Who rides a Scott CR1?

JesseD

Hi all,

I am after a review on the Scott CR1 from members of the forum, from those who actually have one.

I had an Addict SL (which I bought unused but second hand) which snapped on the seat tube just under the front mech mount, I wrote to Scott to see if they could do anything for me (expecting they would tell me where to go) and I received a call from Scott bikes yesterday afternoon and was told that whilst they wouldn't replace my frame FOC (as I was not the original purchaser) they would sell me another one a trade price.

I decided that I can't afford the Addict (and the geometry is a little aggresive for me) but the deal I have been offered on the 2009 CR1 Pro frame and forks is a pretty good one all things considered. However before I pull the trigger I am keen to know how the bike copes in the real world with normal people riding it and not from the pro's and journo's who test ride them and then review them for magazines and websites etc.

So is the CR1a decent bike, whats the ride like, is it stiff enough for sprinting/climbing, Is it comfortable enough for sportives etc etc?

The type of riding I do is mostly just riding for pleasure, but this year I plan to do a few crits and hopefully the Marmotte and the Dragon ride.

Muchos Gracias

Jesse

Kléber

It's a good frame and fine for racing. It is very light and quite stiff, the only thing is that the ride is a bit harsh, so think about your tyre (+ pressure), saddle and bar choices.

nasahapley

Hi JesseD,

I've had a 2007 CR1 pro for about 18 months now and I think it's a brilliant bike, I haven't changed a thing on it. I've heard it said before that it's supposed to have a harsh ride but I don't feel it myself. It's my only bike so I use it for everything from short time-trial style blasts to 100+ mile epics in the Dales and Lakes. I did the Fred Whitton last year on it (and will again his year) without feeling uncomfortable, and it's great on my 30 mile round trip commute too. It's been ridden through two winters now with fairly minimal maintenence, and at 13.5 stone I'm not the lightest or most gentle of riders, but it still rides as good as the day I bought it.

In short, I don't think you'll be disappointed with a CR. And I don't work for Scott.

AlanW

I have a 2008 CR1, great bike, very light and excellant for climbing. As others have already said it is a bit on the harsh side regarding the ride, but I dont have a issue with it.

brownbosh

Im a very big rider and i have two CR1's. Use them for all sorts. Upgraded everything and the frame is still more than up to it. Eliminated the harsh feel with pro vibe monococ seatposts and they are perfect! One of them is 4 years old and still as sharp as the 12 mth one. Plus the warranty is great. One developed a squeek which was not anything strength/performance altering and i got a new fraem for nothing and a voucher for all the gear to be changed over free at my dealer. I have a speedster too they are all great.

andy_wrx

I hired one for a week last year on holiday in Italy : CR1 Pro, Ultegra compact, Ksyrium Elites.

I normally ride a Spesh Roubaix and must say I felt it was very similar and I don't think the geometry is that aggressive or the ride harsh, so I'd say it's certainly comfy enough for sportives rather than being a full-on no-compromises racer.

My complaint was that the stem was a bit short, but whether that was that particular bike (who knows what the hire company had done...) or is true of all CR1 Pro's, couldn't say.

It felt a bit 'plasticy' (well it is ! carbon-fibre reinforced plastic and all that...) and seemed a bit lighter than my Roubaix to pick up bu hand, but no lighter on climbs...

And I can't say it was pretty (yellow and white Scott logos all over a black bike), but that's purely personal taste ! :roll:

Roadie Rods

I've got an 06 CR1 Pro, with a triple. Ultegra and Kysirium Elites. I rode the Marmotte on it last year, and took it to the Alps again later in the summer.

I don't race, but have been known to compete in the odd club run sprint, and rode the Scott to a time well inside my Gold Standard on the Marmotte last year.

Stiff enough for climbing - tick. Very good in comparison with the other bikes in my stable. Sprinting - not my forte, but it does seem to put the power down better than my other bikes too. As regards comfort, whilst I wouldn't exactly say it is an armchair, I've happily spend 140 miles in a day in the saddle.

