Are you sitting comfortably? Scott says you will be if you’re perched on the new Addict, “50 per cent more comfortable” in fact.
This isn’t another Scott Addict RC less than 12 months on from the brand last year unveiling its new 5.9kg top-end lightweight race bike. No, this is the Addict without RC on the end, which is its, still rather shiny and expensive, “long ride ready” endurance model. Naturally, Scott doesn’t think endurance means performance has been chucked out the window here, just that the Addict prioritises comfort and versatility over the RC model pushed to its limits by Tom Pidcock in the world’s biggest road races.
There are six models ranging from £2,249 with Shimano 105 mechanical shifting, all the way up to the Scott Addict Premium for £6,499 with Dura-Ace Di2, all featuring the new maximum comfort geometry, space for 38mm tyres and a host of handy integrated design features, some of which have directly trickled down from Scott’s top-of-the-range Addict RC race bike.
It’s “50% more comfortable”… but how on earth have they worked that out?
Bike brands love an eye-catching claim about their latest creations. We’ve read more than our fair share of claims about watt savings, weight and stiffness over the year, the Addict’s launch skipping those in favour of an endurance-relevant figure that it’s a whopping 50 per cent more comfortable than the outgoing Addict. Now, before you all dive into the comments to type, ‘How can you put a percentage on something subjective like comfort?’, don’t worry, we thought the same and went straight back to Scott.
“Of course, comfort is a subjective topic, but compliance is something measurable,” the brand told us. “In this case, we refer to this measure to illustrate comfort gains.”
So, yes, Scott means it’s 50 per cent more compliant than the outgoing Addict and 25 per cent more compliant than the race-focused Addict RC. Compliance testing is of course nothing new, we just did a double take when Scott told us the bike is “50 per cent more comfortable”. We’ll wait for our bike-testing expert Stu to add his comfort percentage opinion to the mix too.
The compliance testing was all done in-house, Scott using an SP deflection test which it says allows mass to be applied to the frame to measure the compliance by comparing stiffness results.
“In this exercise, the new Addict has 50 per cent more frame compliance than its predecessor, meaning that under the same force, the saddle will move twice as much on the new Addict,” the brand told us. “Lower stiffness on the new Addict means greater displacement of the saddle under load.”
Scott says this has been achieved by reshaping the seat tube and refining the other tube profiles, the handy marketing photos showing the new model versus the old shapes.
“By slimming down the seat tube just below the seat-stay junction, we’ve unlocked more vertical compliance — allowing the seat tube to flex forward with the terrain,” Scott explained.
“A refined and slimmer top tube adds further vertical compliance, while dropped seat stays flex outward to absorb vibrations and enhance overall ride smoothness.”
Clearance for 38mm tyres
As you’d expect on an endurance bike, the Addict has plenty of room for fitting some wide tyres, opening the door to running lower pressures to further boost comfort. The bottom bracket drop and fork rake have been tweaked to accommodate those larger tyres, meaning you can run up to 38mm rubber.
Geometry tweaks
Scott isn’t claiming to have reinvented the bicycle, rather suggesting it has made “subtle but impactful tweaks” to the Addict’s geometry, prioritising comfort and handling.
The stack is 5mm higher and the reach 5mm shorter, Scott saying the “relaxed” set-up delivers “a naturally upright riding position that feels effortless”. According to the release, if you ride the new Addict without any spacers it will give you the same position as riding the Addict RC with 35mm spacers.
There are seven sizes (47/49/52/54/56/58/61) and smaller riders will probably be relieved to see the smallest size fitted with 36cm bars and the 49 and 51cm frames fitted with 38cm bars.
“Save-the-day kit”
There are certainly some nice touches and extras for an endurance bike. In the downtube, near the bottom bracket, there’s an integrated repair kit that’s apparently got enough storage to mean your won’t need tubes, tyre levers or a pump in your jersey pockets.
While weight isn’t as much of a concern here compared with Scott’s Addict RC lightweight pro race bike, the brand says its integrated repair kit’s weight gain “is minimal and, by positioning the kit low on the frame, we optimised the Addict’s centre of gravity for balanced and confident handling”.
Likewise, copying from the Addict RC, Scott has streamlined the bolt spec, meaning the stem, handlebar, seat post, saddle clamps and bottle cages are all tightened up with T25 bolts, and you can do that with the nifty T25 key that already comes fitted into the bar end. Many will still want to take a multi-tool, especially if you like a chain tool and the full complement of features, but it’s a nice touch nonetheless.
The seatpost, the same D-shaped design from the Addict RC also features an integrated rear light and Scott has taken the integrated seat post clamp from its top-of-the-range race bike too.
