Last year Scott unveiled its striking new hidden shock aesthetic with the Scott Spark, but now the new Patron eMTB takes integration to a whole new level. We have previously had a go on the top of the range carbon Scott Patron E-Ride 900 Tuned, but now we have the alloy 910 for a test. It’s a properly unstoppable, long-distance trail machine for any terrain, and considering all the smarts, it’s impressive value too. Not the smoothest and most subtle in feel, though.
Read on for a full breakdown of how it performs, and whether it’s got the pedigree to compete against the best electric mountain bikes.
Design and aesthetics
It’s been said before: the new Patron looks more like a concept bike render than a real bike, but having ridden it, it’s impressively practical as well as sci-fi super yacht-slick. This starts with a monster 1.8in steerer compatible head tube and is topped with a stem that sucks the many, many cables down inside the headset. There’s even a power take-off cable coming in the other direction that you can use for a front light.
The big top ‘tube’ slopes down steeply towards the extended seat mast triangle and then kinks down again to just above the motor mount section. The really clever bit is the way it swells in the center to completely hide the Fox shock inside the ‘tube’, with a twist-lock plastic cover completely hiding it from the elements. Like the bikes from Swiss company Bold Cycles (who Scott bought a couple of years ago), the shock connects to the short external linkages by a bell crank rotating on big sealed bearings.
Sitting the shock up here not only looks slick but it leaves the massive downtube and bottom corner of the bike completely clear with plenty of space for a conventional bottle mount. Rather than hanging the Bosch motor underneath the frame, Scott cradles it from underneath and rotates it upwards. That makes it possible to position the bottom of the big 750Wh battery down the front of the motor to lower the center of gravity. It allows relatively simple slide-out removal/refit via a removable hatch at the base, although you will need to lift the big beast up to get enough clearance underneath.
The smarts aren’t done yet either. Super deep rectangular chainstays pivot ahead of the 3D-formed dropouts to create a true four-bar linkage with 160mm of travel. As hardcore as that sounds it’s the hidden kickstand mount on the offside and the short rear wheel fender with built-in main battery-powered LEDs on each side that will appeal as much to many potential Patron purchasers.
Dismounting and on-bike movement is helped by a lower standover height and shorter seat tube compared to the previous (and still available) 160/150mm Genius. Otherwise, dimensions are a mix between the high and low settings of its geometry adjustable predecessor. The 446mm reach is basically the same as the Genius in high setting, but otherwise, BB drop (-30mm), BB height 347mm, and 65-degree head angle mimic the Genius in low. Reach on the L and XL models is noticeably longer though and the 76.9-degree seat angle is significantly steeper too.
All that alloy perhaps inevitably makes the frame heavy though, and the carbon mainframe, slightly better spec (particularly the Fox 38 Performance Elite fork) Patron eRide 900 is nearly 2kg lighter for ‘only’ £900 more. It’s also worth noting that the 625wh battery, semi carbon, ‘exposed shock’ £5,699 Genius eRide 910 is 3kg lighter, even with a heavier, lower grade spec.
Specifications
The Patron eRide 910 spec is literally pretty strong though. The Fox 38 fork uses an oversized 1.8in steerer and the rear shock has a long 60mm stroke considering its 200mm length, which helps keep load and leverage low. Fork and shock are linked together with Scott’s unique TwinLoc system. This has a ‘Trail’ setting that puts the fork into a firmer compression mode and firms up the shock while dropping rear travel to 115mm, as well as a full lock mode for smooth sections.
The Syncros (Scott’s own brand) rims have 32 spokes front and rear to share the work too although they’re pinned rather than welded which isn’t the strongest construction method. The Formula rear hub is bike specific too.
Shimano XT gearing, shifter, and the super reliable SLX 4-pot brakes are a definite win too and you get a 34T chainring to add some extra top-end speed to the relatively fast-rolling Maxxis Dissector tires. They aren’t as aggressively grippy as Minions though and both are Exo+ carcass, not DD reinforced at the rear. You have to remember that Scott also has the 180mm travel Ransom eRide option for properly hardcore riders though so a slightly more softcore/trail spec is forgivable. The fact it still uses that same tire on the Ransom is less so, but anyway.
Back to the Patron, the medium gets a reasonable length 50mm stem (L and XL get 60mm) but those two lengths are the only ones available so if you want to go shorter managing that integrated cabling is going to get really complicated. The seat mast design also means you’re slightly limited in seatpost stroke with the medium getting a 150mm drop. We were surprised how easy the very busy triple lever cluster below the left-hand bar was to navigate and operate straight away though so respect for whoever sorted the ergonomics on that.
