Scott made a big splash in 2014 year when they essentially abandoned 26-inch wheels. As such, 2015 was supposed to be a refinement year — and it is, with the exception of the all-new Gambler and the new Big Ed fatbike. With Scott remaining slow to adopt disc brakes for their road and cyclocross bikes, it was a bit of a surprise to see a fatbike at the company’s 2015 launch in Deer Valley, Utah.
Since Scott is a Swiss company, it makes sense that they would want to play around with a fatbike in the winter, so the Big Ed is perhaps something of a toy at this point to keep folks riding in the winter. But, I’m told that the pre-orders are very strong, so if the demand is there, this limited-production bike might just see high volumes before the winter is through.
Fatbikes done well are very versatile and fun in snow and sand. I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that they could replace your single track slayer because they are more toy than tool. That said, they can be an extremely fun toy under the right conditions.
It’s great to see the RockShox Bluto aboard the Big Ed. It is set at 100mm travel and the frame’s geometry is optimized for that fork. It arrives with a single SRAM X9/X7 journeyman kit and comes to the party weighing in just over 33.5 lbs. (It’s no flyweight). And, the price is a little steep for the category, but Scott aficionados will rejoice (and I must say that this is one of the finest-looking fatbikes I’ve seen).
2015 Scott Big Ed Fatbike Highlights:
- Optimized for 100mm RockShox Bluto
- 6061 alloy frameset
- High-quality Syncros cockpit bits
- Syncros 80mm rims
- Kenda Juggernaut 4.5″ tires
- Mixed SRAM X7/X9 drivetrain
- Weight: 33.7 lbs.
- Price: $2999
The Bottom Line
Fatbikes will be even a bigger phenomenon this winter and it’s great to see Scott hopping into the fray. I’ll say that the Big Ed is a beautiful fatbike in an increasingly-crowded market.