Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned review

Scott’s Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned is claimed to be the ultimate all-day electric mountain bike, featuring plenty of component and frame integration, 29in wheels and ample travel.

Positioned between Scott's trail-oriented Genius eRIDE and its aggro, long-travel Ransom eRIDE, the Patron is designed to tick off the kilometres with ease, whatever the trails throw your way.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned frame and suspension

The Patron’s striking, angular look is influenced by its high level of integration.

One of the frame’s distinguishing features is its internal rear shock, which Scott has hidden inside the top tube. It says this is designed to produce the most efficient force transfer to the rear shock by minimising side loading and improving performance through reduced stiction.

The structure surrounding the shock and Trunnion mount makes the shock and frame connection stiffer. This is bolstered by the design’s ability to run larger pivot bearings at the seat tube.

The shock is accessible by a tool-free removable hatch under the top tube. That gives access to the damper’s external adjustments, including the rebound, compression and air pressure, and enables you to replace the cable for the suspension's TwinLoc system.

While the linkage is hidden, the Patron uses a 4-bar Horst link suspension platform that offers 160mm of travel.

Part of the suspension system is Scott’s TwinLoc. It enables you to partially or fully lock out the fork and shock from the handlebar.

TwinLoc doesn’t just firm up the suspension but changes the spring curve, so the bike has dynamically less travel. It keeps the bike higher in its sag, which improves climbing geometry.

The main frame is made from carbon fibre with an aluminium chainstay.

Scott uses Bosch’s Performance CX Gen 4 electric mountain bike motor, housed vertically within the carbon fibre front triangle. That helps prevent damage to the motor from impacts.

By rotating the Bosch Gen 4 motor, Scott has made room for a large 750Wh power pack in the down tube. The battery can be removed tool-free through a protective cover.

Cables run internally and enter through a one-piece Syncros bar and stem, then through the headset.

Scott wanted to keep the myriad cables, including those for the brakes, gears, seatpost, TwinLoc, and drive unit and remote, out of sight for a sleek look.

A rare accessory added to the Patron is the integrated light built into its rear fender. It’s discreet and out of the way, so I don’t see why this is an issue.

It’s powered directly by the motor battery, so you never have to worry about charging an extra accessory.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned geometry

Geometry-wise, the Patron is more trail-friendly than boundary-pushing. The medium frame I tested has a 65-degree head angle and a 76.9-degree effective seat tube angle.

The reach is a moderate at 445.8mm. This is matched to a reasonably high stack height of 442.2mm.

Together, these give a comfortable 595mm effective top tube, sitting you in an upright position that makes it comfortable for long seated pedalling stints. The seat tube’s length is a long-ish 440.5mm on the medium frame.

The chainstays are 454mm across all sizes, which should provide plenty of stability but not the most agile ride feel. The bottom bracket sits at a reasonably low 347mm.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned specifications

This Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned is the top-spec bike in Scott’s Patron line-up. As such, there is plenty of quality kit fitted to it.

Up front is a burly, e-specific Fox 38 Factory FIT4 fork with 160mm of travel. This is an OEM fork for Scott because the FIT4 damper isn’t available as an aftermarket option.

It uses a three-position compression-damping lever (operated by Scott’s handlebar TwinLoc lever) with Open, Medium and Firm modes. Plus, there's a 22-click low-speed compression dial to fine-tune the Open mode and an external low-speed rebound adjuster.

A custom Fox Nude T eRIDE EVOL shock takes care of the rear suspension. This, again, is built for Scott. It has three compression modes labelled Open, Traction and Lockout.

In the Open mode, you get the full 160mm of travel. In Traction, this is limited to 115mm, and Lockout does exactly what it says.

The drivetrain comprises a mix of SRAM Eagle components – an X01 derailleur, mid-range GX shifter and cassette, and a cheaper NX chain.

Four-pot Shimano Deore XT brakes with 203mm rotors provide the stopping power. Syncros Revelstoke-E 1.5 CL wheels are fitted with 29x2.6in Maxxis Dissector 3C MaxxTerra EXO+ tyres. These tyres are perhaps conservative in tread profile considering how much travel this bike has.

The finishing kit is from Scott-owned Syncros, too, including its Tofino saddle and Hixon iC SL integrated carbon fibre bar and stem. This one-piece design has a 15mm rise, 7-degree backsweep and 6-degree upsweep.

There’s a 50mm effective stem length on the small and medium bikes. On the large and extra-large bikes, it’s 60mm.

The Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned weighed in at 24.37kg without pedals, in a size medium.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned ride impressions

I rode the Scott Patron eRIde 900 Tuned at my favourite testing hotspots, including the Forest of Dean and various locations around South Wales.

These areas dished up a good mix of natural trails and machine-made bike park tracks. They blended together flowing singletrack and technical steep off-piste trails.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned setup

I ran the Patron with around 30 per cent sag on the rear. The sag marker on the side of the frame helps you read this, but it’s easier with a second person to check for you. I ran tyre pressures of 225psi for my 74kg weight, and ran the rebound with 10 clicks out of 15 from closed.

I set the forks to the recommended air pressure of 87psi, which gave a good ride feel and set the rebounds to my preferred feel – 11 clicks from closed.

The biggest issue setting up the bike was that I wanted the handlebars a fraction lower. However, the integration of the bar, stem and internally routed cables meant this wasn’t possible because this design doesn’t have the usual stem and spacer system.

