The 2018 Scott Genius: Two Wheelsizes In One

Launched to the public as of today, Scott Sports has just unveiled the brand new 150mm travel Genius. For 2018 the Genius clocks up its 14th year on planet Earth, and the latest version introduces some hefty changes and updates to take its performance well into the future.

For a start, the new Genius is dual wheelsize compatible. That means the one frame and fork can handle either 29in or 27.5in wheels. There’s a small chip located in the upper shock mount that can be flipped around to accommodate the change in height of the different wheels. In 27.5in mode, the Genius is compatible with 2.5-2.8in wide festively plump tyres, while in 29er mode you’ll be able to run  2.4-2.8in tyres. Given that Scott was an early and significant proponent of plus rubber, it’s an interesting tack.

Wheelsize adaptability aside, there’s plenty more changes going on with the new Genius, so lets have a closer look.

“The Genius has been a longstanding staple in our range of mountain bikes for many years now. Having always been the result of a focus on innovation, technology and design, the Genius has evolved over the years in order to be able to tame anything that comes its way. With the latest iteration of our all mountain trail bike, one concept formed the backbone of the development process. What comes down, must go up. This has always been the premise of the genius, it truly is the perfect mtb for every trail it encounters. Steep rooty climbs? no problem. Fast, flowy single track? Yes please. 2000m long descents in the alps? Music to our ears. With the genius, no matter the trail, no matter the conditions, no matter the rider, it is always the right tool for the job” – From Scott Sports.

Scott Genius Features

• Full suspension trail bike
• Available in carbon and alloy frame options
• Compatible with 27.5in and 29in wheels
• Adjustable flip chip in rocker link to change wheelsize
• Max tyre clearance: 27.5×2.8in or 29×2.6in
• 150mm rear travel
• Metric sized shock with trunnion mounting
• 150mm fork travel
• 65.6º head angle
• 74° seat angle
• Threaded bottom bracket shell
• 148x12mm Shimano E-Thru rear axle
• 436mm chainstay length
• Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
• Claimed frame weight: 2249 grams

Rear suspension remains at 150mm, but the way Scott has gone about it is completely different to the previous Genius frame. It’s still a four-bar linkage, but gone is the top tube mounted rear shock, and in its place is a vertically mounted rear shock that sits just forward of the seat tube. The rearward pivot has also moved from the seatstays and down to the chainstays just forward of the rear axle. This change in pivot location has been made possible due to the expiration of Specialized’s FSR patent, allowing Scott (along with other brands such as Transition) to use the Horst Link pivot location without fear of repercussions.

Also updated is the move to a new Metric-sized rear Fox Nude shock that uses a trunnion mount for the lower eyelet. This wider pocket purportedly increases stiffness around the downtube and bottom bracket junction, and it also means the remote lockout cable can be discreetly hidden through a port on the downtube. It’s all very neat and tidy.

Up at the bars you’ll find a 3-position suspension lever that offers Open, Traction and Lockout settings. The lever connects to the fork as well, so it simultaneously adjusts both the fork and shock at the same time. In the Traction mode, the fork remains at 150mm travel, but simply has the compression setting wound up to firm the travel. For the rear shock, an air chamber is blocked off that limits the travel down to 130mm. Lockout mode is exactly that – fully locked front and rear.

With six cables coming off the front of handlebar, Scott has done well to manage all of those cables. For the rear brake, derailleur, dropper post and rear shock lockout cable, they all run straight into the downtube via the ports behind the head tube.

To go along with the new Genius, Scott has teamed up with its component brand Syncros to debut several new high-performance parts. The Hixon is a stunning carbon fibre creation that combines a handlebar and stem into one to create a lighter, stronger and cleaner cockpit. Weighing in at just 290g, the Hixon uses a 760mm width with the option of 40mm, 50mm and 60mm lengths.

In addition to the 10+ range of regular Genius models, Scott is also releasing an e-bike version called the E-Genius. Using the same 150mm travel suspension design and 150mm travel fork, the E-Genius adds in a 250W motor.

New for Scott, it’s a Shimano STEPS E8000 motor system, rather than the Bosch drive that Scott has utilised for the last couple of years for its e-MTB range. More and more brands are also moving towards the Shimano system, as the E8000 motor offers a narrower Q-factor and the ability to build in shorter chainstays.

There’s far, far more detail on the new Genius than we could possibly bore you with via text, so instead we’ve got this brilliant video courtesy of Scott Sports that’ll give you ALL OF THE INFORMATION. Alternatively, head to the Scott Genius page for another round of knowledge.