First Ride: SCOR 4060 - One Frame, Two Travel Options

We spent two days in the Jura region of Switzerland riding the 4060 LT and ST back-to-back to get some initial impressions on these new players in the mountain bike world.

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Features & Details

The 4060 is one frame with two travel options, both using 29” wheels front and back. The ST has 140mm of rear travel paired with a 150mm fork and the LT has 160mm paired with a 170mm fork.

There’s a small flip chip in the lower link with its corresponding position for either ST or LT, but the bulk of the change in rear wheel travel comes via the use of a shorter stroke shock that effectively cuts off a portion of travel at the end of the stroke. Depending on the shock you have, it can be an easy task to change the stroke. Otherwise, along with the spec Fox Float X2 and RockShox Super Deluxe air shocks, it needs a bit of a dive inside to adjust the stroke. The flip chip also changes the geometry of the bike to make up for the change in fork travel and length between the LT and ST.

There’s adjustability at the head tube too, with SCORs own headset allowing a sizable angle adjustment. The lower cup is oval in shape, giving the two positions of slack or steep, while the upper cup is round. The team found that the larger oval cup was easier to hide in the frame’s volume, whereas an oval upper cup wasn’t up their street design-wise for the frame. But both cups are pressed in, negating any creak potential from simply dropped in cups, and using common bearing sizes for ease of maintenance.

No matter the setup, the 4060 frame uses a carbon fiber composite front and rear triangle connected via two aluminum links. With BMC’s in-house composite prototyping facility and history in composite bikes, it was what the SCOR team had the most expertise in. It’s a low-slung frame too, which was one of the design briefs to drop the centre of gravity as low as possible with all the links and shock positioned right down in the frame.


The tunnel around the shock is available to fit all air and coil options from Fox and RockShox, along with the Öhlins TTX22m coil, which the bike was spotted with some months back. SCOR is currently going through the other shock manufacturers out there to give a comprehensive idea of shock compatibility.

The composite frame includes moulded in tubes for the internal cable routing in both the mainframe and rear triangle, with the idea being that you can insert your hose or cable in one end and it will poke out at the other end with little need for poking, jiggling or swearing. Bolt on pieces at the head tube secure the cables.

A water bottle cage mount and gear strap mounts are all present inside the front triangle - the frame is absolutely littered with details that show someone who rides was thinking when they developed this.

SCOR developed their own upper chain guide that can be spaced to fit different chain lines and easily rotated out of the way for crank removal without the need for tools. There are also the two lower ISCG chainguide tabs, available to fit a bash guard.


The frame is really well protected too, with a small fender on the back of the seat tube to protect the shock, along with ample, moulded and soft frame protection on the chainstay and seatstay. That chainstay protector being a favourite of mine, with the silhouette mirroring the monstrous Chaumont doubles that make the jump trail famous, along with keeping the chain slap noise to a minimum.

The down tube is also amply protected around its belly, but the protector can be removed via a small quarter turn screw to grant access to a moulded in recess, already housing a spare SRAM UDH along with space for a tool or potentially even a lightweight tube, with an elastic strap in the protector holding it all in place. There’s even protection on the back of the seat tube, via a thin metal stick on protector.

Most of the hardware is easily accessible, uses Allen keys and runs on bearings. Only the top rear triangle pivot is hidden, but is accessible with an open-ended wrench from the top. There’s a 180mm post mount for the brake, too. The industrial design of the frame paid attention to having large clean surfaces on the top tube, down tube and rear triangle to create space for the customisable frame protection. The frame ships with all protection installed, along with three more top tube and down tube kits in the box.

In conjunction with Slicy, SCOR will offer new designs regularly along with the possibility to make your very own through the Slicy mysublimstick app.




Geometry & Sizing

The frames are all available in four familiar sizes, S to XL, but SCOR also put a focus on the frame reach alongside that frame sizer letter. Those reaches being 435, 459, 485 and 515mm and printed on the frames. The ST grows between 4-6mm in the reach depending on size and setup.

Head tubes are short, down at a dinky 87mm for the S and going up to 127mm for the XL. Short riders or fans of a low handlebar setup should have no problems, while riders preferring higher bars would need some spacers or high-rise bars.

Head angles are either 63.8° or 65° for the LT and 64.5° or 65.5° for the ST. That’s pretty slack for either travel setup but with a big enough change from the cups to be noticeable on the trail and change the character of the front of the bike.

