Scott Addict RC 30 2020

For the latest Addict RC 30, Scott has focused heavily on aerodynamics to boost its already impressive performance. By keeping all hoses and cables virtually hidden it is certainly one smooth-looking machine, backed up by plenty of stiffness and a very comfortable rear end.

Ride

The Addict RC 30 certainly didn't give me any surprises when it came to performance. The huge down tube, oversized bottom bracket area, chunky chainstays and tapered head tube all shout rigidity and speed, and they certainly deliver.

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Launching off the line, the Scott feels planted. You can really get the power down without the slightest hint of flex anywhere through the bottom half of the frame, and thanks to a relatively light weight of 7.88kg it feels very responsive – especially when you lighten it even more with a set of deep-section carbon rims; more of that later.

All this stiffness does mean that the Scott can transfer some road buzz up through to the front end but that's not a massive issue on a bike of this ilk. It doesn't quite have the same vibration-taming quality as the Orro Venturi I rode a month or so back, but it isn't far off. There is no harshness to the feedback, so it is still absorbing a fair bit of it.

The seatpost does bring some additional comfort to the rear end by allowing just a small amount of flex, even though I wasn't running a huge amount of it exposed. It's not noticeable all of the time, especially not when you are riding hard as more of your weight is on the pedals than the saddle, but when you're cruising along you can just feel it doing its thing.

The steering is quick, and after riding plenty of gravel and endurance road bikes lately it took me a little fit of adapting back to the fast direction changes, but once I had there was definitely some fun to be had in the bends.

The whole bike feels very planted, and with the speed that the front wheel changes direction I could carry huge amounts of speed into my favourite technical descent, only having to scrub off minimal velocity to make the tight off-camber chicane.

The 992mm wheelbase (medium/54cm) means the Addict RC 30 feels nimble, and the slightest body position change has an effect on the handling, which means you have more control over the bike than using the handlebar alone.

Straight-line speed is another of the Scott's fortes. The position I could achieve was spot on for getting stretched out while tapping along at a time trial pace, although, if this was my own personal Addict, I would definitely be trimming the steerer some more and dumping at the very least the 20mm spacer to really get into an aero position.

Adding a set of 50mm-deep Halo Carbaura RCD wheels (full review to come) worked well with the smooth, cable-free front end and the Addict just flew along.

It carries speed in such an 'unflustered' manner too. What do I mean by that? Basically, you often find yourself travelling faster than you think you are – numerous times I glanced down at the computer expecting to see low to mid-teens miles per hour and I was actually nudging the twenties.

On the whole, the Scott Addict RC 30 has all the benefits of a full-on race bike but with the easy riding characteristics of an endurance-based machine.

Frame and fork

Let's start at the front end. Scott has its own in-house component brand, Syncros, so it's been able to develop full integration between the handlebar, stem and the frame.

Whatever shifting and braking system you are using, the Addict RC is compatible. The cables, wires and hoses are fed into the handlebar internally and then through the stem directly into the head tube, from where they flow into the down tube or fork leg before exiting wherever they need to be.

At first glance it makes the Scott look more like a track bike than a road machine.

Our test model came with mechanical Ultegra and there is no impact on the quality of the gear changes, as can happen with the tortuous tight bends that some internal cable routing can cause.

The clean look doesn't stop there either. Even the fork leg has a flap on it shielding the flat mount disc calliper bolts from the air.

Carrying those aerodynamic cues through the rest of the frame is the use of Scott's patented airflow design, which has seen the down tube, head tube, seat tube, seatpost and seat tube all being designed to optimise airflow.

For added stiffness to cope with steering and braking loads, the head tube is tapered from 1 1/4in to 1 1/2in and the fork crown is increased to match so that the frame and fork blend pretty much seamlessly into each other.

The down tube is huge. It's a D-shape, with the flat section on the top tapering in width and getting larger at the bottom bracket shell; measuring nearly 65mm across, it's no surprise to see a press-fit BB installed.

Pressing the bearing cups into the frame rather than using threaded outboard bearing cups means frame designers can make the bottom bracket shell wider, with a larger diameter, without increasing the q-factor (the distance between the pedals).

This wider and larger shell means the bike can then have a bigger diameter down tube, seat tube and taller chainstays, all in a bid to deliver more stiffness where it's needed, mainly around the drivetrain.

On a lot of bikes like the Addict RC we are seeing internal wedges being used for clamping the seatpost in place. A neat and aero alternative to the more standard external seat clamp. Scott has kind of gone for the middle ground with an external ring with a bolt at the front which, when tightened, presses a wedge against the post to keep it in position.

Scott says that this design weighs just 12g and thanks to the way it spreads the load around the post, it's able to save weight on the post too, which comes in at just 142g.

As you'd expect, the frame comes with a replaceable gear hanger and it was one of the only flaws I found with the Scott, albeit not a major one.

