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The Ride With the shortest reach on test, the Scout feels a touch cramped if you’re used to nouveau enduro bikes. On the flipside, the upright riding position is comfortable and gives the Scout a more manageable feel for lifting up the front end – ideal for new riders or those who are making the transition from old-school 26in bikes. Thanks to the stubby seat tube though, it’s easy to size up if you must have more reach. And at 175cm tall, I could easily ride a Large and still have gobs of standover clearance. The cockpit itself is good, with the 760mm riser bars feeling spot on. The SRAM shifter offers positive action, but doesn’t mate well with the Shimano brake lever. The paddles end up too far away for my little thumbs, and flipping the shifter inboard puts the brake lever waaay out of reach. It isn’t a huge deal, but more adjustability would be nice. We did have issues with the rear thru-axle perpetually loosening throughout testing, and no amount of excessive force was enough to get it to stay put, so keep an eye on that. The curved seat tube also limits how far you can slam the saddle down, so a hacksaw may be required to reappropriate the seatpost. I eventually caved in and fitted a dropper post halfway through the test period, which made a world of difference for getting the most out of the bike. With sag set at 30%, the fork delivers a supple feel that’s impressive at this price point. However, even with the rebound set to the slowest position, return speed is still too quick, with an audible ‘clunk’ as the fork extends to full travel, emulating a loose-headset feel. Once on the trail, the Minute fork performs well under regular trail scenarios, though as speed and gradient increases, it becomes apparent that the fork chassis just isn’t stiff enough. Torsional stiffness is alright, but front-to-back it suffers from excessive flex due to lanky 32mm stanchions. Hit the front brake, and the Minute feels like a string of al dente pasta, tucking hard underneath the frame. It results in a vague feeling to the steering on rocky descents, and one that is at odds with the otherwise solid chassis. We experimented by fitting a set of Fox 34s, and the difference was night and day. The Scout had more control, more steering precision and far greater composure under heavy braking and when approaching rollable features. The frame itself gives you the impression that it’ll survive WWIII. Being so stiff, the alloy tubing delivers feedback straight through the pedals and grips, so you’ll know exactly what’s going on underneath each tyre – for good or bad. The high volume 29er tyres do well to absorb smaller trail debris though, and the versatile Maxxis treads deliver a good combo that’ll handle mixed conditions. There’s oodles of mud clearance, and room for up to 2.5in tyres. Like other slack 29er hardtails, the Scout builds momentum the moment the trail turns downwards. It’s a surprisingly stable ride for a bike at this price point, with the big wheels rolling efficiently over rough terrain, giving you an edge over smaller-wheeled bikes the nastier the trail surface becomes. It also handles technical climbs surprisingly well, and while its weight means it’s more of a plugger than a sprinter, the snappy frame responds well under power. Cornering is good, though the longer back-end and weighty wheelset does require a more vigorous approach on tight singletrack. Riding on overgrown natural trails with lots of surprise corners had me working the Scout hard to make each turn. When visibility improves, it’s much easier to prepare for each corner and get the wheels where you need them. Conversely, the Scout’s steady nature gives it great confidence when bombing at speed, with the low BB and long wheelbase offering loads of hard-charging stability. Overall The Scout 290 Race is a durable and well-built hardtail that that is well-specced for the price. The frame is upgrade ready, and it provides a solid starting point for new riders looking to build skills and increase confidence. However, it’s so capable at gaining speed that the frame quickly outdoes the flexy Manitou forks and soft resin-padonly Shimano brakes, which just aren’t equipped to deal with the rapid and violent impacts that the bike is so ready to take on. If you’ve got the budget, then step up to the Scout 290 Comp, where you’ll not only get a dropper seatpost, you’ll also get the excellent Yari fork too – two upgrades that the capable Scout 290 frame is gagging for. Frame Fork Hubs Rims Tyres Chainset Rear Mech Shifter Custom Hydroformed T6 6061 Alloy Manitou Minute Comp, 130mm Travel Novatec Alloy Disc, 100x15mm F & 142x12mm R WTB SX23, Tubeless Ready Maxxis High Roller II EXO 2.3in F Maxxis Minion DHF EXO 2.3in R SRAM NX 30T X-Sync SRAM NX 11-Speed SRAM NX 11-Speed Cassette Brakes Stem Bars Seatpost Saddle Size Tested Sizes Available Weight SRAM PG-1130, 11-42T, 11-Speed Shimano M447, 180mm F & R Nukeproof Warhead Alloy, 50mm Long Nukeproof Warhead Alloy, 760mm Wide, 20mm Rise Nukeproof Warhead, 31.6mm Diameter Nukeproof Trail Medium Small, Medium, Large, X-Large 12.7kg (27.94 lbs) 57
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