The brand new Scott Solace follows up their newest TQ-powered e-mountain bike with an all-new ultralight Solace eRIDE e-gravel bike alongside the identical idea. An all-new light-weight ebike mannequin will get an all-new identify, though a well-known silhouette to the Addict Gravel, so stealthy is the ebike integration that it’s important to look intently to inform them aside.
With clean pedal-assist help that actually solely kicks in going uphill since that’s once you drop under its 25kph restrict, plus its virtually silent motor, and drag-less really feel above that pace restrict, the brand new Solace actually feels similar to using a motorcycle. And because it finally ends up as gentle as some typical metal gravel & journey bike setups, there’s actually no restrict to how far you may pedal it, even after the battery runs out.
2023 Scott Solace ultralight gravel ebike
Clean, customizable TQ HPR50 energy for a extra pure journey. Smaller inner battery, however expandable with an add-on bottle battery so that you solely carry the vitality you want. Add in a light-weight weight on par with a pedal-only bike, in order that even when your battery energy is exhausted you continue to really feel like you might be using an precise bike, not being held again by additional weight & motor drag. The brand new Scott Solace actually delivers on the promise of a light-weight ebike that actually seems like using an everyday bike – the place it solely helps you on the uphills once you want it, and the place the ebike side of it disappears beneath you once you don’t.
The low-key nature of Scott’s new Solace gravel ebike is much more pronounced once you journey it. Not solely is the TQ drive system nicely hidden inside, it additionally has a surprisingly pure journey feeling and is extremely quiet. Like so quiet, that you simply actually can’t hear it when climbing a gravel highway, because the motor hum at peak output
Journey it up a gravel highway climb to entry the paths and also you in all probability received’t even hear the motor your self over the noise of the tires on the gravel. I attempted to hear for that particular whine, however had a tough time choosing it out until I used to be on a clean floor. Actually solely on clean filth will you (and people you journey with) hear the mild whine of the electrical TQ pedal-assist motor.
Tech particulars
A lot of the technical element of latest Solace is much like the brand new Lumen eMTB. Chalk that as much as the identical compact, gentle & tremendous customizable TQ HPR50 ebike motor on the backside bracket motor, and the small 360Wh battery tucked contained in the decrease half of the carbon downtube. That downtube is barely greater than on a regular Addict Gravel, however you’d be hard-pressed to identify the distinction, even side-by-side.
The brand new Solace incorporates a top-tier, hi-mod HMX carbon gravel bike body particularly constructed across the TQ HPR50 powertrain, with a weight of ~1200g.
Tire clearance is larger than their pedal-only gravel bike at 700c x 50mm to present additional cush and functionality for any terrain with the ebike’s barely greater weight.
The carbon e-gravel body molds in closed alloy threads (so no water dripping into the within of the body) for one or two bottle cages in the principle triangle – 3-bolts on the downtube. No cage mounts below the downtube since that’s the place the motor & battery are, and no toptube bag mounts since that’s the place the TQ system show is positioned. The frameset does get hidden mounts for a set of full-coverage fenders entrance & rear, plus a chainstay mount for a kickstand, for whoever desires to place one on a motorcycle this good, gentle & costly‽
The charging port on the lowest level inside the principle triangle can also be the place you may plug in a 160Wh TQ vary extender bottle battery. And Scott’s Syncros accent model has developed a quick-release mounting bracket that can be utilized to slip an everyday bottle cage in for shorter rides, or the extender battery mount for boosted pedal-assist vary.
The Solace in any other case options fairly widespread trendy premium dropbar requirements like utterly inner cable routing via an outsized 1.5″ headset, tapered steerer full carbon fork, UDH derailleur mounting, flat mount disc brakes, and 12mm thru-axles with an built-in lever.
Scott particularly built-in the TQ rear wheel pace sensor into the rear dropout, so it could be fast and straightforward to swap wheels if you wish to go back-and-forth between gravel and highway using setups with a pair of wheelsets.
eGravel Geometry
Geometry-wise, the Solace can also be very near the gravel-proven geometry of the Addict Gravel. In reality, on my Medium check bike, body Attain is equivalent, Stack is simply 1mm taller, each headtube & seattube angles are equivalent, so the one actual distinction is an additional centimeter to the now 435mm chainstays to suit the motor and greater 50mm tire clearance in.
It is available in 5 inventory body sizes (49cm XS-58cm XL).
Driving Impressions
Of be aware, all of my evaluation impressions are primarily based on the EU-version with a 25kph pedal-assist restrict. Since I (you) spend nearly all of highway & gravel journey time at or above that pace on any downhills, flat terrain, and generally even slight uphills, motor pedal-assist solely kicks in on the uphills. Meaning even the comparatively small 360Wh inner capability of this TQ-powered setup lasts for fairly a protracted distance.
