G A M B L E R T E C H & FAC T S R E P O R T

N O S H O R T C U T S

THE FACES

“The Gambler 700 is my dream bike! I can come into any section way too hot and know the Gambler has my back. It is really confidence inspir-ing knowing the bike can handle anything I can throw at it. I can have the stability or maneuverability I need thanks to the adjustable geometry. Whether it’s hitting jumps all day on A Line in Whistler or charging laps on the Champery World Cup DH track, I know I can dial in the bike and make no compromises.“

Ben Walker, Product Manager / Tester

Adaptability is key in the world of downhill racing and the 27.5 wheel option allows you to gain and carry more speed and ride rougher, riskier lines to take time off the clock and put a smile on your face. The Gam-bler is now faster than ever and will handle anything you can throw at it, and then some. The harder you push it, the better it gets!“

Tim Stevens, Bike Engineer

“After the big move towards 27.5” wheels for our MTB range, there was no question with regards to implementing this wheel size on the Gambler. Our guys here at SCOTT put in loads of effort to put all of the little de-tails together in order to develop the fastest Gambler ever. For me as the Product Manager, it is just a great satisfaction to be part of such a power-ful team. I can’t wait to get this bike out on the track!“

Andi Ziegler, Product Manager

“The Gambler 710 has stepped it up once again. Now designed to fit both the 27.5” and 26” wheels it has to be one of the most adjustable bikes on the circuit. Depending on the track, the conditions even the rider, you can make it flat out fast.“

Brendan Fairclough, Resident Pro / Tester

3TECH AND FACTS REPORT / SCOTT / GAMBLER / 2016

THE SCOTT GAMBLER IS OUR GSTAAD-SCOTT WORLD CUP DH REPLICA. AVAIL-

ABLE WITH 27.5” WHEELS, THIS RIG IS A NO COMPROMISES DH WEAPON.

HAVING BEEN ENTIRELY REDESIGNED TO RUN THE LARGER WHEEL SIZE,

MANY OF THE SAME ELEMENTS THAT HAVE DEFINED THE GAMBLER IN

THE PAST REMAIN. WITH ITS DIALED GEOMETRY, ADJUSTABILITY, AND

THE FLOATING LINK SUSPENSION SYSTEM THE GAMBLER DELIVERS

THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN TRACTION AND SUPPORT GIV-

ING RIDERS EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO GO FASTER, BRAKE

LATER AND TAKE MORE AGGRESSIVE LINES.

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WE TOOK THE EXTRA STEP IN CREATING CUSTOM TEST TRACKS

SO THAT WE COULD TEST THE PROTOTYPES IN THE ROUGHEST

CONDITIONS. THE MODEL IN GENERAL WAS SIMPLE. MAKE A

TRACK THAT WOULD CREATE A PROBLEM FOR THE SUSPEN-

SION AND THEN FIND A SOLUTION FOR THAT PROBLEM. THEN

BUILD ANOTHER TRACK THAT WOULD BE HARD ON THE SUS-

PENSION SO ON AND SO FORTH UNTIL WE FINISH WITH A RIG

THAT WORKS BEST DOWN THE TOUGHEST OF TRACKS. FLAT

OUT, WE WANTED A BIKE THAT COULD HANDLE ANY TRACK, AT

ANY SPEED LIKE A CHAMP. HAVING THE ENGINEERING DEPART-

MENT IN THE HEART OF THE ALPS PROVIDED FOR SOME PRETTY

INCREDIBLE, AND FRANKLY, IDEAL TESTING GROUNDS!

THE PLACES

Morgins truly offers a great mix of terrain. We built some lines specifi-cally for testing the bikes by mixing all sorts of ideas and scenarios, for example weighting and un-weighting the rider with hard g-outs and heavy root sections. We created some tricky sections to create some difficulties for the bikes when testing, identified said problems and found solutions.

With such a mix of slick roots and heavy g-outs, Morgins is interesting for suspension testing because many times what works in heavy g-outs isn’t the best for wet roots. Balance is key and in Morgins you see im-mediately if things are well balanced.

LEOGANG:

WC bikes tested on WC tracks. What better place to test a World Cup race bike than 2 days after a WC race on the same track. Back to back testing on a track with plenty of holes provides for an ideal testing en-vironment.

MORGINS:

TECH AND FACTS REPORT / SCOTT / GAMBLER / 2016 5

CHAMPÉRY:

The legendary World Cup track is the real deal. Known for its gnarly roots, rocks, g-outs, big jumps and brutally steep terrain, Champéry is where our bikes really have to step up their game. When lapping 1000 vertical meter runs off the tram the bikes get plenty of abuse in a short amount of time.

Champéry is a great spot for testing suspension due to the incredibly steep nature of the track. This causes the rider’s body weight to com-press the suspension more than most tracks.

