SCOR has been a bit of an enigma ever since they emerged in 2021 as a more aggressive offshoot of BMC. So far, they make just one bike in two travel configurations, plus an e-MTB and a couple of kids’ hardtails. It’s a short lineup, even for a brand this new and niche. But there’s something about the clean, understated design and techy VPP-style linkage that makes it seem like SCOR must be destined for greater things. So, Travis Engel brought in the trail-focused 4060 ST to find out whether its beauty is only skin-deep.

There’s this strange type of clothing boutique that’ll occasionally pop up around my very gentrified corner of Los Angeles.  They’re mostly empty aside from a sparsely stocked collection of t-shirts, slacks and maybe a few gray hoodies. Every item looks quite plain from a distance, but usually hides a subtle modification in structure that sets it apart from the status quo. If one of those stores ever decided to sell mountain bikes, I don’t think a SCOR 4060 ST would feel the least bit out of place. I can picture a size run of frames, hung 24 inches apart at 45 degree angles. These bikes look like they belong in a museum. And I don’t mean in a bike-nerd way, like a DeKerf seatstay junction. I mean in a universal way, like an Isamu Noguchi coffee table. The 4060 blends the organic and industrial into something that looks like no other full-suspension bike, but also makes me wonder how a full-suspension bike could look any other way. I know this is subjective, but I think SCOR’s frames are beautiful.

And that’s exactly why I didn’t trust them. Why it took me almost two years to even seek one out to review. Just like those pretentious clothing stores, SCOR bikes seemed like they weren’t really meant for me. I think I’d feel out of place on one, with my mis-matched riding kit and chronic inability to slash berms. But eventually, my curiosity overthrew my bias. Disliking a bike only for its brand image is no better than liking a bike only for its brand image. What matters most is how a bike rides. And at least on paper, the 4060 ST seemed like it’d ride exactly like I’d want it to.

Throwing Shapes

The “ST” means this is the short-travel version, which of course is relative. SCOR is an offshoot from XC-specialists, BMC, so the mothership has already got actual short-travel bikes on lock. SCOR considers 140mm of rear travel and 150mm up front to be “short.”  For “long” travel, SCOR offers the 4060 LT, which nets 160mm of rear travel paired with a 170mm fork. The ST and LT actually share identical frames, but rely on a clever but complex trick to set themselves apart. There’s a flip chip on the shock’s lower eyelet, where most brands would write “high” and “low.” But SCOR opted for “LT” and “ST” instead. Changing this setting on its own doesn’t change travel, but the LT is designed to work with a 65mm-stroke-length shock, while the ST is designed for 57.5mm. And if you ever wanted to change a 4060 ST frame into an LT (or vice-versa), it’s possible, but not exactly simple. A qualified suspension-service shop can change the shock’s stroke length internally because both models use a 205mm eye-to-eye trunnion-mount shock. The flip chip just keeps the bottom bracket from getting too low with a long-stroke shock, or from sitting too high with a short-stroke shock. And of course, there’s also the fork to deal with. If you’re going from an LT to an ST, you can actually do that yourself by installing a 150mm air spring. But going the other way likely requires a new fork.

The geometry remains travel-appropriate in both settings, but we’ll focus on the ST numbers. First, bravo to the 78-degree effective seat tube angle (76.5-degree at average ride height). Being a Swiss-born bike, it makes sense that the 4060 ST was designed for long seated climbs. No notes. And the cockpit felt pretty natural due to how well the steep seat angle paired with the progressive reach numbers. My XL’s 515mm may be the longest ever ridden. We’ll get to what that meant out of the saddle later. The chainstays stick to a tight 432mm across all frame sizes, which tracks for a brand focused more on fun than on racing. There’s a slightly shallow 21mm bottom bracket drop, and a slightly conservative 65.5 degree head angle. But SCOR offers a way to slacken that to a beyond-category 64.5 degrees, which is where I spent most of my time.

