Hello! I wanted to share my recently acquired 2024 Scott Addict Gravel 20 in Lulworth Blue! Her name is Caelum! Scott stole my heart with the extremely subtle branding and nice touches on the paint. I recently accepted a new job with a substantial pay raise and decided to upgrade from my old Trek Marlin 6. After months of research I decided to shoot for the stars on this beauty and got a good deal – shipped to me across the US for free, no sales tax for $3999.99. This thing is a total machine and I'm still getting adjusted to a dropbar cockpit. It feels good and I have not regretted my purchase in the slightest.
Initial takeaways:
- The power delivery is insane. Feels like every ounce of energy is put to the ground. Coming from a heavy alloy cross country bike with a fork feels night and day. I'm using flat Crank brothers pedals for my giant feet as well. I know this may seem sacrilegious but I don't have a need for clipless pedals currently.
- The nimbleness took me by surprise. It's so eager to immediately change directions on a dime, but also feels planted.
- The fit is somewhere in between relaxed and aggressive. I performed a rudimentary home bike fit, but I think I'll go to my LBS and spend the $100 for a professional fit to get dialed in.
- The weight difference on the carbon frame is extremely noticeable. It's just over 21 pounds and it feels like she wants to buck me off and take off flying at speed.
- SRAM Rival AXS is truly a treat. Setup was a breeze and the shifts are near imperceptible and fast. The brakes are good (although not as firm as my old Shimano Atlus group with hydro brakes), but they are still plenty powerful.
- Elephant in the room: integration and proprietary parts. The seat clamp design is super obtuse along with the D-shaped seatpost. Thankfully my LBS is very reputable and inviting (and also a Scott dealer) so I can/will lean on their expertise for advanced needs since I can perform some basic maintenance myself.
In summary I wanted to share my initial thoughts on my first proper bike and I look forward to many more smiles per hour! 😄
by Astral_Plane9