KTM Scarp

If you’re looking for a big thumping motocross bike, KTM may be amongst the first brands that come to mind, but it’s pretty safe to say that the same doesn’t apply if you’re after a non-motorised off-roader. Even so the Austrian motorbike maker seems to keep finding its logo plonked under my smelly mountain biker’s body. This is the third KTM that we’ve reviewed in the last couple of years—at this rate I’ll be on a motorbike before I know it! It certainly seems that the cycling side of the KTM brand is growing at a healthy rate, and they now have a number of dealers in every Australian state.

For a little background, let’s begin with a brief recap of the other KTM bikes that we’ve reviewed; the Myroon and Phinx. Both were 100mm travel 29ers aimed at wheels on the ground kind of riding. The Myroon is KTM’s carbon hardtail for race day use. It had typically traditional Euro-style handling; fast steering, stiff and built for climbs and twisty singletrack.

The Phinx is the value-oriented cross-country dually in the KTM line. With an alloy frame and KTM’s own suspension design, the Phinx offered a similar riding experience to the Myroon. It put the rider over the front wheel, prompting them to take charge rather than sit back, and it climbed tenaciously. It offered much of the Myroon’s character but could also handle a dose of rough and tumble thanks to the rear suspension.

Both bikes are technically up to date in every respect, with tapered head tubes, 142mm thru-axles, press-fit bottom brackets and direct mount front derailleurs. Both bikes are also very Euro, with triple chainrings and 180mm rear rotors ensuring that these modestly suspended steeds can handle big alpine climbs and descents.

Carbon Copy

Now the Scarp is effectively a Phinx with a carbon front triangle. The geometry is the same too, so I was genuinely concerned that riding this Scarp would be almost identical to the Phinx, not that that would have been a bad thing, but what could you say that hasn’t been said before?

Firstly, before clipping in, this is absolutely the best looking sibling in the family. Sure, there’s none of KTM’s signature orange, but as a cyclist rather than a motorbike enthusiast I’ll take the red and white highlights of the Scarp every time. The frame cuts an awkward profile in photos, with its chunky head tube region punctuated with a beak-like point that appears to serve no point other than aesthetics. In person, the incredibly glossy paint and laser sharp graphics push the unusual shapes aside, and the bike looks great. It’s worth pointing out that the Scarp frame is finished immaculately. The vast majority of brands out there would dream of their frames being as beautifully presented as this, regardless of the price-point.

The frame itself is simply a fancy version of the Phinx. The rear end is all alloy, as is the pivot hardware, just like the Phinx. The swing-arm and rocker house the cartridge bearings, which rotate on oversized alloy bolts. The carbon front triangle definitely adds to the bling quotient on the shop floor but it’s not a lightweight frame by any means. Our 48cm frame and shock combo came in at 3,058g, which is only 200g lighter than the alloy Phinx frame. Anything over 3kg is lurching towards long travel trail bike territory, so both the Scarp and the Phinx are on the heavy side for 100mm travel XC bikes.

Pony up for carbon and you won’t be getting a featherweight frame but it’s certainly stiff. We felt the alloy Phinx was pretty damn solid and the Scarp is every bit the match for it. Both frames will outmuscle most skinny cross-country competitors without breaking a sweat.

KTM has wisely transitioned some of the Phinx’s best points to the Scarp too. The Scarp has fantastic standover clearance (better than the Phinx) but can still accommodate a proper sized bottle inside the front triangle. KTM kindly included mounts for another water bottle on the underside of the down tube too. This makes me smile, as does the rubber rock guard that protects the down tube from flying debris. Both frames run the rear brake calliper on top of the seat stay, where it’s easy to change pads and adjust the alignment when compared to a calliper that’s placed inside rear triangle—thank you KTM. Finally, both frames are adorned with neat little notes that specify the correct torque for each bolt and pivot.

The Scarp runs all cables through the inside of the front triangle via a series of neat plugs. There’s also provision for dropper post cable routing if you want to use one. As supplied the frame has a quick release seatpost collar which kept the post in place without fuss. The seatpost itself is 400mm long; this answers a small gripe that we had with the alloy Phinx, as it came with a 350mm post which left us searching for a longer one at the time.

The post, stem and bar are all KTM branded alloy parts. Aesthetically the gloss black and KTM graphics work well with the Scarp. The head of the seatpost borrows heavily from the Syntace P6, with a long lower clamp and short upper clamp. This allows a large range of adjustment without sacrificing the support provided to the saddle rails. It’s a good bit of kit for an in-house dollar saver.

Made for Mountains

As with our previously reviewed KTMs, the Scarp comes fitted out with Shimano SLX running gear and brakes, plus an upgraded XT rear derailleur. The 180mm rotors provide as much power as you’re likely to need on a bike with 100mm of travel, and the modulation is superb.

The triple chainring crankset also offers as much gearing as you can lay a glove on. If the triple is overkill for your trails and you want to simplify to a single front chainring, things mightn’t be as simple as you think. At a glance the SLX cranks look like your garden-variety triple, however they feature a new smaller 96PCD spider that Shimano created to fit the ‘29er optimised’ 22/30/40 chainring combination (regular Shimano triples use a common 104PCD with 24/32/42 chainrings).

