SCOTT BIKES
When we insert an new brand into our mix, there's always a good reason. Sometimes it has to do with the culture behind a company, how passionate they are about what they do. sometimes it's the level of service and dedication to the sport and many times it's simply because the stuff just flat-out performs. Sometimes we select a product based on how technically excellent it is, how much homework, research and development and attention to detail the company puts into the end product...

Scott was one of those "we're 90% where we want to be as far as our bike selection goes... but we're still missing something" A little bit more bling, a little bit more technology, a little bit more cred with the molecular-density crowd. They just happenned to ride AMAZING. So it was easy. (Trust me, it's never, ever easy).

AN IMPRESSIVE INNOVATION TIMELINE

Dedicated to the same core values that Gord's adheres-to without all the overt sense of humor, Scott Bikes would most likely fall into the category labeled Technology Obsessed. The fine folks at Scott Bikes are clearly devoted to being technically dominant. Scott engineers are very serious about making sure every single one of their offerings is on the cutting edge of bike innovation. Take for example the Genius series of bikes... Brought to market in 2003 Scott Genius Bikes still have no equal when it comes to technical innovation on a 5 inch bike. FANTASTIC WOMEN'S BIKES Scott Calls them "Contessa" and they are simply gorgeous. Outside Magazine voted the top-end Contessa Spark it's "Best Cross Country Racer" award and added "Pedaling this nimble featherweight, one tester reported soaring up steeps she normally inches up in granny gear. Another, this one a freestyle rider doubted the full-carbon beauty could handle a beating, but after a punishing four-hour technical grind, she gave the four-inch-travel Contessa an unqualified thumbs-up—thanks to components like Deore XT disc brakes, which offer both power and finesse." From the top down, Contessa bikes blew the girls away at our bike test during INTERBIKE in Vegas this past September, so much so that Catherine decided to get herself her very own Contessa Spark. The geometries were right, the specs were bang-on, they rode so well and while some bikes were priced a little high, we made sure to select and stock those Contessa's that provided the very best bang for the buck. FULL SUSPENSION WET DREAMS Not too sure if that title is PC enough But it sure exemplifies best how these Squishy bikes perform. With their standard handle-bar mounted rear-suspension lock-out systems that allow, (on most Scott bikes) the luxury of selecting Lock-out, half-travel and full-travel, these bikes are a dream to rip around on. Designed for those who gobble up technology and those control-freaks who want to tweak, tune and fine-tune all aspects of their rides, these bikes are sure to please both the self-proclaimed techno-geeks and those who don't care, just-as-long-as-the-bike-works alike. The main reason we looked at scott to begin with was for their full-suspension offerings... But low and behold even their hard-tails such as the bling bling carbon Scale 30 are uber sweet! But what truly sets Scott apart, (just like Jamis and Commencal), is their amazing line-up of delicious full suspension bikes. bikes that flow, climb. Bikes that smooth out all terrain imperfections and just GO. Bikes like the very affordable Aspect 15 or the the much celebrated Genius family of 5 inch, super efficient platform of full-suspension bikes, bikes that allow you do do absolutely everything and go absolutely everywhere. We especially like their commitment to the 5 inch full suspension platform. we believe it's the perfect platform for Manitoba riders who do more than just race their bikes. Efficient, light weight 5 Inch bikes allow riders to do more... Think larger sweet spot. Scott believes in that platform as well. and that's part of why we're very proud and hyper excited to be a Scott dealer. We simply can't say enough about the damned things... And when you slot in Scott bikes with our other bikes Jamis, Commencal and Rocky Mountain ... Well let's just say we can, with absolute confidence state that we offer the very best line-up of full-suspension bikes anywhere. ONLY AVAILABLE IN CANADA AND EUROPE! There's an interesting story behind the Genius and Aspect Full Suspension bikes that's worth sharing with you all, here's how one on-line publication put it: "For all of you American riders who were looking forward to jumping on a Scott Genius for the coming season, you don’t have to hold your breath any longer. Because it ain’t going to happen. According to a story published on the Bicycle Retailer and Industry News website, Scott USA has agreed to withhold Genius and Aspect Full Suspension Bikes from US shores after a bitter an 18 month legal battle with Specialized bikes that saw Specialize use strong-arm tactics to lean on its dealers (those who also sold Scott) to stop selling Scott bikes. Needless to say it got a little ugly. But in the end, Scott got a bunch of free publicity, some dealers took it personaly and decided to side with Scott and the rest is history. If you live outside of the United States (that's us: Woohoo!), chances are pretty decent that you’ll be able to find the most excellent and highly decorated Scott Genius and Aspect bikes since Specialized’s patent rights on the element that was at the the root of the disagreement — the Horst linkage — do not extend beyond American borders. The history of the dispute between Specialized and Scott is well covered on recent articles on many a bike Magazine." Truth be told, it non-issue for us Canadians. We're lucky in that we get to have a choice. And like Martha said "that's a good thing".