For years, the most common way to adjust a head angle was with a flip chip. But that also impacts bottom bracket height, seat angle, and reach. That’s why SCOR—and recently Trek and Specialized—offer some bikes whose head angles can be adjusted right at the source. There’s no collateral damage aside from lengthening the wheelbase, which happens to pair quite well with slackening the head angle. On the 4060, head-angle adjustment simply requires pressing out the eccentric bottom headset cup, flipping it 180 degrees, and pressing it back in. There are flat surfaces on either side of the cup and head tube, so there’s no guesswork. It takes some force, but I made the swap without the help of professional tools. The upper cup stays as-is and is shaped to accommodate both positions. The whole system is pretty dialed. My test bike had clearly been in service for several months before I got it, and I never noticed any play or creaking.

Other clever frame features include an accessory mount underneath the top tube. There’s plenty of room for a sizable kit, and I kinda wish it were a 3-pack mount for more capacity. There’s also a unique storage compartment below the down tube, hiding a spare SRAM UDH hanger and a velcro caddy for a multi-tool or similarly shaped object. Although this feature doesn’t do any harm, it seems like a lot of fuss for not a lot of benefit. I didn’t like how my multi-tool was able to shift despite being pretty perfectly sized. It’s also a bit fiddly to access, but again, no harm if you don’t use it, and more power to you if you do. And the derailleur hanger storage is cool, for those of us who still use one.

There’s no celebrity designer behind SCOR’s linkage. And there’s no acronym in front of it, though it’s very similar to the lower-link VPP used by Santa Cruz and Intense. The only fundamental diversion from VPP is that the swing-link guiding the rear triangle’s upper pivot comes from down below it rather than up above. This makes a subtle difference to the axle path, but the suspension feel and performance is similar to the modern Santa Cruz bikes I’ve ridden. We’ll start there because the suspension took some tweaking before I really got along with the bike.

Start With the Downhill

Though it’s my job to be objective, I had expectations when I first climbed onto the 4060. Given its progressive style, I anticipated a lively, responsive feel underfoot. And though the stock damping tune allowed me to set things up quick and light, there was something lethargic in how the spring reacted. It was a little floaty. Putting input into it was like trying to swim through the air in zero G. I was suspended, sure, but also detached. And paradoxically, the small-bump sensitivity wasn’t really blowing me away. All of this reminded me of how the second-generation Santa Cruz Hightower rode. That’s a good bike, but I struggle to point to what it’s great at. It’s not bad, it’s just not inspiring.

I started experimenting outside my minimum flat-ground sag preference of 30 percent. As I went deeper, the bike got boring, and as I went shallower, it got harsh. But one remarkable thing stayed constant. Even in its softer settings, I can’t remember having a single violent bottom-out. There was a very late, almost undetectable ramp-up that didn’t sacrifice any usable travel. It inspired me to seek out some especially fast, successively hard-hitting trails. And that’s when everything started to come together. I just had to ride at the very edge of my capability. To put myself in situations where I needed the bike to offer a bit of initial resistance against giving up all of its travel. This is the way a lot of pro racers set up their bikes. In the rare moments that I had the skill to approach a trail like they do, the 4060 stayed neutral through successive hard hits while also refusing to be overwhelmed. But that came at the cost of any real personality at moderate speeds, which is where I feel comfortable jumping, manualing, and generally not being a pro racer. So, I got under the hood and started playing with volume spacers.

Traditionally, you might add volume spacers if you’re blowing through the travel too quickly or experiencing too many harsh bottom-outs. But that wasn’t my problem. I just wanted a more definitive mid-stroke platform and lighter small-bump performance. So, I paired two volume spacers (maxing out the RockShox Super Deluxe’s capacity) with a slightly lower preload pressure. This essentially tilted the leverage curve to be more supple at the beginning and more supportive in the middle, with only a small sacrifice to the perceived quantity of overall travel. I was able to keep my sag at 30%, but completely change the bike’s character. It suddenly came alive. I could light-footedly float over mid-sized chunder, even when things got steep and slow. But later in the travel, the bike just felt more interactive. I had something to push against that could push back. And though I wasn’t at pro-level speeds, I did set more than one PR, and on trails that are not in their best shape at the moment. This doesn’t happen often on test bikes, but that’s not the most surprising part. What blew me away was that—on each of these occasions—I wasn’t even trying.