The idea of offering smaller chainrings to compensate for the larger 29-inch wheels is a noble one but it heavily limits your alternate gearing options. There’s currently a ton of chainrings that are designed to suit 1X conversions but the vast majority are made for 104PCD cranks. Currently we don’t know of any aftermarket chainrings that are made for the 96PCD cranks that come on the Scarp. We still believe that the triple ring drivetrain is a great thing – especially in very steep and widely varied terrain – but if you prefer to run a 1X or double chainring setup, you’ll need to swap the cranks for something else.

Out back, KTM has gone with Shimano’s ‘direct mount’ rear derailleur hanger. It makes creates a stiffer connection for the derailleur and frame as well as making rear wheel removal faster (this can be a real hassle on some thru-axle frames). The only catch is that it won’t fit an older model Shimano derailleur or any of the SRAM setups (you’d need to swap the hanger to a traditional one to do this). As we’ve come to expect from the SLX group, the shifting was crisp and consistent.

We mentioned the frame weight earlier, and things don’t get markedly better when you look at the complete package. At a touch under 13.5kg with pedals, the Scarp is portly for a $4,490 cross-country bike and there’s no one place where the weight is concentrated. A gradual program of small upgrades could bring the grams down, but the frame will always be weighing it down.

Shock Transformation

Back when we had the Phinx on test, we were ambivalent about the rear shock selection. The Phinx came with a DT Swiss unit that had a factory set level of platform damping. Once up to speed the DT relaxed a bit, but at lower speeds it was firm and lent a very direct feel to the bike. The more upmarket model had a Fox damper but we never got to try it—until now.

In short, the swap to a Fox shock turns things on their head. The DT equipped Phinx had a particular character that would appeal to certain riders; it was an ideal sidekick to a hardtail like the Myroon. The Scarp is its own machine. The Fox shock sits a little deeper into its travel than the DT, and it happily sags down a bit more again when you rock back in the saddle. Despite the longish 452mm chainstays, the Scarp pops its front wheel up on a whim and wheelies with an ease the DT equipped Phinx could not match. Even though the geometry is the same on paper, the character of the Scarp is positively relaxed and gooey-smooth—there’s no comparison. It’s a more refined ride in every way. For 2014 the SLX equipped alloy Phinx comes with a Fox shock too, so the Scarp’s little alloy brother will also benefit from the same improved suspension performance and balance.

As for the suspension design itself, KTM’s Pro Damping System Two keeps things pretty simple. It’s a single pivot system with the rearmost pivot located on the seat stays. The only trickery is found in the lower shock mount; instead of bolting directly to the frame, it attaches to the very front of the swing arm to create a floating shock—this affords KTM a little extra flexibility in tuning the shock rate.

On the trail it all comes together nicely. Despite the plush initial feel when you first hop on, the Scarp finds a nice point in its mid-travel where it hums along, smoothing the trail and keeping momentum without feeling sluggish when you’re tapping a nice tempo on the pedals. The Scarp used all its travel but never felt as though it bottomed out on drops where I’d expected to feel a harsh ‘clunk’. On the trail I could happily leave the Fox CTD shock in ‘Descent’ mode—the Scarp is a real set and forget affair. While the Trail and Climb settings weren’t really needed, they are there if you want a firmer ride for buff fire roads or on the black-top.

Any 100mm travel carbon fibre 29er tends to get pigeonholed as an XC or marathon race bike; a fast accelerating featherweight that works best on smoother trails. The Scarp simply isn’t that sort of bike. Sure you can take it racing and it’ll gobble up the miles just fine, but there are dozens of lighter bikes that’ll hold more appeal with the pure racer. A massive diet could get it down to race weight, but why round the corners off a square peg just to try and fit it into a round hole?

With its stiff carbon front triangle and Fox suspension the Scarp is an enjoyable trail bike that can go all day—the trail just disappears under the tyres. Frame sizes run on the small side with compact top tube lengths and generous standover; this gives it a fun and manoeuvrable personality rather than a flat backed racer-boy persona. Add it all up and you’ve got a premium level cross-country bike that isn’t purely race focused; it’s a bike that’s got brawn, good looks and trail smarts in equal measure.

Thumbs Up

Solid feeling frame

Two bottle mounts

Effective suspension 

Thumbs Down

Heavy for a carbon XC bike

Harder to do a 1X conversion with the new ‘compact triple’ crank

Specifications

Frame: Carbon Monocoque with alloy rear

Shock: Fox Float CTD 100mm Travel

Fork: Fox 32 CTD 100mm

Headset: KTM Team Tapered

Handlebars: KTM Team alloy 720mm

Stem: KTM Team alloy

Shifters: Shimano SLX

Front Derailleur: Shimano SLX

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT

Cassette: Shimano HG 62, 11/36 10-speed

Chain: Shimano SLX

Cranks: Shimano SLX 24/32/42

Bottom Bracket: Shimano Press-Fit

Pedals: Shimano M520

Brakes: Shimano SLX

Wheels: DT Swiss M1900

Tyres: Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25

Saddle: Selle Italia SL Flow

Seatpost: KTM Team Alloy 400mm

Weight: 13.45kg with pedals (48cm frame 3,058g)

Available Sizes: 38, 43, 48 (tested), 51cm

Price: $3,890 

Distributor: KTM Bike Industries (03) 8363 1600 / www.ktmbike.com.au