January 23, 2008

Speedster 20: It's Electric

Bicycling Magazine

From the first pedal strokes, the Scott Speedster S20 feels electric—highly charged and instantly reactive. Shift your hips ever so slightly in the saddle and the bike responds by changing lines. Shift them subtly in the other direction and the bike is on your new course. Aim straight and pedal like hell, and you'll feel as if every watt from your legs is maximized.


Scott credits the Speedster's refined feel in part to its 2008 frame upgrade from traditional mitered aluminum tubing to hy­droformed aluminum, in which the head, top and down tubes are formed as a single unit using fluid pressure. The front-end tubes are ridged and sculpted to allow greater stiffness from less material, and the massive head-tube juncture improves stiffness and precision. The Speedster S20 is stable in that it never twitched under pedaling force, but if you daydream or aren't a con­fident handler, the bike won't cover for you. (For safety Scott included the excellent 105-level Shimano brakes, which some of our testers believe are as sharp as top-level offerings from other manufacturers.) Nor does this bike overcome the limits of its breed; it's an inexpensive, all-aluminum frame, so it transmit­ted road chatter and doesn't significantly soften big hits on broken pavement. As a climber, the Speedster S20 disguises its weight with snappy acceleration that lets power riders zip over rollers, and has compact gearing to minimize suffering on longer grades. But if you want high performance at a low price, the question is not whether the Speedster S20 will be enough bike for you, but rather, whether you're rider enough to handle it.   BUY IT IF: You want sports-car-like performance at a low price FORGET IT IF: You're nervous handling your bike in a pack PRICE: $1,370 WEIGHT: 19.77 lb.(54cm) SIZES: 47,49,52, 54 (tested), 56, 58, 61cm FRAME: Hydroformed 7005 doublebutted aluminum FORK: ScottAddict carbon w/ alloy steerer COMPONENT HIGLIGHTS: Shimano 105 shifters, derailleurs, compact crank (50/34), bottom bracket, cassette, brakes, RS-10 wheels; Hutchinson Equinox tires; Scott Road Drop bar, Road Team OS stem   For a test ride ami video review, go to http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-1-383-16780-1,00.html