Scott E-Genius 710 review

Scott’s 2018 E-Genius bikes are state-of-the-art and come with neat, unique features. However, ground clearance and fork issues undermine the obvious potential of this electric version.

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• The Scott E-Genius 710 is one of our key bikes for 2018. We’ve collated eleven bikes that we believe you should know about in the coming year. Some are super bikes, while others might display great value for money, but they all have one thing in common — they’re all important bikes that show how incredibly varied road and mountain biking is today.

The 500Wh battery in the 710 is encased in the down tube of its alloy frame. Switching to Shimano’s compact motor has allowed Scott to make the rear end 30mm shorter than last year, but it’s still long at 460mm.

The kinked top tube, short rocker link and unique Fox Nude shock with remote control ‘Lockout’, 100mm-travel ‘Traction Control’ and 150mm ‘Descend’ modes are the same as on the standard Genius, as are the slack 65-degree head angle, steep 75-degree seat angle and generous 465mm reach (large).

I measured the bottom bracket height as being 330mm (high/650b+ setting) — 10mm lower than stated on Scott’s website and very low for an e-bike.

Shimano XT gears and brakes match the Steps motor. The e-bike version of Fox’s 34 fork has a solid crown and thicker tube walls. Production bikes will have reinforced ‘Double Down’ Maxxis tyres, but the 30mm rims are slightly narrow for the 2.8in width and dent easily.

The e-bike gets a 10mm longer stem matched to a 760mm bar with internal routing for the Steps control cables.

Scott E-Genius 710 ride impressions

I’m a big fan of the Shimano motor in cadence/torque terms. It’s quiet and there’s no drag if you pedal past the 26kph limit. The slack, long front-end, super-low bottom bracket and 22kg weight make the E-Genius very stable and it planted through turns and rock gardens, and the rear suspension is supple and controlled, creating a proper steamroller. Power assist meant I rarely used the ‘Traction control’ and ‘Lockout’ modes.

Unfortunately, fork flex (it really needs a Fox 36) is unnerving when pushing hard through big terrain, and it deserves a wider bar and shorter stem to aim with authority. The low bottom bracket and long 175mm cranks meant I repeatedly smashed my pedals, which is irritating on an otherwise promising chassis.