The new Bosch Smart System multi-button remote and high definition, multi-mode Kiox 3 head unit make controlling, viewing, and tuning the motor, battery, and ride data metrics really easy too. Considering how clever and complicated the frame is, it's very well priced as well.
Performance
While the obvious gains of enclosing the shock and battery inside oversized frame sections are aesthetic, they also add a lot of stiffness compared to thinner pipes, especially the open ‘tubes’ used on most removable battery bikes. The shock driving bell crank linkage is apparently 45 percent stiffer than the setup on the Genius eRide and the 1.8in fork, monster head tube and boxy seat mast all add rigidity too. Add the 26.4kg weight and it’s no surprise that the Patron feels like a proper anvil in terms of on-trail presence and rock-solid precision.
The FIT damper in the fork in the long stroke, inline shock is also initially stiffer in feel than a GRIP damper 38 or a higher leveraged shock with a supplementary piggyback damper. The FIT damper is essential for the TwinLoc system too and there’s no space for a piggyback shock with the cover in place. The four-bar suspension setup is also tuned to pedal efficiently even before you engage the shorter/stiffer shock mode. The mid-length stem and 65-degree head angle mean the steering is stable and balanced rather than tweaky and steezy.
That creates a very tight and efficient feel to the Patron even when running fully open. Add the faster rolling, high volume 29er Dissector tires, and extra charge capacity to make the most of the powerful assistance from the Bosch motor means the Patron loved romping across the open fells of the Lake District. Precise rather than sucked down feel, dropped battery and deliberately centralized weight dynamic of Scott’s design means it still feels pretty agile in terms of switching lines or popping the front wheel off surprise drops.
The forward rider position from the steep seat angle syncs with the balanced stem length and head angle to stop the wander and wobble that can trip up fully gravity optimized bikes on really vert climbs. Add accurate rear tire feedback, the option to stiffen the kick, raise the BB for pedal clearance, and push the nose down slightly with the ‘Trail’ lever even for just a few meters at a time, and the Patron is an impressively sporting and tenacious climber considering its high weight. The big 2.6in tires and the wise decision to keep with slimmer 31.8mm bars and fit a particularly comfortable saddle keep it comfortable in terms of vibration and rattle too so you won’t be numb in your palms or nethers before you run out of battery range.
Despite looking like a tank from the future, the stiffness and fork choices do impact its outright descending ability. It still thunders down sight unseen singletrack, twisting narrow ruts and loose rocky run-outs with precise and surefooted confidence and certainly never gave us any nervous moments on our Lakes demo ride. It definitely doesn’t feel as plush, sucked down, and ready to really push on as other e-MTBs we’ve tested with similar travel though, and ultimately felt more like a 140/150mm travel bike when things got really rowdy. The hidden shock and side arrow sag indicator make accurate suspension setup more awkward too.
Verdict
Scott’s Patron looks amazing and apart from the internal routing which makes headset maintenance and stem swaps a pain, it’s impressively practical too. Sleek looks are matched by an equally tight, efficient, and well-balanced ride feel and very comprehensive Smart System electronics. The bigger battery, multi-mode suspension efficiency, and a well-judged spec make the Patron a stand-out big capability, long haul trail bike.
It’s well priced for such a complicated bike too and we’ve scored it very high accordingly. If you could potentially stretch your purse it’s hard to ignore the better spec and much lower weight of the carbon mainframe Patron eRide 900 though. Plus if you want a plusher, more playful machine that feels like it’s got more travel rather than less, the Patron family isn’t for you either.
Tech Specs: Scott Patron eRide 910
- Model name: Scott Patron eRide 910
- Discipline: Trail/Enduro
- Price: $TBC / £6,349
- Head angle: 65-degrees
- Frame material: Alloy
- Size: M
- Weight: 26.2kg
- Wheel size: 29x2.6in
- Suspension (front/rear): Fox 38 Performance FIT4 E-MTB 160mm travel, 44mm offset/Fox Float EVOL eRide trunnion 160mm travel.
- Motor and battery: Bosch Performance CX motor and PowerTube 750Wh internal battery with ‘slide out’ mount.
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT 10-51T 12-speed gearing and shifter
- Cranks: FSA CK 34T chainset with E13 Slider chain guide
- Brakes: Shimano SLX brakes with 203mm rotors
- Cockpit: Syncros Hixon 1.5 780mm bar and 50mm stem
- Wheelset: Syncros MD30 32H rims with Formula ECT hubs
- Tires: Maxxis Dissector EXO+ 3C Maxx Terra 29 x 2.6in tires
- Seatpost: Duncan 2.5 150mm dropper post
- Saddle: Syncros Tofino 1.5 saddle
