The all-new 2024 Scott Ransom is now formally a gravity bike, because of an all-new ultra-plush & environment friendly 6-bar suspension design. As enduro driving blurs into bikepark freeride, Scott constructed a brand new, a lot more-capable Ransom. A motorcycle for the way mountain bikers really journey enduro lately. A motorcycle that actually goes uphill virtually in addition to it goes downhill. However nonetheless one that may simply shred back-to-back shuttles or bikepark runs.
2024 Scott Ransom 170mm 6-bar enduro mountain bike
Pedal up like you’re driving a path bike, flip a swap and descend such as you’re on a devoted freeride rig!
Scott went again to the drafting board for his or her all-new 2024 Ransom to construct a gravity bike that you possibly can additionally pedal to the highest of the mountain.
The earlier era of the Ransom was already a fairly succesful 170/170mm enduro bike with an adjustable geometry Horst-link 4-bar. However bikes and disciplines evolve. And by now, final 12 months’s newest all-mountain Genius ST, Tremendous Path, is already simply as succesful a descender as that outdated Ransom was on steep technical trails. So for his or her devoted enduro bike, there was room for enchancment when it got here to full-send descending.
With so many mountain bikers taking their enduro bikes up bikepark lifts and doing shuttle runs, it was clear that the brand new Ransom wanted to be extra of a gravity bike than ever. With the identical quantity of journey, this new one takes enduro to a different degree… with 6-bar suspension.
What’s new? What’s a 6bar?
Now, as Scott’s design engineers put it, “individuals anticipate to do some loopy stuff with enduro bikes lately”. So, they constructed an all-new freeride-capable Ransom.
The guts of their new enduro bike is an al-new 6-bar suspension structure, which gave the design crew extra advantageous management over efficiency adjustments like shock fee, axle path, chain development, and braking affect all through the bike’s journey. Actually, it permits for nearly utterly totally different suspension efficiency at totally different phases of journey.
Now 6-bar suspension deigns have gotten extra widespread in huge journey bikes. However they’re tougher to visualise mentally. And tougher for me to place into phrases. (Much more so, when Scott hides the shock inside, Daring-style.)
I wish to begin to visualize a 6-bar as if have been a bit less complicated to get a greater thought of what’s actually happening. It it weren’t for that (blue) dogbone, it will have 5 hyperlinks (simpler to think about its unstable motion with simply an additional hyperlink splitting the Horst 4-bar). However then, with that further management hyperlink (blue) connecting the 2 entrance quick hyperlinks (yellow & inexperienced), it guides their relative rotation mid-way by means of the journey – giving the suspension designer extra management over kinematics.
Principally, it appears to take the digital pivot idea to the subsequent degree, letting the suspension designers choose & select efficiency traits that they need.
Issues like supple early journey with extra rearward axle path for an opulent really feel. Much less chain development within the center to finish of journey and a flatter anti-rise curve for consistency pedaling by means of tough sections and restricted pedal relax on huge hits. A clean, constantly progressive leverage ratio that works nicely with giant quantity air or coil shocks.
Actually, it simply looks like the additional pivots give the engineers extra management over the state of affairs. And it merely feels nice out on the path.
Why so Built-in?
Possibly extra noticeable than the additional pivots and linkages tucked in there, is the Built-in Suspension Know-how design, hiding the rear shock contained in the enlarged downtube in entrance of the underside bracket. From a design & engineering perspective, Scott’s transfer right here is to get weight decrease within the bike, to permit longer dropper posts, and to guard the delicate shock from the soiled mountain biking components.
Because the lead Ransom engineer Kai Wheeler described it, “body Integration retains filth & mud out of shock seals. So finish of season suspension suppleness is rather like day one.”
I understand how my suspension will get handled year-round, and the way a lot mud I wipe off my seals after most journey. And I even have good thought how few mountain bikers lovingly care for their suspension and the way few really frequently service the internals (or pivots).
So, I can perceive that is likely to be the most effective reasoning for hiding shocks inside.
