Scott Solace eRide 10 first ride review

Scott has resurrected the Solace name and reimagined it as an electric road bike and gravel bike range. Although the range consists predominantly of electric gravel bike models, there are also two road offerings.

TQ provides its HPR50 electric bike motor and battery system, which it claims to be the lightest, quietest and most natural system to ride.

Although gravel riding is the primary focus of the Solace range, Scott says it wanted the platform to also work as a road bike from the project’s conception – that’s the flavour of Solace eRide I’m testing here.

If gravel is more your bag, check out my first ride review of the Scott Solace Gravel eRide 10.

My early impressions, based on a single 63km ride, are that the Scott Solace eRide seems largely to deliver on its promise and the TQ system stands out with its lighter weight and more compact construction.

Scott Solace eRide first impressions

All of the bikes in the Solace range utilise the same frame, but differ in spec choices to adapt them to road or gravel.

The Solace eRide frame is claimed to weigh 1.2kg in a size medium and is constructed from the brand’s HMX carbon fibre.

It runs on 700c wheels and has clearance for up to 50mm tyres or 45mm tyres with mudguards, which there are mounting points for. There is also provision for a kickstand, with mounting points on the underside face of the non-driveside chainstay.

There’s an integrated bar-stem from Scott’s in-house brand, Syncros, which hides the cables and hydraulic hoses.

Scott specs Schwalbe Pro One tyres in a girthy 38mm width for the Solace eRide and also specs Shimano 2x road drivetrains in favour of the SRAM 1x drivetrains found on the Solace Gravel.

The brand uses its more road-oriented Syncros Creston IC SL bar-stem combo, as well as a Syncros Belcarra saddle. The Syncros Duncan SL Aero seatpost features on all of the bikes, irrespective of genre.

Scott Solace eRide 10 geometry

The Solace range’s geometry is inspired heavily by the brand’s Addict Gravel. The notable updates are an additional 1mm increase in stack and a 10mm longer chainstay to balance the weight distribution of the battery and motor.

Scott Solace eRide 10 specification

At £10,999 / $11,999.99 / €11,999, the top-spec Solace eRide 10 I rode is a pricey proposition.

It’s a pretty decked-out build, as you would expect.

Shimano’s latest Dura-Ace Di2 R9270 is on groupset duties. There are no deviations, other than the FSA crankset, due to the use of the TQ HPR50 motor.

The aforementioned Schwalbe Pro One tyres are installed on 40mm-deep Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels. They have a 30mm external and 25mm internal rim width, good for both road and gravel use.

Scott Solace eRide 10 first ride impressions

This first ride review is based on a 63km ride with almost 900m of elevation around Massa Marittima in Italy, offering a taste of what the Solace eRide 10 is all about.

The Tuscan roads were mostly in pristine condition and the ride was largely downhill or flat for the first 34km, followed by a 12km climb and a long, sweeping descent to the finish.

I tend to notice instantly when I'm riding what is natively a gravel bike on the road, the higher bottom bracket often being the instant giveaway.

However, the Solace eRide is a rare exception because the geometry felt pretty road-like on my first ride, although the handling isn’t quite as poised when railing it round a corner.

The compliance felt balanced on both ends, although you can’t underestimate the role the 38mm tyres have to play in determining ride quality.

The frame felt stable on the descents, thanks in part to the longer 435mm chainstay length, and its steering was predictable and easy to handle.

TQ’s HPR50 system mostly impressed, with its assistance delivered naturally when riding below the 15.5mph assistance limit imposed here.

It’s a generally quiet system to ride, and I could only hear some whirring noises from the motor kicking into action up the long climb.

Other than the 12km climb, we were riding well above the 15.5mph limit.

I experimented with riding with the motor off before the climb. While it's possible to maintain a high speed, I felt held back more on this bike than the Solace Gravel, due to the more consistent speeds you ride on the road.

The additional weight of the motor and battery is noticeable, as well as presenting more resistance when pedalling than a conventional drivetrain without a motor assistance system.

Reaching for the top tube display button to change modes, while also maintaining concentration on the road, was frustrating, although it offers a cleaner aesthetic and reduces handlebar clutter.

This is compounded by the fact that (at the moment) you need to cycle up and down through modes.

For example, if you change down from the High mode to the Mid setting and want to return to the High mode, you’ll need to press the button five times, going down through the Eco and off modes before passing up through Eco and Mid again.

I support Scott’s decision to do away with a handlebar remote because it makes for a cleaner front end. I’m told TQ is working with Shimano and SRAM to integrate changing the motor mode via the shifter button. However, this is a while away yet.

For reference, I finished the ride on 28 per cent battery life. Bearing in mind my route and how much I leant on the motor for climbing, early indications are I’d likely be able to achieve more than 1,000m of elevation if I were conservative with using the battery on the flats.

Build impressions

This was my first time riding Shimano’s latest Dura-Ace R9270 12-speed electronic groupset.

Although a 60km ride didn't give me enough time to form a fully fledged opinion, the shifting speed is noticeably faster than the outgoing 11-speed generation, especially the front derailleur. It also seems there is more of a defined click to the shifter. I was able to elicit some disc brake pad rub on my test bike after any braking.

I’m not convinced of the choice of a 2x groupset for the Solace eRide. With the motor assistance, I didn’t need to spend a lot of time in the inner chainring. That said, if you live in a particularly mountainous area, you may benefit from it.

I found the matching of a Dura-Ace groupset slightly at odds with the 38mm-wide tyres. In this road-led spec, such wide tyres could be construed as being too girthy for road use, while the clutchless rear derailleur isn't as suited to gravel as (for example) a Shimano GRX option.

It's a curious mix, and I wonder if the (still clutchless) Ultegra Di2 build would be a slightly better compromise, saving you some money in the process.

The Zipp 303 Firecrest wheels impressed, with the 40mm rim depth offering tangible aerodynamic benefits. The 38mm tyres seem to have generous grip and felt reasonably quick-rolling for their size.

The Syncros Creston IC SL bar-stem combination didn't seem particularly comfortable and it transmitted vibrations. It’s interesting that I found the IC SL X variant on the Solace Gravel more forgiving, despite confirming with Syncros that both bar-stems use an identical carbon layup.

I didn’t get on with the Syncros Belcarra saddle, although saddles are a personal choice.

Scott Solace eRide 910 early verdict

My early impressions suggest Scott is onto a winning formula with the Solace eRide’s frame geometry for road use. The shared geometry translates well to the road and the spec is fitting for the high price tag.

The TQ HPR50 is lighter and more compact than other systems. The more consistent speeds involved in road riding mean I need more testing before reaching a verdict.

However, there’s plenty of promise. I’m looking forward to seeing how the Solace eRide fares on more familiar roads over a longer testing period.