2021 Scott Scale 900 AXS Team Issue (29”)
Back to Basics
The Quintessential Hardtail Race Bike
I purchased the 2021 Scott Scale Team Issue AXS a few months after competing in my first XC race in Nevada City, CA. The intensity of wheel-to-wheel racing in the Sierra Nevada California loam was too good to deny. Soon after the race I broke my ribs in a bad crash where I learned the downside of being over-biked. I switched from a 150mm/160mm travel full-suspension mountain bike to a 100mm race hardtail; I sold my classic 26er 2013 Giant Reign and purchased a 29er 2021 Scott Scale Team Issue and sipped on the newest flavor of kool-aid the bike industry is selling. And hoo-wee the kool-aid is GOOD.
When racing
The Scott Scale positions my body aggressively and demands that I load the front end of the bike either with body weight or with pedaling power. The most comfortable and highest power output position is just about the center of the top tube, right above where my pedal stroke falls; great for sprinting, general pedaling around. However, the bike handles better and has pronounced increase in confidence in turn in and exit control when I remember to maintain my bodyweight forwards; just behind the stem, just above the fork crown. Weight the front end and prevent understeer.
When weighted in this way, the bicycle changes its nature and becomes just a little more tail-happy; willing to rotate when it needs to. At the same time, it counterintuitively becomes more sure-footed and confident; the tail-happy nature does not translate into feeling skittish. When I ride with my weight forward the Scott Scale comes alive as the chassis responds to the loading and unloading of the front end. The rear triangle flexes the seat stays when pumping the Scale into berms and flow track. The frame becomes a ballast-like counterforce to the unending arm pump leveraging on the 100mm XC fork. It makes it easy to always attack, always pedal, always torque. It rewards riding hard into vertical obstacles as momentum is preserved without a rear shock sucking away all the power. It feels great to sprint side by side on the smoother courses and feel the surge of power against your squishy competitors. It’s also a simpler feel and equation to riding, One that requires body language and timing — a good dancer. It can dance more than just a dip and a two-step. Tap battle, breakdance, and pop-lock down the trail in synchronous Jinbai-Ittai.
A closer look under UV light, Check out the carbon layup under the clearcoat. The chainstays are stiff, and sufficiently transfer all the power to the ground. The suppleness comes from the seatstays, naked thin sexy little carbon twigs that act like springs.
2021 Scott Scale 940 and 2021 Scott Scale 900 Team Issue AXS
Bike Spec & Value
It comes without a dropper post. For $4000 USD. That is a lot of dough for no dropper post. However, when compared across the market, we find that it is the cheapest AXS-equipped bicycle on the market. No other manufacturer is supplying an AXS drivetrain and XT brakes for under $5000. That makes this particular bike a steal. You couldn’t build the bicycle from frame up for cheaper than Scott is selling this to racing teams.
The 2021 Scott Scale Team Issue AXS falls into a very delicate price bracket. FIRST I MUST MENTION that the 2022 Scott bikes lineup received a price bump of over $500-$1000 across the model range. Scott lists the 2022 Scale RC Team Issue AXS (whew what a mouthful) at a cool $4999. I was able to purchase my 2021 model for ~$4500 out the door after California sales tax was applied.
This places the Team Issue AXS bike in the same price bracket as Scott’s newest Spark RC Comp at $4200. On one hand, you get a hardtail race bike with AXS X01, XT brakes, carbon handlebars, and GX Pinned “1-piece” cassette. On the other hand, you have Scott’s latest full suspension XC weapon with a HIDDEN rear shock but only SRAM NX drivetrain, an older format Shimano HG freehub, and Shimano Deore brakes.
Having purchased both the 2022 Spark RC Comp and the 2021 Scale Team Issue, I still struggle to compare the value between the bikes. They are the best value for different requirements. For endurance racing longer events, the rear travel on the Scott Spark really helps to save the perineum. The taint gets beat up when racing longer distances on the Scott Scale. They are the best value when combined together and part swapped, for then you get two high-end frames for the price of one Specialized/Santa Cruz at the same spec (AXS).
For any readers wondering if SRAM’s Eagle AXS system is any good, it is. The ability to tune the derailleur position via “micro-adjust” while riding on the trail has its benefits. The biggest advantage is on-the-fly adjustment to your drivetrain alignment. Every once in a while, you might bump the derailleur mid race, or someone else crashes into it. The micro adjust allows you to bring everything back to perfection with a couple clicks. No more mid race mechanicals. Robotic direct controlled shifting is the shit. its like the automotive equivalent of going from OEM to a Quaife Sequential gearbox. Thus far after 1200+ miles on the system, the AXS derailleur has never faltered, and outlived the GX cassette by 500+ miles.