Ridiculous is right... It's nice and all, but I am sorry, its plastic. Carbon pales in comparison to a sweet ferrous ride, or that of a ti bike. Actually I am surprised to find such a bike-geek as your self riding bikes made out of beercans? After all you have that sweet Sycip road bike, and then a ho-hum alu cross stable and 29er???

I feel sorry for the SOB that goes for the remount only to find that carbon mast has had a catastrophic failure...

Did you notice the cable routing? Look closely...

Anon 1:
Ho hum cross stable and 29'er?!?!? For shame! I am a believer in non ferrous, especially when done right. I've owned and ridden it all from carbon to steel to ti to aluminum and for cross, I personally think the standard to shoot for characteristically speaking is aluminum. I want absolute stiffness and zero noodling like I had with my various steel cross bikes. Further, I can not personally stand small diameter tubes for grabbing on to which unfortunately steel can only offer. Aluminum tubing simply feels better in my hands when porting, etc. Lastly, even with butted tubing, I can not get a steel frame in my size to be at the weight range I want. My Scandium frames which are roughly a custom 59cm, are sub three pound frames which is unbelievable....and strong to say the least. So while I am down with all the cult-iness of steel (and ti), I have raced on it all and will not deviate from aluminum until I can get a season on carbon and can review the new generation f carbon frames. Look at Sven having been on a C50 carbon for nearly a decade. I can not agree with you on the carbon versus steel tip either. I like the feedback that steel offers me on my road bike....for *that* application. For cross, again, I do not want the frame hiding what the tires and wheels are doing in terms of feel. In other words I want my tire pressure to dictate the feel of the day and I need to feel that before I feel all zen with the frame and its feedback. I want the frame to transmit power: that's it. I want the wheels and tires to be the 'zen' portion of the bike and provide me the feedback I need on the day...and of the course.

Anon 2:
Indeed I noticed that cable routing and exchanged some off line dialog about it with some peeps. You are very observant. Certain frame builders are adamant about the downtube routing for front der. cables. You know where I stand on that (see other posts). The naked or gloved hand while annoying, can still get over that cable's position where the benefits of not having that pully system (in a top routed cable application) in muddy situations. But I still say: look at 100% of teh frames in Belgium and you will never see this. The cable that did bug me is the one routed on teh down side of the top tube. If I am a southpaw crosser (e.. porting on the left side), that will negate my use of the frame. For right sided porters (the majority), this cabling may still prove to be painful on the shoulder. I'd have to feel it though. Ultimately, applying the Addict's technology to the cross circuit is a strong move by Scott to put an screaming high end (yet obtainable) carbon cross frame on the market here in the US where Time (if you could find them) and Ridley dominate this market on he uber-high end and low to mid mass market end respectively.

The one application that you prefer steel is the only application where carbon 'might' make sense (in my opinion it feels like poo as a frame material - although it has its applications in other bike parts...). When was the last time you rode a Ti or steel bike? Probably riding that Dean tainted your view of TI, it would have that affect on anyone... The tubing is oversized these days, and especially when you look at some of the S3 True Temper, or the new 953 steel bikes out there. Those steels build up a ca. 3 lbs frame in your size and offer a plethora more in riding characteristics, including stiffness. It has nothing to due with 'cultness' or being hard core, it has to do with choosing a bike that makes sense, won't beat you up (or your wallet) and will not fail down the line. I am not here to persuade you, your lower back is your own business.

How many times have I seen a rig from Nys cracked in two? Two times I know for sure last season, and I am sure they were not the first.

The Scott bike funny enough is produced in the same factory as the Koga Myata bikes (sometimes sharing the same molds) and some other no-name bargin value carbon frames. Scott will tell you they have proprietary carbon weaves, lay up process and yadda, yadda yadda, all of which is a marketing guy trying to you why $4000 is a justified price for a disposable bike that will be outdated in a season or two if it even lasts that long.

Don't buy into the hype, buy an honest frame from a local builder, and take the spare cash you saved and buy yourself a training program/ coach to get to the front and laugh at all of those suckers who think a few grams and owning the latest will garner them those precious seconds putting them into contention for a win.

Interesting comments about the wheels being the Zen...never thought of it in exactly those terms.
However, I am absolutely, positively sold on ti. Kelly Bedford at Serotta helped me nail this ride. It's perfect. I get plenty of lateral stiffness, enough vertical compliance to take the abuse so I don't have to, and I get that feedback you mention. I know exactly what the bike's going to do at all times. Mmmmmmm....ti cross bikes....

That bike is dead sexy. It's full of items which I personally dislike on an intellectual level, but still fing ever so lustful on a visual level. Like seat masts and intgrated headsets. By the way, I agree on material when it comes to cross racing bikes. Light and stiff. My race rig is big tubed Ti because I like to drop it and trail ride it and plan on doing so for many years. My other "cross" bike is steel because it's supposed to be my gravel road, long distance, hauler.

This is great feedback. And honestly 'Anonymous 1', you should get a blog!! you have some killer opinions!