Scott Genius ST 900 Tuned Review

This 150mm travel full suspension mountain bike will allow you to enjoy both travelling uphill and barrelling back downhill once you get to the top. It’s a bike which is fast at climbing and very playful when heading back down.

Overview

The bike has a piggyback Fox X Nude shock hidden within the frame and uses rocker link technology, which we have seen on the Scott Spark. As expected, there’s also Scott’s Twinloc suspension technology. The frame is total carbon fibre, and a door opens, revealing the internal shock. As well as keeping the Shock out of harm's way and away from contamination from dirt and grime - the internal shock allows the Scott Genius ST 900 Tuned to have a fantastic aesthetic. The clean and sleek appearance is strengthened by the rear brake hoses entering the bike's frame from under the stem, down into the tube and reaching the caliper. It’s the same design as the Twinloc cables.

At the top of the pivot bearing is a dial which rotates when the suspension is compressed - this dial then shows your sag level so you can see how much you are compressing the shock. It’s a great design and feature, but you do have to get off the bike to view it.

Suspension

The Genius ST has a Fox X Nude Shock. This shock performs well and has a piggyback reservoir to increase oil volume - which helps keep the suspension functioning predictably on longer descents. The more oil in the shock, the lower the temperature of the oil, which provides a more reliable and predictable performance. The shock also has plenty of adjustments, including compression and rebound adjustments. There’s also an adjustable air spring volume, and the TwinLock system allows several different settings - for descending, ramp control, and a climb setting - all of which can be chosen via the bar-mounted lever.

Running through the Twinloc systems; in Descend, the shock has full access to the air spring - there’s extra volume allowed in a sleeve around the shock body, and the damping on the shock is fully open. In Ramp Control - the air sleeve is closed completely, limiting the air volume within the shock. In this mode, travel is around 60% of the shock in open mode. In climb mode, the shock remains with low air volume - and the damping circuit is also shut, meaning the shock is completely locked out. Switching between these modes is easy.

Geometry

The geometry of the Genius ST 900 is as good as it gets. The geometry involves quite a long reach, but the bike feels manageable. The angle of the headset can be adjusted - and on this version of the bike, the seat is slack and suits the machine's intentions.

Specifications

The specification of this bike is massive - as it should be at the top of the range. At the front, there is a 160mm travel Fox Factory 36 Fork. There’s also the Float X Nude shock which is factory standard. Sram provides the groupset with an X01 groupset with carbon cranks. There’s a GX AXS shifter and powerful Shimano XTR brakes with 203/180mm rotors.

High-quality Syncros parts are found across the bike, and there are Carbon Revelstoke wheels - with Maxxis Minion DHF and Dissector tyres, which have a lightweight Exo casing.

Climbing

The Genius has always climbed well, and with the TwinLoc in use - this bike comfortably climbs steep ascents without bouncing around too much. There’s plenty of pedal clearance, so at no point do you feel like you will strike uneven terrain. The bike's geometry is comfortable when climbing - there’s not too much stretch, and the steep seat angle places your hips nicely over the bottom bracket.

Descending

Descending on this bike is a joy. The bike feels good at all speeds and is stable on all terrain. This stability is impressive, considering you can still describe this bike as playful. There’s the perfect balance of the bike being flattering to ride whilst also engaging enough to enjoy and throw around. The bike is also stiff enough to allow you to push bike through corners.