Scott 2018 road and cyclo-cross bikes: which bike should you buy?
From the lightweight Addict RC to the aero Foil, via the alloy Speedster, Scott's 2018 range covers plenty of ground
If you look around at a typical local club run, you’re usually treated to a wide range of bike brands – but while well-known, we don’t think it’s that often you come across a Scott in the ranks. And that strikes us as strange.
The Swiss brand (yes, we forgive you if you thought it was Australian thanks to its long-time tie-up with the Aussie Michelton-Scott WorldTour team) has a well-established reputation in the industry for producing top bikes whether your goal is to go fast, long, up, or off-road.
So if you’re looking for a new bike, Scott has plenty of options to cover all corners of the market. Heading into 2018 on the aero front is the Foil, the bike that can be seen under rouleurs and sprinters like Mat Hayman (who won his Paris-Roubaix title aboard one) and Caleb Ewan.
Scott’s bikes have become a familiar sight in the pro peloton (Pic: Sirotti)
Then there’s the Addict RC – the bike of choice for climbers and Grand Tour specialists (that’ll be the Yates twins and Esteban Chaves). It’s a race bike, with a geometry to match, and specialises in providing a lightweight and stiff platform for the GC contenders to do their best work.
For those who aren’t racers, the non-RC Addict is the bike for you. With a comparatively relaxed endurance geometry and builds ranging from the race-ready to the entry-level, it’s got a lot of corners covered. No prizes for guessing what the Gravel and Cyclo-Cross versions are aimed at, further demonstrating the Addict’s versatility.
The Scott Addict RC and Scott Foil are the two premium race bikes in the Swiss brand’s range
The Speedster is Scott’s alloy road bike and the cheapest machine in the drop bar range. Like the Addict it features an endurance-focussed geometry to ease long days in the saddle, or indeed help newcomers to road riding settle into the sport. It’s priced as an entry-level bike too, although it’s got plenty of excitement to offer experienced riders too.
There’s also the Metrix. Normally, we tend not to feature flat bar bikes in our overviews, but here we’ll make an exception. That’s because, if you swapped in some drop bars, you’ve got yourself a fully-capable carbon road bike. You can’t say fairer than that, while the Plasma TT bike rounds off the range.
That’s the range in brief, so let’s delve deeper to see exactly what you can get for your money.
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Scott Foil
The Foil is Scott’s dedicated aero bike and is available in two tiers of carbon construction with both a rim and disc-brake option. It’s built around an aggressive geometry, yet at its core features Scott’s ‘Comfort Zone’ concept that allows the central portion of the frame to flex without compromising the stiffness required to win the world’s toughest races. Mat Hayman’s Paris-Roubaix victory is testament to that.
The top-level Foil RC bike, complete with a Shimano Dura-Ace groupset, Zipp 303 wheelset and premium Syncros carbon finishing kit costs £5,999. It features the top-shelf ‘HMX’ carbon layup, which is said to be 20 per cent stiffer than Scott’s ‘HMF’ carbon, also allowing for weight savings along the way. Claimed weight for the rim brake frame is 945g, while the disc brake chassis comes in at 970g.
The Scott Foil Premium Disc costs a cool £10,999
Second-tier HMF carbon can be found in the Foil 10 (Shimano Ultegra Di2), Foil 20 (Shimano Ultegra), and Foil 30 (Shimano 105) bikes, ranging from £2,499 to £3,799. Claimed weights for the HMF frame are 1,060g (rim) and 1,090g (disc).
The rim brake Foil range is topped by the Dura-Ace-specced RC
There’s are three Foil Disc bikes in the range. The 10 (Shimano Ultegra Di2, £4,299) and 20 (Shimano Ultegra £3,299) feature HMF-grade carbon; the top-of-the-range Premium Disc bike with Dura-Ace Di2 groupset has the top-level HMX layup and will set you back a cool £10,999.
