2012 Scott Genius LT20 Vs Cannondale Claymore 2

As head-to-head bike tests go, you’d be hard-pressed to find two rivals more closely matched than the Cannondale Claymore 2 and Scott Genius LT20. Sporting upwards of 180mm of travel and weighing in under 15kg, both of the bikes in this test claim to be light enough to grind to the top of any mountain and still shred the toughest descents.

That’s a bold claim, and one that’s aided by handlebar mounted travel adjusters, which enable you to reduce rear wheel travel to 110mm at the flick of a lever. Two bikes in one? Well, Scott’s Twin-Loc lever design goes one step further, offering a full lockout, while automatically increasing the compression damping on the fork. High-tech indeed.

To put the manufacturer’s claims of being all things to all men, we headed to Malaga, Spain, in search of something tougher than our usual test spots in Wales or the Surrey Hills. Would the Claymore prove to be the weapon of choice for every ride or simply a double-edged sword? Is the Genius LT really as clever as it sounds? Let’s find out…

For the full test, check out the May issue of MBR, on the shelves from Wednesday April 4th.