New Scott Addict spotted at Tour of Flanders

The Orica-GreenEdge and IAM Cycling pro teams previewed a new Scott Addict at the start of this year’s Ronde van Vlaanderen race. Neither an aero machine like the Foil or a dedicated endurance beast like the CR1, the revamped Addict could signal the latest salvo in the lightweight bike wars.

Like the original Addict, the new Scott uses mostly roundish tubes, to maximize its stiffness-to-weight ratio. Perhaps to help mask its true identity, many of the trailing edges of the team bikes were painted in contrasting colors, like on the Foil, but any truncated airfoil shaping here is extremely subtle – if it’s there at all.

In fact, there’s little in the way of radical shaping anywhere, with even the rear end bearing straightforward cross-sections, including tall and fat chain stays that taper gently from front to rear and medium-sized seat stays that are dead straight from top to bottom.

The busy cockpit of Orica-GreenEdge vet Stuart O’Grady

There’s also a telescoping round seatpost (we’re guessing it has a 30.9mm diameter) secured with a conventional external clamp, a PF86 press-fit bottom bracket shell with corresponding broad chain stays and down tube, and convertible internal routing for mechanical or electronic drivetrains. Di2-equipped team bikes were fitted with internal batteries, although we expect the production Addict to come with dedicated external battery mounts, too.

Geometry appears to be carried over from the Foil, with a low front end that had even team riders running at least a few millimeters of headset spacers beneath their stems. While it’s hard to believe this is the case, the head tube’s slim profile suggests there might be a straight 1 1/8in-diameter steerer hidden away inside – or if it is tapered, it’s the less dramatic 1 1/8in to 1 1/4in variety.

 Don’t be fooled by the paintjob on the seat tube, though – it’s essentially round

Scott has yet to announce the new model, or even a launch date for an official introduction. But if we’re right about the bike’s intended aim, we anticipate sub-800g frame weights. Both teams’ bikes had UCI approval decals, so we expect to hear more later this season.

For more information on Scott bikes see www.scott-sports.com.