The brand new Ransom additionally strikes to built-in inner cable routing, too. Routing brake traces below the bar and into the body by means of a neat Syncros stem and thru the higher headset bearing. Service-wise you may flip the angle adjustable headset cup round with out messing with cables, however swapping to 0-offset or needing to exchange that bearing goes to require disconnecting line and bleeding brakes.
Additionally new is built-in storage within the downtube. Scott already needed to give the decrease finish of the body s huge cutout to entry the rear shock. So, they took benefit of that opening and the massive protecting bash guard cowl to retailer instruments & spares. Clipped into the duvet is an 8-bit mini instrument. After which, a plastic “Matchbox” slides up into the downtube and clips in place securely. Inside you get a spare tube strapped flat, plus a chaintool & tire levers.
New Adjustable Geometry
The brand new Ransom will get up to date enduro geometry that is a little more gravity infused. And it’s a 29er-only. Kinda.
A bit of longer body Attain and a little bit slacker headtube angle wish to make this bike go downhill quick. However it additionally will get a considerably steeper seattube angle to 77.2° for a extra ahead place for improved climbing. A whole lot of concentrate on placing extra weight on the entrance wheel for good steering dealing with grip. And it makes the bike really feel virtually quick when you find yourself going uphill. Don’t fret, it feels lengthy and slack happening.
That slackest 63.8° head angle can also be adjustable so you may advantageous tune your journey. Many will preserve it in that slackest -0.6° offset place for max stability at velocity. However flip the +/- 0.6° cups round to get a 65° angle for those who journey tighter trails the place you want extra maneuverability. Or the bike additionally comes with a zero offset cup for a 64.4° completely happy medium setting.
The rear finish can also be adjustable with a chainstay flip chip that permits an optionally available 27.5″ mullet rear wheel swap. No full bikes come arrange that manner, however Scott is aware of that critical gravity riders need choices relying on the place they journey or race. And with this easy chip, the mullet conversion is fast & straightforward.
Trac-Loc: a complete new kind of Twin-Loc 3-position distant lockout!
I first rode the triple-button Twin-Loc 2 distant lockout and dropper controls on the XC Spark when it first debuted the built-in inner shock structure for Scott 2.5 years again. It took a bit to regulate to. However wow, did it work nicely. Particularly that center lowered journey traction management mode (with lowered air quantity AND greater compression damping). The brand new Genius additionally will get the identical setup, which Tyler present in nice exploded element right here.
Properly, now the Ransom reinvents the distant lockout, too. And this genuinely is likely to be the only characteristic that makes this bike work so nicely. (Sorry, 6-bar.)
You see, the brand new Trac-Loc isn’t really a lock-out. It nonetheless has 3-modes. However Scott calls these three: Climb, Ramp Management & Descend.
The unrestricted Descend mode is totally open as you’ll anticipate.
However the Ramp Management mode doesn’t change journey or compression damping. It’s merely closes an air chamber within the shock, growing suspension development, like including a bunch of quantity spacers on the push of a button. Magic.
Then, Climb mode is your regular decrease air quantity AND further compression mode, decreasing journey all the way down to 130mm and holding the bike sitting excessive to make pedaling uphill extra environment friendly.
Tech particulars
The brand new 2024 Scott Ransom is available in two ranges of body development, all with alloy hyperlinks. The highest-tier options ultra-hi-mod HMX (Excessive Modules Excessive) carbon entrance & rear triangles, solely on the highest 900 RC. A normal-spec hi-mod HMF entrance triangle paired to 6061 aluminum swingarm rear finish on all different fashions reduces price a bit, solely including a pair hundred grams.
All body specs mix 170mm of journey entrance and rear. And all lowered all the way down to 130mm in traction management Climb mode. There’s additionally a neat Sag-meter on the non-driveside hyperlink on the BB that makes suspension setup straightforward. And with the shock hidden, it lets you recognize for those who’ve used your whole rear wheel journey.
The bike sports activities 29″ wheels and a couple of.5″ tire clearance. It options inner cable routing by means of the adjustable angle headset – wi-fi or mechanical shift suitable, a PressFit BB92 backside bracket, UDH, and Enhance spacing. With the 31.6mm Syncros posts, you get lengthy dropper journey – 140mm on S, 180mm on M & 210mm on L & XL.
