# Scott Scale 960



## jowwy (14 May 2013)

Looking at getting one of these on the cycle to work scheme - so i can use the tracks, trails and towpaths to work (36mile round trip)

also its rural south wales, so hardly any tarmac on our towpaths, but i do have a tarmac cycle track to ride on for at least 5miles of the 18 mile inward trip

would like it to be a triple with a wide range, due to having a climb over approx 600ft on my return section, but total climbing back home is 1500ft

any advice appreciated and any other recommendations

i defo want a 29er, cause i want to do some off roading when my mates can't make the road ride training


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## jowwy (14 May 2013)

so we have no 29er riders out there


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## Cubist (14 May 2013)

jowwy said:


> so we have no 29er riders out there


Well, I have no strong feelings about wheel size, but both my MTBs are 26. MBR magazine have just done a "Hardtail of the Year" test, and the Scale 960 won the accolade in the £1k category. Interestingly the testers said that the parts package wasn't the best in test, but the frame and overall performance made it stand out from some more expensively equipped bikes.

Looks like a good choice, and I'd love to try one out. The testers were very positive about its riding position and poise. It apparently straddles XC and Trail in geometry. Never mind commuting on it, get it out on some of those Welsh trails and thrash it.


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## jowwy (15 May 2013)

Cubist said:


> Well, I have no strong feelings about wheel size, but both my MTBs are 26. MBR magazine have just done a "Hardtail of the Year" test, and the Scale 960 won the accolade in the £1k category. Interestingly the testers said that the parts package wasn't the best in test, but the frame and overall performance made it stand out from some more expensively equipped bikes.
> 
> Looks like a good choice, and I'd love to try one out. The testers were very positive about its riding position and poise. It apparently straddles XC and Trail in geometry. Never mind commuting on it, get it out on some of those Welsh trails and thrash it.


gonna be doing both on it cubist - commuting and thrashing


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## Cubist (15 May 2013)

jowwy said:


> gonna be doing both on it cubist - commuting and thrashing


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## jowwy (16 May 2013)

Cubist said:


> Well, I have no strong feelings about wheel size, but both my MTBs are 26. MBR magazine have just done a "Hardtail of the Year" test, and the Scale 960 won the accolade in the £1k category. Interestingly the testers said that the parts package wasn't the best in test, but the frame and overall performance made it stand out from some more expensively equipped bikes.
> 
> Looks like a good choice, and I'd love to try one out. The testers were very positive about its riding position and poise. It apparently straddles XC and Trail in geometry. Never mind commuting on it, get it out on some of those Welsh trails and thrash it.


what tyres do you use on your 29er cubist and what are they like on tarmac as i do have some sections of that to cover


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## Cubist (16 May 2013)

Sorry, I'm strictly a 26er myself. However, I like Schwalbe tyres, running them tubeless on both bikes. As a lot of my riding involves rocky stuff I use Snakeskin Evo Nobby Nics, but they'd be overkill on a commute. You could browse Singletrackworld for tyre advice, but be wary, as "What tyres for....." is a standing joke on the forum!


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## Kevin Airey (5 Jun 2013)

I got a Scott Scale 910 a few months back and love it, apart from one thing - the tyres!

Came with Rocket Ron tyres and they were great when conditions were damp/wet but now here in Spain everything is bone dry, rocky, loose gravel and sand, the tyres are horrific and make for a very nervous ride. I searched a lot on the net and it seems a common thing that people class them as dangerous in my kind of conditions and especially cornering!

So I too need to look a new tyres to suit our conditions.

I rode 26" prior and wouldn't go back, it's true what people say a 29 you feel like you are part of the bike whereas a 26 I feel like I am perched on top. This is personal preference though and I appreciate those that prefer a 26...


