Scott Solace Good bad and the ugly

[oreoboreo]

I have been looking for a new light weight double and century bike. I have a couple of Scott’s; for the most part they have been great bikes. Most of my miles are ridden on my Cannondale EVO however. Does anybody ride one here and what are your thoughts on the bike? I read the reviews when they came out, you know that most reviews are all buttercups and sunshine when they are written by the cycling magazines.


I am looking at the 49cm if there are differences in the size ranges.

[mrlobber]

My wife has one (that said, it's too small for me, thus, I've not ridden it myself, and you can't really ask a lady to give a solid technical review )

What I can tell otherwise:
1) chainstays indeed can be squeezed together by hand. From this perspective, the comfort should be there;
2) brakes under BB are a matter of taste. I'm not really impressed;
3) tall head tube. Even my wife has to use a -17deg stem.
4) relatively heavy; I might guess that there might be some interesting steering effects at high speed also, given the "power zone" and "comfort zone" (as Scott touts them) different behaviours

Since I have ridden Evo myself, I'd say there's not a chance I would swap the Cannondale for the Scott And, seeing your situation, I'd say you'll run into geometry issues if your fit is right and you're riding an Evo, which is definitely significantly more aggressive than Solace.

[oreoboreo]

I appreciate the feedback. Not a chance I would trade bikes, I am just looking for a ride with goals in mind. On the other hand flexy may not help me feel that I am getting max watts out of every pedal stroke. Years ago I had a Roubaix and could see thing moving around the BB, sold it (it may have been all in my head). So far looking ugly...

The Solace just looks interesting and 2015 deals are out there.

Scott

[Antoine]

pretty good apparently : http://cyclingtips.com.au/2015/07/transcontinental-race-bike-set-up-and-other-stuff-to-geek-out-on/

[oreoboreo]

Thanks for the link, it was a great read. Still on the fence if it will be too flexy for me comming off some much stiffer bikes.

s

[springs]

I remember liking the Solace when I took it on a 15 mile test ride. Roads were pretty good and consistent most of the way so I can't say how it handles other surfaces. I found it responsive and comfortable. My regular ride is a Bianchi Infinito CV and before that a Cervelo RS.

[oreoboreo]

I found a image of a 49cm... the top tube slope is way too non traditional. Not the bike for me. I appreciate the feedback, you all saved me thousands.

[wingguy]

The Solace is definitely on the more responsive / less squidgy side of endurance bikes. The downtube, BB and Chainstays are all genuinely massive. The tiny seatstays and the way they join the top tube should deal with buzz and vibration pretty well but you'll probably feel a bit more feedback on bigger hits and really bad surfaces.

And BTW, if you want a bike that absorbs impact but isn't flexy at the BB then a sloping TT is the way to go. The more seatpost that's exposed the more flex you get from it and it has nothing to do with power transfer.