Even if hardly anyone noticed the visual difference, Scott's draught horses Nino Schurter and Florian Vogel started the season on a Scale with 650B wheels. In technical jargon, the wheels are also referred to as 27.5-inch wheels. However, the new bike has not just been given a corresponding fork and larger wheels, the prototype is based on a specific geometry for the new wheel size. So far, the new racing bikes are only available to the two top athletes Schurter and Vogel, who have been testing the new wheel size since November 2011. At the World Cup opener in Pietermaritzburg, the wheels impressively passed their baptism of fire with victory. The fact that Vogel's tubular tire slipped off the rim during the race was not caused by the new wheel size.

The best of both worlds
Even if 29er bikes have made the definitive breakthrough in racing since last year with World Cup winner and world champion Jaroslav Kulhavy, some disadvantages of the really big bikes remain undisputed. According to Nino Schurter, his aggressive riding style and small stature meant that he never felt comfortable on the "Scale 29". While you have to adopt a slightly different riding style for 29er bikes, this problem seems to be a thing of the past with 27.5-inch bikes. "Even though I got used to my 29er bike relatively quickly, a change was necessary. However, I felt comfortable on the medium bike from the first meter," says Thomas Frischknecht, team manager of the Scott Swisspower team. In tight bends and during hard braking maneuvers, 27.5-inch bikes should have the direct steering behavior and agility of 26-inch bikes. This is mainly due to stiffer wheels and suspension forks. In fast sections, however, the bikes are almost as plush on the trail as a 29er bike. Thanks to the smoother ride and reduced nervousness of the entire system, the rider can recover better and feels safer. ¬In addition, the tires have slightly better traction.

First at the beginning
Although the development of 650B bikes is still in its infancy, the bike does not have to be completely reinvented in terms of kinematics and statics thanks to the experience with 29er bikes. Scott has shown the way with its Scale prototype and its World Cup success proves the brand right. It can be assumed that other well-known manufacturers will follow suit in this area. We can expect an exciting summer in which many manufacturers will present their 2013 model range and the keyword 650B is likely to be mentioned more than once.