PRODUCT LAUNCH
Scott ’s latest e-bike platform is designed for road or gravel – you choose the spec
It’s been 10 years since Scott first launched its endurance-focused Solace range. It was riding a new wave of bike that, shock horror, wasn’t focused on being lighter and faster.
A decade or so ago e-road bikes weren’t a thing and the industry remained sceptical of road bikes with relaxed geometry, disc brakes and big clearance for wider tyres. And yet here we are with what might be a whole new category – the Scott Solace eRide: a road and gravel platform, two e-bikes in one.
Scott says the e-bike aspect was at the core of the design, rather than it being a branch line off a standard road or gravel bike. According to the brand, the project was to target low weight, silence, compactness (battery and motor specifically) and comfort. All nice aspirations, but engineering headaches, or ‘simplexcity’ as the team behind the design called the conundrum when trying to deliver one frame with two purposes.
Rather than building on the previous endurance geometry of the Solace, the Scott engineers looked to the newer Addict Gravel.
Speaking at the launch, lead engineer Ignacio Alvarez confirmed that the brand “utilised the stability and proven excellence of the Scott Addict Gravel”.
“We then added the new lightweight TQ HPR50 drive unit and further increased the tyre clearance,” he said.
It’s a departure from the Mahle drive unit and battery that we saw on the Addict Gravel eRide, and, according to the brand, has taken a year and a half of working in partnership, and three prototypes to get right.
The carbon frameset keeps the same geometry throughout the range, and is available in sizes XS49 to XL58. All come with the same level of integration, with everything from internal cabling to the integrated Syncros compatible lighting system.
Waxing lyrical about ‘comfort and stiffness zones’ feels a little unnecessary given Scott’s proven carbon expertise.
What does need talking up, however, is the absence of a conventional bottom bracket, and the amount of impressive engineering that’s gone into doing away with arguably the stiffest zone requirement of the entire frame.
The reason for the removable undercarriage is to allow the insertion, or removal, of the battery and motor into the frame.
The entire removal of this section has required additional carbon in order to maintain the same structural integrity as a traditional bottom bracket shell.
But it’s this design and electric system that enables the Solace to fundamentally look nothing like an e-bike, and, while we’re still awaiting official weights, to be light enough to ride for extended periods without the e-assist.
