Scott Solace 10 review

Scott recently expanded its road catalogue with the addition of the Solace. While the new bike has been developed with comfort in mind, Scott has produced a bike that offers plenty of performance thanks to a stiff chassis that compares well with race-oriented designs.

Scott has a long history of developing innovative products for action sports. The company began with the introduction of aluminium poles to skiing in 1958 followed by motocross goggles in 1970, mountain bikes in 1986, and aerodynamic handlebars for road cycling in 1989.

The latter was used to great effect by Greg Lemond to win the 1989 Tour de France by a handful of seconds. Since then, the company’s commitment to cycling has deepened and expanded into a comprehensive catalogue of bikes for road, off-road and city use.

Scott’s recent innovations have been in carbon frame manufacture. In 2001, the Team Issue road frame was proclaimed the world’s lightest at less than 1kg. Two years later, Scott trumped itself with the CR-1 which weighed 890g. Both breakthroughs came at a time when the reliability and durability of carbon was still being questioned but 100,000 cycles of fatigue testing by the German testing lab EFBe proved the frames were as strong as they were light.

Scott’s lightest road frame, the Addict SL, now weighs 710g thanks to further refinement in materials and engineering, and it has endured EFBe’s most demanding test protocol too. The CR-1 continues to be offered, now serving as Scott’s entry-level carbon bike. The remainder of the road catalogue comprises the aluminium Speedster series for novice riders, the Foil, and a new bike called the Solace.

The Solace is designed to appease riders looking for a blend of performance and comfort. The frame has been engineered with discrete “Power Zones” and “Comfort Zones” and the geometry provides a relaxed fit that will suit endurance/gran fondo riding. There are four models of Solace in Scott’s 2014 catalogue: Solace Premium (11-speed Dura Ace Di2), Solace 10 (11-speed Dura Ace), Solace 20 (11-speed Ultegra) and Solace 30 (10-speed 105). For this review, Scott’s Australian distributor, Sheppard Cycles, provided a Solace 10.

Before the ride

The Solace 10 frame and fork is constructed from Scott’s HMF carbon blend that weighs a little more than its premium HMX formula but costs considerably less. The frame uses a BB86 bottom bracket, standard 1.125″ headtube and a seat tube diameter of 27.2mm. A direct-mount brake is used for the rear and all cables are routed internally through the frame.

Compared to Scott’s race-oriented bikes such as the Foil, the Solace has a shorter top tube and taller head tube at every frame size, as set out below:

The relaxed fit of the bike is afforded by a steep seat tube angle. Scott uses a fork with a generous axle-to-crown measurement that adds to the stack of the bike. Taken together, the Solace will suit riders that prefer a more upright position and minimal handlebar drop.

The Solace 10 frameset is finished in gloss black with gloss white sections and lime highlights. The paint is flawless, however the white chainstays will be a challenge to keep clean. The highlights are subtle and are complemented by more lime peppering the wheels, stem and bars. Overall, the Solace has simple, pleasing lines. One tube flows cleanly into the next, though the front dropouts disrupt this effect as they trail behind the leading edge of the fork blades.

The Solace 10 is built with Shimano’s 11-speed Dura Ace mechanical groupset with an Ultegra rear brake, cassette and chain. Syncros provides the carbon FL1.0 seatpost, RR2.0 saddle, FL2.0 stem, RR2.0 bars and RP2.0 wheelset. The latter is built by DT Swiss with wide low-profile rims, 18 spokes at the front, 24 spokes at the back, and is fitted with Schwalbe One tyres.

The Solace 10 has a recommended retail of $6,480. Total weight for size L/56 was 7.21kg sans pedals and bottles cages. For more information visit the Scott website.

After the ride

Scott’s marketing stresses the comfort of the Solace, so I was surprised to find that it was quite stiff. Indeed, it comes close to many race-oriented frames by offering a large dose of responsiveness and efficiency, regardless of whether I was in or out of the saddle. However, the stiffness never dominated the Solace like it can for other bikes.

Some comparisons are in order to put my impressions into perspective. For example, the Solace is a lot more comfortable than the Foil. The chassis does not suffer from road buzz and it does a good job of dampening shocks and vibrations, but the overall ride cannot be described as plush.

