What make a bike special? Is it the look? Is it the name? Or is it the way it rides? Read on as Seamus Allardice puzzles out what it is exactly about Scott Genius 740 that had him hooked right away.
Normally when I get on a new bike it takes a while to get comfortable, it could be a few minutes, a couple of technical sections or in some case it just doesn’t happen at all. But on the Scott Genius 740 I was at home before I got out of our office parking area on the first ride.
At 178cm I’m generally in the grey region between large and medium frame bikes, but my preference is for a more compact feel so I choose a medium framed bike whenever possible. With the Genius 740 the fit and feel on the medium frame was perfect for me, it could be because the reach is just 1mm shorter than my normal ride, but overall the bike feels very balanced and composed which is essential to enjoying the ride.
Spec-wise the 740 is lower down the Genius totem pole (the 700 tuned being the top end), so it’s equipped with a lower end but solid Shimano drive train; featuring a XT Shadow Type / 30 Speed rear derailleur, a Deore front derailleur, and a Shimano CS-HG50-10 11-36 T cassette. The disappointment however was the Shimano FC-M622 2-piece Design 40Ax30Ax22T crank set. I understand that bike brands like to compete in various price points, but especially on a bike with 650b wheels, like the Genius 740, the granny ring is completely redundant. I never changed down into it on any ride, despite tackling some of the steeper climbs on Table Mountain. If I were riding the 740 long term the 3 x 10 would definitely annoy me and it’s the only major concern I have with the bike. If you go up a model to the 730, you get a Shimano XT and SLX mix with a 2 x 10 drive train which on a trail bike like the Genius makes far more sense to me.
The Genius 740 features Syncros components, a Scott subsidiary, for the stem, bar, seatpost, saddle, lock-out lever and grips. The components all feel really good and the saddle in particular is great. It’s the right width for me and is firm, but offers just a hint of flex to help take the worst out of the trail feedback, which you only really notice when fully locked out for climbing. The spec highlight of the 740 is undoubtedly the FOX CTD front and rear suspension, which is controlled by a bar mounted Syncros TwinLoc Remote.
It’s the first time in a while that I’ve ridden a bike with remote lock-out and I’ve missed it! It’s so easy to use on the fly and a quick lock-out is almost like dropping down a chain ring when faced with an unexpected sharp climb. On the Genius 740 the lock-out and the masterful suspension design link to produce a bike that is plush one moment and taunt like a hard tail the next. It really is the best of both worlds.
On the ride front the 740 is a nippy handler which encourages you to search for flowing lines rather than bash over rocks and roots as you might on a 29er. Its 150mm of travel is more than enough for most riders, but it never feels like a slow long travel bike. The biggest difference between it and my normal 29er ride is the marked speed of acceleration on the Genius, it almost lurches forward when you put the power down, making it great fun to ride hard.
Shod with a Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.25” at the front and a Rocket Ron 2.25” at the back it grips the trail superbly. The tyre choice is perfect for the dusty Western Cape trails, but you might want to go slightly wider if you’re more serious about challenging gravity in wetter conditions.
The 740 is constructed from Scott’s 6061 custom butted hydroformed aluminium tubes and while at a stated weight of 12.85kg it’s not light but I didn’t feel the weight compromised the ride in the least. Again with the massive amount of gears offered by the 3 x 10 set-up even the most unfit rider should have no problem climbing. In its lowest gear the 27.5 wheels and 22 x 36 gearing combine to produce a staggeringly low 16.5 gear inches. So if you’re unfit and want to go up steep hills that’s good to know.
Coming down the Genius is magnificent and descends like a sure footed, nimble, mountain goat. It’ll leave the ground and land without you even realising it, with the CTD switched into descend mode, so plush is the suspension and so balanced is the bike in the air. I will admit to chickening out of a run down the new Table Mountain singletrack (the one which claimed so many names on the Epic Prologue) but that had more to do with my poor night vision and the howling wind than the bike.
I haven’t spent a tremendous amount of time on 650b bikes yet, and I’m still unsure if I would be able to manage the type of riding I do with only a mid-tyre sized bike in my garage. It’s a concern I’m guessing many South African riders share. For comfort and handling I’m struggling to name a bike I’ve enjoyed riding more, but I would like to ride a stage race on it to see if I really could switch permanently from 29 to 27.5.
It would also be great to ride the big wheeled Genius 930 back-to-back with the 740 to see how the bigger wheels, slightly steeper angles, and 20mm less travel change the bike.
If we were talking about a second bike, for trail riding, then I’d jump at the chance of owning a Scott Genius 740, though I would go 1 x 11 as soon as possible and add a dropper seatpost, because what’s a dedicated trail bike without a 1 by drivetrain and a dropper seatpost?
Okay, I’m off to go for a last ride before Scott Sports SA come to reclaim their bike… if coming back means giving it back, I might not come back though… #Scott2LuvIt indeed!
Sus the Scott Genius Geometry
The Scott Genius features a revisable chip in the main suspension pivot, that when flipped changes the geometry subtly, so all measurements are in degrees and mm as usual but also feature a Low/High value where applicable. As usual the values are for a medium bike.
| Head Angle | 67.7/68.2 |
| Head Tube | 110 |
| Horizontal Top Tube | 600 |
| Seat Angle | 73.8/74.3 |
| Seat Tube | 440 |
| BB Offset | 10/4 |
| BB Height | 346/352 |
| Standover Height | 777 |
| Wheelbase | 1 155 |
| Reach | 427/431 |
| Stack | 599/596 |
2015 Scott Genius 740 RRP R34 100
