Singletrack

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)
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