I’d place the Solace into the same category as Trek’s Madone. Some riders will be shocked by the amount of feedback coming through the frame, but for those riders that like to push the bike hard, they will take delight in the stiffness of the Solace.

The steering of the bike was direct, but the extra height of the head tube seemed to undermine the handling to some degree because it forced me away from my centre of gravity. This bike (indeed, any bike with a tall head tube) would benefit from a lower bottom bracket to improve its stability, especially for descents, as demonstrated by Trek’s Domane. There’s no need to preserve pedal clearance on a bike that is unlikely to be pedalled deep into corners.

Scott has assembled an appealing package in the Solace 10. Shimano’s Dura Ace groupset was exceptional and the level of the rest of the build was very sound. The Syncros RP2.0 wheels were excellent — they are a great set of low-profile aluminium wheels. The wide rims were comfortable without being inefficient and Schwalbe’s One tyres were equally impressive.

The only shortcoming for me was the skewers: DT Swiss’ RWS mechanism is effective — the lever acts as a ratchet for securing the wheel — but it takes more time to operate than a conventional skewer.

Final thoughts and summary

The Solace fills the gap between Scott’s race-oriented offerings (the Foil and Addict) and its entry-level bikes (CR-1 and Speedster) by offering a performance-oriented chassis with relaxed geometry for a more upright position. The bike offers a measure of comfort by protecting the rider from road buzz and chatter but it does not extend to a plush ride.

At $6,480, shoppers won’t have any trouble finding a cheaper alternative to the Solace 10 (e.g. a Trek Domane 5.9 with Dura Ace retails for $4,999), but at this price-point, there are other considerations, such as the fit of the bike and the blend of comfort with performance.

Is the Solace a race-oriented gran fondo bike or an endurance-oriented race bike? In this instance, both labels apply equally well.

WRAP-UP

Spirited

Scott offers the Solace for endurance and gran fondo riders that prefer an upright position on the bike. There is some comfort on offer as the chassis soaks up plenty of road buzz and chatter, but the Solace remains a spirited bike with an eye for performance. Size L/56, 7.21kg sans pedals and bottle cages.

GOOD STUFF

Stiff and efficient
Soaks up road buzz well
Dura Ace groupset
Great wheels and tyres

BAD STUFF

Target audience may desire more comfort
Tall front-end undermines stability

CTECH RATING

7.9

Form

7.0

Function

9.0

Marketing claims

8.0

Serviceability

6.0

Appeal

7.0

USER RATING

Not enough user ratings to show averages

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REVIEWS () COMMENTS (18)

How did we arrive at the final score? Click here to find out.

scottmanning

White chain stays aren’t so bad. My bike (not a Scott) is predominatly white on the chain and seat stays and all that is required is a quick wipe now and then. Since I wipe the chain down after each ride giving the chain stay a wipe is no bother. There are never any lube “splashes”, just dots from where the chain has slapped the stay on a rough road. Don’t let the white chain stays stop you from buying this bike.
- Mark
  
  I was going to say something similar. There are no issues with white bikes (my bike is a black and white and has white chain / seat stays). It would be like saying don’t buy black as it will show up dust (ie like a car).
  
  The black and white bits on my bike look equally dirty!
Mark

Why so low a rating on the serviceability?

I’m probably blind, but I can’t see any comment on the the serviceability at all?????
- Matt de Neef
  
  This might explain somewhat: http://cyclingtips.com.au/product-review-ratings-explained/
  - Mark
    
    But where is is down in rating?
    
    Internal cables?
    - Matt Wikstrom
      
      The scores for serviceability provide a measure of how much experience is required to work on the bike/part as follows: 10=no servicing required, 9=no experience required, 8=little experience required, 7=general experience required, 6=specific experience required. Scores or 5 or less are applied to those bikes/parts that need to be returned to the factory for servicing or can’t be serviced.
      
      In the case of bikes, a score of 6 usually applies because the owner needs to know their way around a bike to service the gears, bottom bracket etc. Put another way, this score recognises that home mechanics that have spent some time learning how to service a bike will be able to work on this bike, but for anybody that hasn’t worked on a bike before, it will be out of their range and they’re better off taking it to a professional.
      