I would recommend it from my experience.

JesseD

Sounds good so far, cheers chaps.

I'm getting a 58cm as my 56cm addict was a littel short in the TT and low at the front, the CR1 should sort that issue out without loads of spacers under the stem.

It is the 2009 model which I think looks pretty cool, it will be built up with Ritchey alloy bars and stem, Ritchey Carbon seatpost, Campag UT record Chainset and a miz of Centaur and Chrous groupset (until I slowly upgrade to all Redcord) and will have Fulcrum R1 wheels with GP4000s tyres, and a Selle Italia Flite saddle (soooo comfy).

I am actually quity excited about getting it now, although I am still keen to hear about any other reviews.

When it's built I m ight start a CR1 owners thread

markmod

JesseD, my CR1 pro frame build sounds similar build as your looking at.

I have gone for full 2009 11 speed chorus (superb!!), Ritchey full carbon wcs post and bars, Fizik arione cx saddle, fulcrum R7's (for everyday use) and Kysirium Elites (for sportier stuff)

Its a fantastic frame... I tried a few different makes/ different builds at some LBS and eventually went to Epic- Cycles, for a good test ride. Can't fault the guys there, especially Ben who really spent a lot of time with me and gave great advice, Namely that the Addict is a bit of an aggressive riding position, and (although he didn't actually say it) I reckon would be too light for a bigger guy like me. I went for the Large, I'm 6ft 2 and this seems to fit like a glove (right first time when fitted by Epic)

I tried the Scott CR1 on their suggestion and wow, I'm used to miles on the heavy mountain bike (commute and weekend runs), its like going from a 4x4 to a ferrari!

Yes you can feel the road well through the bike, often called 'harshness' I guess, but I feel that is part of the sensation and feel of riding such a great bike. It's not tiring (so far).. Although I haven't had the chance to do some bigger miles on it yet (weather and work not permitting!!) 15 miles on a run max so far (shame!!) It is a very stiff frame but I wouldn't say it feels too stiff though.

I agree with you re the 2009 colours, I like them, but others reckon they are too flash? It's a matter of 'you pays your money and takes your choice. I went for the PRO frame
although the same as the others it's a little tamer than the others (no yellow flashes!!)

I really like the lightness of my bike very much, I have said to a number of friends that sometimes it feels like your not on a bike, but running up the road instead...

I did a lot of research on the frame/ setup before I finally took the plunge, but I can say I am very pleased with my Scott CR1...Go for it and I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

kettrinboy

hi ive got the same bike as Roadie Rods a 2006 CR1 Pro with ultegra triple but have upgraded to ksyrium SL wheels which improves the climbing and acceleration due to less flex than the standard Equipe,s , the ride can feel harsh at times but you would have to be riding on really rough roads for it to really get on your tits, cant say its bothered me much. ive done 5000 miles , still on the original chain and sprockets and nothing else has gone wrong so i,m well pleased with it, i use Conti GP4000S tyres which suit it well and let you corner really fast, it changes direction fast without getting unstable, even going at 40mph+ down a bumpy hill has never provoked a wobble yet, and i like the big "Scott "logos,makes it stand out

CumbrianMan

Jesse

I've got a 06 CR1 Pro, Ultegra double, Equipes, Arione saddle.
I really like it. Stiff enough to have a decent sprint to the next lampost with my mate (who has the same, but has put Dura Ace & SL's on his !!!), and I find comfortable enough to ride the Alps for 5/6 hour rides at a time.
Have Pro Race 3's on mine, which I find are very grippy, especially on the alpine descents, and seem to be really good in the wet.

The only thing that I found, was when I was descending off the Col De L'Iseran, there was quite a bit if a side wind, and found that it blew the bike about a bit. Suppose when you have that rather wide'ish downtube, and the forks are quite large, there's always the chance that will happen.

