Although this is an old article on my personal review of the 2008 Scott CR1 Team Bike. There is relevance in this article when purchasing a new bike today.

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As my race bike was coming close to its two year anniversary it was time to start looking for a new one.

There was plenty on bikes on the market to choose from. For me the most important thing is to find a frame that fits. I have a long back so I like to run a position that is long and low. I train on a custom steel frame with a 58cm top tube and a 120mm stem. At a height of 5’11” this is quite a long frame for my height.

Getting the right fit on an off the shelf frame takes a little bit of research. Most frames that are at the right height for me are a large and usually only have a 56cm top tube.  So I’d be looking at 140mm stem to get myself into the right position. If I upsized to a XL frame with a 58 cm top tube I’d end up with a frame that was just too high for me to get into my nice low position.  So still within tolerances of a comfortable ride it looked like I was going for a large frame (56cm top tube) with 140mm stem.

The next consideration was price. Prices for bikes ranged considerably. I’m a big fan of value for money. I’m not cheap. But I like to find sweet spots in the market. Let’s say I don’t pay for a named brand just for their name. I want them to come to the party and deliver something for the money they are charging. Some try to fool you with marketing hype. Really at the end of the day there is really not a lot of difference in performance between frames. The performance increase between a so called flexi frame and a stiff frame is marginal compared to performance increase you’ll get from hard four week block of training and increasing you average speed from 35 to 40 km. Money can’t buy you that performance increase. Neither can a frame deliver it to you.  No frame is ever going to deliver you that sort of performance increase no mater how much money you throw at it.  Just like people spending a fortune getting a 20gm saving in a bike component when they could get a 5 kg saving is they actually dropped to their true race weight.

Anyway. Fit, then the sweet spot. Looking around a lot of bikes I always seemed to come back to the Scott.

It was a nice looking frame. The right size and it was a great price. They have ridden them in pro peloton so they are race proven. And they are light. Like really light. I liked the Scott when it came out few years ago. And I liked them now so I brought one. It’s my race bike so I only ride it when I’m racing. When I’m training, I’m on this heavy steel custom bike with aero nothing. Pulling turns at 50km/h is hard work. But when I get on my race bike I feel like I’m in an F-11.

When I got my Scott home the first thing is did was to get the setup exactly right. Once that was sorted I hung it up in the garage and waited for my next race day which happened to be a criterium at Casey Fields. I’m always concerned about a bikes handling performance. I like a bike, once leaned over, to come out of a corner when I expect it to. No surprises. Seems that Scott got it right. Like riding on rails. The Scott delivers an excellent cornering experience. It goes where you point it and stays rock solid even under pressure.

Ok then there is the sprint. Criteriums are full of corners and riders attacking you in a smash feast of fast paced accelerations. When I have to stomp on it to chase down a break the Scott again felt ridged under my pedal strokes. I got a sense that it wasn’t a slug. It wanted to hunt down those riders just as much as I did.

So how about the finish. Yes, it is a great looking bike. Well proportioned. Sexy neutral paint job that would go well with any coloured kit and helmet for those of you that are fashion conscious. The carbon weave in the top and down tubes is exposed under a lacquer coat of pain enhancing carbons natural beauty. And the quality of the build? Flawless. I couldn’t find a paint run, a transfer or carbon weave out of place or any defects on the frame whatsoever. It was all smooth.