomad carbon C 2016 and yet to see what Scott has to offer for the rest of their 2016 bikes and prices.
And these same novices and intermediates want to drop $9k on bike? I think the technology belongs in the $2k bikes were tuning the suspension for both small bump and high speed is impossible. These are also the same riders that could benefit from more tire
Maybe 40mm and 2.8 are too much but at least we will find out what is best for different riding style, terrain, skills,...
Sorry to make a post not pissing and moaning about how the industry is providing us with options...
Yes wider rims are super nice! But holy friggin poop make some tires that have stiff, thick sidewalls so we can legitly ride with low psi and not mess up our gear.
Bit like comparing NASCAR to Formula 1.
As I already own a fatbike ill stick my neck out and suggest the 27+ will be sh1t in the mud, but great on dry dusty trails.
Well played Scott, but I'll be sticking to my " - " size tires thank you.
They present 27,5 and 29 bikes and everone runs to buy one with practible no contest .1X gear with stratospheric prices but the delivery availability are out of stock.
In the wave they pick up forgoten and specific utility (sand and snow) FAT BIKES and try to sell one to everyone of us .In the next wave set comes the 27,5 plus bikes.
Now 27,5 is acceleration and agility (not 26") and 27,5 is traction and control ...bikes that were expensive becomes more expensive and only avalable in carbon (Nomad,Ibis ...)
Some of us becomes tyred of all this,but instead of give up from this sport we will ride with the stuf that we really need to enjoy hammering in two wheels out there.
For instance, the 27.5+ wheels are similar in diameter to a 29er wheel, and we have all heard how heavy and sluggish those thing are. They are near impossible to accelerate up to speed, so I've read. Also, with this large of a wheel comes the inherent disadvantaged and awkward geometry that is apparently so common with 29ers. These bikes just simply can't work properly.....just like 29ers.....Right?
I'll say it again, please tyre manufacturers, make us some 2.3 and 2.5 tyres with same size center and cornering knobs so that when they're put on a wider than normal 35mm rim we get the same tread tyre shape as a current 2.3 Minion or Highroller on a 25mm rim. Then we'll get longer lasting tyres, stifer side walls, stiffer cornering knobs that won't tear, less burping, less pinch flats, better feel, less squirming. Don't jump straight to 45mm rims where they'll all be in landfill in 3 years time from lack of use. Give us performance, not cheap thrills without room to improve. + tyres are for novices to have fun, companies to make money and for companies to slyly get us ready for fat tyre electric bikes. Smell the coffee peeps, don't drink this cool aid shite. Unless you can afford a 5 bike + quivvvvver, then knock yourself out, they'll be fun at some things.
I wonder if there are going to be +sized Dugast tubular tyres...
Same paint on a Gambler please !
Poor Bike-industry....