The new Contessa Signature Collections features clothing, bikes and e-bikes
Contessa is Scott Sport’s women’s specific line, encompassing bikes, accessories and clothing, and the new 2023 Contessa Signature Collection – a premium capsule collection – has just been unveiled.
Within the range are women’s specific mountain bike shorts, trousers, short and long-sleeved jerseys, gloves, as well as unisex helmets and shoes, plus bikes including the Scott Contessa Spark RC World Cup bike, and the Scott Contessa Lumen eRIDE 900 electric mountain bike.
The Contessa range spans road and gravel too, though for obvious reasons we’re just focussing on the mountain bike offering.
The colour palette is what unites the collection, and is based on a colour Scott calls ‘prism unicorn purple’ paired with black. Scott states that the colour is “strong, but also lightweight and sparkling as bikes should also be. With this collection, we want to celebrate strong women on the bike, as well as the community around it.”
And, since this is a premium collection, the bikes included are the range toppers, so expect premium performance and a premium price to match.
Contessa Signature Collection clothing
The women’s clothing range size goes from XS to XL, corresponding to a UK8 – 10 or US6 – 14.
The two jerseys in the range both feature the signature colour pattern on the sleeves with a black body. The Trail Contessa Sign long sleeve jersey is constructed from Polartec Delta fabric, designed to facilitate cooling and breathability, plus integrated goggle wipe.
The Contessa Sign Anorak WB women’s jacket is a packable, stowable windproof in black with ‘unicorn’ highlights, and features PFC-free DWR coating.
For the legs, the Trail Contessa Sign women’s pants are constructed from durable four-way stretch cordura, with an elasticated section at the waist for a better, more secure fit. Like the anorak, it features PFC-free DWR coating to help ward of rain and splashes, and has two zipped pockets.
Finishing off the collection in complementary colours are the Traction Contessa Sign gloves, Trail Contessa Sign shorts, and the Stego, Tago and Argo mountain bike helmets.
Contessa Signature Collection bikes
There are four mountain bikes in the Signature Collection, and all of them are premium models.
Scott Contessa Spark RC World Cup
These include the Scott Contessa Spark RC World Cup bike, an XC-focussed and race winning carbon-framed bike with RockShox SID Select+ RL3 forks with 120mm travel, plus RockShox Nude 5 RL3 shock with 120mm travel. SRAM X01 Eagle AXS wireless 12speed groupset and SRAM Level disc brakes complete the build.
Scott Contessa Genius ST 910
The Scott Contessa Genius ST 910 is the trail- and all-mountain ready model, with carbon frame, Shimano XT four-piston brakes, 160mm forks in the form of Fox 36 P Elite Grip2, with a Fox Float X Nude TracLoc shock controlling 150mm of rear travel. The build is finished off with SRAM GX Eagle AXS 12speed groupset.
Scott Contessa Lumen eRide 900
On the electric mountain bike front, there’s the Scott Contessa Lumen eRide 900, a relatively lightweight mid-powered e-bike with Fox 34 Float Rhythem 130mm fork and Fox Nude 5T Evol 130mm shock, Shimano XT-Deore groupset and Deore 4-piston disc brakes.
Scott Contessa Patron eRide 900
And the Scott Contessa Patron eRide 900, with Fox 38 Performance Elite 160mm forks, Fox Nude T eRide EVOL shock with 160mm travel, Shimano XT groupset and brakes, and powered by a Bosch CX drive unit.
All bikes are available in sizes S, M and L, for a recommended rider height range of 165cm – 195cm.
Scott’s approach to women’s bike design is a unisex frame with finishing kit and spec chosen to suit the needs of smaller riders.
“From the beginning of Contessa, our bike product team decided to focus on the rider’s size, and what specific needs come with smaller sizes,” comments Chloe Lepany, Women’s Marketing Coordinator for Scott.
“For our Contessa bikes, we decided to focus on the average height and riding style of small riders. Of course, we are completely aware of exceptions.”
Lepany explains that across the Contessa range there may be differences in elements like crank length and chain ring size to suit smaller size bikes and riders. New suspension technology means, according to Lepany, that the inherent range of adjustment within the forks and shock mean that there is no longer a need for a lighter ‘women’s’ tune, which has been a feature on many women’s specific mountain bikes historically.
The Scott Contessa Signature Collection is available now from the Scott website.