Scott has always been at the forefront of sports technology... Here's an interesting timeline we poached off the web from Scott's excellent website: 1958 The Birth of SCOTT and the Revolution of Ski Poles The sport of skiing was revolutionized with a technical innovation from Ed Scott, a talented engineer and ski racer living in Sun Valley, Idaho. Ed Scott's invention of the first tapered aluminum ski pole immediately replaced the sport's existing use of bamboo and steel. That revolutionary invention launched a new brand, SCOTT, and fundamentally positioned SCOTT as a technical product leader in the skiing market. Ed Scott's initial vision of technical innovation would serve as the cornerstone company philosophy as the brand matured and expanded to new markets. 1970 Motocross Market Entry . In 1970, SCOTT entered the motocross goggle market with the first ever motocross specific goggle and later introduced motocross boots, grips and accessories. 1971 Lightest Ski Boot and First Foam Ventilated Goggle. In 1971, SCOTT produced the world's lightest ski boot and introduced one of the first ski goggles utilizing foam ventilation. 1978 European Headquarters Opens. In 1978, SCOTT opened its European Headquarters in Fribourg, Switzerland, an hour away from the world-renowned ski resort of Verbier. 1986 Most Sophisticated Ski Pole Factory and First Mountain Bike. In 1986, SCOTT opened the world's most sophisticated ski pole factory and became the global leader in ski pole production. That same year SCOTT introduced its first mountain bike. 1989 First Aero Bar In 1989, SCOTT introduced one of the most significant product innovations in the history of bicycling - the aerodynamic handlebar. The handlebar was strategically utilized by American Greg Lemond in his 1989 Tour de France win. 1991 Unishock Suspension In 1991, SCOTT entered into the production of mountain bike suspension with Unishock. American Ruthie Mathes won the MTB World Championship using Unishocks that same year. 1992 First Scott Full-Suspension Mountain Bikes In 1992, SCOTT shipped its first full-suspension mountain bikes and later introduced cycling shoes and helmets. 1995 Endorphin, the first full carbon fiber mountain bike. SCOTT introduces its first carbon mountain bike. It is a hardtail featuring many advantages of a fully suspended frame. Thanks to many victories in the World Cup and at the Olympic Games, as well as great coverage in the media, the bike and the name, Endorphin, became a true legend. 1998 G-Zero: the Lightest Full-Suspension Bike Worldwide. SCOTT presents the lightest full-suspension mountain bike worldwide. The name "G-Zero" becomes a milestone in the development of the bike industry. 2000 The Strike Breaks All Records. SCOTT breaks all records with the new Strike carbon bike, the lightest full-suspension bike worldwide. 2000 Thomas Frischknecht signs with Scott SCOTT signs living mountain bike legend Thomas Frischknecht. In the same year, SCOTT enters into professional sponsorship of road racing. 2000 Ski Accessory Innovations SCOTT rolled out a global launch of patented goggle innovations: the RAM Air ventilation system and the revolutionary Amplifier lens. Forty years after founding the brand with a new revolutionary ski pole, SCOTT recently released yet another ski pole innovation: the patent-pending, adjustable LeverLock ski pole strap system. 2001 A New Record for Lightness SCOTT presents the road-bike Team Issue with the lightest frame worldwide (lighter than 1 kg). 2002 Victory at the Tour de France Patrice Halgand of the professional road racing team Jean Delatour, sponsored by Scott, wins, among other top rankings in road races, the 10th stage of the Tour de France. At this point, the road-bike sector becomes an important marketing axis for SCOTT. 