The bike is very much a split of long and stable front with a short and snappy rear. That coming from the trend opposing, 432mm chainstay on all sizes for the LT. The ST grows 1mm from the frame adjustments but is still a short number by today’s norms. But, was a clear choice in the development to help bring some sharp responsiveness to the bike’s handling.

In the middle, bottom bracket heights are 348mm or 351mm for the LT and 338mm or 340mm for the ST. Again, it’s a little higher than other bikes with similar travel, but was a choice of the development team to aid in manoeuvrability along with giving good clearance for the rock-strewn Jura hillside.

Seat tube lengths are short, ranging from 400mm for the S to 470mm for the XL, with seat post max insertions at 205mm, 235mm, 250mm and 295mm for sizes S, M, L and XL respectively.

Actual seat tube angles are 69° or 68.5° for the LT and 69.4° or 69° for the ST. SCOR also quotes their own effective seat tube angle using a saddle height of 750mm for all sizes. That equates to 76.5° or 76° for the LT and 77° or 76.5° for the ST. It’s worth noting that a 750mm seat height is generally representative of somewhere around an L size.



Suspension

The 4060 uses a dual short link suspension layout, with the links rotating in the same direction. The lower link is the driver of the 205mm long shock, with the trunnion mount on the down tube.

SCOR opted for a 62.5mm stroke option for the LT to help lower the leverage ratios and bring more support for the rider inputs. Often rider inputs can be really diluted and SCOR knew that a bike’s manoeuvrability isn’t just coming from its geometry. The leverage ratio starts at just over 2.9, dips to 2.2 and then climbs ever so slightly. The ST runs on a 57.5mm stroke shock to chop the travel down to 140mm.


The linkage layout was designed to give a low instant centre, another against the grain aspect of the 4060 given the amount of high pivot hype at the moment. The low IC was intended to give reasonable levels of anti-squat while reducing the chain’s interaction with the suspension. With traction at a minimum in the Jura, even during dry times, the team wanted a bike that would scramble for traction wherever possible.

Anti-squat is between 100% and 90% at sag depending on the gear, but with the lightest climbing gears maintaining a higher level of anti-squat as the bike goes deeper into its travel. Anti-rise is in the high 70s around sag, with it dropping down to 40% at bottom out.

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Options, Price & Availability

SCOR products are available through three different sales channels:

Direct to Consumer – Purchase online and delivered to your door. Framesets, accessories, spare parts and merchandising are available through direct to consumer.

Click & Collect – Order online, but collect at a SCOR dealer. Complete bikes and eMTBs, framesets, accessories, spare parts and merchandising are available through click and collect.

Retail – Purchase from a bricks and mortar SCOR dealer. Complete bikes and eMTBs, framesets, accessories, spare parts and merchandising are available through retail.

The 4060 is available in four complete bikes, covering the two travel setups of ST and LT, each with two different specs, and two framesets covering the two travel setups. The bikes all have well thought out specs, with money spent on the more important area. Tires don’t need changing out of the box with the LT having some meatier casing options than the ST and there are big 200mm rotors front and rear.

4060 LT GX - Fox 38 Factory fork and Float X2 Factory shock. SRAM GX drivetrain. SRAM Code RSC brakes. DT Swiss XM 1700 wheels with Maxxis Assegai EXO+ / Dissector DD tires. SCOR carbon bars. Burgtec Enduro Mk3 stem. Bikeyoke Divine dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $6,599 USD, €6,299 or 6,699 CHF.

4060 LT NX - RockShox Zeb Select fork and Super Deluxe Select + shock. SRAM NX drivetrain. SRAM Code R brakes. XDX - 530 wheels with Maxxis Assegai EXO+ / Dissector DD tires. SCOR aluminum bar & stem. X-Fusion Manic dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $4,499 USD, €4,299 or 4,599 CHF.

4060 ST GX - RockShox Pike Ultimate fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock. SRAM GX drivetrain. SRAM Code RSC brakes. DT Swiss XM 1700 wheels with Maxxis Assegai Exo / Dissector EXO+ tires. SCOR carbon bars. Burgtec Enduro Mk3 stem. Bikeyoke Divine dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $6,599 USD, €6,299 or 6,699 CHF.

4060 ST NX - RockShox Pike Select fork and Super Deluxe Select+ shock. SRAM NX drivetrain. SRAM Code R brakes. XDX-530 wheels with Maxxis Assegai Exo / Dissector EXO+ tires. SCOR aluminum bars & stem. X-Fusion Manic dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $4,499 USD, €4,299 or 4,599 CHF.


