Scott Ransom 900 RC Assessment: Go Huge on a DH-Prepared Enduro Bike I Can Pedal Uphill, Too!
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Yesterday, I wrote an extended breakdown of Scott’s all-new carbon Ransom enduro bike, however now I wish to dive deeper into my expertise using the top-spec Scott Ransom 900 RC. Scott developed the brand new bike to take enduro up a notch. And with an all-new 6-bar suspension design and distinctive rear suspension distant, they created what I see as a freeride bike for the downhills and an all-mountain path bike for the climbs. With virtually no compromises at both finish of the spectrum.
Using the brand new Scott Ransom 900 RC carbon enduro bike
I spent three lengthy days again in mid-November using the brand new bike on steep, rocky & unfastened pure trails in Santa Coloma de Farners, simply outdoors of Girona, Spain. And I got here away eager to experience the bike an increasing number of. After which I left. Wishing that my dwelling bikepark wasn’t already deep in snowy snowboarding season for the following a number of months.
All-new 6-bar suspension design
There’s loads that’s distinctive concerning the new bike. Like its comparatively sophisticated 6-bar suspension design. Or the Built-in Suspension Know-how design that hides the rear shock contained in the bulbous downtube. Or inner body storage, inner cable routing, adjustable geometry, and extra.
Learn my full 2024 Scott Ransom launch story for all of the nerdy particulars.
However what actually struck me concerning the bike was that it was simply tremendous composed and playful to experience. With three distinct personalities.
It could possibly be a full fuel freeride bike that wished to fly down tough tracks at excessive velocity. It could possibly be a progressive enduro bike that dove into technical sections and popped off each lip on the path. Or it was a upright path bike, that clawed its means up steep and tight climbs.
The way it does all three comes all the way down to Trac-Loc
That is genuinely the one most necessary characteristic of the brand new Ransom. And it’s what makes you actually capable of benefit from the 170mm of plush 6-bar rear suspension.
You may’t truly see the tech that makes this work. As a result of it occurs contained in the customized Fox Float X Nude EVOL rear shock. And you’ll’t even see that as a result of Scott hides it contained in the body. So, as an alternative we take a look at the 3-position Twin-Loc 2 distant. The 2 higher levers cycle you thru 3 rear shock modes – Climb, Ramp Management & Descend. And the decrease lever is your dropper publish distant.
It’s not a lockout, however moderately three totally different shock tunes accessible on the push of a button.
Climb, Ramp Management, or Descend
The totally open Descend mode is constructed to fly. Right here you get unrestricted entry to the most effective that the 6-bar can ship. A rearward axle path and progressive linkage charge that east up massive hits for breakfast. Go down as quick as you may maintain on, like you’re using just a few years outdated DH bike, however improve with 29er wheels to roll over every part.
The center Ramp Management mode is essentially the most fascinating. By closing an air chamber within the rear shock, you successfully get quantity spacers that you simply drop in on the push of a button. No change to the complete 170mm of journey or your compression damping settings. The bike simply turns into immediately extra progressive.
Altering quantity spacers to regulate your shock development for various using situations isn’t actually possible for the common mountain biker. However having the ability to do the identical factor on the flick of a change is game-changing.
Curiously, the center Ramp Management mode is a whole lot of enjoyable on descents that aren’t too technical – assume flowy berms and bounce traces. But it surely’s additionally good for climbs that aren’t as easy or steep.
Lastly, Climb mode will increase compression damping, reduces rear journey all the way down to 130mm, and lowers the air quantity for extra development. Collectively, it makes you sit up greater within the stiffened suspension, and makes pedaling uphill a breeze. Excellent for when you really want to stomp up some steep climbs that demand your consideration.
Using the brand new Scott Ransom 900 RC out on the path
The very first thing I did on the brand new Ransom was pedaling up steep, rocky, sandy fireplace highway climbs. And alternating between Ramp Management & Climb let me regulate the bike to how my legs have been feeling on the time.
Then as the large rock slab descents received steeper and rougher, I might transition from the playful Ramp Management mode into full-on Descend to let the bike take in the large and generally sudden hits. And as I received as much as full-send speeds, I might let the gravity-shredding magic of the brand new 6-bar actually do its factor.
