SCOR 4060 Z ST XT REVIEW

THE DIRT

SETUP | Setting up the SCOR 4060 Z ST was a fairly easy operation for all testers, aside from the hidden shock shaft making it slightly trickier to accurately determine the exact sag. The window of sag felt to be fairly wide, with anything between 25-32% performing well and allowing for the character to be tweaked slightly.

ELECTRONICS & INTEGRATION |Being a Shimano EP8 bike, the performance was dependable and predictable, just not quite as powerful as the other motors on test when it got to the steeper grades. SCOR have done a good job at integrating the Shimano system though, with a neat finish all around that reflects the price tag. We don’t love the location and style of the power button, just above the bottom bracket, as it may get gunked up and hard to press if you’re regularly riding in super nasty conditions.

CLIMBING | The SCOR is a competent climber for the most part, with reasonable pedal clearance and a comfortable seated position for most riders. Taller riders noted the slightly more relaxed seat tube angle once the saddle was fully extended to their height, but it was still manageable until the grades got steep enough to warrant the largest rear cog. In this gear it was immediately evident that the short rear end length is not a positive for everything. Steep and technical climbs left the front end keen to lift and the balance between maintaining front end or rear end traction required a lot of effort and concentration. Robert set his uphill wheelie record on this thing without actively trying. The flip side of this is the ease at which you can lift the front end to clear ledges, or just to play on the back wheel on your way up the hill. The EP8 combined with a relatively good pedaling platform made for an efficient feel when hammering the pedals, slightly reducing the overall comfort but still giving an acceptably cushioned ride for long days in the saddle.

DESCENDING | On the way down the hill, the short rear end, relatively low overall weight, and poppy suspension feel really come into their own. In short, the 4060 Z ST is a serious amount of fun. There was no denying the smiles and good times we all had aboard this eBike. It manages to pack a healthy dose of capability with that fun-loving attitude.

We did notice it fell a bit short of some more stable or supple rigs when the terrain gets particularly rough or the hits particularly large. It’s also a bit flighty when the ground is loose and an extra soft-off-the-top suspension feel is desired. A more active approach is required to select lines that favor the firmer overall suspension feel in more gnarly terrain, but this is made easy by the SCOR’s agility. The rear end stiffness is not ultra-high, which helps to allow the rear wheel to find its way down rough terrain, but can occasionally lead to a slightly vague feeling when the 4060 Z ST is pushed hard in high traction corners or compressions.

FINISH AND VALUE | The component spec on the SCOR 4060 Z ST XT is very solid and well considered, with no parts standing out to need replacement if we were to buy it. The frame finish is clean, and the details well looked after, though you’d hope so for the price tag. SCOR has delivered this XT build kit at an acceptable price point, but when compared with the similarly spec’d Fezzari in the shootout, it falls some way behind in terms of value. Compared to the Marin – a bike in a very similar segment of the eMTB market aside from its alloy frame – the extra $3,200 would be hard for us to justify if it were our own money, but there’s no denying the higher quality of the SCOR all around.

The Wolf’s Last Word

SCOR continues to impress us with the grin-inducing fun factor of their bikes, with the 4060 Z ST XT in this year’s shootout proving no exception to the rule. In terms of value, it lands in the middle of the road, with its high-quality frame and solid build kit, but falls short of the likes of the Fezzari and Marin.

WHO’S IT FOR?

The SCOR 4060 Z ST XT is not a bike that will offer advantages for all-out speed or steep terrain climbing, however for riders looking to pop and play their way down the trail it’s a stellar option that had all testers smiling from start to finish. A comfortable climbing position for flatter grades, an efficient pedaling platform and the 720Wh battery mean it’ll happily log big miles, whether it be in the backcountry or self-shuttling some groomed flow trails. If you are an active rider who likes to spend as much time in the air as on the ground, SCOR has done a great job of making their eMTB ride like their non-E version.

Price: $9,499
Weight: 52lbs
Website: Scor-mtb.com

SCOR 4060 Z ST XT SPECS

CHASSIS
Frame: Full carbon | 140mm
Fork: Fox 38E 29 Float Factory | 150mm
Shock: Fox Float X Factory

ELECTRONICS
Motor: Shimano EP8 | 85 Nm
Battery: Shimano E8036 | 630Wh
Display: Shimano EM800

COCKPIT
Brakes: Shimano XT M8120 | 203F/R RT86 Rotors
Bar: SCOR Carbon | rise: 20mm | width: 800mm | clamp: 31.8mm
Stem: Burgtec Enduro Mk3 alloy | length: 35mm
Seatpost: Bikeyoke Divine dropper | S:125mm | M/L: 160mm | XL:185mm
Saddle: FIZIK Terra Alpaca

WHEELS
Wheelset: DT Swiss H1900 SPLINE 30 | DT 370 hubs
Front Tire: Maxxis Assegai 29×2.5″ | MaxxGrip | EXO+ Casing
Rear Tire: Maxxis Dissector 29×2.4″ | MaxxTerra | DD Casing

DRIVETRAIN
Cassette: Shimano Deore XT M8100 | 10-51T | 12spd
Cranks: Shimano Deore XT M8150 | 165mm
Shifter: Shimano Deore XT M8100 | 12spd
Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT M8100 | 12spd