2003 The Record for Lightness - One More Time! SCOTT launches the CR1, the lightest frame on the market (895 gr). The CR1 is a carbon road bike using HMF technology which has already been used in the legendary Strike full-suspension mountain bike. 2003 The Arrival of the Genius - 'A Revolutionary Mountain Bike' In the same year SCOTT presents the Genius, a new concept of a full-suspension bike with a shock-adjustable into three different modes (lock-out mode, all-travel mode, and traction mode.) Pretty soon magazines were filled with reports on the new Genius. The success of the new SCOTT bike was highlighted by Thomas Frischknecht's victory in the marathon event at the World Championships in Lugano, Italy. Frischi was riding a Genius MC. 2004 Scott wins European Ski Award with the Biomex® helmet SCOTT is proud to introduce a major innovation in the helmet market: the BIOMEX® helmet. Created in cooperation with Biomex® Protection, this helmet is a big step forward for head safety in wintersports. The Biomex features a Dual Band Roll Cage (rectangular shape), which reduces the swing weight and makes it even more comfortable to wear; this design also contributed to the CE 1088 and ASTM 2040 safety certifications. 2005 Scott introduces the Ransom, the bike that redefines all-mountain biking. Pushing the travel expectations for this category upward, the Ransom maintains a reasonable overall weight and features an intelligent, efficient suspension design. The Ransom is the definitive backcountry bike experience, with a frame weighing less than 7 lbs including the rear shock (3080 grams including shock) and offering up to 165 mm (6.5 inches) of travel. 2005 Scott develops the lightest triathlon bike on the market Utilizing Scott’s proprietary CR1 technology, our time trial experience at the ProTour level, and the input of professional triathletes Cameron Brown and Steve Larsen, our engineers have developed a state-of-the-art triathlon frame; the PLASMA. The frame is 980 grams (2.15 lbs.) light. Add the integrated aero seatpost at 300 grams (.66 lbs.) and the result is the world’s lightest aero carbon frame with triathlon-specific geometry. 2007 790 grams frame weight - Complete bike below 6 kg The new Addict is the lightest road frame available, just 790 grams with integrated Seatpost (165 grams). By developing further upon our successful CR1 process, we’ve created a state of the art Integrated Molding Process (IMP™) and mated it with our Naked External Tubeset (NET™), which removes the cosmetic layer of carbon and shaves precious grams off of the entire frame. The Addict also features carbon dropouts, an integrated carbon seatpost, a replaceable allow hanger, and a carbon front derailleur mount. The Addict was developed with feedback from our Pro-Tour Saunier Duval Prodir athletes Gilberto Simoni and Leonardo Piepoli. When combined with our new, slimmer carbon IMP™ fork that weighs just 330 grams, our new Addict weighs an amazing 5.9 kg (size 54). 2007 1790 grams - the lightest frame/shock combination in the world By applying our revolutionary new Integrated Molding Process (IMP™) to our already proven CR1 technology and new Nude TC™ shock, we’ve produced the lightest full suspension bike available. The Nude TC™ shock continues the legacy of our Genius™ design by offering three travel modes at your fingertips - All Travel mode (providing 110 mm of travel), Traction mode (offering 70 mm), and of course Lockout mode. The NudeTC™ was developed in cooperation with DT Swiss and features the innovative new Tracloc TC lever, which allows the rider to quickly change between travel modes on-the-fly. The Spark LTD also features carbon dropouts, our new Naked External Tubeset (NET™) carbon finishing process, an integrated carbon seatpost and a replaceable derailleur hanger. Complete 2007 Spark LTD weight: only 9.9 kg. 2008 Scott arrives at Gord's "Wicked cool" one employee is overheard muttering to himself as he looked inside one of the many bike boxes that recently showed up at L2.

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