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Scott CR1 Team review

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The Scott is superlight but at the cost of stiffness

BikeRadar verdict

3 out of 5 stars

"Light and well equipped, with an agile, crisp ride. The tall, short fit and flex under power may spoil the package for some though"

11 comments
Mon 31 Jan 2011, 8:00 am GMTBy

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Scott's CR1 is cracking value, with an extremely light frame and fork for the price. It's shape is a definite divider though, and it feels soft when you stamp on the pedals so you'll need to be a less powerful rider to get the best from this bike.

Ride & handling: Responsive ride that's superb value for short-course spinners and pack racers

The first thing you’ll notice on the Scott are the proportions of the frame. Basically, the CR1 sizing means that to get a decent stretch you end up with a longer stem, much taller frame and much less seatpost showing than with other sportive-type bikes at this price.

You have to push the saddle right back on its rails too. This left every one of our testers feeling that there was more frame than necessary in every dimension except length. Of course, if you’re after a short but tall bike, you’re going to really like the Scott.

While chassis weight is outstandingly low, the tall frame and long stem gave a top-heavy feel to the bike when we were flicking in and out of corners. It’s something you adjust to rapidly, but the steep angles and short chainstays and wheelbase made the Scott a bit of an attention-seeker in terms of handling.

This is great for short course or combative pack racing, but potentially tiring on a long haul and more thought provoking on fast, twisty descents too. The other potentially tiring aspect of the Scott is that it transmits shocks more readily than other bikes in its class.

Obviously if you pay attention, its agility is an advantage when it comes to flicking round potholes and other problems. If you fail to dodge a rough bit though, you’ll know all about it through the palms of your hands.

The effect of the SDS shock absorbing rear stays becomes more obvious at faster speeds, where the bike skims rather than shudders. This makes it more comfortable than most race-orientated options, although it’s still a firm-feeling ride as far as sportive-style bikes go.

The very low frame and fork weight obviously appeal to more ‘sporting’ riders and the Scott's upgrade potential is obvious. If you’re happy just to sit in the saddle and spin the compact chainset at high revs and low torque, it floats up hills. There's a significant downside to the reduced mass advantages though, and that’s clear when you stamp on the pedals.

There’s enough flex and power sap in the skinny chainstays of the lightweight frame to leave it lagging if you try and tough out a climb in a big gear. There’s a lot of sideways twist and flex in the bars and forks too. Sit down and spin, and the light weight of the Scott is flattering of fitness, but if you tend to rely on torque then this is not your bike.

Frame & equipment: Extremely light chassis plus good value kit selection

This is the second year we’ve tested the CR1 frame and fork set, and it’s still one of the lightest sportive chassis available. This cheaper HMF NET fibre frame is 120g heavier than the HMX NET frame on the top-line CR1 SL bike but it’s still under a kilo in weight. There’s plenty of girth in the frame tubes though and the seatpost has a relatively large diameter (31.6mm), which will keep mainframe responses taut.

The bottom bracket is a conventional screw-in outboard bearing setup though, and the fork is a single diameter 1.125in set up rather than a tapered unit. The back end is noticeably skinnier than the main triangle, with Scott’s flattened tube SDS (Shock Damping System) – this involves stays designed to flex and absorb vibration and impact loads.

The slim tapered fork is a full carbon fibre construction from dropouts to the top, making it extremely light  by any standards, let alone what we’d expect on a sub-£2,000 bike. There’s a fair amount of flex as a result, but if you’re after a super-light chassis to upgrade over time then this is a great place to start.

Stop/go kit is full Shimano 105 with a compact chainset that helps ease the effort on steeper hills. The Mavic Aksium Race wheels are well proven units that’ll take high mileages in their stride and the Continental Ultra Race tyres are equally reliable rubber. The Ritchey carbon seatpost and Scott own-brand cockpit kit help keep the complete bike under 8kg too. The stem is relatively long to restore reach though, and there’s noticeable flex when working hard.

Scott cr1 team: scott cr1 team

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User Reviews

There are 11 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 11 of 11 comments

  • This review implies that saddle position was used to adjust reach. Surely you know better?

  • What exactly is a 'pack racer' ?

    Is that a term for someone who, err..... does road racing ? If so, then I guess that's a good selling point. Although it's not something I've asked for when purchasing any of my 5 road bikes...

  • Are the weights quoted the manufacturers claims or do you weigh the actual bike?

  • The review was originally written for a tri mag where the concept of pack racing applies to draft legal races. All bikes are fully stripped down and weighed in the workshop as manufacturers claims are often very optimistic. That said Scott are one of the few companies whose weights are pretty much always spot on, despite the fact they're almost always very light in comparative terms.

