Scott Contessa Addict RC 15 Review

Contessa is Scott’s range of women’s bikes - and the Contessa Addict RC 15 is a race-ready road bike - which has been designed to give female riders the biggest possible advantages. As well as being race ready, this bike works well for recreational riders - it demands attention wherever it is ridden.

The bike itself sticks true to its classification; it’s an aerodynamic carbon fibre race bike - with internal cables, 12-speed gears with electronic shifting, high-performance disc brakes and a carbon fibre wheelset. Syncros provides most of the components of the bike, and there’s a saddle which has been designed for females.

The bike has been designed to provide a 15% increase in stiffness compared to the older model, which maximises the power from each pedal stroke. As mentioned, this bike is 12-speed - with gearing provided by Shimano’s 12 Speed Ultegra Di2. There’s a compact 50/34 tooth crankset, paired to an 11-30 cassette.

The Ultegra hydraulic brakes provide power and reliable braking, and once out on the roads - the brakes feel incredibly responsive. These brakes have been designed with hotter temperatures in mind - with head radiation fans that work brilliantly when the mercury rises, noticeable on long descents.

The bike has standard 12mm thru axles and a 21mm internal rim diameter. The rims are tubeless compatible, but the rubber is not. All cables are fully integrated, with electronic cables and brake hoses entering the handlebar at the shifters and then into the frame - so there are no cables on display at all - which looks truly impressive. Plenty of thoughtful designs keep this bike easy to own and run - in truly pioneering fashion, you can remove the stem from this bike without having to cut any brake hoses.

The stem position is easy enough to adjust thanks to splittable headset spacers - aesthetics on this bike continue to excel - with magnetic covers on the forks covering the brake calliper bolts. The riding position is aggressive, as it should be - which will not be ideal for some recreational users. The bike also only weighs 7.5kg - meaning it’s a dream for climbing. As an added bonus, the paint jobs on these bikes are fantastic.