Scott Solace eRide: Back to the Future, Only on Two Wheels

An old acquaintance is back. Scott is expanding its portfolio of ebikes for the 2023 season and breathing new life into the Solace name to do so. What used to come under the heading of road bike, however, now has a split personality. Or two different ones. As you like.

Let’s turn back the wheel of time for a moment and look at the year 2017. Back then, Scott promoted the Solace as an endurance road bike. It was meant to tackle events like the Transcontinental Race, for example. After that, it was never seen again. Now it has reappeared quite unexpectedly from oblivion. It still carries the idea of endurance. But we’ll get into that in a moment.

Two for the speed rush

First, let’s briefly address the question of why the Scott Solace eRide is appearing now, while the Scott Addict RC eRide, a very similar bike, was recently comprehensively revised? Will the manufacturer be launching two almost identical e-road bikes in future? No, definitely not. The Addict RC features a Mahle X20 rear hub drive. Its low weight, together with the permanently installed battery, reduces the total weight of the ebike enormously. On the other hand, the support is more limited due to the torque of only 23 Newton metres, even if the power is applied directly to the rear wheel axle.

In contrast, the Solace eRide is powered by a mid-mounted motor. Scott has opted for the HPR50 from TQ here. So, after the Lumen eRide, a second model series with this drive expands the range. Due to its sporty profile, this choice seems absolutely plausible. The total weight of around 3.8 kilograms for motor and battery is very low. At the same time, the torque of 50 Newton metres means a suitable level of support. It’s enough to feel a real effect from the motor. And it’s not too much, which saves the battery and still requires enough of your own effort in the saddle.

An e-drive for special moments

The fact that the motor generates almost no resistance as soon as you exceed the neuralgic point of 25 kilometres per hour may have played at least as important a role in the considerations. If you are relatively fit, you will be able to do this quite quickly on a road bike. So it is all the more important that exceeding this threshold does not diminish your riding experience. When you’re on the flat or going downhill, the Solace eRide comes very close to a regular bike without electric assistance. And every watt-hour saved there means additional range that you can draw on later on more demanding passages. Despite the initially rather low capacity of 360 watt-hours of the battery integrated in the down tube, in our view the novelty is also suitable for longer tours of 100 kilometres and more. In this respect, the Solace eRide differs more clearly from the Addict RC eRide.

Versatile approach

The comparison between the Addict RC eRide and the Solace eRide is only applicable to a limited extent anyway. This is because Scott designed the Solace as a platform instead of a model. In other words, depending on the respective configuration, very different bikes can be created on the basis of the identical frame and e-drive. This is exactly what the manufacturer has done. The model range includes two e-road bike variants and three e-gravel bike variants.

You can distinguish between them essentially on the basis of three features:

• the tyre width
• the gears
• the handlebars

Traction vs. speed

As is typical for a gravel bike, the Solace Gravel eRide 10, the Solace Gravel eRide 20 and the Solace Gravel eRide 30 have considerably wider tyres than the Solace eRide 10 and Solace eRide 20 road bikes. The Schwalbe G-One Overland EVO used on the former measure a full 50 millimetres. The model has its strengths on the road and on dry unpaved paths. With 38 millimetres, the Schwalbe PRO ONE EVO Super Race, on the other hand, is noticeably narrower. Even more striking than that, however, is its almost contourless profile. Schwalbe says about the slick that it is the best road bike tyre the company has ever brought to market. Besides a virtually imperceptible rolling resistance, it nevertheless has moderate puncture protection with a V-Guard insert.

Single vs. dual

When you look at the gears, you immediately notice that the Gravel models make do with one chainring. It belongs to the Force Xplr and Rival groupsets from Sram. Their rear derailleurs are designed for cassettes with a larger number of teeth. Their larger shift rollers weigh slightly more, but at the same time increase the load capacity and thus the durability.

On the road bikes you will find the classic combination of two chainrings. These are shifted electronically. The corresponding cassettes of the Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets are limited to a smaller range, which saves size and weight.

Control vs. aerodynamics

When it comes to handlebars, the difference between gravel and road bikes is hidden behind a single X. Depending on the bike type, either the Syncros Creston iC SL X handlebar stem unit or the Syncros Creston iC SL are installed. The handlebar of the unit with X has a flare of 16 degrees. This means that the tubes of the lower handlebar point outwards by 16 degrees, which should ensure better riding control on rough terrain.

The handlebar without X does without the flare. Instead, the upper handlebar is ten millimetres lower than the lower handlebar. In the lower handlebar grip, you thus reach a somewhat more stretched position on the e-road bike, in which you offer a smaller working area for the air flowing against you.

E-road bike or e-gravel bike?

Despite all the quality, components and add-on parts obviously only influence the character of a bike to a certain degree. Much stands and falls with the frame. In our opinion, the frame points more in the direction of gravel. The seat angle is somewhat flatter than on a road bike. Depending on the frame size, the Solace eRide has a seat angle of between 69.5 and 71 degrees. In the case of the Addict RC eRide, however, it is between 71 degrees and 73.3 degrees. In addition, the wheelbase is longer. Due to this, the Solace loses some manoeuvrability in the curves. On the other hand, it generates more comfort and smoothness off the road. On these sections, the greater distance from the bottom bracket to the ground also proves to be an advantage. It prevents you from touching down or getting stuck with the pedals when riding over even small obstacles. If you prefer swerving instead of jumping, you will like the sensitive steering provided by the shorter stem. And the mudguard and rear carrier mounts would not be available on a thoroughbred road bike.

Model variety with compromises

Scott offers five different sizes of the carbon frame – from XS to XL. Depending on the equipment, the e-road bikes range in price from 7,999 euros to 11,999 euros. Among the e-gravel bikes, the range goes from 5,999 euros to 9,999 euros. The top models have an additional battery with 160 watt hours as standard, which you can attach to the bottle cage on the seat tube. In terms of weight, one is good as the other. The Scott Solace eRide 10 weighs around 11.8 kilograms, while the Scott Solace Gravel eRide 10 tips the scales at around 12.6 kilograms.

We have already mentioned several times the striking discrepancy between the models that Scott offers between bikes that are geared towards men and those that are more accommodating to women’s body proportions. This certain inequity is again striking. Firstly, the model range includes only one Contessa model, the Contessa Solace eRide 15, which deprives women of the choice between an e-road bike and an e-gravel bike. And secondly, its technical equipment once again only corresponds to that of the cheapest men’s model. Scott, we look forward to the day when this paragraph is superfluous because the range has been designed to be more balanced.

Scott Solace eRide for the 2023 season at a glance

• Variants: Solace eRide 10, Solace eRide 20, Solace Gravel eRide 10, Solace Gravel eRide 20, Solace Gravel eRide 30
• Motor: TQ HPR50
• Battery: TQ Internal 360 Wh, Range Extender 160 Wh
• Display and control unit: TQ Display, TQ Remote
• Drivetrain: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, Shimano Ultegra Di2, Sram Force eTap AXS, Sram Rival eTap AXS, Sram Rival
• Brakes: Shimano BR-R9270, Shimano BR-R8170, Sram Force eTap AXS, Sram Rival eTap AXS, Sram Rival
• Maximum permitted total weight: 120 kg

Scott Contessa Solace eRide 15 for the 2023 season at a glance

• Motor: TQ HPR50
• Battery: TQ Internal 360 Wh
• Display and control unit: TQ Display, TQ Remote
• Drivetrain: Sram Rival
• Brakes: Sram Rival
• Maximum permitted total weight: 120 kg

Pictures: Scott Sports SA