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## Motozulu (12 Jun 2013)

Cubist - just had delivered some Nobby Nic gatestar evo x4 snakeskins (takes deep breath) from bike discount in Chormany. Have'nt fitted them yet as I'm going to take the plunge into tubeless land with em but want to research it a bit first so...
1) Without wanting to start another 'What tyre' debate on here, what do you think of the Nics - I've had all the 'Naaah mate, what you want is Maxxis High rollers/Minions/Ardents blah blah' off various blokes out on the trails and
2) Going tubeless - seems an utter minefield..Stans..Ghetto....UST......what valves...your wheel type etc I may be 'overthinking' this as usual, but is there a definitive guide to how to achieve tubeless if you dont have tubeless specific rims?

Many thanks.


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## Motozulu (12 Jun 2013)

> Came with Rocket Ron tyres and they were great when conditions were damp/wet but now here in Spain everything is bone dry, rocky, loose gravel and sand, the tyres are horrific and make for a very nervous ride. I searched a lot on the net and it seems a common thing that people class them as dangerous in my kind of conditions and especially cornering!


 
For what it's worth my bike came with Rons on front and Ralphs on the back. Have actually thought they were quite good until Monday - we've had a very dry spell at Cannock and I was going a bit quick over the rock and rollers when the Ron landed on the dry stuff next to the rock facing of the rollers, washed out and dumped me, ribcage first against a rock, sat here now unable to ride with badly bruised ribs. I blamed myself for lack of skill/going too fast but maybe there is something in the 'they don't like it too dry' theory.

I am always wary of this though as tyre manufacturers don't set out to kill us and a lot of us do tend to blame tyres/conditions to cover up our own (in my case) poor riding technique. TBF parts of the monkey were so dry it looked like Spain and felt like riding with ball bearings on the floor - maybe not too many tyres could have coped well with that.

sorry for the ramble.


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## Kevin Airey (12 Jun 2013)

Rocket Ron's front and back, great in the winter and damp, but now the tracks are bone dry its like riding on ball bearings all the time, corners are downright dangerous...

Some of it is down to confidence and skill, but my confidence has been dented a permanent twitchy front and rear is not helping. More tyre pressure, less makes no difference :-(

Need to try something else on the rear but having read above not sure it will make much more difference if a Ron is still on the front....

Anyone got ideas for grippy tyres on dry track? Can get some good prices on Continentals, use them on the road but no experience of their off road range....


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## Cubist (12 Jun 2013)

Kevin Airey said:


> Rocket Ron's front and back, great in the winter and damp, but now the tracks are bone dry its like riding on ball bearings all the time, corners are downright dangerous...
> 
> Some of it is down to confidence and skill, but my confidence has been dented a permanent twitchy front and rear is not helping. More tyre pressure, less makes no difference :-(
> 
> ...


Dry hardback tyres tend to be the small block types, Kenda Smallblock 8 are a well known one, or DMR Moto RTs. without too much of a shameless plug I have some DMRs for sale, check the classifieds. 
@Motozulu I use Nics in all conditions, But my rims are Stans Flow and Arch Ex so can run tubeless using stans rim tape and valves with stans sealant. 

What rims are you using? A surprising number of rims will work with stans kit. Your tyres are already tubeless ready, and it is just possible that your rims will seal using ordinary stans tape. However, if they don't, you could use a stans rim strip which is like an inner tube and valve that slots onto your rim. You can replicate this using a 20inch BMX tube sliced open along the circumference, opened out flat and with the tyre fitted over the top. (ghetto)

UST is a fully tubeless system like a car tyre where the tyre locks solidly in the clincher to create a seal without sealant etc, but they are hugely heavy and really designed for DH. 

Tape valves and sealant on a TLR rim like Flows benefit from lower weight, and you can run lower pressures, so with a grippy tyre like a gate star you will get the most benefit, without fear of pinch flats on the rocks. I'm surprised you have a gate star rear though, pace star is quicker rolling and wears better. What tyre sizes are you using?


