Scott, as we know them today, are a long way from their beginnings back in 1958. Ed Scott, a skier from the US, saw a chance to improve ski poles and started producing them from aluminium instead of the traditional bamboo or steel. The company went on to manufacture various sporting goods and in 1970 started producing motocross goggles. Since 1978 Scott Sports have based their European headquarters in Switzerland. Their influence on the cycling world started to take effect in 1989 when they created the first ever clip-on aero bars. Greg LeMond took a very famous victory in the final time trial on the 1989 Tour De France using these bars. The Scott influence on the cycling community has increased over the years and are now producing high-quality mountain, road, hybrid and E-bikes around the world. As for the ski poles - they barely remember being wood!
Scott moved their headquarters to Switzerland in 1978. In 1989 they developed the first clip on aero bars for competitive racing cycling, something never seen before. This innovative design gave time trial riders and triathletes a much-improved aero position and the design has been adapted in various ways for aero bikes from all the major worldwide bike manufacturers. In 1991 Scott introduced their Unishock suspension and in 1998 manufactured the G-Zero full-sus mountain bike. In 2001 Scott moved into road bike production and introduced a road bike frame weighing in at less than 1kg. Scott Sports continue to develop and grow their range of bikes for all bike disciplines and have a reputation for quality throughout the world.
Although Scott started out within the ski industry, their move into moto-cross and later cycling has seen many innovative designs. They introduced their first mountain bike in 1986 and the clip-on aero bar in 1989 which found fame in the final time trial of the 1989 Tour De France. This most certainly helped Scott gain a firm foothold within the bike community. Scott continues to produce innovative, high-quality carbon bike frames for road and mountain bike use. Over the years their frames have been considered the lightest around with the G-Zero (in 1998) becoming fundamental in the development of full-suspension mountain bikes worldwide. The 2001 Team Issue road bike was the lightest road frame at the time but was beaten two years later by….the Scott CR1 at a mere 895g! It is this commitment to making the very best products using the latest technology that makes Scott one of the biggest names in sporting goods, with their bikes, helmets, and shoes show-casing their expertise in races around the world.
Scott bikes have, over the years, aimed to create the lightest road frames available. Starting in 2001 with the Team Issue breaking the sub 1kg mark and the CR1 followed two years later at 895g. When Scott started to produce bikes for triathlon they had already set the benchmark and by using the technology taken from the CR1 they went on to produce the Plasma in 2005. This state-of-the-art triathlon aero frame weighed only 980g. Even when the integrated seat-post was added the frame only weighed in at 1280g creating the lightest tri-specific frame in the world. Three years later Scott introduced the Addict. The frame weighed in at 790g, integrated seat-post 165g and when their IMP fork was added (330g) the Addict bike was probably one of the lightest out there, at a measly 5.9kg! Scott’s desire to create the lightest bike frames is not limited to their road bike range. In 2011 the lightest MTB frame ever produced, the Scale, was launched and the Scale 899 went on to win the MTB World Cup ridden by Nino Schurter. Scott continues to produce incredibly light frames and their HMX carbon fibre and NET technology can be found on all their high-end bike models.
With a long-standing reputation in sports, Scott has used their experience to develop a superb range of quality bike accessories including helmets, glasses, clothing and shoes for both off-road and road riding. This range of Scott products are designed and manufactured using the very latest technology and materials, ensuring they perform at the highest level.
When Scott introduced Unishock in 1991 their entry into mountain bike suspension was secured and in 1992 the first Scott full-suspension bike was shipped. In 1998 the world saw the introduction of the lightest full-suspension mountain bike with the G-Zero. Scott did not stop there! The year 2003 saw Scott launch the Genius – considered a revolution within the mountain bike community. The Genius shock came with three settings – lock-out, all-travel and traction mode. Thomas Frischknecht’s victory in a World Championship marathon event using the Scott Genius gave Scott a further boost in securing a strong presence within mountain biking. By applying the integrated moulding process (IMP) and CR1 technology along with their new Nude TC shock, Scott introduced the lightest full-suspension mountain bike in 2007. Two years later the Genius2 was born with their new Equalizer2 shock and Oil Transfer System. Scott’s Twin Lock suspension technology enables a rider to keep both hands on the bars while selecting travel range or lock out of both fork and rear shock. The Genius LT (long travel) offers the lightest all-mountain carbon frame for the trickiest descent with twin lock for the climb back up. Scott bikes are always looking for ways to develop innovative technology to ensure their mountain bikes are some of the best available.
See the Scott Bicycle range [LINK]
