This is a great bike and a joy to ride. It handles riding over rough terrain at speed well and feels very smooth. It feels quick up and down hills and its a great spec for the price, I particularly like the forks. I have the Hans Dampf tyres on mine which I would also recommend as the hold very well on corners. If you want a good spec bike which is very capable then go for this bike.

I had been looking for a bike over the past year or so and the Scandal in Orange caught my eye. It jist looked fantastic. Having compared the spec on this bike elsewhere nothing came close. Planet X online support answered all of my queries and I decided to purchase. Its an absolutely fantastic bike it looks and feels amazing. I had further questions about certain torque settings after purchase and again the staff at Planet X were there on hand for me. Im thrilled with my new bike many thanks to all at Planet X. Note one small niggle about the spec is that the saddle is rather firm but easily fixed with either padded shorts or a replacement saddle.

Look no further no other manufacturer comes close to this spec at this price point. I purchased the orange version and it looks stunning. I recommend the Crud fender excel for the front mudguard as per Guys video review. I ended up with the Rockshox front fork as the MRP version is stuck in transit. It is perfect for my standard of riding I dont pretend to be a pro I just wanted an enthusiasts bike and this exceeded expectations. In terms of customer service at Planet X they are fantastic even though not reachable via phone the live chat works very well indeed. All staff I dealt with pre and post sale were very knowledgeable yet passionate about their work. My only small niggle with the bike spec is the handle bar grips are pretty uncomfortable as too is the saddle I am quite happy to change these. I had a similar issue with a saddle on my last purchase many moons ago. Minor detail biut worth a mention. I went for ergo grips instead. Anyway I am delighted, the minor niggles do not just reducimg my star rating givem how happy I am with my purchase. Thanks Planet X

My Specialized Rockhopper 2003 has finally given up and having done a lot of research across brands and suppliers, this came out looking like a great deal for the decent spec of forks / wheels / groupset. Its being used mostly on local singletrack, nothing too extreme or jumpy. Ive had it for 4 months now. This is quite a different ride; the slack front end geometry, wider bars and bigger wheels make it feel like a much bigger and smoother bike than the old Specialized, although they are both sized large. I wasnt initially 100% sure about the 29 (ie whether 650 would be better) but the rest of the spec sold the bike. Im enjoying the larger wheels, they roll easily over stuff that might have had a foot down on the 26. Some friends suggested that you trade easy rolling for less fine control; not something that Ive noticed at my level of riding, might be an issue if you love the jump park. The full SRAM GX groupset is sweet and feels really positive on the changes. The wide bars have caught me out against some trees but just need getting used to! The forks feel responsive. Any downsides to justify chipping a star off? Despite the 2 signatures on the checklist, there was a chip in the paintwork straight out of the box. Not too much of a worry; it now has a few more! Your bike, built your way. Not really. The spec is fixed. Under the customise your bike option there was only a bottle cage choice. Which is not really customisation. Its OK to not have endless gear / brake / fork options but it would at least be nice to have a tyre choice and the option of a dropper post - Ive bought these as aftermarket upgrades. On the plus side, PlanetX did send me some useful instructions on how to fit an internally routed dropper. Overall, a smooth sweet ride. Youll struggle to find a better spec / price combination elsewhere.

Had mine 3 months now. Really delighted with the bike. It's much punchier than I expected and the spot on geometry inspires confidence such that I'm hurtling down local trails as though I'm on my full sus. Climbs better than I expected too. Swapped out the tyres for schwalbe and set up tubeless. What's not to like?!

Fantastic bike, bought mine in September 2020 at a time when pretty much everything else was out of stock due to a surge in demand during the pandemic. I've bought lots of cheaper bits from Planet X in the past but never bought a bike from them before but have a few friends who have done so in the past and all were pleased with their bikes. Always tended to buy mainstream brands in the past but I wasn't disappointed, it rides so nicely and has a really good spec for the money. I did have to upgrade the saddle as the one that it came with was a bit too narrow and uncomfortable for me, changed for an Ergon SM and also some chunkier Ergon handlebar grips. I'm 6'2" and went for the XL and also managed to fit a 150mm dropper post, it's a shame that you can't spec it with a dropper from the factor as an optional extra as it took a while to install. There are loads of good droppers about for around the 100 mark these days.

Quoted 11-12kg by customer support. Weight came in at circa 13.5kg. So quite a bit heavier which was disappointing. Point it down hill and you'll be flying also takes a beating but naturally feels like you're pulling a tank when cycling uphill!

Into month 3 of doing some pretty muddy 50 miles a week runs. In general I like the bike but I've still not managed to set up the gears so that they don't constantly hop between the bottom two sprockets. I get it set up nicely when I'm off the bike but as soon as I apply pressure it goes into automatic random selection mode. On the plus side across flatish bumpy winter ground I'm about 15-20% faster and breaking PBs I set in summer on an old rockhopper.

Awesome bike. Fast and fun. Feels light but sturdy. It eats everything thrown at it with ease. Only teenie weenie issue is that the Panaracer tyres are not tubeless compatible, but that's no biggie overall. Best thing I've bought in years. Thoroughly recommend it!

Ive wanted the Scandal since it launched and finally got one; Im only disappointed its taken me this long to get it! For a 29er (XL frame) its lively, precise and a pure joy to ride. It never fails to put a grin on my face. With lockdown, Ive only had it on my local trails (hard pack) but it has so much potential, I cant wait to get it onto some more natural, bigger and gnarlier trails it may only have 130mm up front but it will but most full-suss bikes to shame. Im 63 and have the XL frame and it fits like a glove. Some XL bikes feel too long and a little cumbersome but this feels like it was custom made for me. Pair this with the usual excellent service from Planet X, you couldnt ask for more.

Hardtail that punches above it's weight

N+1 has not let me down! Last year I bought a 2nd hand Boardman 29er and it made me fall back in love with Hardtails! This Scandal has superb spec for the discounted price I paid. Ive had it out a few times blasting about the Argyll forest trails and already smashed a few Strava PR climbing Segments! It also looks the biz, the only thing Im going to upgrade is getting a dropper post, I have one on my full suss and love em. Thanks Planet X

My third bike from Planet X and they contiune to amaze me with how good they are at the price. As previous reviewer majority of riders who've seen (and ridden) my bike guess at 3 x the price! Equally good on quick blast around local trails or full days out in the hills.

Had this bike a week now and cannot recommend it enough . Its brilliant for the price . Put a orange or specialized sticker on this and you are looking at 3k

Perfect geometry and weight. Murder machine! Totally reccomend.