The rear wheel tucks neatly into the seat tube. The rear brake is hidden out of the wind under the chainstays.

The rear wheel tucks neatly into the seat tube. The rear brake is hidden out of the wind under the chainstays (click to enlarge).​

Call it the assault on air. First Specialized lifted the lid on its new Venge ViAS aero road bike. Now SCOTT has unveiled a totally revamped version of the wind cheating Foil race machine.

According to SCOTT, the new bike has the same lightweight frame as its predecessor, with a fully painted size 54cm tipping the scales at just 945 grams with the fork adding 335 grams.

Keeping weight near the UCI's magic 6.8kg number was one of the primary goals for the SCOTT's design team, said the Swiss company's road product manager Frank Oberle. "Our WorldTour riders count every gram," said Oberle in reference to the IAM Cycling and Orica-GreenEdge squads that will be starting the Tour de France on July 4. "It's actually not a challenge to build the complete bike below this regulatory threshold."

Meet the new SCOTT Foil, better than the old Foil.

Meet the new SCOTT Foil, better than the old Foil (click to enlarge).​

What is a challenge is to hit that mark, and retain the stiffness, comfort and aero qualities required at the highest level of the sport. And SCOTT claims to have achieved this with its new Foil, which in the U.S. will be available in Foil Premium, Foil Team Issue and Foil 10 versions. Exact availability and pricing has yet to be released.

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The frame aerodynamics of the new Foil have been completely revamped, and the bike now features a fully integrated cockpit, which SCOTT says was driven by the discovery that as much as 50 percent of a bike's drag at low yaw angles comes from the frontal area. The new set-up produces a 6 watt gain at 45kph, claims SCOTT.

Other features include direct mount brakes for increased stopping power, and a rear brake that's been relocated under the chainstays, which gets it out of the wind. The downside is that it's harder to service. There is also an integrated chain catcher and the frame is designed to work best with 25mm tires, though you can squeeze in 28s.

Full cockpit integration enhances aerodynamic efficiency.

Full cockpit integration enhances aerodynamic efficiency (click to enlarge).​

Cable routing is of course fully internal, and everything except the front brake cable travels through an oversized port atop the down tube. This further aids aerodynamics and maintains stiffness and light weight because you don't have to drill an extra hole and then reinforce around it during frame construction.

SCOTT says it's also increased comfort, claiming an 89-percent rise in vertical compliance compared to the old Foil. Speaking from personal experience, that would be a welcome change. We spent about a month on the old Foil earlier this year, and while it was an undeniably fast and efficient bike, comfortable is never a word we'd have used to describe its ride characteristics. Honestly, it was a little on the harsh side whenever the pavement was anything but smooth.

Frame highlights include a press fit 86 bottom bracket, which provides ample space for the thick chainstays and oversized down tube.

Frame highlights include a press fit 86 bottom bracket, which provides ample attachment space for the thick chainstays and oversized down tube (click to enlarge).​

"We have seen a drastic jump in development of aerodynamically optimized road bikes over the past 5 years," said Pascal Ducrot, vice president at SCOTT Sports. "Despite being aerodynamically advanced, the new Foil is still lightweight, stiff and comfortable and is therefore a bike that our WorldTour Riders will not exclusively choose for dead flat sprint stages."

But sprinter's will still get what they need from the new Foil, says SCOTT, who clearly loves to promote by percentage. To wit lateral stiffness increases 13 percent at the bottom bracket, 13.5 percent at the head tube, and 6 percent at the fork when compared to the original Foil, which was first released in 2010.

The Foil Premium, Foil Team Issue and Foil 10 models will be available in the U.S.

The Foil Premium, Foil Team Issue and Foil 10 models will be available in the U.S. (click to enlarge)​

In late July, we're headed to a SCOTT media event in Utah where we'll get a closer look at the new Foil, plus a chance to test ride the bike. Look for a first ride review soon after. In the meantime, for more information visit www.scott-sports.com