Scott Voltage FR10 Review
Bike reviews don’t always happen when they are supposed to. This is particularly true here because Dan had a spot of bad luck this summer. I’ll let him tell the rest of the tale before he tells you about the Scott Voltage FR 10. –CM
It has been one heck of a summer. At the end of April, the weekend before my birthday. I was riding the Scott Voltage FR10 on the Sunshine Coast with my firends Brett, Sarah, Ryan, Dylan, Karla and Tanya. Curtis had separated his shoulder at Sea Otter so he was shuttling us. Thanks Curtis!
We were riding some super fun trails, when suddenly, coming out of the natural tranny of a stump, the front wheel washed and I proposed to a tree with my face.
After I recovered from my concussion the rest of summer was spent hitting all the locations that my truck and the bike could take me. That was until 6 short weeks ago. I was enjoying one fateful “last run” in the Whistler Bike Park, on the way to meet Todd for an out of park ride, when my foot slipped off the front of my pedal just as I was rolling through a pothole. My leg took the brunt of the impact and I broke my Tib and Fib in 2 locations. A trip in the Whistler Bike Patrol truck to the bottom of Emerald Chair, then a more comfortable ride in the Aubulance to the Clinic polished off my year in the park. Huge thanks to the Bike Patrol guys and the paramedics. And that explains this review landing on your desktop in September.
Good lookin’! Scott has put a lot of effort into the fit and finish of this bike and it has paid off.
Scott Sports has a rich history in sport, starting with ski poles in the late 1950s. In 1986 they introduced their first mountain bike, with full suspension bikes following in 1992. As time went on they began to produce some top rated bicycling products which include the Scott Gensis and some of the finest road bicycles seen in Le Tour. Scott is also very well known as a pioneer in carbon technology, but they are still relatively new to the world of freeride.
The Scott Voltage FR10 shows they are serious about bikes for rowdy trails. The Voltage has been called the Swiss Army knife of bikes because of its versatility. But I am going to run with “it is possibly one of the most fun bikes I have ever ridden!” With the sheer versatility of the bike, allowing the rider to modify suspension travel to her/his liking, or to the the terrain at hand, the possibilities for this bike are endless.
Train Wreck, or at least the new entrance, (thanks in large part to WORCA), is a great place to let the bike stretch her legs.
The 2010 Scott Voltage FR 10 is the best equipped sibling in the “Free Ride” family offerings of the FR 10, FR 20 and FR 30. Weighing in at a cool 36.92 lbs. (website claimed) the bike is no emaciated runway model. However, I cannot stress enough that the bike’s weight was never an issue when riding down, ripping through the trees, or even for pedalling back up for a second run.
Purple Anno bits adorn this bike in all the right places. Just the right amount of purple.
This is a bike that defies categorization. It can be tuned to meet demands of the rider in many different circumstances. Here’s a rundown of the platform so you can dial it in to your specifications if you have the opportunity to throw a leg over.
The Voltage frame was designed to allow for 3 different shock lengths 8.5, 8.75 and 9.5 with two different shock positions. To make it even more versatile, the rear end can have travel anywhere from 140mm to 180mm, and chainstay lengths of 415mm to 435mm using Scott’s Interchangable Dropout system. The frame is designed to throw on a front fork ranging from 160mm through 180mm. Oversized sealed bearing pivots keep the rear nice and tight for a long time!
What does all this mean to the rider? Variety and choice. This bike can do it all. You can rip the park in the am, then after a long day on the big trails go and toss a long session in the jump park.
Another notable feature of the bike? Full Nelson Weld Technique. A patented straight weld at the headtube junction that keeps the frame super stiff and strong. Why is this important you ask? When you are throwing it around and you happen to come up short on something, this frame can withstand the impact.
The road most travelled? The slog up Fromme can be hard on the big bike. The Scott was super easy to pedal and I arrived without a huff.
The Ride
The bike saw dirt in the following locations: Whistler, Squamish, Pemberton, Lillooet, Sun Peaks, Silver Star, Naramatta and “the Shore”. It was a full-on mix of pedal to earn your lines and ride the luxury of the chairlift. From the rocky terrain of the Shore to the all-out buffed trails in Silver Star, the bike saw it all.
The bike was ridden with a 160mm single crown Fox 36 up front while the rear suspension was adjusted between the short and long setting depending on the terrain.
The short chainstays allowed the bike to pedal well uphill, be responsive to power and track very well under pressure. The suspension didn’t wallow too much under the pedal stroke – another atribute of the short chainstays.
I continually say that I am a terrible bike reviewer, as I only have eyes for the next bike that I can get my hands on. So when I say that as the months ticked away, through the concussion, I could only relish (ketchup/mustard) the day that I would have the opportunity get to ride the bike again. If you remember from the beginning of this piece the bike is no light weight, but I cannot stress enough the weight never transfered to ride feel. Despite her heft she was a lively one, more than willing to jump.
When the going gets steep and umm… grassy… the bike went where I pointed it.
The Goods:
– Super versatile. Can be run as a slope style bike or a Dh bike.
– Pedalled very well uphill. (Due largely in part to the short chain stays)
The not so Goods: (there are none with the frame/bike itself, more with what the bike was spec’ed with)
– There were some places where it seems some cost cutting was done. The grips were a single end lock on, with a plastic plate at the otter end. The plate lasted a few crashes and as a result the grips shifted under heavy use.
– Plastic cable ends easily split and caused the cables housing to fray.
– Schwalbe Big Bettys. They were fantastic on super dry hard pack. If you even thought about any moisture, they seemed to lose all traction. The hard compound easily locked up on rock faces, even under moderate braking.
Hero dirt… at Sun Peaks near Kamloops? This summer’s rains allowed for the renouoned dust bin berms of the bike park to harden up and become tacky.
Fresh outa the box the Scott Voltage FR 10 will set you back $3,800.00 Canadian nicely equipped. For the more budget conscience buyer (read: the wife/girlfriend/husband/boyfriend/parents won’t let you) they can probably be sold on Scott Voltage FR 30 which comes in around $2,000.00.Poor Dan has had a rough summer.
Luckily when Dan was healthy he had a nice new bike to ride.. er… test. Please send your comments this way…
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