My bike is like a good dog

December 1, 2024

And now for something I have no skills for: I’m going to try and talk about my bike. Why is this hard for me? See, I’m just not a bike nerd . I won’t spend hours reading multiple reviews online to choose new wheels, nor will I weigh drive train parts on the kitchen scale. I kind of understand what “compliance” means but don’t ask me if my disc brakes are “flat mount” or “post mount”.

I am just asking for one thing: my bike should work. By this, I mean simple stuff like:

it must be comfortable – I should enjoy riding it all day long (because that’s what I do, sometimes even longer)
I want it to be fun to ride – up and down
it should just work: braking, shifting, all that jazz
no seat post slowly dropping because of an overly complicated tightening mecanism or other design flaws
I must be able to take it out of its comfort zone from time to time without breaking it.

And that’s precisely what my Scott Addict Gravel Tuned does. I can ride it almost anywhere, which I did extensively this year:

road bikepacking to Italy and back in April
ultra (Léman Gravel Challenge)
mixed terrain bikepacking (Gravel Trans Jura, Alps Divide, Dead Ends e Dolci)
gravel racing (Gravel Race Bern)
2’000km of road riding, I use it as my winter bike with 32mm slick tires
going to the bakery from time to time.

Jack of all trades, master of none? Don’t be fooled, this bike has qualities that enable it to excel. First of all, it’s light. Don’t ask me how much it weighs (did I say I wasn’t a nerd?), but I can tell you that I pushed it and carried it on my back during an 8.5-hour walk during Dead Ends e Dolci. Whaaat? I’ll tell that story another time.

Ready to explore deepest, darkest Ticino

I can also say that it’s fast: I finished in the top 10% of the Gravel Race Bern, on a course around 300km shorter than the shortest races I’m used to. And as I didn’t have any specific training for this type of event, I can say with absolute certainty that it was thanks to the bike that I achieved this result.

What’s more, I treated the bike badly: 3 days in almost continuous rain and mud at the Gravel Trans Jura, and around 15,000 metres of off-road descent at the Alps Divide, where I was one of the few finishers on a gravel bike. So far: zero mechanicals, not even a puncture. I might have had luck, but still it’s a testament to the reliability of the bike.

Gravel Trans Jura was a muddy business

As a keen alpine gravel rider who needs small gearing to tackle demanding slopes, I turned to my friend Chris, who owns the Ridefar workshop in Echandens. He fitted a Shimano GRX RX815 Di2 groupset and my smallest gear is now a 30×40. It’s a bit beyond the specifications imposed by the Japanese brand, but it works. Very well indeed. And with two chainrings, I’ve still got a good range of gears for road riding and bikepacking. If you’re not a bike nerd then make sure your mechanic is one – thanks Chris.

Easy peasy with a 40-tooth sprocket

In short, the Scott Addict Gravel Tuned is like a good dog: always happy, ready to go out and play – whatever the weather. Behind the house or on new, far away territories. And it’s always me who gets tired first. But don’t worry, it doesn’t sleep in my living room; I leave it in the garage.

Colle della Rho (2541mt): full-scale adventure on the Alps Divide

And for the geeks out there, here are the specifications for my Scott Addict Gravel Tuned model 2023:

Frame: Addict Gravel Disc HMX Carbon

Fork: Addict Gravel HMX Flatmount Disc

Groupset: Shimano GRX RX815 Di2

Chainrings 30-46

Cassette 11v 11-40

Cockpit: Syncros Creston iC SL X

Seatpost: Syncros Duncan SL Aero

Saddle: Syncros Tofino Regular 1.0 Cutout

Wheels: DT Swiss GRC1100 Disc

Tyres: Schwalbe G-One R 700×45

If you have any questions about this bike, don’t hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to help, with a little help from my mate Chris if it’s too complicated for me. You can also find the current Scott Gravel range here.

Alain

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