4060 LT Frameset - Fox Float X2 Factory shock. $3,799 USD, €3,499 or 3,799 CHF.

4060 ST Frameset - RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate shock. $3,599 USD, €3,299 or 3,599 CHF.

Bikes and framesets are available in purple, mint or slate colours. 4060 bikes and frames should be available as of the launch, with the 4060 Z eMTB being available later this year.

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4060 Z

Alongside the regular 4060 sits the 4060 Z eMTB.

The goal was to mimic a lot of the ride characteristics that the regular 4060 had, while making sure they were well suited to the differences in a ride that an eMTB would give.

The 4060 Z also has a carbon fiber composite front and rear triangle and uses the Shimano EP8 motor and system to do the driving. However, SCOR went with the large 720Wh Darfon battery as the power source. It is approved by Shimano, though, meaning that any support or service of the battery can go through the SCOR or Shimano dealer in the relevant country.

There’s a tool access for the battery, keeping it secure, along with internal routing through the SCOR handlebars for the display cable. The power button and charging port are down close to the bottom bracket, on the side of the bike and there’s many of the same details as the regular 4060, with the upper chain guide, water bottle and gear strap mounts, all internal cable routing, ample frame protection, SRAM’s UDH as well as the two travel options in one frame and the adjustable headset.

The LT versions have 160mm rear travel paired with a 170mm fork. The ST versions have 140mm rear travel paired with a 150mm fork.

The 4060’s suspension layout incidentally ends up playing well with an eMTB format - that linkage arrangement meaning the IC can be positioned in the space taken up by the motor and controlled to give as close to similar levels of anti-squat as possible in the important climbing gears while having lower levels of chain stretch influencing the suspension feel and tyre grip.


4060 Z LT XT - Shimano EP8 motor with Darfon 720 Wh battery. Fox 38E Factory fork and Float X Factory shock. Shimano XT drivetrain & brakes. DT Swiss H 1900 wheels with Maxxis Assegai EXO+ / Dissector DD tires. SCOR carbon bars. Burgtec Enduro Mk3 stem. Bikeyoke Divine dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $8,699 USD, €8,299 or 8,799 CHF.

4060 Z LT SLX - Shimano EP8 motor with Darfon 720 Wh battery. RockShox Zeb Select fork and Super Deluxe Select shock. Shimano SLX drivetrain & Deore brakes. XDH-130 wheels with Maxxis Assegai EXO+ / Dissector DD tires. SCOR aluminum bars & stem. X-Fusion Manic dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $6,599 USD, €6,299 or 6,699 CHF.

4060 Z ST XT - Shimano EP8 motor with Darfon 720 Wh battery. Fox 38E Factory fork and Float X Factory shock. Shimano XT drivetrain & brakes. DT Swiss H 1900 wheels with Maxxis Assegai EXO+ / Dissector DD tires. SCOR carbon bars. Burgtec Enduro Mk3 stem. Bikeyoke Divine dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $8,699 USD, €8,299 or 8,799 CHF

4060 Z ST SLX - Shimano EP8 motor with Darfon 720 Wh battery. RockShox Zeb Select fork and Super Deluxe Select shock. Shimano SLX drivetrain & Deore brakes. XDH-130 wheels with Maxxis Assegai EXO+ / Dissector DD tires. SCOR aluminum bars & stem. X-Fusion Manic dropper. Fizik Terra Alpaca saddle. $6,599 USD, €6,299 or 6,699 CHF.

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Ride Impressions

Day 1 was spent exclusively on the LT version where we shuttled around the Jura hillsides, mixing long challenging descents all the way to the towns at the bottom, interspersed with some pedals between the downs. The Jura trails are demanding and are often steep with tight, pocket-like turns that need to be hit precisely. Most of all though, they are lacking in grip and you spend a lot of time sliding around between the turns. Get it all right and the speed is addictive, and following some of the regions fastest around their home trails, also aboard SCOR bikes, was a great way to test the bikes.

Feeling comfy on such trails takes some time and a good bike then. So, it’s with some surprise that within only a couple of runs I was keen on chasing down the locals. The 4060 is an easy bike to jump on and go. The spec is brilliant right out of the box, with only the stubby 35mm long stem being something that I felt I would change. Maybe some higher rise bars too, but these things are personal preference. It’s also a reactive bike, one that can, with absolute ease, be picked up and put wherever you want or chucked into a manual on demand. The short chainstay, slightly higher BB and supportive suspension don’t waste much of the rider’s inputs, and that character fits so well with the Jura trails.