Vary is a tough factor to actually quantify on ebikes as it’s so depending on circumstances, terrain, rider weight, and even the way you journey. However at 82kg, I managed to get 45km and 925m of elevation of hard-charging, full energy mode help out of the Solace earlier than I ran its inner battery all the way down to zero on some prolonged gravel climbing (ending 20km of sustained uphill with a 4.5km 7% climb).
Apparently sufficient, that actual second when the pedal help reduce off, dropping from 3% to 0% instantly leaving me not within the best gear, it felt stunning that the bike would depart me with out help. However after a brief robust stair-stepping up the remaining 20m of that climb, every little thing was effective. I rode one other 10km with no help and even climbed one other few hills (possibly one other 50m of elevation), and the remainder of the journey was effective. Regular really. As soon as my mind had accepted the truth that no motor was going to help me anymore, the Solace rode similar to an everyday gravel bike. I’ve a metal Bombtrack gravel journey bike at house that weighs 11.8kg with pedals, a number of cages, a small empty bag, and a dynamo hub powering built-in lighting, which I’m utterly effective with weight-wise. And I usually am prepared to strap one other 10kg on there in water & packed tenting gear for some in a single day bikepacking journeys. (I even have a extra stripped-down metal gravel bike at 10.3kg able to journey).
I didn’t actually get into the max motor energy output, proportion of matching energy, and pedal response customization like I did on the Lumen as a result of I used to be attempting to see how far I might get the Solace to go on max energy. However TQ actually excels in supplying you with a novel stage of ebike motor tuning, and it’s all tremendous simple through their app.
And you’ll simply have the ability to get 50-60km rides out of the inner battery for those who tweak some settings. And realistically, 100km gravel rides will completely be attainable with the add-on bottle battery.
However this dead-battery Scott Solace at 12.96kg with pedals, felt simply as gentle as and possibly even sooner than these acquainted bikes at house, even when it wasn’t giving me help anymore. That goes a protracted strategy to supporting Scott & TQ’s philosophy that these bikes don’t actually have a variety restrict.
Consider the Solace extra like an escalator… when the motor stops, they only flip again into stairs. And all of us can handle stairs, proper?
However don’t neglect, when that battery is working, on the climbs it actually seems like you’ve gotten the freshest legs you’ve ever had, and with a very nice tailwind. And the additional 160Wh exterior bottle battery means you will get an extra 44% of help vary once you need to head out on longer rides, with extra climbing.
Factoring the time gravel using spends above 25kph anyway, the actually pure really feel of the TQ HPR50 system, the lighter idea of solely carrying the battery capability you really want for every journey, and the beautifully built-in resolution Scott has put collectively… there’s not a lot doubt that that is my favourite new ebike this 12 months.
That’s why it earned my 2022 Editor’s Selection award.
Scott Solace gravel & all-road ebike – Pricing, choices & availability
The brand new Scott Solace eRide ebike comes each in e-gravel and e-road variations, each sharing the identical prime HMX carbon frameset – with both 1x drivetrains & 50mm Schwalbe G-One Overland gravel tires or 2x all-road gearing with new 38mm Schwalbe Professional One highway racing slicks. The highest-tier 10-series of each embrace the additional exterior battery, whereas others must purchase it individually.
On the (all)highway facet of issues, the highest Solace eRide 10 will get a 12,000€ Dura-Ace Di2 2x group with compact highway gearing, an FSA carbon ebike crankset, a 1-piece Syncros Creston iC SL carbon cockpit, and Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels.
Or step all the way down to the ever-so-slightly extra reasonably priced 10,000€ Solace eRide 20 with Ultegra Di2, a 2-piece built-in Syncros Creston carbon bar & alloy stem, and Syncros Capital 40mm deep carbon wheels.
Again on gravel the place this ebike actually thrives, the highest 10,000€ Scott Solace Gravel eRide ebike that I check rode will get a SRAM Power Xplr AXS 1x drivetrain with a wired-in AXS derailleur & 10-44T cassette, gravel-specific 1-piece Syncros Creston iC SL X carbon cockpit, and Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels – at a claimed 11.77kg.
The 7600€ Solace Gravel eRide 20 dials it again to Rival Xplr AXS 1x, the 2-piece built-in Syncros Creston X carbon bar & stem, and Syncros Capital 40mm deep carbon wheels, plus a candy sandy tan with mud splatter paint job.
Someplace on the most reasonably priced stage right here, a nicely-iridescent 6000€ Contessa Solace Gravel eRide 15 mannequin goes to a SRAM Rival 1 mechanical shifting setup nonetheless routed internally, plus alloy Syncros cockpit & wheels.
The 6000€ Solace Gravel eRide 30 seems to imitate that almost all reasonably priced Rival 1 construct, with a extra subdued forest inexperienced paint job.
The entire new Scott Solace Gravel & all-road ebikes can be found now via your native Scott supplier.
