If you are more of a gravel racer than a gravel adventurer, the Scott Addict Gravel 10 is a bike that will interest you. It’s light, nimble and an absolute blast to ride, comes with quality finishing kit and the 2x chainset gives a whopping range of gears meaning it’s versatile enough to be used on the road too, making it a top contender among the best gravel bikes.
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Scott Addict Gravel 10 - Technical details
The frame and fork are constructed from high-modulus carbon fibre and feature fully integrated cable and hose routing for a clean look.
A tapered steerer on the fork and a head tube to match means a stiff front end under heavy steering and braking loads while a press-fit (PF86) bottom bracket and the resulting oversized tube junctions make for plenty of stiffness on the lower half of the frame, too.
Mounting points haven’t been neglected either. Being a bike with racier intentions than some you aren’t going to find bolts on the fork legs, nor are there positions for racks. However, you get extra mounts under the down tube to go with the standard mounts within the triangle: three bolts on the downtube and two on the seat tube.
There are two more bolts on the upper face of the top tube for more storage carrying too. If you want to fit mudguards, there are Scott’s Syncros-specific fenders. You’ll have to downsize your tyres to 40mm though.
Scott says that it also incorporated a bit of aerodynamics in terms of the fork legs and the position of the seat stays. You also get an aero seatpost shape, with a slim design to the seat clamp.
From a geometry point of view, the Addict Gravel is available in five sizes ranging from XS/49 to XL/58. The M/54 we have here sits in the middle of the lineup and comes with a 554.5mm top tube. The head tube is 140mm and sits at an angle of 71 degrees while the seat tube is a steeper 73.5 degrees. This means stack and reach figures of 565.3mm and 387.1mm respectively, so nothing out of the ordinary there. The wheelbase is 1,029mm thanks in part to the 425mm chainstays.
Scott Addict Gravel 10 - Componentry
The bike you see here is the 2023 model with the 2024 model now on sale with a few different component choices, plus a very eye-catching purple paint job.
Both old and new bikes come with a SRAM Force AXS groupset although this 2023 bike has the previous version as SRAM has recently upgraded it.
I prefer a 2x set-up over a 1x so I’m glad the Addict Gravel 10 comes with a 46/33T chainring combination mated to a 10-36T 12-speed cassette. That’s a large range of gearing, which gives plenty of options for both high and low speeds.
Everything is completely wireless so there are no wires to snag on anything, and should you need to replace a component it is purely a matter of unbolting one piece and fitting another. Set-up is easily done in SRAM’s app.
The electronic shifting is quick and precise and shouldn’t need tweaking once aligned. The braking performance is great, too, with loads of power and feel allowing you to modulate power through the 160mm front and rear rotors.
For 2024 the Addict Gravel has switched from DT Swiss GRC1400 carbon wheels for Fulcrum Rapid Red Carbon.
Weighing just over 1,500g the wheels are responsive, tough and durable, too. I consider them good all-rounders, perfect for everything unless you want something deep section for racing.
The bike has a 120kg weight limit and the 24/24 spoke build shouldn’t be put under any unnecessary strain – especially when loading the bike with bags or bottles.
The Schwalbe G-One Bite tyres are 45mm wide and feature a light tread pattern ideal for dry and firm surfaces. They are supple and even give good grip levels on the road. They aren’t the most robust tyres out there focusing on performance rather than durability.
As the in-house component brand of Scott, so it’s no surprise that the Addict Gravel comes outfitted in Syncros kit.
Up front, you get an RR2.0 stem designed to hide the brake hoses and a Syncros Creston 1.0 X carbon handlebar.
The carbon seat post is also from Syncros, as is the Tofino Regular 2.0 saddle, the latter of which is a narrow saddle with minimal padding – just how I like things.
Scott Addict Gravel 10 - Performance
As a senior reviewer over on our sister site road.cc, I’ve ridden many of Scott’s Addict road bikes over the years which meant that this bike felt very familiar. The Addict Gravel shares many of its characteristics with the road version, it's just a bit more rugged.
