Scott Addict RC Ultimate Bike

The Scott Addict RC Ultimate Bike is Scott's top-tier climbing platform, built for riders who measure a bike's worth in grams saved on the way up. Where the Foil RC chases aerodynamic advantage on flat, fast terrain, the Addict RC is engineered around a different priority: minimizing weight without sacrificing the stiffness a rider needs when the road tilts upward. This build pairs Scott's lightest frame construction with a fully wireless SRAM Red AXS E1 groupset and Zipp's 353 NSW wheels, positioning it as a race-day climbing bike for riders who don't compromise on components.

Frame Construction

The Addict RC Ultimate frame and fork are built from Scott's HMX SL carbon, a higher-modulus fiber layup than the HMX carbon used on lower-spec Addict models. Scott manufactures the frame using a PP Mandrel process, wrapping individual carbon layers around a preformed core before molding, then removing that core once the resin cures. The result is a hollow structure without voids or wrinkles in the layup, with wall thicknesses reduced to as little as 0.6mm in sections where the engineering allows it. That construction method is how Scott keeps this frameset among the lightest in its category while still building in the stiffness a climbing-focused road bike needs at the bottom bracket and head tube. Scott also carried aerodynamic knowledge from its Foil RC aero program into the Addict RC's tube shaping, so the frame isn't purely a weight-weenie exercise — the tube profiles and fully internal cable routing cut drag without adding the weight of a true aero frame.

Drivetrain and Stopping Power

This build comes equipped with a complete SRAM Red AXS E1 groupset, SRAM's wireless electronic drivetrain, paired with a 48/35 chainring setup and integrated power meter in the crankset. The SRAM Red XG-1290 12-speed cassette runs a 10-33 range, giving climbers enough low-end gearing for sustained gradients without abandoning the top-end speed a race bike needs on descents and flats. SRAM Red AXS E1 hydraulic disc brakes handle stopping duty, matched to SRAM Paceline X rotors — 160mm up front and 140mm in the rear — a sizing choice that favors low weight while still delivering the modulation and power disc brakes are known for on technical descents.

Wheels, Tires, and Cockpit

Zipp 353 NSW TL wheels front and rear round out a build focused on rotating weight, since mass at the rim and tire has an outsized effect on how a bike accelerates and climbs compared to static frame weight. Continental Grand Prix 5000 S TR tires in a 700x30 width add a measure of comfort and rolling efficiency without giving up the low rolling resistance the GP5000 line is known for. Up front, the Syncros Creston iC SL Carbon combo integrates the bar and stem into a single carbon unit, cleaning up the cockpit and shaving weight and drag versus a traditional two-piece setup. A Syncros Belcarra V1.0 saddle with cut-out and carbon rails and a Syncros SP-R100-SL seatpost complete the finishing kit, both chosen to keep weight down at the contact points that matter most on long climbing efforts.

Who This Bike Is For

The Addict RC Ultimate is built for the rider who does most of their racing and hardest training in the hills — someone who wants a frame that responds instantly when they stand and accelerate out of the saddle on a steep pitch, and who values every gram Scott's engineers have managed to remove from the frameset. It's available across a seven-size range from XXS to XXL, with seat tube angles adjusted through the sizes (74.5 degrees on the XXS down to 72.5 degrees on the XXL) to keep the fit and handling consistent for riders at either end of the height spectrum. In Piano Black / Carbon Black, it's a bike built less for making a visual statement and more for disappearing underneath a rider focused on the effort in front of them — on a climb, in a breakaway, or on race day when the difference between components is measured in seconds per kilometer of elevation gained.