Smooth carbon ride compliance on the rear, light weight plush fork up front, climbs like a rabid mtn. goat, carves the twists at speed, handles switchbacks with graceful ease, lightweight at 22.5 lbs in size XL without pedals, nice muted paint scheme, tubeless ready rims easily set up with Schwalbe Racing Rons.

DT Swiss rims could be lighter but seemed stiff, Elixir 9 brakes (while I like the reach and contact point adjustments, I just haven't quite got the feel for them yet. Not a problem, just seem to take a little more pressure than XT's.

I just got this bike used off Ebay. I am predominantly a roadie and do road races and the occasional 24 hour event. About 3 years ago, my friends kept bugging me to get a mtn bike and ride with them on Sundays. So I got a 32 lbs Gravity brick off the internet. I didn't want to drop a lot of cash on it as I was just testing the waters to see if I would even like mtn biking, but I wanted decent components that would hold up. Well, it got to the point that I struggled to keep up with guys I could drop on the road. Knowing it wasn't fitness, and most of them were no better bike handlers than me, that led me to the conclusion that the bike might be holding me back. Now I know for a fact that the bike will not make you appreciably faster on the road. I have an old custom, hand built Italian steel frame from the 80's with 2x7 gearing and weighing twice what some blinged out road bikes do these days. but I can still outride a marginally less fit rider on that bike. The key on the road is fit. But in the dirt, I am finding that all the tech ,geometry tweeks, low weight etc make a definite difference.

So, on to the Scale.... I got the bike in last week. I got it unpacked, did the minor assembly, set up the fit, checked the tire pressure, tuned up the shock, and adjusted the controls. Then came the snow. So the inaugural had to wait until today, and an excellent test day it was. The snow had the trails dialed in for traction except on some rocks as you drug mud up with you. There was also plenty of trail that had dried up. I hit a lot of fast, flowing single track, technical climbs, a long extended steep climb, and a technical descent with a lot of tight switchbacks.

The big picture here is that this bike is FAST. It rides better going fast and just begs for more. The stiff carbon frame responds to every pedal stroke and carries speed better than the other 29ers I have ridden. On little uphill rollers, I was able to just stay geared up and mash the last few strokes over the top, and just carry tons of speed through the transition. I found myself tapping the brake levers, but never engaging them through the more flowing sections. the bike descends aggressively and inspires confidence to stay off the brakes and just let it run. A lot of that confidence, I think comes from the point and shoot steering. This front end has massive amounts of carbon and a tapered steerer setup that makes it sup stiff. I could feel the wheel flex a little under a big load, but not the frame. My old bike required you to pick a line and stick with it. The Scale is up to quick changes of line without the big hoops wanting to stay in the line they were on.

Evidence that this bike is fast? How about 7 PR's on trails I've ridden and raced on for years? How about 3 technical climbs that I have not made it up in 2 years, climbed easily with gas to spare at the top? And I was not ever near going into the red. Heck I was just figuring out the new ride. I still have some riding style adjustments to make. The lightness of the front end and the increased traction keep surprising me. So getting that nailed down will help me to scorch those climbs soon. I will hit a group ride with some of the local racers this weekend. I expect that getting dropped may be a thing of the past and I won't be looking to take the last spot in line.

Light frame, good geometry, nice handling.

Frame cracks easy.

Had this bike, Got it tuned in to my riding style. XC, switchback, Long climbs, moguls, light drops.Parts were okay, not top end but well balanced, X7, X9, Deore Cranks, DT Swiss wheels, Avid brakes.I have to say while it rode it rode nice, and it was light.Here is what happened.On a cool down section riding on flats, the derailleur hanger snapped, releasing the derailleur into the frame top swing arm.This could have been repaired by a repair shop if I wanted.But, the worst thing was that the dropout cracked all the way trough as a result.I heard of hangers snapping before , but the actual frame splitting down the middle as a result .In my opinion this area of the frame was made very weak, in fact now its changed into a trough bolt.Do yourself a favor, don't buy any older model like this one. The Scott Team did not want to agree that the frame failed, but I have the frame to prove otherwise. That's why you have a replaceable derailleur hanger.But when the frame cracks, going 5 miles per hour, and you are out of a bike that you pay good money for I say they should of replace their failed frame. They Din't . I have all e-mails to prove it and pictures.

29'er climbs, descends, and rolls better than 26'er on flats and XC - at least for this large rider. On the road, the vibration damping of a carbon fiber frame vs. aluminum is unbeatable.

Carbon fiber frame - if you ride technical XC, or so hard that you put the bike down regularly, you are just asking for it with a carbon fiber frame. Hit your rear DR or crankarm on a rock, put the bike down hard, etc., you stand a good chance of wiping out the frame to the tune of about $800. Every time a rock pops up while descending and hits the downtube I flinch and pray.

Carbon fiber frame is great, components are a little cheap for a $2800 plus pricepoint (I paid much less fortunately). Fork is very nice, although not stiff enough - some flex and squirm at speed or under hard breaking. Also not true lockout - only limits travel. I hate the handlebar and stem on this bike - personal preference. While the components are not high-end by any means, everything works well on the bike.

