August 23, 2005

Bicycling Magazine: SUB 10 Review

SC0TT USA SUB 10 $1,313 More bells and whistles than an Earth, Wind and Fire concert

If we were giving “From Zero to Hero” awards, Scott would be our undisputed winner. After being out of the U.S. market for the past six years, Scott has roared back with astounding bikes for road, mountain and nearly everything in between. The 26-inch-wheeled SUB 10 commuter is one of the company’s prime in-between machines.

This gold-anodized aluminum showoff has a butted head tube stuffed with an internal headset, a hydroformed top tube with a hefty girth, a cutaway seat tube and squared-off, drilled-out rear dropouts complete with a replaceable rear derailleur hanger and disc mounts. The high-grade aluminum pipes, superb details and snazzy gold finish mean this bike would fit perfectly between your Italian road stallion and custom Ti machine.

From the Shimano LX Hollowtech crank to the muscular disc brakes and LX-level dual-control shifters, components on the SUB have off-road attitude. But when we straddled the SUB, that demeanor changed; with a stretched top tube and low handlebar position, the bike felt ready for high-speed road rides, not trail jaunts or assaults on Whole Foods. Our first upgrade would be a few spacers under the stem and an Easton Monkey Lite carbon riser bar to make the rider more upright. The SUB’s road feel matches its position—full-on aggressive. The rigid aluminum frame and narrow, 1.3-inch Continental tires did little to blunt pothole hits and 6-inch cub drops. Still, if you have a long commute, where speed and efficiency are paramount, the SUB could be just the ticket.

BUY IT IF: You like petit filet when a Double Whopper will do. FORGET IT IF: Your eye is on the bottom line, or you crave a comfortable commuter. FORK: Aluminum w/disc mounts. WEIGHT: 24 lb., 5 oz. (M, w/o pedals) SIZES: S, M (tested), L, XL COMPONENT HIGHLIGHTS: Shimano Deore LX shifters and front derailleur, XT rear derailleur, LX crank (28/38/48), HG-50 9-speed cassette (11/32), 585 disc brakes, Deore LX hubs; Alesa DP2000 rims CONTACT: 800/292-5874; scottusa.com