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## Cubist (12 Jun 2013)

Kevin Airey said:


> Rocket Ron's front and back, great in the winter and damp, but now the tracks are bone dry its like riding on ball bearings all the time, corners are downright dangerous...
> 
> Some of it is down to confidence and skill, but my confidence has been dented a permanent twitchy front and rear is not helping. More tyre pressure, less makes no difference :-(
> 
> ...


Forgot to say, not wrong with a Ron on the back, but you have to,learn to live with the drift. A grippy compound NIc or Hans Dampf on the front may make it behave better. Look for trail star or gate star compounds.


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## Kevin Airey (13 Jun 2013)

Hi Cubist thanks for taking the time and making a detailed reply!

The simple answer is yes my rims are tubeless ready *Syncros / DT Swiss XR 2.0*

My only concern is that your tyre suggestions may be based on smooth dry tracks and drifting round corners? The only reason I say that is I can cope with the drift of the rear its just that now the trails are like marbles but also with largish rough stones that don't move, so the drift (too much of) is what can land you in trouble, not to mention the 200ft plus drop at the edge! 

There isn't the perfect tyre for this situation just something better as the Ron's do not seem to get good dry reviews from many people.

Tubeless I have never thought about or researched too much, local racers use it but I just stuck with the quick repair of replacing a tube, I will have to look into this more....


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## Cubist (13 Jun 2013)

Here's tempting fate, but since fitting tubeless a year ago I haven't needed any tyre levers or patches. .......... You can run lower pressures so a soft compound tyre can grip better. Marbles you have to deal with as you find, I don't suppose any tyre will deal with them, but a decent front with bags of side knob grip like a Nic or (I'm told) a Dampf will be a good starter for ten on most trails, but I stress, go with the gripper Trailstar or Garestar compounds up front.


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## jowwy (13 Jun 2013)

I've got more 29er's to throw into the mix now, due to the fact out c2w doesnt start till end of june, which mean's i have been looking and looking and looking

its The Norco Nitro 9.1 @990 (10% off ) or the Lapierre Pro Race @1000

there is also the specialized rockhopper comp @800


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## Kevin Airey (14 Jun 2013)

Cheers Cubist will have a look into this, might even just give the NICs a go, the rims came with a tubeless conversion and if I get the tyre version that can be run tubeless I can decide later what to do in that regard. 

I can't figure out if the DAMPF is supposed to be a better tyre or not, I'll have a word in the LBS here but in Spain they are not that great and carry very limited stocks so tend to push what they have sat on the shelf!


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## Motozulu (14 Jun 2013)

Cheers Cubist the rims are 'Sun Ringle Radium MA' does'nt say tubeless ready so I assume they are not, I'll have to research what I need to achieve tubeless with these as I can't afford more wheels right now - noticed both tyres are the pacestar flavour (Ron and Ralph) though so maybe worth my while putting one of the Gatestar Nics on the front and having the Ron on the back?

Kev I don't know from personal experience but everyone on the different forums seem to rate the Hans Dampfs better than Nics - almost like the HD's are a Nic upgrade. I went for the Nics as they were on a special deal as a pair on Bike-Discount and I did'nt fancy the HD's as I could only see 2.35 size and I want to keep the weight down. I've also got an On One Smorgasbord on the Merida which makes a decent rear too.


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## Motozulu (14 Jun 2013)

PS 26" wheels here.


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## Cubist (14 Jun 2013)

Motozulu said:


> Cheers Cubist the rims are 'Sun Ringle Radium MA' does'nt say tubeless ready so I assume they are not, I'll have to research what I need to achieve tubeless with these as I can't afford more wheels right now - noticed both tyres are the pacestar flavour (Ron and Ralph) though so maybe worth my while putting one of the Gatestar Nics on the front and having the Ron on the back?
> 
> Kev I don't know from personal experience but everyone on the different forums seem to rate the Hans Dampfs better than Nics - almost like the HD's are a Nic upgrade. I went for the Nics as they were on a special deal as a pair on Bike-Discount and I did'nt fancy the HD's as I could only see 2.35 size and I want to keep the weight down. I've also got an On One Smorgasbord on the Merida which makes a decent rear too.


