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Scott Scale Gravel

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#21 ·
Awesome. I don't see this thing as a bike made specifically for riding on literal gravel roads; I see it as a mountain bike made for smoother trails and dirt paths. I live in MI where the trails are flat, smooth, and non-technical. The enduro marketing machine of the past several years has convinced much of the riderbase around here to ride high-travel sleds on flat flow trails. I think the 'gravel' Scale represents the pendulum swinging back in the other direction from the enduro-fad, and it's a recognition that lots of riders are not bombing steep rock gardens or huckin' drops. Of course, you can't sell a bike if you say it's made for tame trails, so you call it a gravel version of a mountain bike. This bike isn't really about gravel and it isn't really about racing either; it's about the realistic use case that lots of riders have for a mountain bike.
 
#24 · (Edited)
93EXCivic said:
Kind of split between either a more expensive frame or less but below are the ones I am considering.

Sklar Super Something, Singular Peregrine, Crust Bombora or Evasion, Elephant National Forrest Explorer, New Albion Drake and Privateer, Brother Cycles Mr Wooden, Stooge Rambler, Black Mountain Mod Zero or Monstercross.

Most are dual 650b/700c*. Some are designed around 650b. Monster cross and Privateer* are only ones 700c only. Tbf I have no idea what the big brands are doing since I am only looking at steel frames and most of consumption of bike media is Radavist and Bikepacking.com
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At this point there are hundreds of gravel bikes available, the vast majority are 700c. Most of those you listed are small run options available only as a frameset or custom/parts build from a shop. The Elephant NFE is a mid-tech low-trail frameset that isn't available for purchase again until sometime in 2025, if ever. The NFE was offered as a stock frameset in 2014 building on custom works done earlier. I don't think it's applicable to the argument I'm making.

Ted King winning DK200 in 2016 did not ignite a major change in the industry of enthusiast base around 650b. They tried, it failed, 650b was and remains a niche wheelsize. It's had the same steady low-level growth as it did before his win. There was a bump in available bikes 2017-2019 but it didn't last. The point is, winning isn't enough to change the direction of gravel bikes. WTB Road Plus has mostly declined into nothing, the 650b Google Group is almost entirely classified and discussion tertiary to the wheelsize, Jan is mostly on 26" wheels these days, time has moved on from 650b.

*Every disc brake bicycle is dual 650b/700c, and if you can handle another 12.5mm of bottom bracket drop, every disc bike will also take 26" wheels. The Privateer is 650b in the smaller sizes.
 
#26 · (Edited)
This community was crazy from 2013-2019ish. All sorts of new and novel things were happening, there was so much excitement about the future and what could happen. Now that 650b has been swallowed and configured to fit the larger bicycle industry it's a ghost town. Nothing is happening and hasn't happened for a while. There's no excitement, it just trudges along because everything's been figured out and now we're just working at the margins. "650b, 700c, who cares? Want to buy my old junk?"


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#28 · (Edited)
spoonrobot said:
At this point there are hundreds of gravel bikes available, the vast majority are 700c. Most of those you listed are small run options available only as a frameset or custom/parts build from a shop. The Elephant NFE is a mid-tech low-trail frameset that isn't available for purchase again until sometime in 2025, if ever. The NFE was offered as a stock frameset in 2014 building on custom works done earlier. I don't think it's applicable to the argument I'm making.
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Like I said, I literally have no idea what the mass market is doing. I just saw what I saw in my little corner of what I pay attention and where I was looking 650b seemed in decent shape.

But I am leaning heavily towards a Brother Cycles Mr Wooden which is a 650b, rim braked low trial bike. So I am a bit of a weirdo.

Edit: Also saying a Google group is mostly dead doesn't really say much cause who uses Google groups at all in 2024.
 
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#29 ·
spoonrobot said:
Jan is mostly on 26" wheels these days
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To be fair, Jan like to ride as widest tire possible while keeping a diameter that's similar to a 700x28-30mm for trail & handling purposes. I don't think he's the example to look at. Ronnie on the other hand looks to be a 650b fan, just look at the Alumath & the other bikes he's normally on.
 
#30 ·
Funoutside said:
To be fair, Jan like to ride as widest tire possible while keeping a diameter that's similar to a 700x28-30mm for trail & handling purposes. I don't think he's the example to look at. Ronnie on the other hand looks to be a 650b fan, just look at the Alumath & the other bikes he's normally on.
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Jan's the one who re-started the whole 650b thing! Most of the people riding 650b before Road Plus were there because of Jan and Grant Petersen (and Kirk Pacenti). Jan's the one who made the tires that allowed the whole trend to really take off. If he's moved on that says a lot.

Ultraromance seems to split time between 700c and 650b, eyeballing his Strava he's pretty close to 50/50. His newest bike the Aluminus Maximus is 700c.

Anyway, the point remains, Ted King winning DK200 didn't do much. Just as Jan winning AHCR hasn't done much for 26" low-trail steel rando bikes with aero fenders.

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#31 · (Edited)
Loll said:
Is like WTH? Time machine with the colors on the fork too.

I like the robust fork crown and the simplicity, but late 80s and early 90s just came back, much like rebirth of 27.5 wheel into mullet, it is a new take of something from decades ago.

May be this is revolution and evolution combined? Put a suspension fork back on and this is just Nino’s race bike.
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Exactly, it's a reevolution.
It reminds me much of a 91-ish Scott Montana that has grown in every dimension.

I'm glad they kept the barends in the same place through, and added bar extensions :D

It also highlights a weird contemporary trend in bike design for ridiculously large stacks. Why is this fork so long? Do they envision it can will upgraded with a 90 mm suspension fork as the reevoultion moves forward (or is it backward in this case)?
 
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#34 · (Edited)
spoonrobot said:
The fork is so long because it's the same frame as the Scale RC hardtail which is designed around a 100mm fork.
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So it is a mountain bike and doesn't just look like one? I'm confused. :unsure:
 
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#35 ·
lefthanded said:
So it is a mountain bike and just doesn't look like one? I'm confused. :unsure:
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We're all going to need you to explain how this "doesn't look like a mountain bike".

It looks exactly like a mountain bike, because it is a mountain bike.

Read this and then don't think about it anymore. In a year it'll be gone replaced by something else: What's In A Name?
 
#40 ·
ljsmith said:
I always find this a strange comment. Things exist because someone wants them. I personally have no desire for a fat bike, cargo bike, fixie or tandem, yet people buy them and enjoy them.
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It's not a strange comment . This bike from Scott will be a failure from day one. Sure they'll sell a few, but sales will be so low that it will end up being discontinued.
 
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