January 15, 2008

NSMB.com puts Gambler to the test

NSMB.com

Scott USA's 2008 Gambler
Getting serious about gravity
Words and photos ~ Cam McRae
http://www.nsmb.com Bike parks are the best place to evaluate a bike.  You can tweak and tune, take another run and then compare in identical conditions.  Shuttling right here on the Shore gives me a chance to test a big bike on my home court - which has advantages as well. For me the first clue that I'm riding a good bike is my own performance.  Riding at home gives me a much clearer barometer of that - whether I can smooth a rough section, drop a steep that scares me or launch an awkward little drop.  Over a couple of days this past weekend I had a chance to roll Scott's new DH bike - the Gambler - on some of my favourite lines on Cypress.
Don't say bitch - Darren Butler from Endless Biking is injured and he offered to be our shuttle homey.  Left to right; James Wilson, Darren Butler and Adrian Montgomery.   On our first run I wasn't feeling it.  I was bouncing around more than I wanted and everything felt sketchy.  Adrian Montgomery, Scott USA's North American marketing and PR director suggested I drop some tire pressure.  Later in the day I also sped up the Rock Shox Vivid rear shock and that smoothed things out further.  After two days on the bike I began to feel a wee bit randy.  This is a ride that encourages you to test the limit.  The rear wheel tracks amazingly well and the rear suspension reacts well to the challenges presented.  The spec was dialled as well:  a 1.5" Totem coil up front, Avid Code discs and a SRAM drivetrain were bang on.  Perfect North Shore kit actually.  The finished bike was relatively light at 42lbs and it felt lighter. 
My ride for the past two days - a Scott USA Gambler FR 10.  This bike is spec'ed exactly the way I would do it - right off the rack.   The Gambler frame is highly adjustable.  You can tweak it in response to the terrain or your riding style.  There are three travel positions - 190, 210 or 230mm, two headset angle choices and a long or short droput set.  I rode a size small with short dropouts, kept it in the 210mm setting, and the steeper 67 degree head angle position.  The head angle was in the sweet spot for the trails we rode on Cypress for sure but I could foresee wanting a steeper head in some situations.  The 65 would be nice for tackling Garbanzo in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park.  The DH bikes let you choose between 64 and 66 degrees.
Adrian Montgomery took to the Shore like a cat to sushi.    The Vivid rear shock performed well for me.  I have been spending most of my time on a Fox DHX 5.0 lately and compared to that Vivid has a less lively feel and it takes more work to get the bike off the ground. That said it felt virtually bottomless and very predictable when I did find the bottom.  Some shocks get harsh toward the end of their stroke.  The Totem up front was as robust and reliable as I have come to expect  It's stiff, smooth and forgiving and it doesn't let you down at the bottom of a long gnarly chute.
Mike Wallace keeping up his speed and transferring over the chunder.   The majority of Scott's design team are gravity enthusiasts and this became a pet project for them.  They began with the basic structure of the Ransom and beefed things up significantly and adapted it for pointing downhill.  The forged heattube yoke makes for a huge weld contact patch and it actually narrows to allow for a little more dual crown turning radius.  The finish of the frames is very high end with all the graphics below a clear coat or annodization.  All the hardware is equally polished and professional looking. 
Adrian was about to get into some trouble in this shot - but he managed to avert disaster.
We did a couple of 'half shuttle' runs that involved some time climbing and the Gambler's kinship with the Ransom was evident.  This is a bike that pedals very well. The FR models come with a telescoping seatpost - Scott branded - so you can forego the lifts and vehicles and earn it old school.
A studio shot of the Gambler FR 10. MSRP in the US - $4999  
The FR 20 is a downspec of the 10 with the same frame.  MSRP in the US - $2599  
A Fox 40 and a Fox DHX 5.0 Coil make this the most lustworthy Gambler - the 42lb DH10.  MSRP in the US - $5999  
The DH 20 has a 888 up front and a Fox Van R coil at the rear.  MSRP in the US - $2999   On a couple of trails the Gambler got me to the place where you feel confident enough to get a little raggedy and careless.  I became so confident that the bike could lead me out of trouble, I did my best to get into it.  That's a zone I don't hit very often and it's a very good sign.  The Gambler FR 10 - with a relatively low bottom bracket, short chainstays in the FR configuration and a cockpit with ample standover - is an extremely well executed bicycle for riding the Shore.  Unfortunately I won't have Canadian prices for you in time to include them in this sampling of the Gambler line, but I'll follow up when I get them.  Click here to get some more info on the Scott Gambler Cam McRae Have you ridden a Scott?  Think this is a step up from the Octane?  What's the view like from your chair?
Mike Hopkins from Rossland rides for Scott.  He's been seen at Whistler on a Gambler recently.