Pricing, choices & availability
5 full bike builds can be found of the brand new Ransom, all with 29″ wheels solely.
2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC
The 2024 Scott Ransom 900 RC that I examined is the highest of the crop at a whopping $10,000 / 10,000€. For that you just get the complete HMX carbon frameset, a Fox 38 Manufacturing facility fork to match the hidden Float X Nude EVOL Manufacturing facility shock hidden contained in the body, and an entire SRAM X0 Eagle AXS Transmission with Code Final Stealth brakes at a claimed 15.2kg.
A 1-piece carbon Syncros Hixon iC bar+stem cockpit, Duncan journey alter dropper, and no-nonsense alloy RaceFace R30 wheels wrapped in Maxxis Assegai EXO+/Dissector DoubleDown tires end the construct (tubeless sealant & valves included). Plus, in-built Syncros Tubeless Device within the handlebar ends & fully-stocked Matchbox package contained in the downtube.
Ransom 910 & Contessa 910
The stealth black $8000 / 8000€ Scott Ransom 910 softens the blow to your pockets only a bit, switching to the HMF mainframe & alloy rear, plus a Efficiency Elite fork & shock, and nonetheless a GX AXS Transmission with Code RSC Stealth brakes.
You get the identical bar, dropper, built-in instruments & tires, on Syncros Revelstoke 2.0 alloy wheels. All at a claimed 15.7kg (all weights claimed for a dimension M arrange tubeless, however with out the hidden instruments/spares put in).
A Contessa Ransom 910 construct on the identical value will get a flashier white & splatter paint end, however the identical precise spec, apart from a extra women-friendly Syncros Savona saddle vs the Tofino on all the different bikes. The one restrict is the Contessa solely is available in sizes S-L.
2024 Scott Ransom 920 & 930
Then, a 2024 Scott Ransom 920 at $6000 / 6000€ lops off one other two grand in mustard yellow by dropping again to a standard mechanical SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain on quaint Common Derailleur Hanger.
It will get a RockShox Zeb Choose+ fork, however the identical Fox Float X Nude shock hidden inside. Plus, alloy separate Syncros bar and stem (nonetheless with hidden inner routing), the identical Duncan dropper & Revelstoke 2.5 wheels for a claimed 16.4kg.
Lastly, the 5200€ Scott Ransom 930 gives the bottom price of entry to the brand new bike. (Sorry People, seems like this one isn’t coming your manner). You get the identical HMF carbon entrance finish with distant managed 3-position Fox Float X Nude shock inside and alloy rear because the 910 & 920, however a decrease spec once more – nonetheless with the Duncan dropper & Syncros Matchbox inner storage.
The 930 will get a RockShox Area R fork, the one Shimano construct with Deore 12sp & MT520 4-piston brakes, plus 30mm alloy tubeless rims on System hubs, at a weight of 16.7kg.
As for availability, it relies upon a bit country-to-country. However formally, the brand new 2024 Scott Ransom is slated to be in supplier retailers from the “early summer time”. So you’re going to get to driving as quickly as attainable.
So how does it journey?
My preliminary impressions have been that the bike actually crushes downhills. The 6-bar actually appears to do some gravity-shredding magic.
However actually, the very first thing I did on the brand new bike was to pedal it up some tremendous steep rocky & sandy hearth highway climbs to earn my turns a bit. And popping the brand new Ransom into reduced-travel traction mode actually did flip it right into a mountain goat. Pondering again, it’s kinda no shock that my <16kg check bike lowered to 130mm of rear wheel journey climbed like a daily path bike.
The magic of this bike actually feels just like the Trac-Loc. That lets it’s a killer freeride bike on the descents. And a wonderfully cheap path bike for the climbs again up. And there actually isn’t a lot of a draw back. Properly, apart from its impression to your pockets.
Tune in tomorrow morning for my full detailed overview of the Ransom 900 RC.