Scott Foil 2018 bikes
Scott Foil RC (Shimano Dura-Ace) – £5,999
Scott Foil 10 (Shimano Ultegra Di2) – £3,799
Scott Foil 20 (Shimano Ultegra) – £2,899
Scott Foil 30 (Shimano 105) – £2,499
Scott Foil Premium Disc (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2) – £10,999
Scott Foil 10 Disc (Shimano Ultegra Di2) – £4,299
Scott Foil 20 Disc (Shimano Ultegra) – £3,299
Scott Addict RC
The Addict range of bikes has been around for years and has proven to be a very versatile platform. The Addict RC is the race-ready version, with a racy geometry and lightweight focus to make it a machine that excels in the mountains.
Once again there are the two grades of carbon to choose from, along with a selection of rim and disc brake bikes. The rim-brake bikes top out with the Addict RC Pro, with an HMX frame and fork that weigh a claimed 790g and 300g respectively. It’s tricked out with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, naturally, and will set you back £7,999.
The Scott Addict RC Pro frame weighs a claimed 790g
The 10 and 20-spec bikes (Dura-Ace and Ultegra) come with a claimed frame weight of 860g and cost £4,199 and £2,599 apiece.
The disc-brake version of the Addict RC features two bikes with the HMX carbon frame, with a SRAM Red eTap Ultimate bike topping the price list at £8,999, and a Premium version with a Dura-Ace Di2 groupset costing £8,599.
The Scott Addict RC Ultimate Disc is dressed in SRAM Red eTap
The 15 and 20 see a return of the HMF carbon, meanwhile – these cost £4,199 and £3,199 each and are fitted with Ultegra Di2 and Ultegra drivetrains respectively.
Scott Addict RC 2018 bikes
Scott Addict RC Pro (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2) – £7,999
Scott Addict RC 10 (Shimano Dura-Ace) – £4,199
Scott Addict RC 20 (Shimano Ultegra) – £2,599
Scott Addict RC Ultimate Disc (SRAM Red eTap) – £8,999
Scott Addict RC Premium Disc (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2) – £8,599
Scott Addict RC 15 Disc (Shimano Ultegra Di2) – £4,199
Scott Addict RC 20 Disc (Shimano Ultegra) – £3,199
Scott Addict
Where the Addict RC is the lightweight race machine (RC stands for Race Concept), the standard Addict has been redesigned as Scott’s endurance bike. So, there’s a more laid-back geometry for a long day’s ride, yet it remains sporty and very capable if you want to complete a sportive in a quick time.
The Addict sees the appearance of ‘MF’-spec carbon fibre in the frame and fork, which is Scott’s third-tier offering. Nevertheless, it has all the features that you’d expect from a high-end endurance road bike, including integrated cable routing, oversized bottom bracket and quality finishing kit. The 10 comes specced with Ultegra for £2,299, while the 20 and 30 feature Shimano 105 (£1,899) and Shimano Tiagra (£1,599) respectively.
The Scott Addict 10 has endurance at its heart, as opposed to the lightweight and racy focus of the Addict RC range
The Disc versions of the Addict mirror the rim-brake bikes for specifications and are priced at £2,699 (Ultegra), £2,199 (105) and £1,899 (Tiagra) respectively.
The Addict family of bikes also opens up a window into the emerging world of gravel riding, with three models tailored to this market. The frame has been tweaked to offer a slightly more relaxed geometry to meet its gravel-bashing aim, with the Gravel 10 Disc bike also featuring the top-spec HMX carbon layup. It comes with a SRAM Force 1x groupset and costs £5,999.
The Shimano 105-specced Addict 20 Disc is £2,199
The Gravel 20 and Gravel 30 frames receive HMF-grade carbon, and cost £3,699 for an Ultegra bike, or £3,099 for the Shimano 105 version.
Finally, there’s one cyclo-cross-specific Addict – a race-ready bike complete with a CX-specific geometry. This costs £3,499 and comes complete with a SRAM Force 1x groupset and Continental Cyclocross xKing tyres.
