Scott have been in the winning ways recently, Emma Johannsen won the first ever stage of the Womens Tour on her Scott Contessa Foil, Orica Green Edge won the first stage of the Giro on their Plasma time trial bikes and Adam Yates won the Tour of Turkey riding an Addict which is what is on test here.
I’m currently in the process of looking for a new bike after my beloved BMC Pro Machine was snapped in two by a car! I therefore jumped at the chance of having a demo Scott Addict 10 for a week to test ride courtesy of Scott Sports UK.
The Addict is billed as Scott’s race performance bike and is back after a two year break. The Addict of old hit the scene about ten years ago and at the time was one of the lightest and stiffest frames on the market but gave a somewhat harsh and bumpy ride, I was hoping the improvements in technology would have addressed this issue and was looking forward to see how it would cope with the lanes of Northumberland.
Both the Addict 10 and 20 are made from Scott’s HMF Carbon which has an ‘optimal blend of stiffness and strength that offers the best riding session’. The superior Addict Team and Addict SL use HMX Carbon which is 20% stiffer than HMC but weighs the same! The Addict 10 on test here has a full Ultegra groupset and comes in a choice of compact or standard 11 speed chainset. The finishing kit is Syncros and this teamed with the matt black and white frame gives the bike a super stealthy look. It is one of the few models that Scott do which isn’t yet available in the Contessa ladies range but at 5’6″ and not particularly fond of the geometry of ladies bikes I’m more than comfortable on the unisex 52cm frame.
Keen to see whether the harshness had been resolved the first ride saw me head into the country lanes, strewn with potholes and debris. The ride proved to be surprisingly plush and the thin seatstays help the bike to cope remarkably well with whatever came into it’s path without leaving me a juddering wreck. With my main concern put to rest it was then a case of pushing the bike to see if that comfort had caused a loss of responsiveness in anyway. The answer was a definite no.
Climbing on it is a pleasure, it makes you want to get out of the saddle and push on up the hills and descending on it instills confidence too. I’m not a particularly natural descender but I felt as comfortable and relaxed on the Addict after only a couple of hours as I ever had on my BMC. Put it on the flat and stick some power through the pedals and it goes like the clappers. It seems like everything you put through the pedals and the oversized bottom bracket transfers directly into forward motion! Scott have also utilised their developments with the Foil, using FO1 technology to shape the frames tubes making them much more aerodynamic.
The more I rode the bike the more I enjoyed it, it’s more than comfortable enough for full days in the saddle but would also be more than at home tearing around a road race or closed circuit! My one criticism would be the wide handlebars, although it was a small frame it comes with 420mm bars which are just too wide for my narrow frame. Some riders may also find the 110mm stem makes the reach a little too long.
I think I may have found my next bike.
Pros
Lightweight and responsive
Well specced for the money
Great fun to ride
Cons
Bars a little too wide for smaller riders
Stem a little too long for frame size
Price: RRP £2800, available from Evans Cycles.
Liked this? We think you will also love:
10 of the Best Helmets for Road Cycling