DORENAZ:

Dorenaz is flat out steep, fast and rocky. Riding Dorenaz at speed is no joking matter. The track is the perfect mix of tricky corners, rough straights and loose ground, making it a great location to test and to identify problems. When there is too much snow up at higher eleva-tions, Dorenaz is our go to test track.

Dorenaz adds another dimension to our testing in that traction is hard to find when you start to pick up speed. Additionally, the steepness re-quires a setup that rides high in the travel but is still supple for traction. It is a challenge to have both of those traits at the same time.

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The new Gambler layout started in 2012 when Brendan

Fairclough joined what is now the Gstaad-SCOTT WC

DH team. With the addition of such an incredible talent

to the team, it was only natural to set out to create a pure

WC DH race bike. The goal was to optimize every detail

of the bike with the hope that the sum of those parts

would create an overall package that was built to party

on the World Cup circuit.

Following the philosophy that “every detail counts,” the

designers and engineers went to work gathering feed-

back from test riders and the World Cup team. Through

regular testing of shocks and linkages alongside various

dropout designs etc., the results were very encouraging.

The small but incremental improvements were adding up

and showing actual gains both on the clock as well as in

the riders’ minds.

Developing a DH bike with such a gifted athlete like

Brendan Fairclough is actually quite challenging. He is

incredibly hard on gear and quickly identifies any prob-

lems or limitations. At the same time, it is a reassuring

test that if the Gambler can handle Brendog then it can

handle anybody.

Fast forward to the 2013 UCI Downhill World Cup. Noel

Niederberger had won two rounds in the Junior category

on a 27.5” wheeled Gambler frame. Excited by the young

Swiss rider‘s results, Claudio Caluori, the Gstaad-SCOTT

team manager pushed for the bigger wheeled frames.

New prototype frames were welded up and the testing

continued. Better suspension, increased mud clearance,

tweaked geometry and a bigger wheel size created an

even faster machine. The prototypes were working so

well that even Mr. Fairclough had to admit to the merits

of the bigger wheels against his previous and quite vocal

thoughts on the contrary.

RACE HISTORY

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GAMBLER 710TECH AND FACTS REPORT / SCOTT / GAMBLER / 2016

8

GAMBLER 710

GAMBLER 720

GAMBLER 730

SIMPLY FASTThe SCOTT Gambler 710 is our GSTAAD-SCOTT World Cup

DH Replica. Now available with 27.5” wheels, this rig is a no

compromises DH weapon. With a custom race tuned Kashima

Coated FOX Suspension and World Cup podium proven com-

ponents, this bike was built for speed. Equipped with a low and

slack geometry, a long shock and a tweaked leverage ratio, the

Gambler 710 will be able to handle everything in front of you.

Following our belief that for every track there is a correct tool,

this bike has been designed to be able to be converted to run

26” wheels as well.

TECH AND FACTS REPORT / SCOTT / GAMBLER / 2016 9

The IDS-X Dropouts have a unique axle and dropout interface

which locks the axle into place. This design eliminates the need

for pinch bolts on the rear axle. We were tired of the rear ends

of bikes coming loose after long days in the bike park so we

set out to find a solution. After many one off prototypes we

found this solution in the form of eccentric and conical shapes

on the axle and dropouts. These shapes key into each other

and lock the rear end down tight. In addition, the stiffer feel-

ing rear end provides for better and more consistent cornering

traction over traditional axle/dropout designs.

IDSX DROPOUTS: SIMPLER, STIFFER, LIGHTER

TECHNOLOGIES

The 2016 Gambler was built with the same intention as its predecessor. We wanted this bike to be strong, fast, and predictable.

Known for being one of the best handling bikes in the business in steep and rugged terrain, we made sure that the 2015 version

held up to that expectation while adding more maneuverability to adapt to the current tracks on the World Cup circuit. Every

feature of this bicycle has been designed specifically to meet our very high testing standards, and to ensure that no matter what

lies in front of you, this thing will rip down any trail from top to bottom.

Tracks differ, as do riding styles and riders. With that idea in mind, we tried to design a bike that allows you to decide on set up

based on your specific needs. With the available geometry adjustments the Gambler can have almost the same geometry with

either wheel size. Thanks to adjustable BB heights, chainstay lengths and head angles we were able to create a seriously fast bike

regardless of whether you want to run 26” or 27.5” wheels. Why compromise if you don’t have to?

WHEELSIZE

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The heart of the Gambler is the Floating Link. Combining just

the right amount of support with incredible comfort at high

speeds. The Floating Link pivots around an imaginary float-

ing point allowing the designers to fine tune all aspects of the

leverage ratio enabling the shock and linkage to function in

glorious harmony.