That’s my main takeaway on the 4060 ST. It strikes a perfect balance between isolation and interaction. Part of that is the nature of a 140mm rear- / 150mm front-travel bike. It’s right between trail and enduro. But SCOR’s approach to the category successfully hides a lot of extra capability in a very approachable package. And it’s not just the suspension behavior. Although the slacker head-angle setting suited my taste better, I think the bike’s more versatile form is in the steep setting. It pairs well with the short chainstay to make a long-ish-travel bike that actually feels nimble. It’s a throwback to just a few years ago when a bike could be plush without being unwieldy. That’s why I wouldn’t be scared by the bike’s long-even-for-2023 reach numbers. The wheelbase isn’t out of hand, and the seat angle keeps the cockpit feeling familiar.

End With an Uphill

And of course, the seat angle helps make the 4060 ST an adept climber. It kinda throws off all my metrics for judging how a full-suspension bike handles the uphill. Good kinematics used to be utterly crucial to climbing efficiency. Now, it’s just sort of a bonus. I say that here because, despite looking quite complex, the linkage on the 4060 didn’t really do anything noteworthy. It wasn’t a supernatural hoverbike like the Ibis Ripmo, and definitely wasn’t a hammerhead like some of the mid-travel Yeti SB bikes. It just kinda got the job done, which I suppose is the safe route. The good news is that the bike pedals predictably, even when sunk well past its sag point. It was more likely to offer calming traction throughout chaotic scrambles than it would harsh encouragement. It’s the sort of climber that allows you to settle into a long spin, efficiently and comfortably, just like any bike born in the Swiss Alps should.

You Get What You Pay For

And because I said “Swiss,” it’s time to talk about price. Despite my tortured intro analogy to boutique clothing shops, SCOR does not adhere to boutique prices. Yes, the entry-level 4060 ST is $4,899. There is no alloy version or even lower-level carbon version. But compare that to the Pivot Switchblade, which starts (on special) at $5,899. Or the Yeti SB140, at $6,400. Or even the Santa Cruz Hightower, which you can’t get for less than $7,999. SCOR could have gone that route, but they didn’t. Plus, keep in mind these are bike-shop prices. SCOR is not a direct-to-consumer brand. You will probably be going to a local bike shop to get your SCOR. It was a refreshingly unpretentious step to take in an increasingly ultra-high-end-focused time for the mountain bike industry.

The bike I tested was the semi-ultra-high-end $7,200 GX build. It puts that money into the parts you don’t want to have to upgrade. Carbon cranks, carbon bars, Code RSC brakes, good-for-an-alloy-wheelset DT Swiss XM1700s, and highly tunable RockShox Ultimate front and rear suspension. It nets a respectable-for-the-category 31.8 pounds without pedals. The only snag is the 185mm dropper post specced on the XL and 160mm on the L. Although my time recently testing a 240mm post taught me there is such thing as too much, 185mm is definitely too little when you’re over six feet tall. This is 2023, people. XL bikes need 200mm dropper posts, or in the case of the well-regarded Bike Yoke Divide post, 213mm.

The rest of the bike was done more thoughtfully. There’s the above-mentioned in-frame storage and bottle and accessory mount on all frame sizes. There’s also tube-in-tube guided internal routing, a welcomed feature when brands, especially European brands are going to headset-cable routing. I’d have rather seen a threaded BSA bottom bracket, but I’ve come to trust modern press-fit, so I’ll allow it. There’s a slightly troubling cavity beneath the rear shock that could collect rocks, but there’s a mini fender above the rear shock, and an odd hack beneath it to keep them out. A piece of skeletal open-cell foam stands guard against any stowaways. Unorthodox, but effective.

It’s funny. After spending a couple months with the SCOR 4060, I can’t imagine putting it on a pedestal like I did when I first saw it. Sure, the frame still looks as beautiful as ever, especially when streaked with mud and on my home turf. But now that I’ve learned its strengths and weaknesses, I’ve forgotten its fashion and branding. It’s just a bike. A means to an end. That’s easy to forget amid the many biases we develop as cyclists. It says a lot for a bike’s ride quality when, as soon as you’re on the trail, you can ignore what it’s made of, what it weighs, and what logo is on the head tube.

Pros:

• Effortlessly capable downhill
• Comfortable and efficient for long-haul climbs
• Adjustable travel (with modifications) and adjustable head angle
• Not as expensive as you may think
• I mean, just look at it

Cons:

• Some riders may struggle to find the optimal rear shock setup
• In-frame storage not as refined or useful as others

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