Scott Genius 900 Ultimate in Review

As mentioned in my last report about the presentation of the new Genius family, luck has not left me. In mid-September, I received an inquiry asking if I was willing to test the Genius 900 Ultimate for about two months. Of course, I couldn't say no.
In the second week of October, right in the heart of the beautiful autumn, I was able to begin my testing.

From quantum physics, we know that the cat in Schrödinger's thought experiment is both dead and alive at the same time, as long as we don't check. That's roughly how I remember it from physics class, admittedly a long time ago.
For mountain biking in the fall, I have come up with the following analogy: “As long as I don't check whether there are roots or stones under the leaves, they are both there and not there at the same time.” So, I don't worry about hidden traps and just ride off happily.
Whether this line of thought is really correct and perhaps worthy of a Nobel Prize, or whether Scott's tool ensured that nothing happened to me on the trail in the past two months, I will try to clarify in the following report …

Speaking of the Dissector: I have heard that Maxxis tires are supposed to lose some of their good properties in the cold. I haven't noticed any of that. Although I slipped a bit with the Dissector in wet conditions, regardless of temperature, and the tire tended to stick. But somehow, a knob always managed to find contact with firmer ground and helped to stay on the trail. And the tread really cleaned itself quickly once I got past the worst mud packs.

However, the seat and chainstays leave little room for the 2.6 Dissector. Here I see a small downside: when it gets really muddy, dirt tends to accumulate in these spots.
Once, I even had to stop and clear the narrow spots of dirt. Usually, this happens by itself – at least to the extent that the rear wheel can run smoothly without friction again.

This brings me back to my practical experiences gathered in late autumn and early winter. At temperatures near or below zero degrees Celsius, I pumped a bit more air into the suspension elements, as I feel everything becomes a bit more sluggish in this range. I usually inflate below the recommended values, but under these conditions, I need a bit more pressure to keep the riding characteristics at a high level.
As a quasi-compensation, you can let some air out of the tires. In the snow-ice-mud mixture, the risk of bottoming out is low, and the resulting additional grip is very helpful.

Initially, I had even less confidence in the device under really slippery conditions. But the grip, low center of gravity, and responsiveness of the bike quickly provided a lot of security.
The rule here is: just let the bike do its thing. Somehow, the Genius managed to recover on its own in every tricky situation. Of course, it's not entirely without adjusting your riding style to the conditions.

Noteworthy: The gears, dropper post, and brakes never showed the slightest sign of weakness even in the really horrendous conditions at the end of November in the Vienna Woods.
I often wondered how the pulleys could still turn at all, let alone why the mechanism still shifted smoothly – but both always worked flawlessly. And the seat post always assumed the desired position despite being crusted with mud on the sliding tube.
The cold also reduced the battery life for the gears. Everyone knows this – at least from mobile phones, which also need to be charged more often in winter. However, a phone does not exist a few centimeters off the ground, so it is quite tolerable that the Sram battery needs more frequent attention in the cold – just remember to think about it in time …

“Preserve the good!” is the saying. In this case, I was happy to do my part by thoroughly maintaining the Scott after every (muddy) ride: washing, hopefully standard for everyone, drying, especially the chain. Only lubricate and oil again when everything is completely dry.
In this regard, the Genius is very practical: the flap to access the shock. During rides in autumn and winter, everything tends to get damp. To ensure a long life for the internally routed cables along with their guides and sheaths, simply remove the flap overnight. This allows more air to enter the frame, and everything is well dried the next day.

The Scott Genius 900 is an All Mountain with enormous fun potential and clearly recognizable XC roots!
Bikes in the 150/160 mm travel category I know more as good-natured fellows. The Genius, in the lighter of the two available variants, wants to be virtually whipped up the mountain.
Normally, as described above, I tend to leave the shock open – not so with the 900 Ultimate. Uphill, its forward drive demands at least the middle position, if the race desires, believed to be deeply buried in winter, don't scream "Lock!" even off-road, to feel a bit faster.
And downhill... well, from concentrated joy to a broad grin, depending on the technical challenge at hand and thus free capacities for spontaneous expressions of feeling, the Genius offers a fairly broad spectrum.

Apart from that, the 900 is also a great everyday bike – which may sound almost blasphemous given a price of 12,000 Euros.
In fact, I mean that you really enjoy sitting on it every day. Because it does what you want, because nothing pinches the person and nothing squeaks on the machine.
And: Without a doubt, this bike gives you great joy in challenging terrain. But it doesn't always have to be the ultimate trail to have fun. I also like to ride on "forest and meadow paths" or over gentle field paths with it – so everyday suitability here too, because, let's be honest: who wants to challenge themselves one hundred percent on every ride?

Especially since in the late autumn Vienna Woods – and thus we return to my initial thoughts about Schrödinger's cat and its related species, the roots & co. lurking under piles of leaves and layers of mud – the sudden challenge is always never waiting.
I can rightfully claim: I mastered them all, without falls and defects, and mostly as the master of the situation. And if I occasionally and sometimes not entirely voluntarily ceded that status to the Scott, it was no harm to either of us!