Swiss brand Scott’s downhill (DH) race bike, the Gambler, has been updated for 2026. With a new (to the Gambler) six-bar linkage design and an internal shock as seen on the Spark and Genius, the new frame looks set to be one of the most customisable DH bikes around.
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And with prices starting at £5,699, it’s not a bad price for something you’re going to see hit Les Gets at the next round of the World Cup this weekend. It’s been designed in conjunction with the riders of the Scott Factory DH Team, which includes former World Cup winner Benoit Coulanges and British rider Ethan Craik.
New Scott Gambler 2026
So what’s new for 2026? The frame has had a complete overhaul, to start with. It now comes with Integrated Suspension Technology, which is Scott’s fancy way of saying the shock now resides internally. That’s not to say you can’t access it, though.
There are two ways to gain access – the oversized down tube opening or the hatch in the seat tube. Both are covered to protect the shock and internals from dirt and grime. Scott says the new Gambler is compatible with most coil and air shocks on the market today, so you’ve already got plenty of customisability there.
The reason Scott has internalised the shock is to keep it and the linkages lower and more central to the bottom bracket. This, in turn, should help to keep the bike more stable at higher speeds and more composed during cornering by maintaining a low centre of gravity.
To make sure the frame is up to handling this load, Scott has reinforced the bottom bracket area, which keeps the suspension more isolated from the frame and reduces trail buzz from emanating through to the rider.
Adjustability, five-fold
The new Gambler offers 210mm rear travel with the six-bar linkage design and offers plenty of fine-tuning for those who want to get really techy with their riding. Riders can dial in the anti-squat and anti-rise, but Scott ships the bike with some pretty predictable levels already, so you may not even need to fiddle with the setup too much.
Where you might want to adjust things lies in five other areas – the reach, which can be lengthened or shortened by 6mm, or the chainstay length, which can be increased by 15mm.
The BB height can also be lowered by 16mm, and the leverage ratio adjusted by 5% (going from 25% to 30%). And finally, the wheel size.
The bike ships with an MX setup (27.5in at the rear and 29in at the front), but by using the flip chip, you can change it to run a full 29in setup if you wish.
Of course, by adjusting any of these, you also impact the frame geometry in other ways, such as steepening or slackening the head tube angle by a degree. So while customisation might be cool, it’s worth knowing what you’re doing so you get the most out of the bike before you end up fiddling with it and wondering why it’s not riding well.
Builds and spec
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The new Gambler range offers two models, the race-ready Gambler RC, and the more entry-level Gambler 10. Both are available in three sizes, from M to XL, and while the components differ as you’d expect, the frame geometry stays the same, despite the rear triangle of the Gambler 10 being made from alloy rather than carbon.
Both also come with internal cable guiding to make maintenance a little easier. And perhaps the coolest little addition to the frame is the integrated Travel Indicator, AKA, a sagometer. This helps you dial in your rear wheel sag and keep an eye on your travel usage.
But what about spec? The top spec Gambler RC uses Fox’s 40 Factory Float 203mm fork and Fox DH X2 Factory shock. This is paired with SRAM’s X01 DH 7-speed drivetrain and SRAM Maven brakes, and altogether costs £8,849.
The more entry-level option is the Gambler 10, which uses a RockShox Boxxer Base 200mm fork and RockShox Vivid Coil Base shock. This is paired with SRAM’s GX DH 7-speed drivetrain and Shimano MT520 brakes. Altogether it costs £5,699.
Both Gambler bikes are available to pre-order from Scott dealers.