Models and prices
The 2026 Addict range includes six models, four built with “a high-performance HMF carbon frame”, while the top two in the range, the Addict Premium and Addict 10, “step it up with a lightweight HMX carbon construction”. At the top end you can spend a pound shy of £6,500 on the Premium model with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, while the cheapest option, with 105 mechanical, is £2,249.
Scott Addict Premium £6,499 Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 2×12 Wheels Fulcrum WIND 42 DB Carbon, 24 Front, 24 Rear, Syncros SL Axle Handlebar Syncros IC-R100-SL, Carbon combo Weight 7.4kg Colours Whale Grey
Scott Addict 10 £5,499 Groupset SRAM FORCE AXS 2×12 Wheels Fulcrum WIND 42 DB Carbon, 24 Front, 24 Rear, Syncros SL Axle Handlebar Syncros HB-R100-CF Weight 7.8kg Colours Plum Grey
Scott Addict 20 £4,299 Groupset Shimano Ultegra Di2 2×12 Wheels Fulcrum WIND 42 DB Carbon, 24 Front, 24 Rear, Syncros Axle Handlebar Syncros HB-R100-CF Weight 8.3kg Colours Tungsten Grey, Cumulus White, Violet Pink
Scott Addict 30 £3,299 Groupset Shimano 105 Di2 2×12 Wheels Syncros Capital 1.0 40 Disc, 24 Front, 24 Rear, Syncros Axle Handlebar Syncros HB-R100-A Weight 8.5kg Colours Carbon Black, Cumulus White, Frozen Green
Scott Addict 40 £2,749 Groupset Shimano 105 Di2 2×12 Wheels Syncros RP2.0 Disc, 28 Front, 28 Rear, Syncros Axle Handlebar Syncros HB-R100-AL Weight 8.9kg Colours Carbon Black, Reseda Green, Vivid Yellow
Scott Addict 50 £2,249 Groupset Shimano 105RD-R7100 Wheels Syncros RP2.0 Disc, 28 Front, 28 Rear, Syncros Axle Handlebar Syncros HB-R100-AL Weight 9kg Colours Carbon Grey, Cumulus White, Flame Orange
The range is available through Scott dealers from September 2025. Check out all the details on Scott’s website.
8 thoughts on “How on earth has Scott worked out its brand-new Addict is now “50% more comfortable”?”
I would expect that tire
I would expect that tire compression is 10x more important than frame deflection when absorbing bumps, which would make this bike only about 5% better at overall comfort. Do Scott really think that we’re all riding solid wheels with solid tires?
This looked interesting to me
This looked interesting to me, until I noticed the press fit bb. NEXT!
PF86 is the most trouble-free
PF86 is the most trouble-free of all press-fit systems, generally works great as long as you have Shimano cranks (or any other 24mm axle), you can use the Shimano BBs that have the best seals in the industry, and the wider BB (86 mm instead of 68 mm) makes it easier to have good tire clearance while keeping the rear end short. I also trust BSA threaded BBs the most, but PF86 is a decent 2nd option, and I ignore all the others.
You do know that press fit
You do know that press fit work better than threaded if manufacturers could manage the simple tassk of making a round hole?
But is it laterally stiff AND
But is it laterally stiff AND vertically compliant?
J. Huang.
If this had come out 6 months
If this had come out 6 months ago, it would have been on my shortlist alongside the new gen BMC Roadmachine that I bought, which, while overpriced, is excellent.
It certainly looks nicer than the new Synapse, which would have been lower down my shortlist because my first look in a bike shop made me think the tube shapes didn’t really fit as a whole – especially that seat tube borrowed from the gravel version.
I’m not sure about the storage being positioned by the bottom bracket but the bar tool is smart.
Canyon’s Endurace was another option but there’s been issues with the DT Swiss wheel recall.
“In this exercise, the new
“In this exercise, the new Addict has 50 per cent more frame compliance than its predecessor, meaning that under the same force, the saddle will move twice as much on the new Addict,” the brand told us. “Lower stiffness on the new Addict means greater displacement of the saddle under load.”
Surely twice as much compliance is 100% more, not 50%, which shows me that a marketing clown wrote this regurgitated press release and not an engineer.
As it happens I quite like the bike. Would be interesting to see it go up against the OG Giant Defy in a neutral test.
Also, what is with the pop ups and other ads on this site now? I have to read the article through ads like I’m looking at the page through a set of blinds.
Re. @Chrisridefar, not really
Re. @Chrisridefar, not really, with a flexible seat post the saddle can move a long way back and down, whereas your typical road tyres only allow a certain amount of compliance