A few years back, a small group of engineers from BMC’s skunk works division began prototyping some longer travel, more gnar-worthy mountain bikes, a departure from their mainstay development of thoroughbred cross-country race machines. The concepts caught the attention of BMC’s decision makers, and the nascent SCOR was given the go ahead to take two frames to production; the SCOR 4060, reviewed herein, and the SCOR 4060 Z eMTB, tested previously by our own Steve Fisher.
The SCOR 4060 LT rocks a twin-link suspension platform, delivering 160mm of rear wheel travel while rolling on a 29″ wheelset. It is a versatile machine, in that it can also be set up as a mixed-wheel mountain bike and, with a swap to shorter travel suspension components only, can also be switched to its ST configuration with just 140mm of rear wheel travel.
Our interest in the SCOR 4060 LT was piqued by the modern, seemingly well-balanced set of geometry figures and the low-slung silhouette, as well as the hype around its gravity-oriented playfulness. Though its travel numbers put it firmly in the enduro category, it is marketed as a “fun first” mountain bike, rather than something you’d race against the clock. We simply had to get a shot on this one.
Credit for all photos goes to Finlay Anderson
SCOR 4060 LT | An Overview
The SCOR 40 LT delivers its 160mm of rear wheel travel by a low-slung twin-link linkage wherein the shock is positioned through an interrupted seat tube, driven by the lowermost of two short links that co-rotate as the bike is pushed through its rear wheel travel. The arrangement is neat and compact, and keeps weight low and close to the bottom bracket.
- Bike: SCOR 4060 LT
- Intention: Mountain Biking
- Fork Travel: 170mm
- Rear Wheel Travel: 160mm
- Wheel Size: 29″ as tested (mullet compatible)
- Adjustable Geometry
- Frame Material: Carbon Fiber
- Weight: 15.3 kg in Small (4060 LT NX without pedals)
- Pricing: € 4,699 ($ 4,899 USD)
The bike’s one-piece swingarm looks seems as though its design should prevent much of the mud picked up by the rear wheel from being deposited in and around the linkage and shock area, as it is laterally braced almost entirely from the chainstays to the seat stays. In reality, I found that the cavity underneath the shock does have a tendency to pack up with mud, and isn’t so easy to clean thereafter. In fact, I had to compress the linkage while aiming the hose precisely in order to get it cleaned up well.
SCOR are somewhat mindful of this, adding a small shock fender that is bolted to the back of the seat tube in a bid to prevent falling debris from repeatedly mashing up against the shock’s wiper seal.
Aside from the debris hoarding, the bike is largely well thought-through, as exemplified by its many sensible frame features that will surely tick a lot of rider’s must-have boxes. Its carbon frame gets fully guided internal routing for the rear brake hose, dropper and gear cable, that we found both easy to work with and rattle-free. Protection on the inboard face of the drive-side seat stay, and a full length chainstay protector that is molded into the shape of a jump line in Chaumont, a popular spot in the Swiss Jura mountains.
There’s a SRAM UDH, and there’s a small downtube storage compartment with a specifically molded holder for a spare SRAM UDH. The cavity also presents opportunity for storage of trail-side fix essentials such as tire levers and plugs. It’s not water tight, so you wouldn’t want to stash any perishables in there. Bosses for an accessory mount can be found on the underside of the top tube, a useful place to store everything else you might need on a ride such as a basic multi-tool, spare tube and a CO2 cartridge.
SCOR 4060 LT Geometry
The SCOR 4060 LT is one of the more adjustable bikes on the market, featuring an angle adjust headset and a flip-chip on the lower link, the latter of which is there principally to re-configure the bike to its ST setup with a shorter 57.5mm stroke shock. You can read more about exactly how one would convert the bike from LT to ST here.
The SCOR 4060 LT is available in Small, Medium, Large and XL, with reach figures coming in at 435mm, 459mm, 485mm and 519mm, respectively. Chainstays measure up at 432mm, not adjusted in proportion with the growing front-center length.
The head angle on the 4060 LT can be switched between slack (63.8°) and steep (65°) settings thanks to the angle-adjust headset. In those respective positions, the effective seat tube angle comes in at 77.9° and 77.4°. It also has a small effect on the BB height which is raised by 3mm from 348mm to 351mm.