One of the significant downsides of integration such as this is the lack of personal preference.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned climbing performance

The Scott’s moderately effective top tube sits you in a comfortable position that isn’t stretched out. Thanks to its relaxed position, it's easy to make subtle weight shifts with your upper body to keep balance and traction on either wheel.

My weight felt balanced between the wheels and even on steep climbs the front end wasn’t in a rush to lift off the ground.

On steeper climbs, the Maxxis Dissector tyres struggled for grip, especially when the trails were damp. The speed-focused tread didn’t have enough bite on slippery surfaces.

Scott’s TwinLoc is convenient to use with an easy push of a thumb lever, so I found it helpful on steeper, smoother climbs. Because it helps keep the bottom bracket higher and the effective seat tube and head tube angle steeper, it certainly aids the bike’s climbing geometry.

Even in Traction mode, pedalling over rough trails, the supple rear end means the Patron finds traction and smooths the trail nicely. Keeping the shock open on smooth climbs isn’t a big hindrance thanks to the motor, but the bike does sit into its travel.

Still, I never had a big issue with catching pedals in chunky terrain, in either setting. That was thanks in part to the 165mm cranks, and moderately low, but not slammed 34mm bottom bracket height.

The Patron is a capable climber and handles tight sections of trail well. It will weave through tight hairpins without needing any hesitation beforehand. Through undulating climbs, the bike had enough cushioning to keep the wheels connected to the ground without losing tons of efficiency on punchy steep sections.

The 750Wh battery has plenty of range, depending on how you use it. It’s possible to grind out well over 2,000m of climbing if you keep it in lower power settings and grind out winch-and-plummet rides.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned descending performance

For its 24.37kg weight, it’s a nimble bike that will slice through flatter, tight, twisting trails with the poise of a machine that weighs less. Its geometry provides an engaging ride on mellower trails. However, don’t think the Patron is limited to tame terrain.

Considering its weight and large battery, the Patron is easy to manoeuvre on the descents. The geometry helps keep the bike lively without feeling nervous.

If you keep a good body position, you can get the Patron to dive quickly from one side to the other, which is fun through sections of trails that link turns together.

The rear travel is plush and it uses its suspension well. It’s impressive at smoothing out rough trails, but doesn’t offer the most support to push and pump against.

The shock comes with three tokens installed, so this is a shock-tune setting and frame leverage rate that keep it supple.

I ran this setup with 30 per cent sag, and its behaviour suited my riding style. You could run less sag to have more support, though. The sag marker on the side of the frame ranges from 25 to 30 per cent, so those looking for a more poppy ride can increase pressure to run less sag and have more support.

Thanks to its surprisingly nimble ride, stable weight and plush suspension, the Patron balances agility and stability impressively well.

I wasn’t a big fan of the integrated bar and stem, reducing options for setting bar height and roll. I understand the integration looks neat, and the bars weren’t uncomfortable or too rigid. Still, different riders have different setups and on the Patron it’s not easy to change.

The other sticking point (or slipping point) was the tyres. The Maxxis Dissectors are good in the dry, but easily become overwhelmed in slippery conditions where something more substantial in tread depth would be better.

They roll fast and are great on mellower trails, but the 160mm of travel means you can tackle some spicy trails, and on steeper lines braking traction wasn’t their strong point.

The FIT4 damper feels okay with the additional weight of the ebike, but I think it’s unnecessary to have the TwinLoc on the fork.

I found the Bosch LED Remote not the most user-friendly, and it takes some getting used to. It’s easy to press the wrong button because they’re pretty close together when rattling over bumpier terrain.

However, the rest of the kit on the bike performed well. The Shimano XT brakes had plenty of power, and the combination of various model levels of SRAM Eagle components didn’t present any issues during testing.

How does the Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned compare to the Focus JAM2 7.0?

If you’re looking for a mid-travel electric mountain bike with a large battery capacity range, that delivers tons of fun, the Focus JAM2 7.0 is another contender.

The Scott dishes out 10mm more travel than the Focus and has 30 extra watt hours in its battery. However, the Focus has high-performing rear suspension that does a great job of flattening the trail. Both use their travel very well.

The Focus has an aluminium frame, while the Scott’s is carbon, but it’s hard to tell the difference on the trail. The very similar geometry means both have the same fun handling traits.

The Scott has a more refined design, while the Focus looks more industrial, and with its carbon frame, the Scott perhaps offers better value for money. It comes out on top when the two are put head to head.

Scott Patron eRIDE 900 Tuned bottom line

If you’re looking for a full-power e-bike with a large battery capacity, and one that will enable you to tackle pretty much any terrain, the Patron eRIDE should make it onto your shortlist.

The ride character is engaging without nervousness, and the travel and weight add stability when speeds pick up. The suspension smooths out the roughest trails, yet you can make the bike more speed-friendly on mellow terrain and climbs with the TwinLoc.

I think the integrated shock is neat and great for the set-and-forget crowd. Tyres and handlebars are always personal preferences, but to me these are the chinks in the armour of an otherwise very fun bike.

This bike is ideal for those who want a little bit of everything. Heading out for a long adventure, the Scott can cover ground easily and has plenty of juice to not leave you in the back of beyond. Plus, it’s capable on whatever trail you find yourself on – up or down.

It will winch and plummet too, but if that’s your jam, maybe the Ransom eRIDE is more suitable.

Scott has delivered a sure-footed electric mountain bike that's best suited for those trail bike enthusiasts who don’t want to be held back.