Scott aspect 45

Mattmanic

Hi,

I just got an Aspect 45 as my first proper bike the other day on the reccomendation of bike radars review and the shop i got it from. It's on it's way from switzerland atm (either where they're made or the European distributors or something like that) because the size i needed wasn't in stock. I couldn't find any more info or opinions on it really. Which I thought was odd considering how much there is on the GT and Mongoose equivalents.

So I'm just after some thoughts about the bike preferably from owners. ie. good and bad points, any weaknesses etc...

Thanks

stumpyjon

Don't own one myself but my next door neighbour bought one earlier this year and it's a nicely built and well specced bike for the money. I think the frame is pretty good and therefore worth upgrading into the future as parts wear out. That said most of the kit on it is pretty good especially for the money (Deore hydraulic brakes are a nice touch for example).

From playing with his bike, the forks aren't as good as they could be (although they are far from the worst at this price point) other than that a pretty good buy IMO. Have fun with it when it arrives (I just hate having to wait, don't you :evil: ).

Mattmanic

It's coming on friday . In the shop I had the choice of getting a gt avalanche 2 with cable disc brakes and taking it away then or waiting a week and getting the Scott which I was told was better.

The guy at Leisure lakes was very helpful and knowledgeable and took me on a little test drive on a bike with the same frame but in the right size so I could get a feel for it. I would recomend them for anyone near one of their shops.

lesz42

have had the 45 for about 2 months, good bike, pedals are too narrow ( for my size 11 feet) so got some kona Jackshits £15, bargin! and changed my tyres to double fighters 2 ( mostly onroad)

Forks are ok i guess, better ones will be fitted, maybe after xmas, and getting some tyres for offroad stuff too


rest of the bike is good , good mix of componets for the money, things i may change are, saddle ( more comfort, going to give it a bit more time, tbh) and the grips ( on-lock types)

otherwise seems ok so far ( about 400 miles so far)

one thing to add, is the bike is so smooth to ride, gives you confidence, i need to really try harder to scare myself!

stumpyjon

You made the right decision on hydraulic vs cable discs. My other neighbour bought the model down from the 45 (35?) which has Shimano cable discs and they've been a right pain to setup and nowhere near as powerful as the hydraulics.

Mattmanic

Cool, I have a question about hydraulic brakes now. When I pulled the brake leaver on the bike it was very smooth and controled all the way back until the very end when it became quite hard comparitivly. Is it the same as cable brakes? ie. The harder you pull the quicker you stop or was i pulling it back too far?

stumpyjon

Sounds right, if it didn't do that the lever would go all the way back to the bars and that's a sign your brakes need bleeding which is not good.

The good thing about most hydraulic brakes is exactly the type of smooth feel and control you've felt with yours. The 'hard' bit at the end was the result of the pads being tight against the rotor. In terms of pulling too hard, if the wheel locks up you've pulled too hard, if you're slowing down in a controlled manner then you haven't .

sidlad

I am in two minds at the minute whether to get the Gt avalanche 2.0 ('08) or the scott aspect 45 (08). Other than the above have you any other thoughts about your bike now you have (presumably) received it and (hopefully) ridden it?!!

Many thanks

By the way, i am returning to mountaining biking after i 15 year sabbatical!!

ScottAspect45

It's a fantastic bike for the money, can take a hammering. The forks arent great, but you probably wont find better for the money. I have changed the pedals (DMR V8s) and will probably be swapping the tyres for something with a bit more grip, although the tyres that come with it are fine for normal trail riding.

Have a look in this months What Mountain Bike, it comes in a close second behind the more expensive Focus Fat Boy in their "Best bikes under £500" article.

If you buy through evans and use quidco, I think you can get the Scott for about £330

Mattmanic

Mine was £360 from Liesure lakes in Cheltenham but it's worth £30 more from them I think. You get a 6 week service and you get another at 6 months after purchase, both for free.

And yes it is a great bike. I've done 50-60 miles now and the main think I can say about it is how fast you can acellerate with it and how easily it makes it up hills. The only gripe I have with it really is that the gears will sometimes not engage when you're making a small change. But that's probably more how mine's set up and me not thinking properly.

stumpyjon

Matt

you're probably right about the gears, good chance the cables have stretched slightly as they bed in and you'll need to get used to changing whilst pedalling in a smooth way.

The six week check should sort out any indexing issues.

sidlad

Cheers for the replies guys, i bought the scott this weekend fomr Drakes in Leeds (only place nearby that had the GT and Scoot in stock so i could decide close-up, ttho this and other threads meant i was always leaning towards the scott).

Ended up paying £360, which was as cheap as they'd go and as cheap as i could find anywhere on internet.

Not been for a proper ride yet but hope to get down the woods this weekend.

Thanks again for the advice.

bells0

Congrats Sid - i got my Scott Aspect 20 from Drakes in April, Matthew was a decent lad - gave me 15% off too

lesz42

the 2008 is a bargin!, the 2009 is £499.99! same spec, apart from the rear derailleur and paint job!

gerardgargan

I bought my aspect 45 about 3 months ago, i absolutely love it, infact im heading out on it in 5 minutes, but i have to warn you, theres sometimes a bit of trouble with the disc brakes. You might want to read this bulletin:
http://bgindy.com/page.cfm?pageID=969

Unfortunately, my front disc break has had this problem, not the actual leak but the bad stopping power and noisy sounds. So theres been a bit of mineral oil contaminating my break pads and disc brake.

Does anyone know how much replacement brake pads would be for the aspect by any chance?

Gerard.

lesz42

have a look here


http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/


my brakes make noise when they are wet, but thats all