Best improvements for 2014 /2015 Genius 7xx

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Best improvements for 2014 /2015 Genius 7xx
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flag Xorrox
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Posted: Oct 11, 2015 at 8:52 Quote
I picked up a Genius 720 a few weeks ago and am still getting use to it. I'm going to pick up a dropper seat post as soon as I can afford it and have a shorter (40mm) stem on order to make it more 'North Shore' friendly.

I'd be interested to hear what other upgrades/ changes/ tuning anyone else with this series of bikes has done that they are happiest with and why.
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Posted: Oct 30, 2015 at 12:37 Quote
Okay, since no one else is replying, I'll reply to my own post.Rolleyes

My first attempt at an upgrade was a bit of a failure. I replaced my 70mm stem with a 40mm hoping this would force me back more on steep, technical downhills because I had gone OTB a couple times on the bike. Big mistake! In my next ride I went OTB 3 timesMadder I figured out that when I was standing and not paying attention to getting WAYYYY back, the shorter stem actually put me in the ideal "superman" position. It moved my arms down and back relative to my body, giving me no horizontal support if I hit a root or rock. I was now in the ideal OTB launch position. It did not make being back further more natural when standing which is what I was hoping for.

Long story short, I put my old 70 mm stem on and swapped in a used 25mm riser bar I picked up cheap. This did exactly what I wanted. I'm now riding faster downhill with little or no uphill penalty and no OTBs.

I'm getting a160 mm / 130mm DPA Pike to replace the stock 150 mm Fox 32 in the front so I'm going to have to play with spacers and my original flat bar and my riser bar to see what combination is best for climbing and descending. Once I figure that out and I have some money again I might spring for a Renthal Carbin Fatbar Lite with the amount of rise I decide on.
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Posted: Oct 31, 2015 at 14:29 Quote
This is turning more into a blog than a forumRedface

First ride on the new Pike 160mm this morning. All I can say is WOW!!! What a change! The bike now just feels right. Where before I was hesitating at any small root or rock drop and always feeling like I was on the verge of going OTB, the new setup inspires confidence. Suddenly I'm not hesitating as much any more or trying to find the absolutely easiest line down. I don't entirely know exactly what caused this improvement when compared to my 150mm fox 32 but the difference is night and day despite running similar % sag and leaving about the same amount of reserve travel at the end of the ride. It seems to be a combination of less flex, more mid travel support and better geometry.

The funny thing is my climbing actually seems better as well. Although I was mainly ascending a smooth gravel access road today, I did have a couple short sections of steep single track climbing and the climbing, at least the seated climbing, actually felt better. I tried dropping to the fork to 130 mm and seated climbing actually felt sluggish or dead feeling to me so I switched back to 160mm right away. I have not tried technical standing climbing in either position yet.

So right now the setup on my 2015 Medium Genius 720 is 160mm Pike, 18mm of spacers below the stem, stock 70 mm stem, 750 mm wide 25mm riser bar. The rear geo chip is in the low/slack position and I'm still running the stock fox nude shock with the 'twin' lock (now 'single lock') remote control. I'll have to ride it some more to get a better idea, but for my current all mountain or non competive enduro type riding this setup seems to be by far the best yet and soooooo much better than the stock setup.
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Posted: Oct 31, 2015 at 14:49 Quote
Oh yeah, I'm also am pretty happy with my rockshox reverb stealth setpost. I got the 125 mm. I'm still trying to decide if I should have gotten the 150 mm but, with my new fork, I don't have to drop the seat all the way to the frame anymore so I might be good with the 125mm now.
flag jefferson2012
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 at 7:24 Quote
So i bought a 2014 carbon Genius 710 with XT drivetrain, Reverb post, Fox 32, etc. I immediately swapped out stock bars and stem for a Easton Haven 35mm Carbon bar and stem. I too have debated on going slightly shorter with my stem and have waivered between going 50mm or 60mm down from 70mm, but i must say i like the 70mm and have had it on pretty steep stuff here in OR, but nothing too gnarly yet..Also, i went 1x10 which i have loved on a couple other bikes and also wanted to eliminate some cables on my Scott..
So the big delimma became what to do about the pretty flexy 32mm stanchion fox fork. Not always noticeable but when it is, it is.. So i too just ordered a 150mm Pike RCT3 supposed to arrive in a couple days cuz i heard super good things abt them and got it on sale. Although a guy at the shop claimed it would work with the twinlock system, i now realize it probably wont so think i will have to decide whether i return the Pike to get a fox fork that does work with the twinkock or keep the pike as you have done and now becomes a singlelock. In my half dozen rides on my new bike, i have learned to like the twin lock so am not so psyched to eliminate it but think it will be worth the trade off for going with better fork?? ... i like climbing most days but i guess i dont wanna be messing with too much switching when on rolling technical terrain (fork, singlelock, dropper, shift), although it sounds like the Pike climbs well in open mode so maybe there wont be much messing with the pike? But i do like minimal bob on climbs, and we have our share of long fire roads and technical singletrack climbs which i wanna be able to still be pretty efficient at.. by the way, this bike climbs nearly as well as my xc race rigs.. some folks were hating on it cuz it doesnt descend as well as others in its class but i really like the versatillity and so far its perfect for riding round here..
Thanks for insight.. been stressin a little knowing the Pike will likely mean no more Twinlock but maybe worth trade off. Sounds like you think so so far?
flag jefferson2012
Posted: Nov 1, 2015 at 7:25 Quote
And i feel the bike feels much better in low geo mode as high felt super twitchy to me. But maybe cuz i have been on 29ers for a while prior.
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Posted: Nov 1, 2015 at 8:36 Quote
Seated climbing on the pike in open is no problem; no noticeable pedal bob at all. If you do a lot of standing pedaling on dirt roads then you will want to switch to climb on the pike as well. This is not hard to do while riding the bike, but it is one more step. It would only maybe matter if you are racing.
flag Xorrox
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Posted: Nov 1, 2015 at 8:38 Quote
Xorrox wrote:
Seated climbing on the pike in open is no problem; no noticeable pedal bob at all. If you do a lot of standing pedaling on dirt roads then you will want to switch to climb on the pike as well. This is not hard to do while riding the bike, but it is one more step. It would only maybe matter if you are racing.

