Product Review
KTM Scarp Elite Carbon 29er 2013 Review
Share on Facebook Share on TwitterPublished: 30th July, 2013
A new KTM Scarp Elite 29er for 2013; 4 Bar Linkage Carbon/Alloy full suss 29er with a retail price point of £2999.99 - And we had been sent one to test! Unfortunately we only had the bike for a few days, but managed to put it through its paces at the recently opened Cardinham Woods in Cornwall.
A bit of KTM History
I hadn't seen a KTM bike in the flesh before and I didn't even know they made mountain bikes until a couple of years ago. More famous for their motor cycles, KTM - Kronreif, Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen (After company founders Hans Trunkenpolz and Ernst Kronreif and the Austrian location Mattighofen) started making push bikes in 1964.
Early bike test lab
Today KTM are up there with the big guns, having sold around 3,000,000 bikes since 1964 from a current range of 150 models. With a world cup win in 2005 by Yader Zoli, a few design awards and a top 10 finish by Alex Gehbauer in the 2012 London Olympics, KTM Bike Industries certainly have a proven track record. They are an established European brand where all the bikes are designed and built in Europe.
The present day KTM test lab where a bike's complete lifecycle can be simulated and tested within 70 hours.
KTM Scarp Elite 29er Statistics
Frame: Scarp 29 Carbon M:1397 Carbonframe Monocoque F& Alloy Rear 4-linkage, System KTM PDS-2 Carbon Rocker, Cable integrated Headtube 1.1/8 > 1.15 for tapered Press-Fit, FD Directmount, Ext: 142TA
Shock: FOX Float CTD BV, Air spring LV (Large-Volume) Boost Valve, w 3 ProPedals positions
Forks: Rock Shox Reba 29 RL 100 15-T, solo air, D: Motion Control 100mm, 15TA, tapered, with Remote-Pushlock
Shifters: Shimano SLX-3 / SLX-10
Rear Mech: Shimano XT M786 shadow plus,DM
Front Mech: Shimano SLX M671
Rear Block: Shimano HG62-10 11-36
Crankset: Shimano SLX 42-32-24
Bottom Bracket: Shimano Hollowtech II, PressFit
Pedals: Shimano M520
Disc Rotors: Shimano RT67 180
Brake Levers: Shimano SLX
Rear Hub: DT Swiss 350 - 100/15TA CL
Front Hub: DT Swiss 350 - 142/12TA CL
Rims: DT Swiss X-470-Disc 29"
Tyres: Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25 (57-622)folding
Headset: Ritchey Pro Logic Zero Drop-In
Stem: Ritchey Pro 4-axis 44 wet-black
Bars: Ritchey PRO 2X flat 720
Saddle: KTM VLG864-1AD3 Neopren
Grips: Selle Italia SL Flow
Seat Post: Ritchey Pro 350/30.9 bb-black
Weight: 12,7 kg
SRP: £2999.99
Carbon tapered headtube - Internal cable routing, with option for rear shock lock out
Direct mount shimano mech hanger - XT clutch mech - 12 x 142 bolt though axle - Custom rubber protection on chainstay, its also moulded into the down tube
One piece carbon linkage - Press fit bb - Direct mount front mech - Internal cable routing - Full floating shock.
Opinion
The finish on the Scarp Elite was really impressive with good quality well specced components from the likes of Shimano, Ritchey and DT Swiss the price point seemed good, not the cheapest, sure, but what do you expect from a quality European born offering - this is not a Far-Eastern re-badge.
You can really see the attention to detail with the iconic chunky tapered head tube, the well thought out internal cable routing, sculptured carbon front triangle and tasteful decals.
On the trails you can really feel the rear linkage working hard on both climbs and decents - the handle bar mounted fork lockout was handy, but a remote rear lock out would have been nice (available on the higher spec models). The frame I tested was a 21" which is bigger than I normally ride, I am 6' 2 and a bit " but it felt perfect. The frame felt super stiff and I was in total control on the tight berms at Cardinham. The 100mm of front and rear travel was silky smooth and able to take a decent hit, even with my 14.5 stones.
The bike felt light and agile and fully responsive; overall a bit of a winner - the downside to the experience was not having enough time to take the bike for a longer ride on the moors!
KTM Bikes are distributed by FLi Distribution in the UK, see flidistribution.co.uk and www.ktm-bikes.at for more information.
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