SCOTT Scale RC 2023: total renovation

SCOTT has just completely revamped its reference hardtail mountain bike. The SCOTT Scale 2023 is here and starts at €1,199 in aluminium and €2,199 in carbon with a new version that is faster and lighter than ever.

SCOTT Scale 2023 range models and prices

Key features of the SCOTT SCALE 2023

• Weight: the new frame is 847 g
• Full-suspension geometry: the new Scale adopts virtually identical geometry to the Spark, including variable head angle.
• Stiffness: stiffer monocoque construction than ever before.
  
• New design: the new frame retains its racing and aggressive aesthetics but is full of smart solutions.
• Maximum integration.
• Frame available in 2 carbon versions and 1 aluminium version.

What's new in the Scale 2023

This is the fourth version of the legendary Scale, an iconic model in the history of mountain biking and with which Nino Schurter won his first World Championship in 2009 or the silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, among others. It was undoubtedly one of the reference hardtail MTBs and has just been completely updated to continue setting trends.

Geometry and design: the science behind every number

Although at first glance the new Scale has a similar character to the previous versions, the design team considered a complete renovation of the model. The 2023 version had to be optimised to offer more performance to a wider group of cyclists and to adapt to the new circuits and courses of the sport. Swiss biomechanists and the SCOTT-SRAM Racing Team riders, led by Nino Schurter, were involved in the process.

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The result is a stiffer, lighter bike with a geometry inspired by SCOTT's Spark RC full suspension MTB, but optimised to take advantage of the characteristics of a hardtail.

Compared to the previous version, the Scale 2023 has a 20mm longer reach, its head angle has been relaxed by 2° and the saddle angle is 1.4° more vertical. This makes it a more stable hardtail on downhills and when tackling technical sections without losing reactivity or power transmission.

The geometry numbers are virtually identical to those of the Spark, but the front end is fitted with 100mm travel forks, which makes more sense on an XC hardtail intended for racing on fast courses without very complicated obstacles.

What it has also inherited from the Spark is the ability to change the head angle by plus or minus 0.6° by simply turning the headset cups. No need to remove cables or brake whips. This allows you to modify the capabilities of the bike depending on whether you want it to be more downhill or uphill.

Weight and stiffness:

When it comes to a hardtail, weight and stiffness are two features that should stand out, and the Scale 2023 is no exception. Frame weight has been reduced while stiffness has been increased compared to the previous version, but this has been achieved through a number of clever design solutions that are worth looking at one by one.

Unlike its previous version, the Scale 2023 is built on a monocoque frame that has gained structural stiffness by avoiding joints. The front triangle is made from a single mould and has only 3 separate parts that are moulded together. With this construction design, in addition to the extra stiffness, weight is reduced.

But the weight and stiffness has also been influenced by the design and the more than 30 years SCOTT has been working with carbon.

During the development of the new frame, SCOTT divided the frame into two conceptual zones, one focused on stiffness and the other on lightweight. The lower zone consisting of the down tube, bottom bracket area and chainstays form the stiffness zone of the new Scale as it is the area that has to withstand the most forces during pedalling. The top zone, the lightweight zone on the other hand, was able to focus on weight savings.

With this design as a base, the Scale 2023 is a further demonstration of SCOTT's technical mastery of carbon. In areas of the frame where stiffness is essential, such as bottom bracket and headset, a higher proportion of high or ultra-high modulus carbon fibres have been used to withstand the most intense forces with less deformation. While more ductile and flexible fibres have been used in areas more concerned with pedalling comfort.

After analysing more than 1 million possibilities that took into account fibre orientation, fibre type and size, they finally came up with the perfect combination to build a frame optimised for weight, stiffness, strength and comfort.

But, as we have already mentioned, the SCOTT Scale 2023 comes with a number of new solutions that have allowed it to reduce weight.

Metal inserts have been reduced to a minimum and replaced by lighter polymer components, such as the bottle cage inserts or the minimalist chain guide. In fact, we think the new bottle cage insert system is so successful that we wouldn't be surprised if it becomes standard in a short time.

All these adjustments have made it possible to almost halve the weight of the mounting parts, from 82 to 45 grams in total for the HMX-SL carbon frame.

Continuing with the clever design details, the dropouts (the junction between stays and chainstays) are now hollow, which reduces weight and allows for a clean design that leaves the axle head embedded in the frame. And for the rear brake mount, a minimalist post mount system has been chosen that continues to save grams and is in line with the minimalist design.

Under the bottom bracket is a service door that reminds us of the one we now see on all SCOTT models with the integrated rear shock, but this time it is a service door that allows access to the internal cable routing without the need to remove the bottom bracket. 

Integration

The internal cable routing system has been optimised on the new Scale to help reduce overall weight, but on the handlebar side, integration takes on a whole new meaning with Syncros' all-new Fraser iC combo handlebar.