It's quite exposed, sticking out of the rear dropout, and the material feels quite soft too. Ours must have taken a whack somewhere in transit as when I was putting the bike together, I could see how bent it was and how out of line the rear mech was compared to the gears.

It pulled back into line easily enough, and I had no issues with getting everything set up again, but should the bike fall over it won't take much to be pushed out of line again. I appreciate that that's its job, rather than wreck the frame, but I've ridden many, many bikes that use a more robust solution.

Overall, the quality and finish of the frame and fork is absolutely top notch and the deep yellow paintjob is definitely up to a standard I'd expect on a three-grand bike.

Geometry

When it comes to geometry, the Addict RC is very much race-orientated. There are seven sizes available, ranging from XXS/47 through to XXL/61, giving top tube lengths of 52cm to 60cm.

As I mentioned earlier, we have the M/54 which has a 55cm top tube, 135mm head tube with an angle of 72.5 degrees and a seat angle of 73.6 degrees.

Stack is 548mm, with reach coming in at 390mm (the vertical and horizontal measurements from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the head tube).

Scott has a very detailed geometry table on its website, which you can see by following the link up top.

Groupset

The Addict RC 30 comes with a mechanical Shimano Ultegra groupset with hydraulic disc brakes, and it suits the quality of the bike perfectly.

I wrote a full review of the Ultegra R8000 groupset if you want to get all of the detailed info, but to sum it up, you are getting near Dura-Ace performance on a much lower budget.

Everything, from the shape of the hoods through to the crispness of the shifts, is quality and so nice to use.

Scott has specced a semi-compact 52/36-tooth chainset which makes perfect sense. On a bike with this kind of performance I find the slightly larger chainrings work better than a 50/34 compact for high speed work but without taking away the lower climbing gears like a standard 53/39 does.

The Addict does get an 11-30T cassette at the back rather than the more typical 11-28T found on most road bikes, so you do have that extra bailout gear.

I'm a big fan of Shimano's hydraulic brakes, I just love the way they feel. Loads of feedback at the lever allows you to really modulate the amount of pressure you want to apply.

The Addict gets 160mm diameter rotors front and rear which is ample on a road bike, and their performance was spot on straight out of the box, needing no real bedding in period at all.

Finishing kit

As you'd expect, the rest of the finishing kit is all Syncros. I touched on the stem earlier, but to go into a little more detail it's called the Syncros RR iC and all of the gubbins like the headset preload cap and clamping bolts are hidden beneath the big magnetic cover to the rear.

Don't worry, the magnet is plenty strong enough that even at speed on rough terrain it isn't going to go flying off.

Stem length differs through the size range, with the 54cm model's being a 110mm.

The handlebar is carbon fibre and quite traditional in shape, with quite a slender profile and a shallow drop. Many people are probably wondering why Scott hasn't gone for an aero one and I haven't really got an answer for that, but at least this round one gives you plenty of scope to fit lights and computer mounts should you want to.

The Belcarra Regular 2.0 saddle has a good shape for the type of riding the Addict is likely to be used for. It has minimal padding but it's supportive and I rode around 300 miles on it in one week with no discomfort issues at all.

Wheels and tyres

Another Syncros component is the wheelset, the RP2.0, a shallow depth rim with 28 spokes front and rear.

I'd say it's a capable wheelset rather than an exciting one, but it does a decent enough job; it's just that the Addict RC deserves something faster.

They stood up well to abuse, covering many miles on the rough back lanes around my place, and I certainly never had an issue with trueness or grumbling from the bearings.

The Addict RC has some pretty decent tyre clearances so fitting a set of 28mm Schwalbe One Race Guard tyres isn't a squeeze at all.

I'm a big fan of the Schwalbe Ones, and their levels of grip and rolling resistance complemented the Addict RC. I've been using this model of tyre on other bikes for a long time and their wear rates are very good too.

Value

The Addict RC 30 is priced at £3,199 which is a good price for a top-level aero race bike.

I mentioned the Orro Venturi earlier and I see a lot of similarities between that and the Scott. The Ultegra version of the Orro is just £2,599.99, though, and if you want that in a Di2 setup then it's £3,299.99, which is quite the bargain.

Other aero race bikes don't fare so well against the Scott, though, like the Pinarello Prince FX Disc which in a similar build to the Scott is £5,500. The Scott offers a better ride quality than the Pinarello, and some might say it looks nicer too.

> Buyer’s Guide: 14 superbikes that combine performance and value

So, the Scott isn't the cheapest out there, but it is far from the most expensive. Would I pay full whack for it? Yes, I reckon I would, as I don't think it is overpriced at all.

First and foremost, I love the way the Addict RC rides. The stability that you get out on the road plus the handling is absolutely spot on. I also love the way that Scott has designed the whole internal cable/hose thing through the frame and components, to give that sleek aero look. It's a great-handling, fun aero road bike for riding hard and fast.

Verdict

Superb stiffness levels and great handling makes this one fun aero bike to ride hard