DECLINE Magazine tests the Gambler
We are a company that likes to provide options with our bikes. The good people at Decline Magazine reviewed the Gambler and these are some of the things they liked about this bike. “The bike is loaded with options and offers a setup that can be personalized by the rider. Basically, you pick the travel and then adjust the head and chainstay length to what you prefer. It’s like having a custom-made frame that you can tweak any time you want.” Here is the full story.
Scott is selling four models of the Gambler as complete bikes and will also offer it as a frameset. The complete bikes are configured in two versions: The Gambler FR models feature a single-crown fork setup while the Gambler DH bikes will be equipped with dual-crown forks.
The geometry and travel options on the Gambler chassis let you mix and match the bike setup to your riding style and terrain. Offering an adjustable head angle, adjustable travel and adjustable chainstay length, Scott did a good job making each option user- friendly and applicable. This makes it possible to make day-to-day adjustments according to the topography and even lets you explore different setup options so that you can learn what works for you without being stuck with a specific setting. The adjustments work as follows:
Travel Options:
The Gambler has three travel settings: 190. 210 and 230mm. The position of the rear shock pivot dictates the rear travel of the bike and the travel setting at each position is clearly marked on the frame.
Adjustable Head Angle:
The Gambler is built with a head tube insert that can rotate to change the head angle between 66- and 64-degrees. Three bolts hold the insert in place and a 56mm wrench is used to turn the insert to adjust the head angle without having to remove the fork. The Gambler FR bikes come setup with 66-degree head angles to match up with the long-travel single-crown forks and the Gambler DH models have 64-degree head angles, but all Gambler models have the ability to change the head angle if you feel the need to change the bikes geometry. Scott notes that these measurements are based around a 568mm fork length and may very slightly between forks. In addition, Scott offers inserts for both 1-1/8-inch and 1.5-inch headsets.
IDS Dropout System:
It’s called the Interchangeable Dropout System (IDS). The Gambler has three different bolt-on dropout options that create two different chainstoy lengths. The "FR" dropouts (called FR because they come stock on the FR models) give the bike 16.9-inch (430mm) chainstays. The "DH" dropouts increase the chainstay length by lOmm, putting it at 17.3 inches (440mm). Scott also offers an aftermarket dropout set made for a SRAM Maxie 12x150mm rear axle that provides the same geometry as the FR dropouts. All three dropout sets are available as aftermarket items so you can tune your bike as you please.
Two Days Of Testing
Basing their test ride camp out of Chatel, France, Scott provided on ideal venue for testing the Gambler chassis. Chatel is part of Les Portes du Soleil (featured in DECUNE issue #28), which is considered the largest bike park in the world. The region is located in the Alps on the bordefi of France and Switzerland, and spreads out over 400 square miles, encompassing thirteen resorts. Every year the area holds the Pass'Portes du Soleil event. where riders complete a loop of over 50 miles that links up most of the resorts. The most developed gravity riding in the area is between Chatel, Morzine and Les Gets, precisely where we would be riding.
We started the first day in Chatel, which has an intermediate trail up top that feeds into a few different expert level trails. There is even a good road gap and the remains of a freeride competition that was held earlier in the year. The variety of terrain and the sloppy conditions proved to be a good test for the Gambler.
As per the recommendations of our leader and U.S. Marketing/PR Director for Scott, Adrian Montgomery, I started on a Gambler DH 10 equipped with 210mm oftravel, a 64-degree head angle and FR dropouts. This is the setup that I would eventually go back to after trying other geometry and travel configurations. With this setup, the bike has a comfortable ride on any downhill trail, allowing you to get over the front end to maintain traction in corners and providing a stable setup when the trail gets vertical. We hit the road gap a few times and rode several sloppy, steep trails that snaked through pine forests. The Gambler has a balanced feel in the air and plenty of travel to suck up hard landings and nasty root sections.
French Gnarliness
Eventually, we rode over to the valley that sits between Chatel and Morzine, where the French National Downhill course is located. When it is wet, this trail is gnarly as it is full of slick, soapy rocks, roots and mud. We motored down the dry open sections of the trails and danced through the technical tree sections. The different terrain variations highlighted the agility of the Gambler as it can power over rugged rock areas and be light over slick terrain. The 64-degree head angle instills confidence at high speeds and when navigating down a steep chute.
At the end of the day, I changed the head angle to 66-degrees and did two more runs in Chatel. It shortened up the wheelbase and made the bike more agile in tight sections and at lower speeds. This setup works well on medium-paced trails, particularly if they require heightened agility.
Morzine: High-Speed Flow
On the second day, I proposed that we take advantage of our location and journey over to Les Gets to hit a few trails I had ridden on previous trips to the area. It would have consumed the entire day to make it to Les Gets and we were worried we might not make it back in time, which meant we could be stranded when the lifts shut down. With that in mind, we settled on pinning it over to Morzine and riding the downhill course a few times.The Morzine downhill course is fast and flowy with a few rough tree sections thrown in. I went back to the 64-degree head angle for the day but changed the travel to 230mm.
The longer travel seems to gobble up everything on the trail and lets you plow over obstacles with aggression, but it gives up some of the mobility of the bike. For most gravity runs, the 210mm travel setting will be plenty and will provide better take offs on jumps and a more responsive feel to the terrain. The many swooping turns on the trail were preceded by a severe six-pack of braking bumps that made it apparent that applying the rear brake causes the rear suspension to lose sensitivity and braking traction. Most of the time it wasn't too bad, but the braking bumps were quite pronounced in Morzine. For a visual of the track, check out declinemagazine.com/gambler to see a helmet cam video the Scott guys did while I was out there. (Editor's Note: If you're wondering, the author of this story is wearing a "Gambler- hat and glasses in the video.)
Whatever type of gravity riding you are into, the Scott Gambler can obtain a setup that will match your style and your terrain. Along with the stock setups of the FR and DH models, the travel, head angle and chainstay length options provide riders with the tools to custom tune the bike to their needs, even if it varies from day to day.
