MBUK’S RADDEST RIDES PART2

JAMES BLACKWELL’S 2011 SCOTT GENIUS LT 20

£3,699Our art ed Jimmer remembers his Megavalanche adventure, and he’s still buzzing nearly 10 years on

Back in the days when I was a little more fearless, I decided to race the Megavalanche in Alpe d’Huez. It was a great excuse to ride some gnarly locations around the UK, all in the name of training. I needed the right tool for the job too, and that was the Scott Genius LT 20.

Beloved big-hitter

What cemented my decision to go for the Genius LT was its whopping amount of travel, plus the fact that this could be adjusted from a full 185mm to just 110mm (or locked out completely) on the fly, using Scott’s bar-mounted TwinLoc lever. The LT 20 came with a RockShox Lyrik fork and Scott’s unique Equalizer 3 pull-shock at the rear (most shocks are push-shocks). Gearing was a little different back then, with my 10-speed cassette offering a 12-36t spread, although thanks to the triple-ring crankset up front (remember them?) the bike didn’t lack any range. The frame was carbon fibre, when carbon was nowhere near as common as it is now. It was a true beast of a bike and I absolutely loved it!

In preparation for the Mega, I rode some of the rockiest and gnarliest trails I could find here in the UK, visiting the Lake District for the first time and even hike-a-biking up Snowdon. It was a great experience and, apart from a few good crashes, still evokes some great, long-lasting memories.

Mega ready

All my UK riding had taken its toll on the Genius LT and taught me a few things about set-up along the way. The biggest issue I had was the Equalizer shock failing on multiple occasions – and it’s pretty scary when your shock locks itself out mid rock garden! Once it came back from Scott, I had to call on