Trail Test: Scott’s dirt-shredding, terrain-tackling Genius LT 710, taking your ride to new heights

Instead of testing the Scott Genius LT 710 on my home trails in Ontario, I took the bike out on some faraway testing grounds: the legendary routes of Moab, Utah. It was my first trip to Moab, so I didn’t know the specifics of the trails I’d be riding. Scott Bikes set me up with the mid-level Genius LT in the three-bike lineup for the high-desert technical terrain. The spec sheet on the bike looked ready for anything. The 27.5″ inch wheels, RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post, the 170-mm travel front and rear and a wide range of gearing had me feeling pretty confident with their offering.

After piloting the bike for four solid days on six trails, I know why this bike was created: to conquer your fears and push your riding to a higher level. Some may be dismissive of the bike’s generous amount of travel. With its sub-30 lb. weight and excellent pedalling capabilities, however, it is everything except a cross country race bike. A shock-mounted chip allows you to tweak the geometry. You can lower the bottom bracket for a slacker head- and seat-tube angle. The lower setting wasn’t my preferred choice as I clipped my pedals frequently riding this setup. Using 175-mm-long cranks that come stock on the large frame didn’t help that situation. After switching to the higher bottom bracket setting with steeper geometry, the bike became more responsive and I only clipped pedals occasionally. I figure people who like to climb as much as they like to descend will prefer the higher/steeper setting.

“I looked for the worst lines, just to keep things interesting.”

In slower, technical climbing, I found myself switching tothe 22-tooth chainring often to avoid cross-chaining in the 36-tooth big ring. The feeling of the crossed chain and the desert dust erasing any existence of lube on the chain had my then earlyseason legs tiring quickly. In more rolling terrain, I think a 30-tooth singlering setup would be a better option. But, with the big-mountain ability of this bike, the wider range of two rings does make sense.

After swapping bikes mid-ride with my riding partner, I realized a 140-mm-travel trail bike – which, back at home, feels unstoppable – required constant second guessing of line choice. On the Genius LT, I looked for the worst lines, just to keep things interesting. While riding the Porcupine Rim trail, I saw one rider with a broken collarbone looking for the nearest way out and one helicopter rescue. I was glad to finish my trip up in one piece, while still clearing technical sections that forced many riders to hike-a-bike. I now have a better feel of what I want my next bike to be: the Scott Genius LT 710 showed me exactly why.