      It’s worth noting that serviceability comprises 5% of the overall score.
      - Mark
        
        Matt (x2), I’m trying to understand what specifically lead to a 6. With a score that low and considering the rating description, I would have expected some comment.
        
        Then when I look at this bike (score 6/10 - specific experience required) versus the recent Specialized Tarmac review (8/10 - little experience required), I can’t see why the Specialized scored so much higher.
        
        Appreciate it only makes up a small % of the over all rating, but in this instance (ie the Scott), there is absolutely no commentary on what the issues are, yet there was some (negative) commentary on the Specialized yet it scores quite highly.
        
        Ostensibly I can’t see any difference (serviceability wise) between the two bikes, which makes one or both ratings somewhat skew-iff
        
        As an aside based on the descriptions of the rating, I’d say there is a bigger jump (points wise) between ‘specific experience’ and ‘little experience’.
        
        Matt Wikstrom
        
        Ah, I think you’ve uncovered an inconsistency between reviewers. Wade tested and scored the Tarmac and presumably applied a different interpretation of the scoring system. In my view, any bike with indexed gears requires specific experience in order to service it properly.
        
        Dave
        
        Could be a good one to fix either way - consistency will increase the level of trust in the site’s reviews.
        
        Keeping your scale would probably be better, because it would reward the manufacturers who put the riders of their bikes ahead of their dealers.
jasper

very much agree with this review!
I have a solace 20 with ultegra 11 speed.
Steering takes time to get used to, and it’s not a flat road racer,
but it fits my body type very well: long legs, short arms (relatively :).
Most of all: this bike is great for climbing! Short and powerful or long and steady,
because it’s light and stiff (enough).
Thanks for the review, been waiting for someone to share their thoughts.
(btw. low servicability maybe because of the rear brake underneath the bottom bracket gets dirty a bit quicker.. but those seatstays look damn good so thin)
Perth 1HD

Man, these bikes look rad. I reckon the One Hour Delivery Perth Bike Couriers should be riding around on these bad boys!
velocite

“There’s no need to preserve pedal clearance on a bike that is unlikely to be pedalled deep into corners”.

Is that for real? Genuine question. I get that in theory a higher bottom bracket will let you keep pedalling at a greater lean angle, but in practice? Is it possible to be that precise? Dan Martin wasn’t in Liege..
- Abdu
  
  Dan Martin always blames the road, in that case he claimed an oil patch. In the TTT in the Giro, it wasn’t that he clipped a wheel but a steel grate. Seems a lovely bloke, just not willing to look in the mirror..
  - Sean
    
    There’s something NQR about DM, I suspect he’s numbed out on painkillers all the damn time. So often he looks vacant.
  - velocite
    
    If you watch that fall in slow mo’ you’ll see that (1) he pedals through the corner and (2) the rear wheel skips out at exactly the point where his inside pedal is at the bottom.
mattb

Great review, thanks - quite useful for someone starting to think about their next bike and realising that flexibility get harder with age.
Based on the reviews that Scott bikes get, I would love one, and would definitely consider for my next bike - but I will be putting this up against some others that are pretty stiff competition in this bracket (r3/5, synapse, madone/domane etc). Beyond rideability, specs, price/bang for buck etc another factor I will take into consideration is the drool test. Is it drool worthy - from an aesthetic point of view?…

I struggle to get that visual ‘wow’ factor with all pretty much all Scotts - except the addict SL. They just aint that pretty - paint schemes let down almost all their bikes. It’s not the defining factor (hygiene factor) when buying a bike, but it certainly might separate two equally performing bikes and help me fall in love with another bike over a Scott….
Capsicum

All these bikes are basically the same. Look at the Giro, the best rider wins (with help of organisers), not the one with the cleanest chain stays.
mark

Thanks for reviewing a bike a bit more suited to us recreational riders (let’s face it, if you are paying for your bike you are a recreational rider). However, if you are going to discuss the attributes of a bike designed for more comfort, I would rather hear about the length of the chainstays - instead of the colour. My (limited) experience is that longer chainstays give more comfort, stability and better handling + a straighter chain line. The days of needing the shortest possible chainstays for stiffness are over. I suspect the desire for short chainstays is more to do with appearance and an insignificant weight reduction.