Scott Addict 2018 bikes
Scott Addict 10 (Shimano Ultegra) – £2,299
Scott Addict 20 (Shimano 105) – £1,899
Scott Addict 30 (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,599
Scott Addict 10 Disc (Shimano Ultegra) – £2,699
Scott Addict 20 Disc (Shimano 105) – £2,199
Scott Addict 30 Disc (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,899
Scott Addict Gravel 10 Disc (SRAM Force 1) – £5,999
Scott Addict Gravel 20 Disc (Shimano Ultegra) – £3,699
Scott Addict Gravel 30 Disc (Shimano 105) – £3,099
Scott Addict CX RC Disc Bike (SRAM Force 1) – £3,499
Scott Speedster
Stepping away from carbon is the Speedster, a aluminium alloy bike with an all-round geometry that matches its sporty intentions, without being overly aggressive. The Speedster is the bike aimed at riders new to the sport, so is designed to be accessible while still providing a lively ride.
There are a total of six rim brake bikes with a wide range of specifications, from the range-topping SE with a Shimano Ultegra groupset for £1,499, to the 50, which sees a rare outing for the Shimano Tourney tourer-oriented groupset for £699.
The alloy Speedster range offers a more affordable entry-point to the Scott line-up
The range is punctuated by two female-specific ‘Contessa’ versions too, while you will also find two disc brake bikes – featuring either a Shimano 105 (£1,399) or Shimano Tiagra groupset (£1,099). There’s a Contessa version of the disc machines too, which matches the 105 specification and price.
Scott has also produced two Speedster Gravel bikes, with clearance for 35c tyres – a cheaper entry into the gravel scene compared to the carbon Addict Gravel. The Gravel 10 105 bike costs £1,499, and the Tiagra-equipped 20 is £1,099.
Scott Speedster 2018 bikes
Scott Speedster SE (Shimano Ultegra) – £1,499
Scott Speedster 10 (Shimano 105) – £999
Scott Speedster 20 (Shimano Tiagra) – £899
Scott Contessa Speedster 25 (Shimano Sora) – £849
Scott Speedster 30 (Shimano Sora) – £799
Scott Contessa Speedster 35 (Shimano Claris) – £699
Scott Speedster 40 (Shimano Claris) – £699
Scott Speedster 50 (Shimano Tourney) – £699
Scott Speedster 10 Disc (Shimano 105) – £1,399
Scott Contessa Speedster 15 Disc (Shimano 105) – £1,399
Scott Speedster 20 Disc (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,099
Scott Speedster Gravel 10 Disc (Shimano 105) – £1,499
Scott Speedster Gravel 20 Disc (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,099
Scott Metrix
As we mentioned, a flat bar bike doesn’t normally make RCUK stories, but the Metrix is a bike with clear road DNA in the carbon frame technology of the Metrix 10 Disc. After buying a Metrix, you could easily fit a drop handlebar and compatible levers and convert it to a full road bike, if you wanted.
We wouldn’t normally feature flat-bar bikes on RCUK, but the carbon frame of the Metrix 10 Disc ensures it’s a performance-focused machine
Testament to this is the builds it comes in. The range tops out with the 10 – a £1,899 Shimano 105 bike – and the 20 and 30 feature an alloy frame (the 20 comes with a carbon fork, while the 30 has a full alloy frameset). They are dressed in Shimano Tiagra and Claris groupsets, for £1,099 and £799 respectively.
Scott Metrix 2018 bikes
Scott Metrix 10 Disc (Shimano 105) – £1,899
Scott Metrix 20 Disc (Shimano Tiagra) – £1,099
Scott Metrix 30 Disc (Shimano Claris) – £799
Scott Plasma
Scott offer four models of the Plasma time trial bike, with the Premium (Dura-Ace Di2) and RC (Ultegra Di2) bikes built using the top-spec HMX carbon, as well as featuring the Plasma 5 integrated cockpit and tri-specific storage options for £10,999 and £6,599 each.
Scott’s top-end Plasma TT bikes are made from the Swiss firm’s premium carbon and feature an integrated cockpit
The 10 and 20-spec bikes are HMF-grade carbon and come with Ultegra and 105 drivetrains respectively, and a standard time trial handlebar assembly. Those cost £3,499 and £2,999 apiece.
Scott Plasma 2018 bikes
Scott Plasma Premium (Shimano Dura-Ace Di2) – £10,999
Scott Plasma RC (Shimano Ultegra Di2) – £6,599
Scott Plasma 10 (Shimano Ultegra) – £3,499
Scott Plasma 20 (Shimano 105) – £2,999
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