  • I've been riding a CR1 frame for over 12 months and whilst I'm not the most powerful rider I put a lot of weight through the frame when grinding my 90kg body weight up hills. I can honestly say I've never noticed any flex in the frame (the R500 wheelset on my model is another matter!). The reviewer must be extremely powerful!

  • I test rode the 2010 CR1 and came to the same conclusion as the reviewer when it came to flex. At 200lbs, I could feel the bottom bracket become a tad mushy when I got out of the saddle to punch over a little roller or when sprinting. Otherwise, I found the bike to be very comfortable, soaked up rough pavement well and while not a relaxed bike in the same mold of say a Specialized Roubaix, it was not as race oriented in geometry.

  • The review of this bike is a little miss leading..

    - The HMX frames only feature on the top end Addicts, and none of the CR1's, so even the Comp gets a good frame.

    - The top tube is 545mm, bang on for a Medium 54cm, plus the stem is longer than most at 110mm for a medium making it a roomy bike and the headtube is 10mm lower/shorter than an equivelent Roubaix and Synapse (probably its main rivals)

    - For all the reviews of all bikes out there, there is still no published deflection flex test results (on cranks etc), so everything is just down to someones opinion.

  • First review I've ever seen where someone said a Scott frame was flexie.

  • The post that states that HMX carbon is not available on the CR1 is incorrect. The CR1 SL uses HMX carbon vs. the lower cost HMF fiber. HMX allows Scott to use less material which lowers the weight while actually increasing the stiffness. Scott uses this carbon on the CR1 SL, the Addict RC, and the Addict R1. As an aside, most retailers do not differentiate between the different types of carbon within the frames. They tend to use the weights of the HMX frames in their descriptions of the lower-end models which is not accurate.

    I own 2010 Addict R1 with a custom Campag Super Record build and a 2008 CR1 Pro with a custom Campag Record build. The Addict is noticeably stiffer AND soaks up the bumps better. I believe the stiffness is due to the BB86 bottom bracket and the stiffness / ride quality improvement is due to the HMX fibers.

  • I bought this bike. The pro deal on it is $1250.

    Listen. I LOVE it. It is fast. I usually ride in Colorado. I start in Denver and ride up lookout mountian and back from my door. The ride overall is abut 1.5 hours.

    I have no idea how anyone noticed flex in the bike. This bike is raceable fast and also you can flip the stem over and get more upright, ut just slightly. It is not a comfort bike. It is not at all the the specialized Roubaix.

    I used to ride a giant TCR and I wold do the same ride. I felt faster on this and when i got back home I ever when another extra couple of miles because I somehow had energy to spare. That NEVER happens on my first ride of the season.

    The bike looks better in person. i much prefer it over the addict. If i was racing only crits all the time i would get an addict. For regular weekly riding and racing this is the bike to have. I am blown away really. I personally like the saddle. slight numbness but I will watch it and maybe get a another saddle if I need it.

    The 105 stuff shift flawlessly. Exactly the same as the ultegra i had on my last bike. (to tell you the truth the pro deal on the $3000 version of this bike is only $1600) So really the parts on it are only $350 better. It is mainly a gimmick. The bottom bracket is ultegra on the Team though.

    Very happy. only complaint would be the wide top tube kind touches my thighs when up and sprinting. The pain job looks much much better in person.

  • Great bike, fast and smooth! When I only paid £1399 for it, I cannot fault it (aside from the 3/5 warranty on the frame).

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Specification

Name:
CR1 Team 20-sp (105) (11)
Built by:
Scott
Price:
n/a


Frame & Fork:

 
Frame Material:
HMF Carbon
Fork Brand:
HMF Carbon
Headset Type:
Ritchey Int. Cartridge

Brakes:

 
Brakes Brand:
Shimano 105
Brakes Model:
Shimano 105

Transmission:

 
Cranks Brand:
Shimano 105
Rear Derailleur Brand:
Shimano 105
Front Derailleur Brand:
Shimano 105
Shifters Brand:
Shimano 105

Wheels:

 
Front Hub Brand:
Mavic Aksium
Front Tyre Model:
Continental Ultra Sport 700 x 23 C
Rear Tyre Model:
Continental Ultra Sport 700 x 23 C

Contact Points:

 
Saddle Model:
Scott Road Pro
Seatpost Model:
Scott Carbon/AL 31.6/300 mm
Stem Model:
Scott Road Pilot Pro OS 1-1/8" / four Bolt 31.8 mm
Handlebar Model:
Scott Road Pilot Pro OS Anatomic 31.8 mm

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