Scott CR1 Comp 2011 - with upgrades

[GreyhoundCycle]

Scott CR1 Comp 2011



Purchased - Bike Hub Nunawading in April 2011

Retail Recommended Price - $2,599 stock standard specs

Purchased Price - $1,950 including upgraded chainset and wheels

How is it used?
Weekday commutes and weekend rides

Description
Frame: Scott CR1 / HMF NET IMP Carbon technology
Fork: Scott Addict / HMF NET 1 1/8" Carbon steerer Integrated Carbon Dropout
Front&Rear Derailleur: Shimano 105, Silver, new 2011 FD-5700
Shifters: Shimano 105 ST-5700, Silver, new 2011, Dual Control
Chainset: Shimano 105, Silver, new 2011, Hollowtech II ---> upgraded to Ultegra 6700
Chainrings: Shimano Compact FC-R600-S , 50 x 34 T
Bottom Bracket: Shimano BB - 4500
Cassette: Shimano 105 CS-5700 11-28 T
Chain: Shimano 105 CN-5600
Brakes: Shimano BR-R560, Super SLR Dual pivot ---> upgraded to Ultegra 6700
Handlebars & Stem: Scott Road Pilot Pro
Headset: Ritchey Integrated Cartridge
Rims: Alex Race 28 Aero Profile, 20 Front / 24 Rear ---> upgraded to Mavic Ksyrium Elite 2010
Saddle: Scott Road Pro ---> changed to Sella Italia Gel Flow SLR Team Edition
Seatpost: Scott Carbon/Alloy 31.6/300 mm
Weight: 8.21kg approx ---> after all the upgrades, it is now approx. 7.4kg without pedals

Experience
The price was good but there were couple catches, 1) The shifters were not the same color, one was black and the other was silver. 2) There was a cosmetic damage on the top tube. Only visible under bright light. It appears the defect happened during manufacturing, like something translucent got accidentally brushed on. It is under the clear paint coat and no uneven feeling on the surface around the area.

The shop explained this bike was a display so it had different color of shifters for demonstration. They offered assistance to contact their Shimano supplier for matching replacement, but I have never heard from them after chasing up a few weeks later. I stopped follow up further after dropped the bike and scratched the shifters. As for the paint, because Scott CR1s are naked carbon, there is no hiding on any cosmetic imperfection. I personally can live with this fault so it isn’t a big issue. The derailleur cables were wrongly installed and crossing each other under the down tube at the time of purchase. I rectified this soon after. Bike Hub offered 2 years of free service, but personally I prefer DIY.

Now, let’s get on the ride. It feels light, very sensitive and responsive to input from the rider. In return, it feeds back exactly what is under its tires. It can be very smooth on quality tarmac, but it also tells you when local councils need to pick up the slack on road maintenance. CR1 changes direction fast and sharp, sometimes I feel it overwhelms an inexperience rider like myself at the beginning. But once get used to its characteristics, there are a lot potential to be explored. It is absolute a killer on hills, inspiring me to push harder and never felt sluggish. In my opinion, it is down to the lightness of the bike and the smooth rolling of the Mavic Ksyrium.

The frame is perfectly aligned and good balanced. I am a bit particular about how my running components must be precise and reliable. It is nice to see a perfectly aligned frame that aids precision on fine-tuning.

The Mavic Ksyrium Elite are a very good set of wheels. 2500km of abuse to date, not a bit of truing required. They are light, smooth and gives an unexplainable feel good factor.

I upgraded the brake caliper to Ultegra, initially wasn’t expecting huge performance difference - But IT DID! The brakes were more powerful, more modulation, more commanding, and inspiring confidence on descents or place hands on the hoods.

The tires came in stock were Continental Ultra Race, they got replaced by Michelin Pro 3 shortly after. The Pro3 were very good but wearing out fast and prone to puncher. As the Pro3 got worn and few deep cuts that made me feel unsafe to continue using, I put the Ultra Race back on. I felt there were nothing wrong with the Ultra Race so will save a few bucks buying new tires for now.

I test rode a new Scott Foil (105 with mid-level Shimano wheels) and Colnago CLX with Ultegra Di2 in February, both were good stable bikes, but none were as responsive as my CR1. But I assume this was down to the wheels.

Overall, I am very happy with its performance and feel.

Positives
Light weight
Responsive and lively
Quality frame construction and technologies

Negatives
Quality control over paint

Recommendation
Yes, but will warn them to prepare to pay a premium, since Scott sponsors GreenEDGE, I noticed 2012 models have stiffer price tags.

Additional Notes
I have not clocked many miles due to an illness that virtually kicked my health back where I had to learn how to ride and rebuild my fitness again. Will continue to add long term reviews.


Overall scores (/5)
Quality


Performance


Value

[GreyhoundCycle]

I have checked a few bikes with unidirectional naked carbon, I can now confirm the "cosmetic damage" mentioned in the review is incorrect. It is normal for "paint like" brush marks to appear on many frames.

The bikes has been upgraded again to full SRAM Red group. First impression is the bike is more responsive and feels much lighter, weight is at approx. 6.8kg without pedals.

More reviews to come when I put more mileage on.

[GreyhoundCycle]

So I have been riding the CR1 for more than a year with Sram Red groupset and couple minor changes to the parts. Clocked close to 10,000km on this machine.

I have improved a lot as a rider, and the bike has not failed to inspire to date. It is light and responsive, encouraging rider to get out of saddle and climb hills. On longer rides, it is comfortable and fast. (I replaced the original aluminum carbon wraped seatpost with an Easton EC90, which is a lot better in absorbing shocks.)

After owning a few other carbon and aluminum road bikes, none of them gives so much feel at home sensation as the CR1.

Like many reviews out there, I totally agree CR1’s all rounder capability. This bike may not have a killer strength on paper such as aero, super light or super stiff, but it scores high in every category and makes it on the top end of the class.

How do I rate this bike after 1.5 years of ownership? – In simple words - I absolutely LOVE IT!

[GreyhoundCycle]

I am probably the only few person that still coming back to my own bike review five years later. During the years I have bought and sold few other bikes, the idea of parting the CR1 did come but always soon dismissed. And yes, it still got that Sram Red setup.

What makes this CR1 a keeper? Personally, it always comes down to the comfort and reliability. The CR1 traveled trouble free for over 20,000km (not much but you know when you have other bikes to ride). Wear and tear parts are replaced every year in rebuilds. By using second tier components such as ultegra chain and cassettes keeps the running costs reasonable without much, if at all, performance sacrifice. It is worth mentioning the external cable routing and BSA bottom bracket may not be as attractive compare to modern bikes with internal cables and press-fit BBs, but they are much easier to maintain and tune for home mechanics. If I was going to have a sportive ride the next day and the primary bike is not ready, the CR1 will always be the reliable spare ready to roll.

After years of use, the quality of the frame is as good, apart from the usual wear in normal use; I can’t really find any visible signs that the frame is aging. No crack or peeling in the paint/ clear coat either.

Despite half decade old, this CR1 would still give lots new bikes currently on the market a good run for their money.

[Gazmataz]

Hello Greyhound

I just wanted to thank you for the information you posted on your bike. I recently purchased the same bike (obviously used) and the details helped me out when trying to figure out what was original/upgraded. I purchased it as I needed to carry out a full rebuild on my old trusty commuter.

Just wondering if you ever finally sold the CR1, it looked like you really took care of it.