Scott Addict RC 15 2021

The Scott Addict RC 15 is one of those bikes that does a great job of marrying performance with comfort, giving you the get up and go of a full race bike without the associated twitchy handling or the buzzy nature of an overly stiff frame and fork. It looks super clean too, with all of the cables and hoses neatly hidden.

The bike on test is a 2021 model and comes with a Shimano Di2 groupset based on the previous Ultegra R8000 iteration; the 2022 model, which has the same RRP, gets the latest 12-speed R8100 version. Getting hold of either is the issue, with online retailers listing the 2021 model as out of stock, and the 2022 model expected in February.

Ride

With an all-up weight of 7.77kg this Addict RC feels nimble as soon as you spin the pedals, actually seeming even lighter than the scales suggest.

There is a sense of urgency about it. If you like a bike that feels alive underneath you, and constantly begs for you to just hammer your legs around then the Scott is for you.

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With huge amounts of stiffness through the lower half of the frame and front end, riding hard in the saddle or sprinting standing up feels efficient and an absolute blast.

The Addict RC feels massively responsive, and I just love the way it behaves.

Handling-wise, the geometry has been knocked back a touch to a slightly more 'endurance' sort of style, its 72.5-degree head angle (medium/54cm) being a little slacker than I'd expect to see, though it does mean the Scott never feels a handful even in the tightest of high-speed bends.

With its low 135mm head tube mated to a 555mm top tube, you can still get a low, aero position, while the 73.6-degree seat angle puts you into a forward position to really get the power out of your legs.

All this allows you to ride the Scott hard and fast without requiring the handling skills of a seasoned racer. If you are a confident and skilled descender, which I consider myself to be, you won't find the slightly relaxed front end takes the shine off.

I found the Addict to give plenty of confidence in the bends, helped by the relatively short 992mm wheelbase making it feel nimble.

The fork also offers huge amounts of stiffness, which sees no understeer under heavy steering or braking loads; it gives a very direct feel to the handling.

On the other hand, Scott has still managed to make the Addict RC relatively comfortable – considering it's a very stiff road bike.

There is still a small amount of road buzz that gets through on rougher roads, but it isn't a frameset that is going to rattle your bones.

The rear end brings a notable amount of vibration damping, and there is a decent amount of seatpost showing which induces a bit of flex and therefore comfort. This stops you getting battered about on longer rides or when you don't feel like riding flat out.

Frame and fork

We've seen lots of bikes over the last year with completely clean front ends, and the Addict RC is no different. Scott has its own in-house component brand, Syncros, which means it's been able to create a fully integrated solution between frame, fork, stem and handlebar to run all of the hoses, wires and cables internally.

It's a neat solution, not only from an aesthetics point of view but also an aerodynamic one.

As you'd expect, the Addict RC Disc HMX frame and fork are made from high-modulus carbon fibre, with every tube shape and wall thickness optimised for performance and comfort.

Scott says it uses Evo-Lap technology which dictates where and how the carbon fibres are laid to get the best out of them, using countless calculations from FEA (finite element analysis) software to simulate forces on the frame and fork, alongside real world testing.

As I've said, the balance of stiffness and comfort is impressive, so Scott's designers and engineers clearly know what they're doing.

Aerodynamics is key in the design of the Addict, and you can see small details throughout the bike like the flap covering the brake calliper bolts… 

…and a very minimal seat clamp.

I really wasn't expecting this small clamping device to hold the seatpost in position, but there was no slippage anywhere.

The front end gets a tapered head tube and fork steerer, which allows a smooth transition to the huge D-section down tube, which itself increases in size until it meets the bottom bracket shell where you'll find a couple of press-fit bearing cups.

The BB shell leads to some oversized and chunky chainstays, which, when all of this is added together, is what delivers all of the stiffness.

The seat tube, top tube and seatstays take on a much more slender profile for comfort.

Overall, the quality of the Addict RC is very good indeed. Shining a torch down inside shows a high level of finish.

Finishing kit

As I said up top, the bike on test is a 2021 model and comes with a groupset based on Shimano's R8000 Ultegra Di2; the 2022 model gets the latest 12-speed R8100.

Our bike has a semi-compact chainset running 52/36T chainrings paired to an 11-30T cassette. We're all different, some of us liking larger gears to grind or smaller ones to spin, but I'd say this is a good setup for the type of bike. The 52x11 gives you a high top gear if you like to keep pedalling downhill, and the 30T sprocket gives you an extra climbing ratio over the 28T often specced.

The shifting from the Di2 groupset is fast and very precise, although the main thing I like is that, with none of the mechanical internals, the hood size is similar to that found on the rim-braked STI levers.

Braking is taken care of by 160mm rotors front and rear which provides all of the stopping power you'll need, and I'm a big fan of the feeling of modulation that Shimano has throughout their hydraulic road and gravel brake systems.

I mentioned the Syncros component brand earlier, and it accounts for not only the aluminium Creston iC 1.5 Compact handlebar and RR iC stem, but also the carbon fibre Duncan 1.0 Aero seatpost and the Belcarra Regular 2.0 saddle.

It's all good quality kit and doesn't look out of place on a five-and-a-half-grand bike, although some brands would be offering a carbon front end for that sort of money.

The wheelset is also from Syncros – the Capital 1.0 35 Disc.

This 35mm-deep carbon fibre wheelset is also good quality, taking plenty of abuse with a 24-spoke build front and rear. Throughout testing I was far from gentle with these wheels, and they haven't shown any major issues, and while not exactly superlight they don't blunt the acceleration or when climbing.

Wrapped around them is a set of Schwalbe One tyres in a 28mm width.

They are a top notch set of tyres, offering loads of grip and a lovely ride feel from their supple compound. Wear rates can be a little quicker than some tyres on the market, but I'd sacrifice that for the performance.

Value

This version of the Addict RC costs £5,499 which makes it a fair old investment, but compared with other big brands it's about right. Specialized's Tarmac SL7 Expert comes with Ultegra Di2 but alloy wheels for £5,250, while Trek's Emonda SL 7 with Ultegra Di2 and carbon rims is £5,350.

There is some tough competition out there from smaller brands, though.

The Orro Venturi STC Tailor Made model with an Ultegra Di2 groupset, full carbon fibre front end and deep-section carbon wheels from Fulcrum is a bit more aero focused than the Addict RC, but it's a lot of bike for the money – and £1,000 less than the Addict RC. (I tested the Venturi STC with SRAM Force eTap model at the end of last year.)

I was also very impressed recently with the Vitus Vitesse Evo CR, and a Di2 Ultegra model is just £3,699.99; it also comes with a set of Reynolds AR29 carbon wheels and a carbon fibre handlebar. The ride quality and performance are very similar to the Addict RC, with a focus on speed and stiffness without neglecting comfort.

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Another bike I liked is the BMC Teammachine SLR Two. It had a bit of a firm ride, but that suited me; but while it's £4,500 with the Ultegra Di2 kit, you only get alloy DT Swiss wheels. The endurance-based Roadmachine 01 Four in BMC's line-up is probably a closer match to the Addict RC 15; with Ultegra Di2 and carbon wheels, plus a similarly stealth front end, it comes in at £6,200.

Conclusion

Overall, I love the road feel and stiffness of the Addict's frameset. It just makes you want to ride it hard and fast, and if you do you get so much reward. It feels lighter than it is, and while there is some tough competition out there, the Addict RC 15 is well built and worth the money.

Verdict

Very fast feeling bike with a great ride quality, although it's up against some tough competition on price