It’s also worth mentioning that the 4060 LT (and ST) can be set up as a mullet, too. If switching out the 29″ rear wheel for a 27.5″, it is strongly recommended you also switch the headset to its steep position to help raise the BB a little to prevent ground clearance issues. In that configuration, the head angle would sit at around 64°.
I guess by now, you’re wondering how it handles? Herein, we review the SCOR 4060 LT as a complete 29er with the angle adjust headset in its slack (63.8°) orientation.
Review: SCOR 4060 LT
At 5ft 4″ tall, I opted to test the $4,899 USD SCOR 4060 LT NX model (sort of) in a Size Small. It weighed in at 15.3 kg on our Park Tool scales, without pedals, but with the addition of a tire insert in the rear. It has a 435mm reach paired with 432mm chainstays.
This model is spec’d with a 170mm RockShox ZEB Select fork, a RockShox Super Deluxe Select shock, and a SRAM 12 speed NX Drivetrain. SRAM Code R brakes with 200mm centerline rotors take care of speed management, while the whole rig rolls on an XDH-130 EN aluminum wheelset fitted with a Maxxis Assegai 29″ x 2.5″ MaxxGrip EXO+ on the front, and a Maxxis Dissector 29″ x 2.4″ MaxxTerra DD on the rear.
The eagle-eyed of you will note that is not entirely what is pictured here. It arrived with a Maxxis Minion DHR II Double Down on the rear, with a tire insert installed, and some of the components were in need of a little TLC. First of all, the test bike’s front wheel was in need of fresh bearings, so I switched it out for for my Crankbrothers Synthesis Alloy wheel. It is shown here with a Specialized Hillbilly tire, but my comments on the bike’s ride feel pertain to it spec’d with the original Maxxis Assegai.
Also, part way through the review period, I also switched out the ageing SRAM Code R brakes for Hope Tech 4 Levers with E4 Calipers, and replaced the 125mm travel X-Fusion Manic Dropper for my 150mm travel OneUp V2 dropper, given that the frame’s seat tube offered up sufficient insertion length. I also replaced the saddle with my favored Ergon SMC Womens saddle, and cut the 5mm rise alloy bar down to 740mm from its original 800mm. All of the above changes were implemented to give the bike a better chance of faring well underneath its rider, especially as I took it out to Morzine for a week of Bike Park shredding and fall line surfing.
So, how does it ride?
Nimble, efficient, precise and playful are the adjectives that come to mind. There’s no doubt about it, the SCOR 4060 LT is a comfortable, effortless descender of technical terrain, with bags of playfulness that make its rider feel like a precision pilot.
SCOR recommends that the 4060 LT be set up with 28-30% sag in the rear shock. As i’m on the lighter side, I opted to run 28%, favoring the higher speed rebound permitted at a higher shock pressure. That worked very well, and I felt no reason to deviate.
The rear wheel tracks the ground with little to no drama, under heavy braking as well as while freewheeling. Rattling over braking bumps in the bike park demonstrated that, with my feet remaining comfortably on the pedals at high speeds and under braking. Only once in a week of riding the Bike Park in Morzine did I properly blow a foot off the pedal; pretty impressive given I probably managed more meters of descending that week than I might do in 6 months at home in the Tweed Valley where no chairlift is available. It served only as reminder to drop my heels a wee bit lower.
At no point did I feel any discernible pedal kickback. The rear hub is slow to engage though, helping to mask any pedal feedback that may or may not be present in the system.
Overall, the bike is easy and intuitive to ride with confidence. I was quickly up to speed on my favorite tracks of the Tweed Valley. The bike is comparably short (wheelbase of 1206mm). As such, it makes light work of tight, twisty sections of track. It is calm and confidence-inspiring when the track falls away down the hillside, and I was satisfied the 63.8° head tube angle was sufficiently slack.
Where the bike did feel a little nervous was in rough, high speed terrain wherein straight line ploughing is the name of the game. I did find myself wishing the back end was a little longer at times, occasionally catching myself with too much of a rearward bias, particularly in situations where there were multiple consecutive compressions on fast sections of track. The bike did feel a bit like it was getting ahead of me, which, to be fair, probably says more about my technique than it does about the bike.
That said, the bike doesn’t give up its 160mm of rear wheel travel super easily. At 28% sag, I was getting very close to bottom-out on some bigger hits, but I never quite squeezed the last millimeter out of the shock. It’s kind of nice to have that wee bit left in reserve for when you really mess up, though.
