Scott Addict Gravel 30 review

Scott’s Addict Gravel is the brand’s first carbon machine built solely for gravel.

Up until the arrival of the Addict Gravel, Scott's Addict CX covered both cyclocross and gravel riding.

The Addict Gravel 30 incorporates many of the concepts behind the Pro Tour Addict RC, blending these with off-road design.

Scott Addict Gravel 30 frame

The Scott Addict Gravel 30 features an aerodynamically optimised frame design, which brings the integration between frame and fork and the internal cable routing from the Addict RC.

The ride position is long and low, but with plenty of tyre clearance, accommodating up to 45mm measured-width clearance.

The Addict Gravel’s geometry isn’t quite as long and low as the Addict RC's, but it’s noticeably more aggressive than the endurance-biased Addict.

In a size XL (58cm), the Addict Gravel has a 609.7mm stack and 406.1mm reach, compared to the Addict’s 613.6mm stack and 398.6mm reach.

That gives the Addict Gravel a distinctly purposeful ride position that feels noticeably lower and longer than most.

It’s exacerbated by a long 113mm stem, and it adds up to a ride position that those used to fast road bikes will likely feel totally at home on.

The Gravel 30 uses Scott’s HMF-grade carbon (as opposed to the higher-grade HMX used on its range-topping rides).

The HMX has headline-grabbing weight claims attached to it (930g frame and 395g fork). HMF carbon adds a little more bulk, but at 9.42kg for a complete bike, the HMF frame and fork complete with the overall build is still impressively light.

The frameset uses aero-optimised tubes throughout, employing Scott’s own patented take on airfoil shapes.

The tapering seat tube has plenty of the truncated airfoil about it, whereas the down tube has a more muscular squared-off profile (albeit with smooth curves on the edges).

Scott has optimised the carbon layup in both the fork legs and seatstays to provide a bit of compliance to minimise vibrations from poor surfaces.

The dropped stays and forward arching design of the fork are also intended to smooth out the ride.

Scott Addict Gravel 30 build

The Gravel 30’s build is all good stuff.

The Shimano GRX RX600 drivetrain is Shimano’s gravel equivalent of 105. It’s a solid-performing, sharp-shifting gravel groupset that simply works well.

The 2x setup of the 30 suits the bike well. The 46/30-tooth chainring combination matched to an 11-34t cassette gives a solid range for off-road duties.

The lowest (less than 1:1 ratio) 30/34t gear saw me up the steepest ramps, both on and off-road; 46/11t is ample to hit a high pace off-road and keep up with many slick-tyred riders on tarmac too.

The GRX400 hydraulic brakes are solid performers, with power aplenty and a good level of feel and progressive power through the lever travel.

On a couple of particularly gritty and grimy wet rides, I experienced a fair amount of rotor scrape and a bit of noise under hard braking. Nevertheless, the power and control remained constant.

Scott’s component partner Syncros provides the bulk of the Addict’s finishing kit.

The combination of the RR2.0 stem and alloy Creston bar is a good one. The bar’s 16-degree flare is more subtle than most, giving the Addict more of a fast road cockpit an than out-and-out wide gravel bar.

The compact shape, with a 70mm reach and 115mm drop, works well with the Addict’s long reach and long stem. It means the bike never feels overstretched, be it riding up on the hoods or hustling up the speed down in the drops.

The Syncros RP2.0 Disc wheels are from Syncros’ road stable, while the shallow 24mm rims are tubeless-ready and have a 19mm internal width.

The 45mm-wide Schwalbe G-One Bite gravel tyres are about as wide as you’d want to go on these rims (and hit the upper limit of claimed frame clearance). They shape up well, spreading outwards from the rim without getting to an unstable lightbulb shape.

The G-One Bite is a fine three-season gravel option. The studded tread is spread broadly on the tyre's shoulders, which provides good grip in loose or wet gravel conditions.

The centre tread is still wider spaced than the standard G-One, but its shallow depth and interlocking hexagonal stud pattern rolls well on tarmac with no squirm or slide when you up the pace.

At 1,740g a pair, the RP2.0 wheelset isn’t exactly light, but it rolls with plenty of life, adding to the Addict Gravel’s overall speedy character.

The Gravel 30 would be even quicker with an upgrade to a set of the best gravel bike wheels. I switched in a set of Hunt carbon gravel wheels that shaved more than 300g from the system weight, and it was a difference I could really feel.

The back end sees the Addict get a proprietary aero-shaped carbon seatpost.

I was impressed with Scott’s simple clamp, which prevented slippage even in some very slimy wet conditions. That’s often the downfall of complex internal or hidden seat clamps.

The aero post means you can’t fit a standard dropper post if you prefer an adjustable saddle height, though.

The Tofino saddle is modern and mid-length, but also fairly narrow. It’s part of the Syncros endurance range, so is designed for a slightly more relaxed ride position.

I got on with it well, but I think for the Addict Gravel’s sportier position, the bike would benefit from a broader-nosed saddle, such as the Syncros Belcarra, for when you're down in the drops and up on the nose powering on the pedals.

Scott Addict Gravel 30 geometry

Scott Addict Gravel 30 ride impressions

The Addict Gravel’s ride is fast. Blisteringly fast.

It’s at its absolute pinnacle when the gravel roads are open, straight and speedy.

It accelerates with a road-bike whip, while being able to get down into a flat-backed aero position helps maintain the pace you’ve built.

This gives it true all-roader appeal – you could easily use the Addict Gravel as a gravel racer, or a perfectly competent performance road bike.

The 71-degree head angle gives a balanced feel to the handling. It’s quick enough to steer to navigate the twists and turns of a forest fire road descent (or a tarmac road, for that matter), while taking enough sting out of ruts and rocks to keep the steering true.

Tight, twisty singletrack isn’t the Addict’s forte – the long ride position just isn’t ideal for more technical trails.

However, out in the big wide open there’s little to touch this bike's turn of speed.

The Addict Gravel is very much a racer's gravel choice, and it’s plenty light enough even in this modest specification.

Much like a road bike, the stiff frame and fork relies more heavily on the tyres for cushioning and comfort. It’s one of the most road-adjacent gravel bikes around, which might just help it appeal to plenty of road riders who haven’t yet tried out the joys of getting drop-bar dirty.

Scott Addict Gravel 30 bottom line

The Scott Addict Gravel 30 could be exceptional with a couple of changes. A lighter, faster wheelset and a more performance-oriented saddle would do wonders for its overall performance.

However, if you’re looking for a single bike for all rides, the Addict Gravel 30 would be a superb choice.

It’s road-bike fast on tarmac, and swift on the rough stuff too.