I'm very happy with mine indeed, and would recommend one.

Plus, I can vouch that it stood up to being walked all over by the blinking baggage handlers at Liverpool airport !!

Cheers

JesseD

Cheers all,

Looks like there si a lot of love for the CR1 then.

With refards to harshness, the Addict SL I had was super stiff and but I found that ok for rides up to 2-3 hours and sometimes more. It also had a wide downtube and yes you do get blown about a bit but nothing compared to my old PX carbon stealth with Hed Jet 60/90 combos, that was fun in a side wind :shock:

I spoke to Scott Bikes again and there will not be a delivery of the 2009 CR1 Pro frames until the beginning of March so I am bikeless at the moment, so just running to keep the weight down and my fitness up a bit, I'm a bit pi55ed off but if they ain't available then they ain't available.

Let's see some picks of them built up then chaps.

I am also now toying with carbon bars and stem, white tyres :roll: and at somepoint some Mavic Cosmic Carbone SL's (when I can save the pennies)

galty

I’ve a 08 CR1 Pro frame which I had built with Ultegra SL, Ksyrium ES's, Deda Newton bars and stem, Selle SLR gel flow saddle and Conti 4000s tyres.
Its very light and the performance is excellent especially when you want to accelerate and it feels that you are not wasting a watt. It is great in the climbs although i do get some flex in the ES's even though i'm quite light at 70 kilos. Decends brilliantly!
Someone i know upgraded to a Addict R2 and commented he did not notice much difference?
It's a frame that has been in production quite a while now and it is still very highly rated and a lot of other manufactures have used it to set the standard for their own models.

I don't think you'll be disappointed!

triboy222

Put a 27.2mm post in a 31.6mm shim for the CR1 to improve comfort greatly.

AlanW

triboy222 wrote:

Put a 27.2mm post in a 31.6mm shim for the CR1 to improve comfort greatly.

Agreed, that's what I did as well.

JesseD

Cheers Chaps,

I ordered my CR1 frame and forks on the weekend, the only problem is that it will not be available until the beginning of March so spin classes and running for me at the moment to keep the fitness up and the weight down.

I very nearly opted for the 2009 Trek Madone 5.2 perofrmance fit as a mate of mine who is a Trek dealer said he may be able to get a great deal on the frame and forks but when we looked it would have been almost £350 more.

I can't wait to get it now and start riding again, I am getting withdrawal symptoms, I may see if I can borrow a bike from someone for a month.

JD

JesseD

Well she arrived on Friday



I collected her from the dealers and took her home. I carefully unpacked her from the box and this is what I found



Saturady was put aside for building her up, I took a trip to see Mike who owns Strada cycles in Bristol and he helped me install the headset and BB (so much easier when you have the right tools). After a couple of cups of tea and mucho chin wagging, I took her home and banished my GF out of the flat for the afternoon whilst I assembled my new toy. After a couple of hours she was finished! so all that was left was to take her for a ride.



First impressions are great, the 58cm fits me much better, although I am still getting used to the look of a big frame. I am still dialling in my position but I am more than happy with the ride, it's not as harsh as the Addict she replaced and I reckon the BB area is stiffer, ok so the CR1 is not as light but neither am I and I cannot feel the extra 300g-400g that she weighs. Next weekend I am going to try and get in 2 longish rides dial my position in 100% and chop the steerer tube down on the forks. The only addition I can see being made this year is a set of deep section carbon wheels, probably Mavic Cosmic Carbone Sl's.

I'll post a full ride report for anyone who's interested after next weekend.

sampras38

JesseD wrote:

Well she arrived on Friday



I collected her from the dealers and took her home. I carefully unpacked her from the box and this is what I found



Saturady was put aside for building her up, I took a trip to see Mike who owns Strada cycles in Bristol and he helped me install the headset and BB (so much easier when you have the right tools). After a couple of cups of tea and mucho chin wagging, I took her home and banished my GF out of the flat for the afternoon whilst I assembled my new toy. After a couple of hours she was finished! so all that was left was to take her for a ride.



