Scott Aspect 750 (2016) : ChooseMyBicycle.com Expert Review

The Aspect 750 2016 comes with a Scott 700 series 6061 butted alloy frame. This alloy frame felt a little heavy but it showed nothing but strength which is most needed on rigorous trails. The welds at the front joining the top and bottom tube are a big chunk of alloy capable of taking in any vibration hits from the terrain. Being a hardtail MTB I expected the frame strength to be even all across the bicycle, but the tail end of the frame weren't the strongest as it appeared to be sleek with minimal use of material.

The Suntour XCT HLO front suspension fork comes with a 100mm travel which is the most ideal for trail riding. Unlike most hardtail suspensions, this Suntour fork uses close to 70mm of the travel comfortably. The forks also aren't a pair of bulk cylinders which increase the front weight but rather are thinner yet doing the job well.

The Scott Aspect 750 2016 which we test rode came in a dark ash primary colour with orange shades in many parts of the bicycle, which gives a good colour contrast. The orange shade makes this bicycle look flashy and bright. The Scott SCR cable routing in this frame is a stand out feature in the Aspect 750 2016. The internal cable routing makes the cables less messy and makes the bicycle look neat. Be it Scott, Syncros or Shimano, all the brand names are very much visible with bold and clear fonts.

The gearing in the Aspect 750 is a full Shimano Altus groupset with only an upgrade in the shifters section with Shimano Acera. During the test ride the gearing was tested with quick shifts and also on uphill and descents. The only place where the gearing performance saw a dip was while on climbs when the speed transmission on to the pedal was slower with the rear derailleur taking a few pedals for the speed change to take effect. The gear shifts were surprisingly quiet with almost no noise from the derailleurs. The Shimano Acera 24 speed shifters were top notch with both the thumb and trigger handles feeling comfortable and reacted quickly as well.

Brakes can always make or break a MTB's overall performance. During the test ride, the Aspect 750's hydraulic Tektro brakes was easily the best and most exciting component. These brakes had the right amount of stopping power while braking hard and that is mainly due to the 160mm rotors. Interval braking and jamming the brakes both felt almost the same which proves that the rotors function in a balanced manner. The Tektro brake levers felt shorter in length which ended up me searching for the lever. The levers were measuring just a little more than half of the handlebar length and could have easily been a few inches longer.

The Scott Aspect 750 rolls on a pair of Kenda Slant 6 27.5 x 2.1 MTB tires. These tires are perfectly supported by the strong Syncros X-37 Rims. These wheel sets did feel heavy but the bulkier treads made sure the traction off any rough surfaces was excellent. The Aspect M3.0 saddle had a small slit in the middle which enables even distribution of space while pedaling at a fast pace. The well designed saddle did have grip patches on their widest part but also felt too smooth in the edges which might cause slipping when the saddle or the shorts is wet. The overall ride quality was good on rough surfaces but felt heavier whilst pedaling off the saddle.