This bike is great for me because I am 40, ride primarily on the street (I ride XC bikes with 1.5's - hate road bikes), and I do not crash when putting in training miles. If I were still in my twenties, riding technical singletrack, urban assault, bashing rocks and crashing regularly, etc. I would be an idiot to buy a carbon fiber frame.

I've had my bike for six months now and just discovered an issue the other day when trying to change to a new stem - installation of any other stem, or even an attempt to flip the stock scott stem from negative 6 degrees to positive 6 degress, leaves play in the headset. No matter what I do, I cannot get any other stem to properly seat with the fork and headset. We will see what kind of warranty service I get on this issue.

Great climbing on steep rockey hills.iI knocked down almost 12 mins on a route compaired to when using my Giant carbon 26 inch.This is realy great value for money.

After 8 months i am stll trying to find a weak spot.

If you are upgrading to a 29 er carbon,this is defnitely the bike for you.I would say it can compete with some bikes at least twice its price.

Great set of components for the price. Upgrades a must though. I'm upgrading to XX and some Stans Gold wheels, which should shave 4lbs off and turn this into a rocket. Bike climbs like nothing I've been on before. I use this to race and so far have done well.
Frame weighs a rediculous 2.1 lbs or something like that. So light!

Frame sizes are a little off for my body size. I need a Small 1/2. But no big deal, the small works great for me, but only has room for one water bottle cage. Be nice to have 2 for those 25+ mile races. Rocket Ron tires have thin side walls. It makes them light, but not exactly durable. I punctured mine within the first mile of riding. I changed to Racing Ralphs,also a thin tire, but so far no promblems.
Warranty - Scott needs to get with the industry and offer a life time, or at least 5-10 year warranty on their frame. Currently it is only 3 years.

You can't beat the price. Its listed on this site as $2799, but I think it is retailling for $3400 now. Still not a bad deal for a carbon frame and XO/X9 set up.
Wheels are the equivalent of the DT Swiss 470 rims and 350 hubs. A little heavy, but an upgrade to some ZTR's and a better cassette will shave some rolling weight off.
I highly recommend this ride to anyone who is looking for a mid-level racing bike that is ready to perform right off the show room floor.
I went from a titanium 26" Litespeed to this, and am sold on both the 29er and Carbon frame.

Climbing (like a goat), stiff, handling, drivetrain and weight

Building quality and fork

Great bike for money spent. Love the climbing and handling. First, I wasn't convinced about the greatness of 29inch wheels but after a race a couple of weeks ago in really muddy conditions I'm convinced. The larger wheels were simply fantastic!

The Pro 29er handles well, feels stiff and ready for some serious racing. The 2x10 fits this bike perfect.

I've vad some issues with my frame. The rear triangle seems to be oblique with the result that my rearwheel has been scraping into the carbon... But my LBS has helped me alot so hopefully everything will be sorted out.

My previous bikes have all had different Fox forks which I personally like more than RockShox. Mostly because the Fox feel more stiff and locked when using the lock-function.

Overall rating would have been a 4 (or maybe even 5) if it wasn't for my frame. Until that is fixed, the Pro 29er only gets an overall rating of 3 from me.

Great climbing, the control and handling it has makes it seem like its a 26

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I would highly recommend this bike, the value is great, its fast and agile, its really all you need for a bike of this caliber.

light (23.5 lbs), stiff

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Review for the 2012 Scale Expert:
Great bike for the price. My first 29er, so I really did my research and demo (Stumpjumper HT Expert-too stiff, Highball-great bike, pricey). Scale climbs like a champ and learned how to pick my lines sooner (still learning!). I came from FS 26" and had to get used to absorbing the bumps w/ my legs, but that was expected. I appreciate the Reba lockout lever and only wish it came 2x10. Went tubeless and swapped out the rear tire for a narrower 2.0, reduced my air pressure for additional traction and "shock absorption". Looking for a lighter wheelset (I need all the help I can get).
I would highly recommend the bike!

Bike is super lite, fits well, is a beast on the climbs..

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Over all this bike is Great & Great for the price!

2012 Scale expert 29er:
- Light out of the box (24lb with pedals)
- Responsive steering for a 29er, nice slack head tube
- likes to go fast!

- Stock tires (swabble rocket rons). I just don't like them, swapped them out for some maxis tires
- Frame a bit flexy..

2012 Scale expert 29er What a fast bike! I swapped out the XT drivetrain for a SRAM 2x10. This thing likes to go! Almost 2 fast for me sometimes. The slack head tube allows for nice steep descending.

With 29ers, you need to choose different lines for technical sections. Not as easy to pick your way down a rocky sections compared to a 26 bike, but that is to be expected. This is why it's my race bike, I have a FS 26er for my all around riding

The bike does have some flex. I had it for a month and crashed. The Crank arm hit the rear chain stay and cracked the carbon. I don't know how the aluminum would have held up. But Scott was good with the crash replacement. Great company that stands by their bikes.

Similar Products Used:

Scott Spark Pro 29er, that is all for 29ers.