Scott Patron 900 first ride review: sleek eMTB smoothes out the harshest trails, but the ABS leaves me puzzled

Scott's latest update to its full-power electric trail bike, the Patron, gives it an enormously smooth, controlled and adaptable feel.

A Horst-link rear suspension layout drives a shock hidden within the bike's seat tube, a design now synonymous with Scott.

This system feels immensely plush on rough, chattery sections of trail, while having ample bottom-out resistance for big, deep-travel hits.

Its breadth of performance is commendable, making it seriously easy to jump on and ride comfortably with little fiddling or setup required.

An external sag indicator expedites this further – which is handy given the concealed Fox NUDE shock – although its adjusters and air-spring Schrader valve are accessed by a magnetic cover that's easy to remove.

Models aplenty

The top-spec Patron 900 I rode – which retails for £8,099 / €8,799 – is fitted with Fox's ultra-plush GRIP-damped 150mm-travel 36 Performance fork.

While it's unusual to see the most basic damper fitted to a bike of this cost, it plays in the Patron's favour.

Its smooth, responsive feel tops that of the latest more complex GRIP X and GRIP X2 units. Chapeau Scott.

You'll need more air in the spring to counter its willingness to enter into its stroke – I inflated it to 100psi, 18psi more than I had in the Fox 36 Factory GRIP X with the same travel and spring design. However, the amount of grip and arm-soothing responsiveness is more than worth it.

The Patron's glossy ride also comes partly from its frame construction.

The 900 uses a carbon front end and alloy rear, while there's a lower-spec alloy front and rear version, or an even more luxurious front and rear carbon 'Tuned' bike.

There are no fewer than six variants in the Patron range, with prices starting at £5,499 / €5,999 for the Patron 920 – which has an all-alloy frame – and rising to £10,999 / €10,999 for the Patron ST 900 Tuned.

For that lofty asking price, you get a longer 170mm Fox 38 fork, burlier tyres and a piggyback Float X shock.

While the 150mm-travel version I rode is very good, the penance for having a longer-travel fork and tougher tyres on an electric mountain bike is negligible. I suspect most people will be tantalised by the ST model rather than the standard Patron.

How does the new Scott Patron compare to the previous version?

The newest Patron doesn't deviate hugely from the outgoing model, but its frame looks sleeker.

Moving the shock from its integrated position on the underside of the top tube to the seat tube will please riders who are picky about their bike's centre of gravity.

According to Scott, cable routing has been improved significantly, and you no longer need to drop the motor to change the dropper-post cable. Mechanics will be happy.

Travel has been reduced from the old bike's 160mm to 150mm, except for the 2025 ST, which gets a longer 170mm-travel fork like the old Patron ST.

Both the old and new Patron use Bosch's full-power ebike motor and biggest-capacity battery, albeit the new battery has 50Wh more capacity.

There are some interesting geometry differences between the outgoing and new models. The 2025 bike has steeper head and seat tube angles, and longer reach figures across the board – but an identical chainstay measurement.

Why are tyres frequently the weakest link?

The stock Patron 900's Syncros wheels are fitted with 2.6in wide Maxxis Forekaster EXO tyres, albeit in 3C MaxxTerra compound.

Designed specifically for wet-weather XC racing or light trail riding – according to Maxxis – they're hardly befitting of the Patron's plush feel, trail-focused geometry and not inconsiderable 24.73kg weight (large, without pedals).

I think riders will be disappointed with the Forekaster's traction on this type of bike, especially if they live in Northern Europe. Riders from drier or rockier climes may be okay with the grip, but will definitely struggle with puncture protection from the weedy EXO carcass.

To avoid disappointment or disaster, I recommend riders do the same as me – fit burlier rubber from the get-go.

I fitted a pair of Vittoria Mostro tyres, which are way more suited to the Patron's rather impressive capabilities.

Surprising geometry creates impressive performance

On the trail, the Patron's ride defies the on-paper 65.8-degree head tube angle.

In reality, I measured the angle at 65.5 degrees, when set to the slacker of two settings.

Adjustable by rotating the headset cups through 180 degrees in the head tube, it gives 0.6 degrees of change.

Elsewhere, the 77.2-degree effective seat tube angle places your hips comfortably over the bottom bracket; winching up steep climbs is both grippy and controlled, but also efficient and comfortable.

A low 331mm bottom bracket (measured) helps it hook around turns. Dipping your elbow and shoulder leans the bike over positively and in a controlled way – it sticks to your chosen line convincingly.

Adding to its mix further is the 453.5mm chainstay length, paired with the large’s 487.4mm reach figure.

While the reach is par for the course on a large bike these days, the chainstays are on the longer side.

This extra length positions you more centrally on the bike compared to shorter ones, helping to balance the handling.

The geometry, weight and suspension performance seem to bring the Patron close to the perfect recipe for an electric trail bike.

Bosch and Magura’s ABS is a great idea…

However, I think there are only a few specific circumstances when it’s better than a rider’s own braking input.

Fitted to the top-spec Patron 900 and Patron ST 900 Tuned is the Bosch-Magura collaboration ABS.

This is designed to improve braking control and power, while not letting the wheels lock up.

I’ll dispel the first myth: it is still possible to lock your wheels up.

Pull the rear brake hard enough and the back wheel skids. Locking the front wheel is harder, but still possible, especially when you're going slower.

This is a good thing – plenty of steering control can be derived from locking the back end, and pros use it as a tactic to change direction or set up before turns.

Depending on your skill level, this riding technique is possible even with ABS. But it’s more complicated than that.

Hammering down a steep section of trail or treating myself to some adrenaline-inducing late braking, the front wheel’s ABS performance left me puzzled.

The brake feel is good; the initial bite is grabby but modulated, but squeezing the lever harder doesn’t correspond to the usual increase in braking forces.

In fact, there were times when I was squeezing the front brake lever as hard as I could to get the bike to slow down as quickly as I wanted it to, but the ABS was interfering.

Here, it appeared to be working as intended; indicated by a light pulse through the lever, identical to the feel through your feet when your car's ABS is engaged.

Riding aggressively, the front wheel couldn’t be locked up no matter how hard I pulled the lever.

This removed the intuitive connection between bike and rider – my inputs weren’t resulting in expected outputs from the bike.

The impression I got was a feeling of a reduction in braking force; I couldn’t slow down as quickly or brake as late with ABS activated, compared to when it was off.

But for less experienced riders, or maybe those who struggle to modulate their brakes, this could be helpful – not locking up the front wheel means steering control is maintained, and potentially reduces the chance of you flipping over the bar.

More investigation is required, but for the moment I’m left scratching my chin.