Scott: ’27-plus’ adds up to huge benefit for off-road riders

PARK CITY, Utah (BRAIN) — It’s little wonder the 27.5-plus mountain category gets top billing in Scott Sports’ 2016 catalog. The Swiss brand has been beating the drum lately about the wheel/tire combo, in which 2.8- or 3-inch tires — make that 2.8s in Scott’s case — combined with wide rims and the Boost front and rear hub spacing are claimed to offer some of the flotation and bigger contact patch of fat bike tires without significantly sacrificing the rollover performance of traditional 29er tires or the nimble handling of narrower 27.5-inch treads.

Scott will be bringing eight new 27.5-plus models to the U.S. this fall — two hardtails and six full-suspension rigs — marking the broadest introduction yet for the emerging wheel/tire size. 

At a media launch Sunday in Park City, Scott USA mountain bike marketing manager Zack Vestal likened the leap to the company’s early dive into the 27.5/650b market three years ago. “We’re excited to to be at the front of another leap forward into mountain biking — and that’s the 27-plus size,” he said.

Scott announced in June that it would be launching five 27.5-plus bikes in the U.S. and 11 in Europe this year, including an electric model for the international market. But the enthusiastic dealer response to the initial announcement spurred Scott to quickly add a trio of bikes to the U.S. launch. So the three-model Genius LT Plus range, with 160 millimeters of adjustable rear travel via a Fox Nude rear shock, complements  Scott’s three Genius Plus 140-millimeter full-suspension rigs and two Scale Plus aluminum hardtails. 

The bikes are on target to arrive at Scott’s U.S. warehouses in November. Pricing will be announced to retailers at Scott’s dealer launch in Park City this week, said John Quinn, USA executive vice president of Scott Sports.

Much like the rider experience has been enhanced by longer-travel bikes, larger disc brake rotors and dropper saetposts, Vestal said, the greater traction and stability of 27.5-plus could help open riders of all skill levels to new types of terrain. “It makes any trail more fun thanks to the grip and confidence on the trail,” he said.

Scott zeroed in on a 40-millimeter rim width — produced under the Syncros brand, which Scott acquired in 2012 and relaunched in 2013 — after experimenting with rim widths from 30 to 50 millimeters. The 40-mil puts a generous portion of the tire in contact with the ground while still lending the tire ample support down to pressures as low as 13 psi, noted Rene Krattinger, Scott bike product manager based in Switzerland.

As for tires, Scott leveraged its relationship with longtime spec partner Schwalbe. The first design, a 3-inch-wide tread, proved too bouncy and unstable cornering, Krattinger said. A subsequent 2.8-inch design was hampered by excess rolling resistance, but a lower-profile 2.8 revision delivered the desired cornering and control.

“For me, the tire size is just beginning. … It’s just a new world. It helps the beginner — even the pro is better,” Krattinger said.