F = m - a, force is mass times acceleration - since the advent of mountain bikes, everything has revolved around this physical law. Because less mass that needs to be accelerated also means less force is needed on the way to the summit. And because the human motor only has limited reserves of power, this formula applies more to bikes than to any other vehicle: every gram less counts.
From steel to aluminium, titanium and magnesium - bike tinkerers and manufacturers have exhausted almost all tube materials. Carbon has also been an issue for a long time, but the results were unsatisfactory until recently. Despite the oretic advantages - extreme tensile strength and low weight - no one managed to make them usable for mountain bikes for over a decade.
Scott achieved its breakthrough with designer Peter Denk: after a few spectacular flops, the fully "Strike" was the Swiss company's first big success. This was followed by "Genius" and "Scale" - since then it has been clear that carbon is the future when it comes to high-end mountain bikes.
For our comparison test, we ordered all the carbon hardtails that are currently available. The fact that there were only five of them shows that not every manufacturer is able to produce a decent carbon fibre bike.
You can find these bikes in the PDF download:
Giant XTC, Merida Carbon Race, Scott Scale Limited, Simplon Gravity, Storck Rebel Carbon