Again, I did occasionally feel the bike was a wee bit short in the front-center, too. On this bike, I would descend with my arms a little tucked inside the cockpit, and didn’t feel I could spread myself out to be quite as dynamic as I might have liked. That said, it is spec’d with a 35mm stem; a 50mm stem may have alleviated that.
How about climbing?
I’ve only positive things to say on this front. The SCOR 4060 LT is one of the most neutral pedaling enduro bikes i’ve ever ridden. I can’t detect any discernible movement in the rear shock induced by acceleration, both in the climbing gears and the descending gears. The twin-link suspension layout offers a solid pedaling platform that feels very efficient. The 77.9° seat tube angle puts my pelvis in a commanding position over the BB.
I have to say, SCOR has done a very good job of putting a 29″ rear wheel on a small long-travel frame. Only once did I find myself getting buzzed by the rear tire, and that was when I massively miscalculated the gradient of the drop-in off the back of a high sided berm. Other than that ill-fated occasion, my rear end and the bike’s rear end never came into contact. Thus, I never felt the need to run a 27.5″ rear wheel.
I did feel the bike was slightly let down by the spec’ing of a 125mm dropper seatpost, especially given that it has sufficient insertion depth for a 150mm OneUp V2 dropper. At my preferred (extended) saddle height of 635mm, the stock 125mm X-Fusion Manic dropper left me wanting a little more clearance when descending and tilting the bike to and fro through closely-spaced consecutive corners. Also, on the steepest tracks of Morzine’s Pleney, I found myself having to wander quite far back off the bike to allow the wider part of the saddle to clear my inside leg, and thus allow me to get into a nice low, flat back position.
Ultimately, the SCOR 4060 LT really is a very playful 29er that tracks through rough terrain smoothly with plenty of pop for transfer lines and a nimbleness I’ve not previously experienced on a complete 29er of this travel bracket. It was a joy to ride.
Pros
- Very playful
- Easily maneuverable
- Quiet
- Meaningfully adjustable
- Pedals efficiently
Cons
- Not the most stable on high speed, rough terrain
- Difficult to clean properly
SCOR 4060 LT NX Spec List
- Frame: SCOR 4060 Full Carbon Frame
- Fork: 170mm RockShox ZEB Select with Charger RC Damper (44mm offset)
- Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Select+
- Crankset: SRAM Descendant 6K Eagle, 170mm cranks arms, 32T chainring
- Cassette: SRAM NX Eagle (PG-1230) 11-50T
- Chain: SRAM NX Eagle
- Rear Derailleur: SRAM NX Eagle
- Shifter: SRAM NX Eagle
- Brakes: SRAM Code R with 200mm centerline rotors
- Handlebar: SCOR Alloy Bar, 31.8mm clamp, 800mm wide, 20mm rise, 5° up sweep and 9° back sweep
- Stem: SCOR Alloy Stem, 31.8mm clamp, 35mm length
- Seat Post: X-Fusion Manic (125mm on Small, 150mm on Medium, 170mm on L/XL
- Saddle: Fizik Terra Alpaca X5
- Wheelset: XDH-130 EN, 30mm internal width aluminum rims
- Tires: Maxxis Assegai 29 x 2.5″ Maxx Grip EXO+ (F) / Maxxis Dissector 29 x 2.4″ MaxxTerra DD (R)
- Price: $4,899 USD
Suspension Kinematic
For those who wish to pore over the kinematic graphs pertaining to the SCOR 4060 LT, please see the leverage curve, rear axle path, anti-rise and anti-squat information below.
SCOR tells us the 4060 LT’s twin-link suspension platform has an overall progression of 25%, offering good bottom-out resistance thereby making it compatible with coil shocks as well as air shocks.
Pricing & Availability
The SCOR 4060 frameset (no shock) is available in Midnight Disco (as shown) and Yum Gum for $3,299 USD. Complete builds start at $4,899 USD for the 4060 LT NX model described here.
You can also pay $7,199 USD for the 4060 LT GX model, featuring a Fox 38 Factory Fork with GRIP2 damper, a Fox Float X2 Factory Shock, a SRAM GX Eagle Drivetrain, SRAM Code RSC brakes and a DT Swiss EX 1700 Spline Wheelset.
