Scott Addict RC 10 £7,599 | 7.60kg
A rather nondescript-looking exterior hides a bike that’s full of neat features and clever integrations, and gives a reassuringly solid ride
The Scott Addict RC 10 sits three down from the top in the eightbike Addict range that all use the Swiss company’s HMX carbon-fibre. The £10,000 price difference between bottom and top is a result of differing groupsets, wheels and finishing kit but on looks alone it can be hard to tell where the money is going. Both the nomenclature and the conservative paintjobs give an identical feel across the range.
But don’t let the 10’s name or grey/ beige paintjob put you off taking a closer look. This bike has some lovely little integrations and design touches that rather pleasingly revealed themselves over time.
Construction
Underneath that slightly drab paintjob is HMX carbon-fibre – a material that is apparently unique to Scott bikes. If HMF is high-modulus fibre, HMX is the same but with added X-factor – a blend of fibres
2µm (micrometres, an almost imperceptible measurement) slimmer than standard highmodulus fibre. Over the whole frame this tiny difference adds up, reducing the weight of a frame with comparative tensile strength to an
HMF build.
Tube shapes and placement, and overall look resemble many other road bikes currently on the market. Truncated tubes are de rigueur, as are lowered seatstays and a bulbous head tube. Both the Vitus Venon Evo and Specialized SL8 look similar, and it wouldn’t be hard to find others too.
The rear mech ‘sandwich’ dropout caught my attention first. Instead of bolting an alloy hanger to the back of the rear dropout with little screws, Scott’s hanger slots into the rear dropout before the thruaxle cap holds it in place with two fixation bolts. The thru-axle itself then slots through and is screwed into the cap.
It looks like a much stronger and more robust rear end, eliminating the weak point associated with more traditional bolt-on mech hangers.
Build/components
The Syncros rear axle comes with a 1.5mm thread pitch that is removed with the removable plug-in skewer. Axles originally came with 1mm thread pitches but wider ones should mean the thread catches more easily. The plug-in skewer works on both front and rear axles and detaches to reveal a Torx-head screwdriver that will fit your stem clamp, bottle cage bolts and rear mech hanger. The body of that is a 6mm hex key which is what slots into either axle to remove them.
Those axles hold in place the Syncros (Scott’s own brand) Capital 1.0 40mm carbon wheels. These 25mm-internal diameter hookless rims are tubeless ready (check for tyre compatibility) and the 28mm Schwalbe One tyres measured 29mm at the widest point of the sidewalls.
They provided a beautifully plush ride that almost has no place on a 7.6kg race bike. The downside is the tight fit. I couldn’t roll the tyres off the rim with
“If HMF is high-modulus fibre, HMX is the same but with added X-factor”
my hands (my go-to test to see how easy an inner tube change would be), and that was in the comfort of my own home. Outside, with cold fingers, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
At the bottom of the left fork arm you’ll find the mount for the front disc brake caliper hidden behind a magnetic cover which is held firmly in place.
When I first saw the Creston bar and stem I have to admit to being overjoyed. A set of handlebars that clamp into a stem, meaning bars can be rotated and stems swapped out for longer or shorter versions. Just how it should be.
Cables from the SRAM Force levers run through the bars, then the top of the stem and down in front of the fork column, through the spacers and into the frame.
The stem has a top cover to give access to the cables. To get to them, first remove the top-cap cover and then the cover that sits on top of the stem. While from a distance it looks like a one-piece stem, get up close and it leaves a bit to be desired.
On a seven-and-a-half grand bike these two removable parts felt cheap and plasticky. The top cap cover comes off with a squeeze and a tug and I can’t believe it wouldn’t get a little rattly over time, whereas the top section of the stem is slotted in place then held there by a 2.5mm hex key screw which I easily rounded out.
I’m still not entirely sure what the advantage is of accessing the cables here. I sent an image to a mechanic friend, and he wasn’t 100% sure either. It might make it a little easier to run cables through for a mechanical or wired electronic groupset, but it still looks fiddly to me.
The ride
It’s a while since I’ve ridden an Addict. First launched in 2007, I rode one soon after and remember a lightweight, responsive ride. The 10 didn’t disappoint, although it felt very different. But I’m betting that difference is mainly down to the transition from 23mm tyres pumped up to 100psi to 28mm tyres ridden at 90psi. The ride was wonderfully plush – no doubt carbon layup knowhow plays into this – and with that HMX carbon, the Addict is still carrying minimal weight. A quick glance down at the bottom bracket area and you know that it’s not going to be flexed by someone putting out 900 watts in a sprint.
That plush ride came undone, for me at least, via the Syncros Belcarra saddle. Its flat profile didn’t suit me and no matter how I adjusted it, I couldn’t shift weight onto my sit bones to relieve pressure on my perineum. No shorts would measurably improve comfort, and should you want to change the saddle, the clamp will only accommodate round rails.
I’m well-versed with SRAM’S wireless groupsets and there really is nothing that the range-topping Red groupset can do that the Force can’t. I do wonder if they might start reducing the size of the brake hoods. Prior to this I was riding an Ultegra-equipped bike and I loved the slimmer hoods as I felt more in control. SRAM’S hoods have a larger surface area, which feels comfortable and may help to spread the load, but the added width made the muscles in my hands feel tired. It’s not that I didn’t like the Force hoods, it’s just I loved the Ultegra ones.
Verdict
The Scott Addict is a lovely race bike. No matter which model in the range you go for, you’ll be riding a well-made frame from an equipment manufacturer whose carbon expertise dates back to 1995. Virtually everything on this bike is a Scott in-house brand with the exception of the wireless SR AM Force groupset (with power meter). The integration throughout is excellent, and with the stem and bars, adjustability hasn’t been entirely sacrificed. If you’re not the sort of person who wants their bike to get admiring glances from others, then you can’t go far wrong.
RATING
★★★★★
“The Addict is a lovely race bike”