This linkage allowed the engineers to decrease the shock hard-

ware rotation from 36° to 9° on one end and 12° down to 4° on

the other end. This not only increases durability but also improves

small bump sensitivity. Furthermore, unlike most bikes on the

market, the bearing loads are drastically decreased at the begin-

ning of the shock stroke further enhancing traction performance.

Adjustability has always been one of the Gamblers strong

points over the years. The Gambler 700 is no different. The

rear end has two chainstay length settings, providing for ide-

al setups anytime, anywhere. In the low BB setting, the lon-

ger 440mm setting is designed to work best for high speed

tracks or riders who like a planted rear end. The @Brendog1

approved, shorter 425mm chain stay setting gives the bike a

lively feel and works better on tighter tracks. With the higher

BB setting, the available chain stay lengths are 421mm and

435mm.

FLOATING LINK

CHAIN STAY LENGTH ADJUSTMENT

11TECH AND FACTS REPORT / SCOTT / GAMBLER / 2016

210M

M TR

AVEL

203M

M TR

AVEL

ADJUSTABLE HEAD ANGLE

The Gambler 700 has a stock head angle of 63°. Thanks to the provided Syncros Angled Headsets in 1° and 2° you have access

to a range 61° to 65°. This range of head angles provides the opportunity to choose the ideal setup for any racer on any track.

Horses for Courses.

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The integrated fork bumpers on the Gambler 700 not only pro-

tect the cables from getting pinched by the fork in a crash but

also protect the frame from the fork in that very same crash.

Gone are the days of dimpled top tubes and pinched cables.

Lighter, simpler and no room for error- these are the principles

behind the new Gambler 700 fork bumpers.

The BB height on the Gambler 700 is adjustable by 10mm to

accommodate for rider preference as well as wheel size. If you

want to set up your rig to carry speed through a corner with a

low BB or to smash on the pedals to get back up to speed on

a higher BB, you have the flexibility to choose.

With a 27.5” wheel set up, you can either have a 343mm BB

height in the low position or a 353mm BB height in the high

position, enabling the rider to pick from a low and slack carver

of a bike or a pedal smashing flat track weapon. The 26” setup

works much the same way with a 341mm BB height in the high

position or a 331mm BB height in the low position.

ADJUSTABLE BB HEIGHT

INTEGRATED FORK BUMPERS

13TECH AND FACTS REPORT / SCOTT / GAMBLER / 2016

FRAME Gambler Alloy 6061Hydroformed custom buttedPF BB107 / IDS-X DH 12x150mm DropoutBB height adjustableISCG05 / 210mm rear travel

TRAVEL Front: 203mmRear: 210mm

FORK FOX 40 RC2 FIT4 Factory 27.5203mm travel / Kashima / Air SpringHi-Lo Comp / Rebound20mm thru axle / alloy steerer

REAR SHOCK FOX Float X2 Air KashimaIndependent high/low comp. and rebound / RVScustom tuned / 267x89mm

HEADSET Syncros DH adjustableSemi integrated / adj +-1° or +-2° with cupID 49.6mm / OD 55mm

REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Saint RD-M820-SSShort cage / 10 Speed

SHIFTERS Shimano Zee SL-M640Rapidfire Plus / 2 way release

BRAKE LEVERS Shimano Saint BL-M820-BBRAKES Shimano Saint BR-M820 Disc

4 Piston / 203mm / SM-RT76L RotorCRANKSET Shimano Saint FC-M825

36 T alloy chainring Hollowtech II / 165mmCHAINGUIDE E.thirteen LG-1+ ISCG05 / w/Taco alloy backplate

BB-SET Shimano SM-BB71-41AShell 104.5x41mm

HANDLEBAR Syncros DH1.535mm / 800mm / 20mm RiseSyncros Pro DH dual lock-on grips

HANDLEBAR STEM Syncros DH1.535mm / Direct Mount 45-50mm ext.

SEATPOST Syncros FL1.5 / 31.6 / Alloy7050SEAT Syncros DH2.0 / CrMo Rails

HUB (FRONT) DT Swiss 370 / 110x20mm thru axleHUB (REAR) DT Swiss 350

150x12mm thru axle / sealed bearingsCHAIN Shimano CN-HG54

CASSETTE Shimano CS-HG500-10 / 12-28 T DH cassetteSPOKES DT Swiss Competition / 2.0/1.8 black

RIMS DT Swiss FR570 / 27.5 / 32H blackTIRES Schwalbe Downhill Evolution Line

Front: Magic Mary 27.5x2.35 VertStarRear: Magic Mary 27.5x2.35 TrailStarTriple Nano CompoundSupergravity

APPROX. WEIGHT 16.50kg / 36.38lbs

GAMBLER 710 SPECIFICATIONS