For any kind of high speed or downhill riding the pike is so much better.
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Posted: Nov 16, 2015 at 22:31 Quote
Does anyone know the weight of the stock Syncro / DT Swiss Wheels on the 2015 Genius 720?

They are Syncros TR2.5, 28 Hole rims with Syncros TR2.5 CL, 15mm, Front and Syncros TR2.5 CL, RWS Axle, Rear.

This is a really narrow XC style wheel and I'm considering replacing them with some 35mm outside / 30 mm inside Carbon Light-Bicycle wheels with Hope hubs and want to know if that combo will be lighter or heavier than the stock wheels which look pretty light for aluminum. I think this LB setup is between 1600g and 1700g for the wheel set.
flag jefferson2012
Posted: Nov 23, 2015 at 10:18 Quote
Not sure on weight of syncros but let me know about what you find. I too am considering carbon wheels as my next upgrade, down the road.
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Posted: Nov 28, 2015 at 14:46 Quote
jefferson2012 wrote:
Not sure on weight of syncros but let me know about what you find. I too am considering carbon wheels as my next upgrade, down the road.

Okay I weighed these today. This is for my 2015 Scott Genius 720. These are Syncros TR2.5, 28 Hole rims (made by DT Swiss) with Syncros TR2.5 CL, 15mm, (Made by DT Swiss) Front Hubs and Syncros TR2.5 CL, RWS Axle (142x12) (Made by DT Swiss) Rear Hubs.

The 27.5" wheel weight without the center lock disk break rotors, thru axles or rear cassette (but with free wheel hub) were as follows on my digital kitchen scale:
Front: 865g
Rear: 1014g
Total wheelset: 1879g

That's more than I expected given how narrow these rims are and the 28 spoke arrangement but I'm happy because this means that if I get the Light-Bicycle 35/30mm 32 spoke all mountain wheels with Hope hubs, I should drop down to 1610g (or a little more if I get brass spoke nipples).
flag jefferson2012
Posted: Nov 30, 2015 at 9:06 Quote
Not sure on weight of syncros but let me know about what you find. I too am considering carbon wheels as my next upgrade, down the road.
flag Melnik86
Posted: Dec 27, 2015 at 9:10 Quote
Bought a 2015 genius 740, love the geometry and the bike is FAST. Replaced the bars with a 2 inch riser, put a 50 mm stem on, went with a 1 by, new x9 cranks, the a zee mid cage derailleur and some Stan's ztr flow hoops with maxxis ikons. This set up makes me feel like I'm riding a dh rig (also got the 2015 gambler this year, no wonder I'm broke) never had a problem going otb even before this setup and climbing is still a breeze.
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Posted: Dec 27, 2015 at 20:39 Quote
Melnik86 wrote:
Bought a 2015 genius 740, love the geometry and the bike is FAST. Replaced the bars with a 2 inch riser, put a 50 mm stem on, went with a 1 by, new x9 cranks, the a zee mid cage derailleur and some Stan's ztr flow hoops with maxxis ikons. This set up makes me feel like I'm riding a dh rig (also got the 2015 gambler this year, no wonder I'm broke) never had a problem going otb even before this setup and climbing is still a breeze.

Interesting; I wonder if the 740 alloy frame has different geometry or if the difference is just down to different riders, riding styles and perhaps terrain. Admittedly I was more or less a newb when I started so lack of speed through steep technical terrain also contributed to my issues. I'm tempted to throw my fox 32 back on one of these days, set the sag at 15% and give that a try now that I have more experience under my belt. Rider weight probably is a factor as well. I'm definitely no light weightConfused
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