 

This handlebar guides the cables discreetly underneath the handlebar until they disappear inside the headset. A system that we have already seen in other models and that achieves a unique look.

The headset also includes the aforementioned angle change system, which allows the geometry of the bike to be varied by turning the headset cups 180 degrees without touching the cable routing.

SCOTT Scale 2023 alloy version

The Scale 2023 also comes in an alloy version that retains the same DNA of the competition line, the Scale RC, but at a more affordable price.

This alloy Scale 2023 retains optimised geometry, internal cable routing from the headset and a recognisable design with clean, aggressive lines.

 

The frame has been manufactured using the hydroforming technique, which allows the creation of complex shapes by using high pressure liquids to create tubes in moulds. This process allows each tube and frame section to be optimised in terms of weight, stiffness and comfort. 

SCOTT Scale 2023 full range and set-ups

The new SCOTT Scale 2023 range is composed of 24 models if we take into account frames and colours. The RC line includes 5 models made of carbon HMX SL, HMX or HMF, and the 900 line includes 7 models with HMF carbon frame and 7 in alloy.

SCOTT Scale RC SL

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMX SL
• Drivetrain: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS with power meter
• Brakes: Trickstuff Piccola
• Fork: Fox 32 SC Float Factory
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros Silverton SL2-30 Carbon
• Price: 13,999€

SCOTT Scale RC WC EVO

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMX 
• Drivetrain: SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS 
• Brakes: Shimano XTR
• Fork: Rock Shox SID SL Ultimate RD3
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: DT Swiss XRC 1200
• Price: 9,699€

SCOTT Scale RC WC

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMX 
• Drivetrain: SRAM X01 Eagle
• Brakes: SRAM Level TLM
• Fork: Rock Shox SID SL Ultimate RL3
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: DT Swiss XRC 1501
• Price: 7,499€

SCOTT Scale Team Issue

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF 
• Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle AXS
• Brakes: Shimano XT
• Fork: Rock Shox SID SL Ultimate RL
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: DT Swiss XR 1850
• Price: 4,799€

SCOTT Scale RC Team

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT
• Brakes: Shimano XT
• Fork: Rock Shox SID SL RL
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros Silverton 2.0
• Price: 3,499€

SCOTT Scale 910

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: SRAM GX-NX AXS
• Brakes: Shimano SLX
• Fork: Fox 32 SC Float Performance
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price: 3,999€

SCOTT Scale 920

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: SRAM GX Eagle
• Brakes: Shimano Deore
• Fork: Fox 32 SC Float Performance
• Remote control:  RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price: 3,369€

SCOTT Scale 925

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT SLX
• Brakes: Shimano MT501
• Fork: Fox Float Rhythm
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price: 2,799€

SCOTT Scale 930

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT Deore
• Brakes: Shimano MT401
• Fork: Fox Float Rhythm
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price:

SCOTT Contessa Scale 910

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT Deore
• Brakes: Shimano MT401
• Fork: Fox Float Rhythm
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price: 

SCOTT Scale 940

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: SRAM NX SX Eagle
• Brakes: Shimano MT200
• Fork: RockShox Judy Silver TK
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price: 2,199€

SCOTT Contessa Scale 920

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 HMF
• Drivetrain: SRAM NX SX Eagle
• Brakes: Shimano MT200
• Fork: RockShox Judy Silver TK
• Remote control:RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros X 30 SE
• Price:

SCOTT Scale 950

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: Shimano XT Deore
• Brakes: Shimano MT501
• Fork: Fox Float Rhythm
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price: 2,249€

SCOTT Scale 960

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: SRAM NX Eagle
• Brakes: Shimano MT401
• Fork: Fox Float Rhythm
• Remote control: RideLoc 3P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price: 2,049€

SCOTT Scale 965

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: Shimano SLX Deore
• Brakes: Shimano MT401
• Fork: Rock Shox Judy Silver TK
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price: 1,599€

SCOTT Contessa Scale 930

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: Shimano SLX Deore
• Brakes: Shimano MT201
• Fork: Rock Shox Judy Silver TK
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price:

SCOTT Scale 970

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: SRAM MX SX Eagle
• Brakes: Shimano MT200
• Fork: Rock Shox Judy Silver TK
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price: 1,499€

SCOTT Contessa Scale 940

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: SRAM MX SX Eagle
• Brakes: Shimano MT200
• Fork: Rock Shox Judy Silver TK
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price:

SCOTT Scale 980

• Frame: Scott Scale 2023 Alloy 6061
• Drivetrain: Shimano Deore
• Brakes: Shimano Mt200
• Fork: Suntour XCR32 RL-R
• Remote control: RideLoc 2P
• Wheels: Syncros
• Price: 1,199€