How a lot does it actually weigh?
Trying again at it now, it’s no massive shock that my sub 16kg ready-to-ride check bike climbed nicely in 130mm journey mode. (Dimension Massive at 15.96kg with 480g of Mallet DH pedals, a bottle cage, arrange tubeless, and with a spare tube, levers & chaintool contained in the matchbox inner storage.)
After all, that’s not superlight for a path bike, however with a gravity-ready burly construct it’s actually not that heavy. My metal enduro hardtail weighs virtually that with every part I keep on common rides. And my carbon fatbike with 130mm fork, a body pack to hold additional heat garments, and lightweight studded tires weighs the identical in the intervening time. And I’m glad to pedal these slowly up countless climbs, too.
Weight is absolutely the one compromise in Climb mode. And there don’t actually really feel like there are any in Ramp Management or Descend modes.
Remodeling from Path to Enduro to Freeride, and again once more
The transformation looks as if a a lot greater perspective shift than I’m used to in bikes with distant lockouts or adaptable geometry. Singling out one, I really feel just like the shift is considerably extra that the expertise I’ve had with Canyon’s modern ShapeShifter on their Try enduro bike. Plus, I recognize that the Ransom achieves the identical idea solely contained in the shock, which feels easier, and fewer prone to deteriorate in efficiency over time.
I pedaled up rather a lot on this bike. It undoubtedly is completely an inexpensive climber. However internally, we received to speaking about ebikes after using this new bike, as a result of at this value & weight-level, there are some stable e-Path eMTB choices, too. For these which are itching for the help to cram extra ascents/descents in, there’s a use-case for eMTB in some locales.
However the Ransom is just a lot extra enjoyable descending on actually tough trails, that I’m glad to take just a few additional minutes and sweat out a bit extra on the climbs to get to my downhills.
And actually it will/might be a blast within the bikepark. It feels far more like a DH bike taking place than many of the enduro bikes that I often experience at my native uplift. And means higher at climbing than the opposite massive bikes, extra on par going uphill with lighter all-mountain or path bikes. The 2024 Scott Ransom is now formally a gravity bike, however it manages to vastly enhance pedal-ability on the identical time due to Trac-Loc and consumer adjustable geometry.
2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC construct spec
The 2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC reviewed right here is the top-tier 10,000€ construct, with the complete HMX carbon frameset, Fox Manufacturing facility suspension, and a SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission. Whereas, there’s not much more you could possibly ask for, even with cash as no object. Maybe a gravity-ready carbon wheelset might save just a few grams. However for a motorbike constructed to smash bikepark laps and race blindly by way of rock gardens, the aluminum RaceFace R30 wheels are not less than one thing to not fear about.
Now do I actually need all these fancy elements to take pleasure in an enduro bike? I believe there are many compromises I might make to avoid wasting a couple of dollars, and nonetheless be glad.
It’s actually exhausting to disregard the ten,000€ pricetag of the bike, irrespective of how good it rides. Certain, there are a whole lot of dearer bikes on the market. However that is clearly far out of many riders’ budgets. There’s a silver lining although…. All the distinctive tech that makes this bike nice, can also be out there at decrease pricepoints. Not precisely low-cost. However the 6000€ 920 & 5200€ 930 have the identical 3-mode rear shock operate, a barely heavier carbon & alloy body, and extra inexpensive mechanical drivetrains. At simply 1-1.5kg weight penalty.
Last Ideas on the brand new Ransom
I can’t consider a motorbike I’ve ridden in latest reminiscence that was extra composed and assured on the downhills than this new Scott Ransom.
And I kinda fell in love with its Trac-Loc distant. Particularly, using even downhills with the rear shock within the center Ramp Management mode was a playful blast. And I actually want this was an possibility on virtually each massive journey bike I experience – from all-mountain to DH. Then, after all, popping it into Climb mode reworked the bike utterly. It didn’t drop 2kg which might have been good, however it did make it climb a lot better than I anticipated.
If I have been trying to purchase a brand new bike for enduro racing and using bikepark laps, that is the primary bike that I might consider. However realistically, I might think about these extra inexpensive fashions first.
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