SCOTT RANSOM ERIDE 910
Will ditching Twinloc release more performance from Scott’s hard-charging e-bike?
I’ve lost track of how many times here at mbr we’ve written that removing, or simplifying, Scott’s Twinloc remote damping adjust system would improve one of its bikes. Suffice to say it’s quite a lot. Well, finally our prayers have been answered; this new Ransom eride boasts a beautifully clutter-free cockpit and uncompromised Fox damping circuits front and rear. So did we have it right all along? Is it a better bike for the lack of gizmos and gadgets?
Before we answer that, I need to point out that there are some real advantages to Scott’s Twinloc system. When mated to the rear shock, having the ability to reduce the travel and optimise the dynamic geometry for climbing and pedalling makes a lot of sense, and the benefits can really be felt in the field, but coupling the system to the fork always felt like a step too far for us.
Ditching Twinloc is also an obvious move on an e-bike, as the system’s advantages are reduced when you have a motor and 85Nm of torque at your feet. Getting rid of suspension bob to improve efficiency is no longer an issue as there is so much power to draw on from the motor. And the fact that you rarely get out of the saddle when climbing on an e-bike means the suspension is not having to try and control huge shifts in body weight. Cranks tend to be shorter, so ground clearance is less of a problem, and chainstays are usually longer, so you have plenty of traction and your centre of mass is further forward. Finally, as the motor’s remote control takes up valuable bar space, trying to squeeze a Twinloc lever in an accessible position on the bar is virtually impossible.
FRAME
While it probably felt like a huge leap into the unknown for the Scott engineers to break free from the shackles of Twinloc, the rest of the Ransom eride is familiar territory. A chunky head tube, down tube, BB and chainstays contrast with slimline seatstays, upper seat tube and top tube. The narrow rocker link drives an upside-down Fox Float X2 shock, there’s a radical kink in the top tube to help standover height, and room inside the front triangle for a bottle and cage.
That Bosch motor is protected by a custom shroud, there’s a chunky rubber strip extending almost the entire length of the down tube, and I’m glad to say that the battery is attached to its cover, so the two come out as one. Sadly, like most Bosch-equipped bikes, you do need a key to remove it. There’s also a charging port on the down tube, but the rubber cover didn’t fit well on our test bike and constantly flapped around, leaving the electrical connections exposed.
Scott has fitted an upper chain guide to the motor housing – a must on an enduro e-bike – and opted for the all-inone Purion control unit. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s arguably the best of the Bosch units as, with a bit of ingenuity, it can be mounted in a less intrusive position. Considering how effective Bosch’s EMTB mode is, you only really need the unit to turn it on and check the battery life.
COMPONENTS
Scott has fitted a SRAM Eagle groupset with a mix of X01 and NX. Your eye is drawn to the X01 mech, but arguably it’s the NX shifter that would most benefit from that upgrade as it has more of an effect on the quality of the shift and sits in a less vulnerable position. That said, the range of gears is excellent and the shifting performed perfectly during our test.
In what might have previously been considered an uncomfortable marriage, it’s Shimano that handles the braking on the Ransom eride. With dinner plate 203mm rotors and four-piston calipers, the XT brakes proved more than sufficient to rein in the 25kg mass. The bite point was consistent and, like most Shimano brakes, the power came in early and strong.