First impressions are great, the 58cm fits me much better, although I am still getting used to the look of a big frame. I am still dialling in my position but I am more than happy with the ride, it's not as harsh as the Addict she replaced and I reckon the BB area is stiffer, ok so the CR1 is not as light but neither am I and I cannot feel the extra 300g-400g that she weighs. Next weekend I am going to try and get in 2 longish rides dial my position in 100% and chop the steerer tube down on the forks. The only addition I can see being made this year is a set of deep section carbon wheels, probably Mavic Cosmic Carbone Sl's.

I'll post a full ride report for anyone who's interested after next weekend.

Hi Jesse,

How are you getting on with your Scott?

I've got the yellow and black frame on a 58, and have had it about 5 months now. Absolutely love it, although I did change the seat, bars (slightly wider) and the gearing. i upgraded to a 12/27 and Ultegra Compact. Taking it to France for the first time in July to try the Jeoux Plane and Cole Du Colombiere. Also doing the Wales Dragon ride in June and it'll be my first Sportive. I also have a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, but of course that doesn't even come close to the Scott.

dunmowpeddler

I bought a CR1 Pro back in April, saving about £500 by missing the price increase and getting a bit of discount. However prices are now dropping back down to this sort of level, presumably as the new 2010 CR1 has been in the press.

I had been agonising over my choice of new bike for about two years, wanting to upgrade to full carbon from my alu/carbon Orbea Mente (Line frame) with Sora. In my minds eye I wanted to go for something in the £1,500 range which would get 105 and reasonable entry level wheels. I drew up countless shortlists, read loads of test reports, slogged through the blogs, but could never make a decision. Meanwhile prices were going up.

At one stage I was hankering after a piece of Italian machinery as I wanted a respected brand and some style. I tested a whole load of bikes including the Tarmac, Roubaix, Madone, C2C & MonoQ, BMC Road Racer, Scott CR1 Team and Pro, Viners etc.

In the end I plumped for the CR1 as a lot of people were saying good things about it and I liked the style of the aero front forks and bold graphics. I also had a choice of local delaers, including one very close to work for servicing. In the end I went over my budget, but I think it was worth it to get the Pro with Ultegra and the Mavic Ksyrium Elites, although I prefer the graphics on the Team model.

Modifications:

• I had a short stem fitted on a 56 frame as I'm long in the legs , but shorter in the upper body
• The standard saddle is OK, but as I have had prostrate problems in the past I swapped it for the Selle Italia Flite Gel that was recommended elsewhere in this thread. I have to say that although it is a bit bulky it is very comfortable, resulting in no saddle pains at all. I went for white which matches the bike colour scheme very well.
• Look Keo pedals
• The standard Hutchinson tyres handle well, so I am sticking with them but plan to switch to Michelin Pro Race3 or similar
• Other than that, there is nothing I want to change at the moment

Observations:

• The bike is nice and light, feeling a bit skittish on the front end at first, but this is normal with most carbon bikes I've tried
• Yes the ride is on the firm side, but I prefer more feedback from the road relative to some of the sportive bikes I tried. Yes, you will certainly feel the bumps and vibration on lumpy B-roads, but generally it is fine. I've done no more than 65 km maximum distance, but get the impression that it would be absolutely Ok for longer and day rides. Going back to my old bike recently seemed very harsh!
• The black/white/grey graphics are growing on me, although I'd prefer the rear triangle to have less black on it. It's a shame too that there is no exposed carbon fibre weave, but that seems to be the fashion these days for many manufacturers.
• The handling is really great, with the stiff frame being rock solid in the corners or fast descents. I like glancing down to see the broad top tube and swoopy front forks. I'm really enjoying blasting around the lanes, cranked over and pedalling round corners.
• My average speed is definitely up by about 2kph so far, with my riding mates commenting on how much faster I am climbing in particular. Acceleration is also a lot more brisk
• The handlebars are really comfy, as are the hoods. I find that I can ride in the drops for much longer as the bars are a lot shallower than I am used to. In fact the bike is higher at the front end than I had expected, meaning that lower back niggles are now largely banished
• Ultegra groupset and brakes all work really well and the wheels seem to freewheel nicely
• The main gripe I have is with a resonance that goes up through the front forks on rough road surfaces. This was partially cured by a replacement front skewer (QR lever was quite loose), plus extra damping to the cables (draught excluder while I wait for my dealer to get clip on cable guards) where they rattle against the frame. However, when you drop the front end of the bikes you still get this 'buzz' through the frame. The dealer has tried to eliminate the issue, but we are still working on it. Has anyone else had similar issues with a CR1? On good surfaces it is fine, but I have referenced against other CR1s in other dealers' showrooms and they don't seem to do the same thing. Oh yes, there's also a loose bit of carbon rattling around the inside of the frame, which we plan to fix by dropping in a small drop of glue to trap it. It's not a major issue.

Overall very pleased. [/img]

dunmowpeddler

The vibration issue is now solved. Worryingly the headset wasn't tightened properly at PDI! I now have a quiet bike and love it. I've recently upgraded to Michelin Pro 3 Race in bright yellow which really lifts the B&W paintjob. The plastic Scott bottlecages in white look good too!

sampras38

dunmowpeddler wrote:

The vibration issue is now solved. Worryingly the headset wasn't tightened properly at PDI! I now have a quiet bike and love it. I've recently upgraded to Michelin Pro 3 Race in bright yellow which really lifts the B&W paintjob. The plastic Scott bottlecages in white look good too!

I've got yellow Vittoria Rubino's on my CR1 and they've been fine so far. Used the bike on 100+ sportives and Alps climbing and it's been superb.

Ponso

dunmowpeddler wrote:

The vibration issue is now solved. Worryingly the headset wasn't tightened properly at PDI! I now have a quiet bike and love it. I've recently upgraded to Michelin Pro 3 Race in bright yellow which really lifts the B&W paintjob. The plastic Scott bottlecages in white look good too!

You said you are on a 56cm cr1 which I am also building up. What are your body dimensions eg how tall are you and did you find that the frame was bigger than a typical large frame. I have heard that Scott's are notoriously big compared to other makes which has me concerned that I wont be able to get it to fit me. Or is there enough room to select components that will get me onto it comfortably. Thanks for some belated thoughts

rolf_f

Surprised people call the CR1 harsh. I had an extended test ride of a 2009/10 one - it was as soft as anything! A really plush ride but it didn't quite set me on fire! And the enormously wide top tube kept getting in the way of my knees! I think the earlier ones were meant to be harsher though but they really softened it when they gave it a proper Sportive geometry.

gsvbagpuss

Ponso wrote:

You said you are on a 56cm cr1 which I am also building up. What are your body dimensions eg how tall are you and did you find that the frame was bigger than a typical large frame. I have heard that Scott's are notoriously big compared to other makes which has me concerned that I wont be able to get it to fit me. Or is there enough room to select components that will get me onto it comfortably. Thanks for some belated thoughts

Butting in here as a 2011 CR1 Comp rider. I'm 5'8", 30" inseam and ride a 54 quite happily. I have nothing on the same level to compare it with but it's a great bike for me!!

Agree on the comfort points made - the early (pre 2010 IIRC) are more racey than the current ones, the Scott Foil being the sharper model nowadays.

vespario

Have a 2011 cr1 pro. Very comfortable. Have a size 54 and am 5'10 with a 30 inch inseam as well. The ride is great. I have a Caad 10 in a size 54 wich I find a lot more comfortable though as the reach s not as long!