That's the way I'd run the bike.

Hans Dampf means jack of all trades in German. It reviews well because it's new, so the magazines push them, but they weigh more than Nics and are draggier. Mate of mine wishes he'd not bothered.


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## Kevin Airey (14 Jun 2013)

Mmm what to try next... :-)

DAMPFs do only seem to be in 2.35 I buy a lot of stuff from Bike Discount they are also selling a pair of the DAMPFs but each with a different compound. Pacestar and Tarailstar what's the deal with that which would be preference for front/back?


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## Kevin Airey (14 Jun 2013)

Ah just seen on their web site Pacestar for the rear....


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## Kevin Airey (14 Jun 2013)

Cubist said:


> That's the way I'd run the bike.
> 
> Hans Dampf means jack of all trades in German. It reviews well because it's new, so the magazines push them, but they weigh more than Nics and are draggier. Mate of mine wishes he'd not bothered.



LOL this is what I love about forums you set your mind to something and somebody else hates them, this is when at some point you just have to make your own mind up :-)

Depends on personal riding I guess, does draggier mean they are gripping and in your mates case this isn't what he wants. Dragging to me implies they are digging in not such a bad thing for me?


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## Cubist (14 Jun 2013)

ooh, yes, I see what you mean. He meant on the road I think, but by all accounts they do OK as trail tyres.


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## Kevin Airey (14 Jun 2013)

I'll have a quick look around it will be DAMPFs or NICs at the end of the day could always get an odd NIC and have a play around with them. I am on the trails straight from my house and the road bike is for the road....

Looking into the tubeless side of it all now.


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## jowwy (14 Jun 2013)

ok - so whats the last few threads got to do with my OP or is this a complete thread jack


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## Kevin Airey (14 Jun 2013)

LOL you started it by asking what tyres somebody was using on their 29er and its meandered from there :-)


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## Motozulu (17 Jun 2013)

Sorry jowwy but tbh I think Cubist gave you the answer on his first reply? nothing more I can add to it as I have never ridden a Scott.

As for wheel size that's really up to you, all I can tell you is some of my mates love 29 flavour some hate em - HTH 

You really need to try before you buy, best advice you will ever get.


Now, back to tyres.......


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## jowwy (17 Jun 2013)

Motozulu said:


> Sorry jowwy but tbh I think Cubist gave you the answer on his first reply? nothing more I can add to it as I have never ridden a Scott.
> 
> As for wheel size that's really up to you, all I can tell you is some of my mates love 29 flavour some hate em - HTH
> 
> ...





Kevin Airey said:


> LOL you started it by asking what tyres somebody was using on their 29er and its meandered from there :-)


hey guys its no problem - i replied using my phone and couldn't add any smileys - forgot to add them later on

i'm getting a norco nitro 9.1 now instead as its currently at 17% off and i get a further 32% saving on the c2w aswell, so i get a better spec bike at nearly 50% off the price

Bargain


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## Cubist (17 Jun 2013)




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## Motozulu (20 Jun 2013)

Don't forget the piccies of the new bike - it's the law!


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## jowwy (21 Jun 2013)

still waiting for the new window on our c2w to open


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## jowwy (25 Jun 2013)

just ordered this on c2w scheme instead of the norco nitro - comes in at 12.5kg, with lockout forks and carbon monostays
should be with me on friday


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## VamP (25 Jun 2013)

jowwy said:


> just ordered this on c2w scheme instead of the norco nitro - comes in at 12.5kg, with lockout forks and carbon monostays
> should be with me on friday


 
Seeing what your thread is called, I think you've just massively jacked your own thread


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## jowwy (25 Jun 2013)

VamP said:


> Seeing what your thread is called, I think you've just massively jacked your own thread


yeh ino vamp - just thought it was easier than starting a new one


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