Pro bike check

Former XC world champion and World Cup overall winner's Scott Contessa Scale RC

This competition is now closed

By Nick Clark

Published: December 20, 2022 at 3:48 pm

The new Contessa Scale RC is intended to take Kate Courtney to further success in 2023, with Scott saying developments learnt from its race team have been incorporated into its design.

American cross-country racer Courtney is a top contender in the UCI Elite Cross-Country Olympic.

Courtney's racing career stems from a young age, when she became the first American woman to win a UCI World Cup in the junior category. In 2017, she won four U23 World Cups to take the overall victory. A year later, she won the UCI Elite MTB World Championships, before taking the overall title in 2019.

The 2022 season saw her collect a top-10 finish in the Brazil round of the UCI MTB World Cup, as well as winning the Puerto Rico Mountain Bike Cup.

Courtney rides for the Scott-SRAM team, which also features Nino Schurter and Lars Forster.

While having the option of riding the full-suspension Scott Spark RC for gnarlier courses, she's had good results on the Scale RC's predecessor, choosing it for courses where outright pedal efficiency is key.

Courtney's Contessa Scale RC is constructed using Scott's highest-modulus carbon, HMX SL, and features a 100mm RockShox SID SL Ultimate fork with a Race Day damper. Scott's TwinLoc remote enables the fork to be locked out completely.

The bike features Syncros’ Fraser SL WC integrated bar and stem, with Courtney choosing a width of 680mm and a stem length of 90mm.

Courtney uses a Garmin Edge 530 to track her data, with a power meter in the crankset providing power output.

Being sponsored by SRAM, the bike features the brand's XX1 Eagle AXS groupset and Level Ultimate brakes. Courtney rides a 34-tooth chainring on the front, with a range from 10-50t on the rear.

Dropper posts have found good application in the world of cross-country – time made on descending is just as valuable as that made on the climbs. Courtney uses a RockShox Reverb AXS dropper post with 100mm of travel. It also features titanium bolts for added weight savings.

Syncros’ Silverton SL2 29in wheels feature a wider rim size of 30mm and are visually striking, with a full-carbon construction from hub to rim.

Tyres are provided by Maxxis, with Courtney having access to the brand's full range. In this case, the bike sits on a pair of Aspens

The livery for Courtney's Scale RC features her name and a rainbow flag on the top tube to signify her previous World Cup success, while a two-tone paint scheme divides the bike into glittery iridescent purple and matt black.

Digital Writer

Nick Clark is a digital writer for BikeRadar, focusing on all things mountain bikes. Having raced XC for most of his youth, he has a deep understanding of the sport and loves bounding around the UK to spectate at events. A mountain biker at heart, Nick helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales. Nick also loves road cycling, where he has completed the holy trinity of spectating at all three grand tours in their host countries. Described as having a good engine in his racing days, it's now common to see Nick wheel-sucking on club rides and sprinting for town signs. He also enjoys bike touring and has completed numerous travels on the west coast of Europe, most recently riding from Lisbon to Roscoff. Nick has built many of his bikes from the frame up and has a keen eye for technical detail. He is currently riding a YT Capra on the trails and a Focus Izalco Max for the road.

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