On paper the 4060 LT is a long travel 29er, and could at a glance be put in the same box as more race focussed bikes. But while it can go damn fast, it’s more for those riders who enjoy piloting a bike around, being dynamic in their riding and line choice. There’s no doubt that you could take it to an enduro race, but it dances to a different rhythm. And riding it in the forests and trails where the whole idea of the bike came about it all made perfect sense.


The front of the bike is long and slack, our L size bike having a 485mm reach and 63.8° head angle. And there’s a bunch of stability from that end of the bike. It can feel a touch miss-matched to the rear of the bike on occasion, warranting a subtle shift of your body forwards to eek out the front wheel grip. But there’s room to do this, and it certainly isn’t a fault on the bike. The ability to change the head angle is an interesting one too, and I would be curious putting it in the steep setting at 65° to see if that would give more ease at getting front wheel grip in those handful of occasions.

For what is a big bike, it moves around with the sprite of a bike half its size. All the while still enticing you to take risks, up the speed and ride aggressively. The suspension is really supportive while still being supple enough to provide traction and feel and it pedals with a direct and taught feel, never once giving the need for locking it out. My long legs needed the saddle nudging forwards ever so slightly, but it was a comfy place to spend time on either seated or standing.

Day 2 saw the same bikes as the previous day, but setup in the ST guise. That meant a change of fork and shock, a flip of the chip in the lower link, turned headset cups and a swap of wheels with the lighter casing tires. Really though, if you’d like two bikes on a budget, this could be a really good option. All you need is a different fork and shock and all other parts could remain on the bike. If your home trails are a little more mellow, the ST would be the one. But you want to go on holiday where the trails are a bit gnarlier? An hour’s tinkering and you’ve got yourself a new but still familiar beast with the LT.

Day 2 had us shuttling on a lot of the same trails as day 1, which gave the perfect opportunity for comparison, even if my head was a little rattled from coming up short on a double the previous day. We also ventured out onto some slower and techier trails too, that might suit the ST a little more.

The ST feels like the same DNA as the LT, but is a much livelier bike. It’s like the sprite got turned up a couple of notches. Some might wrongly interpret this as sketchiness, but the liveliness that the ST exhibits is still bundled together with stability and capability. It’s like a fun and manageable wildness. In the ST guise it’s a bike that can really dart around the woods. The shorter travel and steeper geometry never felt like you were dropping the limit of the bike, it just meant that you needed to get in there more and work with it, which made it feel like an excited bundle of fun.


Given more time, I would have loved to try the ST setup out with the slacker head angle. While 65.5° is a really good angle for a bike of this travel and intention, I’m a sucker for slack head angles. The ability to do that, and have a change bigger than a gnat’s whisker, is for me a nice feature on a bike. And the fact the cups are pressed in gives me confidence in it being less creaky than some drop in options.

And on the topic of noises, the bike is really quiet. No cable rattle or chain slap noises were present. It lets you hear just the suspension and tires go about their job. And with water, gear and spare storage all over the bike, it’s easy to ride the bike on big rides without a backpack. We did get a bit of odd play in the trunnion shock bolts towards the end of the second day, but every bike has its problems and this was a minor one that I’m sure would get attention before production. The bike generally has a really solid feeling to it, with no hints of fragility, beckoning you to give it some stick and ride it hard.

What SCOR has done with the 4060 is impressive. Firstly, they’ve not been shy about going against the trends to make the bike that they wanted to ride on their home trails. And after riding it there it was as clear as day that the way it was engineered delivered exactly what they were after.

The ability to have two bikes in one frame with only a few part swaps is also impressive. While the majority of owners might only ever run it in one setting, there will be a lot of riders out there who will take advantage of this and play around with the adjustments.

The 4060 is an all-around impressive first act from the new Swiss brand. And it left me curious how the bike would fare outside of the Jura hills where it was spawned, going back-to-back with bikes similar on paper, but with more of a focus on covering ground fast against the clock. Does that capable but agile split in the bike transfer well to other terrains? I’d also be curious to see how the compact and low suspension layout deals with the claggy mud and the day-to-day tasks of living with a bike long term.

Stay tuned this fall and we’ll actually have the 4060 ST in our Fall Field Test, where a lot of the chin scratching questions I have about the bike will quite possibly be answered along with a deeper review of the bike.

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