The majority of my rides during the week are short, 60 to 90 minutes and having the Addict Gravel here has been a real incentive to get out – something which has been a bit of a chore lately thanks to the fact it feels like it has been raining constantly for the last few months.
Most of my test routes require riding on the road to get to the bridleways and the Addict is light enough that this doesn’t feel like a chore. While it’s not the most exciting part of the ride, the Scott is responsive enough to make it fun, especially if you have a few technical downhills to throw in the mix.
Bung on some wide slick tyres and the Addict Gravel will work as an endurance-style road bike or commuter. Anyway, back to the gravel as that is what you are here for… Right?
The Addict Gravel is a stiff, tight-feeling bike – eager to be ridden hard. The wheelbase is relatively short (1,029mm on this medium) which means it feels nimble, and with quick, direct handling it loves a bit of singletrack.
The low weight of just over 8.5kg means it’s easy to bunny hop, too, so you can take those tracks at speed and the Addict Gravel will get you out of trouble just as quickly as you can get into it.
On this kind of bike, I find a tyre width of 45mm to be the sweet spot. Wide enough for plenty of grip without carrying too much weight to hamper acceleration or climbing. The Schwalbe G-One Bite Performance tyres that come as standard may have been a little light on tread depth for the muddy sections but, on hardpacked surfaces, they have been perfect for allowing me to get the best out of the Scott inspiring plenty of cornering confidence and general grip.
The geometry allows a racy position without being too extreme. This is great for hunkering down in a headwind but also allows you to get your centre of gravity low to exploit the speed and handling on offer.
The carbon-fibre frame and fork give a comfortable ride, too. Even taking the natural suspension of the tyres out of the equation this is a smooth riding frame. No harshness or ‘buzzy’ qualities will be found here and that means plenty of uninterrupted feedback.
The Addict Gravel is one of those bikes that you can just let go on the tracks and trails. As cheesy as it sounds, the riding position and ride quality make you feel like you and the bike are one. It’s one of those bikes that reacts to the slightest input and body shift.
It’s not all about speed and thrashing about everywhere either. That ride quality makes for comfortable, longer treks into the wilderness, too.
My longest ride was a relaxed and enjoyable journey of around four hours. You’ve got that sharp handling for the fun bits while elsewhere you can ease things back and enjoy that suppleness in the frame, comfortable saddle and plush bar tape.
Scott Addict Gravel 10 - Verdict
The Scott Addict Gravel is available in four build levels starting with the SRAM Red wearing RC model priced at £8,599 with our Gravel 10 version sitting next in line at £5,700. The 20, 30 and 40 are next at £3,900, £3,000 and £2,450, respectively.
For a similarly priced Specialized, you’ll be looking at the Diverge Expert Carbon for £5,750 but that comes with SRAM’s lower-tier Rival AXS groupset. It’s a good bike though, (I recently reviewed the Diverge STR version) but you aren’t getting as much for your money as you are with the Scott.
A Force AXS-equipped Spesh Crux is around 400g lighter than the Addict but will cost you £7,000.
I’ve always been a fan of Canyon’s Grail. A gravel bike with a race-like tendency like the Scott and Suvi was impressed with it too when she reviewed the latest version at the tail end of last year. Current prices have the CF SLX 8 AXS model at £5,099 which comes with a SRAM Force groupset, albeit a 1x set-up, and a set of Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels.
Suvi was a fan of the Ribble Gravel SL Pro, describing it as a ‘race-ready gravel bike that is at home on bikepacking adventures, too.’ It comes in three build options with the Pro model coming in at £5,499 with a Shimano GRX Di2 groupset and more Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels.
If you are looking for a quick handling, fun, fast and nimble gravel bike capable of being ridden for longer distances too, the Scott Addict Gravel 10 is a worthy option to consider. There are cheaper alternatives but the Scott is a well-rounded package that is well specced overall.
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