Scott Foil 10 - Will I notice a significant difference

Callum_62

Hi there, hoping to get some advice on my next bike purchase. I am currently riding a 2yo Planet X Pro Carbon with a mix of Sram Force & Red (slowly upgraded over time). I have an option to pick up a Scott Foil 10 ()frameset at a good price, but before pulling the trigger, I wanted to know if the difference between my planet x and the scott is going to be noticeable? Another option is to pick up a Madone 5.9 which works out a bit more expensive, but comes with integrated brakes. I will be moving all my existing parts over to the new frameset.

Looking at the geometry of the scott, It seems to run quite long compared to the Planet X, does this mean I might want to size down?

For reference, I tend to hold about 38/40km/h on the flat, and average 32/33km/h over 100km, so while I'm no slouch, I'm hardly tearing up the local crit scene.

I would be keen to hear from Foil owners, and also anyone who has upgraded from an entry level carbon frame to top level to see if the cost is worth the benefit.

dawebbo

Not directly answering your question, but my experience on riding flagship bikes versus cheaper ones is that they feel more refined rather than actually being faster.

pkripper

The difference I find between flagship and budget carbon bikes is the ride quality. There are of.course exceptions throughout the price scale, but the difference between my expensive carbon and cheaper carbon is like night and day to Me anyways. My nice bike feels faster and more comfortable than most lower end bikes I've tried, but conversely the cheaper ones I find descend better as they're a lot less skittish.

But, there's also the consideration of what you want to use it for. You're already plenty quick enough to kick my butt, so if its just icing on the cake and you have the cash why not. Oh, and aero frames tend to be slightly more of a compromise somewhere along the line comfort wise.

Grill

You will notice a huge difference. Everything from the stiffness of the frame to the eagerness to go up hills, and the ease at which you can accelerate and hold speed. Can't help you with the sizing without knowing more about you and your current bike.

Integrated brakes = PIA + rubbish stopping power.

Callum_62

I think I am going to pull the trigger on the Foil, my LBS has agreed to build it up and will give me a static fitting. I wonder if anyone could help me with some sizing advice. I'm hoping to go pretty aggressive on the foil as I expect to begin racing next season.

I currently ride a Medium Planet X which has a stack of 544mm and a reach of 385mm. The 100mm stem is slammed and my saddle is about as far forward as it can go, which means I don't get as much power as I would like. I feel comfortable on the bike, but I know I will want to get more aggressive as I ride more. I also find the ride a bit twitchy on descents, so I may end up moving to a slightly longer stem.

I am 178cm tall and inseam is 30.5inches (short legs, longer torso), which is leaning me towards the Foil 52, which has an almost identical reach (384mm) but a shorter stack (527mm), this would let me get the position I want, and hopefully let me move the saddle back to rebalance the bike a bit. I worry that the 54 with a stack of 549 - even higher than my current bike - isn't going to let me get aggressive enough?

Am I thinking along the right lines here?

Grill

A few things to keep in mind with the Foil. Size 56 and above come with 25mm setback posts whereas the 54 has a 10mm setback post. I believe that the 52 also has a 10mm setback post, but it may be 0mm. Although the Foil looks as though it has quite a short headtube, the fork design adds an effective 10mm to it, so it's slightly less aggressive than the geometry would suggest.

I'm 180cm with a 32.5in inseam and ride the 54. Even though it only has a 10mm setback post I ride it with the saddle quite far forward and have zero issue with control or balance. If you don't feel as though you have enough power in a more forward position this could be due to the fact that your saddle is too low. When you push a saddle forward, you need to raise it as well. It is possible that you have slightly more power in a setback position, but this will only be on flats and your cadence will suffer accordingly. So will your climbing as you'll need to shift out of the saddle to properly leverage your weight on hills. Of course, you need to go with what works for you as well.

You could probably ride the 52, but you may have to watch out for toe overlap depending on the size of your dogs.

Callum_62

Thanks for the advice. I think I could probably be fine on either the 54 or the 52 to be honest. I might find a local stockist and see if I can get a test ride on them both. I need to buy a new cockpit anyway, so it's not like I'll be wasting their time.

Grill

Where are you located?

Callum_62

Located in London. Looks like Evans cycles have a few in stock. I think I will go there to have a go. The more I look at the geometry, the more I lean towards the 52 though.

Grill

Check Bikelab in Richmond as they're a stockist.

Callum_62

Perfect - I'll pop in there on Saturday.