www.scottusa.com
Price: $4,829.99
Weight: 32.8 lbs.
Components: Shimano LX, SRAM X-9 and Juicy 5 brakes
Frame & Fork: Scott Ransom 6061 aluminum monocoque frame with Fox 36 Vanilla fork
Geometry: 67/73.5 (head/seat)
Sizes: S, M, L and XL
Comments: A pricey, do-it-all mountain bike with an amazing shock and envy-inspiring good looks.

There’s no question six-inch-travel bikes are the fastest-growing trend in mountain bikes. Manufacturers are putting much of their research and development time into the all-mountain segment, and the result is one of the most competitive segments in the bike industry. The question is, with that much competition, how do you make your design stand out from the rest? Scott has clearly figured out the answer.

When the company announced in 2005 that it was developing a new all-mountain bike with a carbon-fibre frame and up to 6.5″ of travel, there was major buzz created. At the time, Scott was just working its way back into the North American market after success in Europe, and carbon-fibre mountain bikes were fairly rare (they still are to a certain extent).

But the Ransom instantly put Scott at the forefront of the competition. There are six bikes in the complete Ransom lineup, four of which use the Scott CR1 carbon frame and two of which use 6061 alloy in a frame of nearly identical design.

Scott’s Ransoms range from the 33-pound Ransom 40 at $3,727 up to the fully loaded sub-30-pound Ransom Limited at $8,924. The 30 sits one spot above the 40 and weighs in at a claimed 32.8 pounds with the same alloy frame. Its drivetrain is a mix of parts with SRAM X-9 trigger shifters and rear derailleur, Shimano LX front derailleur, cassette and chain and a Truvativ Firex bottom bracket and crankset. Avid Juicy 5 (203mm front, 185mm rear) hydraulic brakes provide the stopping power, and the Ransom 30 rolls on Sun rims with Scott hubs and Scott Stroke 2 2.4″ tires. Scott’s house brand also provides the seat, seatpost, stem and handlebars.

Suspension comes in the form of the Fox 36 Vanilla fork with a 20mm thru axle in the front and the downright dreamy Scott Equalizer TC shock in the back. This is the same super-adjustable shock that comes on the Ransom Limited model, and it’s what makes this bike truly one of the best all-mountain offerings out there.
The Equalizer TC (for “Traction Control”) has a bar-mounted lever to adjust travel between full lockout, 3.7″ and 6.5″. There’s also a rebound adjustment and a pedaling platform adjustment that can be flipped on or off.

All combined, this makes the Equalizer an incredibly stable platform that will climb like a hardtail (despite its 32-pound weight) and descend like a downhill rig.

So does this make the Ransom 30 worth its nearly $5,000 price tag? If you want a bike with arguably the most advanced shock platform on the market, any bike in the Ransom line is for you. No bike I’ve ridden fits the all-mountain category better.

It’s also a huge attention-getter. The hype around the Equalizer shock draws people to the bike, so much so that you may find you want to ride alone more just so you can spend your time riding instead of answering questions.

All considered I have to admit that I was expecting slightly better components on a rig such as the Ransom 30. That said a big part of any price tag clearly goes to the frame, fork and shock, so if you’re weighing shock options versus component options, the shock should always win. It’s far easier to upgrade components down the road than suspension.

Winning cross-country or downhill races on this bike will ultimately be up to you, but the Ransom 30 covers the massive gap between those two disciplines extremely well.