First Look: 2023 Scott Lumen - The Electric Spark
Scott have entered the race to build an ultra-light electric mountain bike. The Lumen is closely based on the Spark, the brand's XC/trail bike. It uses the innovative and lightweight TQ motor seen in Trek's Fuel EX-e, but Scott undercut Trek on the scales as their lightest model has a claimed weight of just 15.5 kg (34.2 lb).
The Lumen's other party piece is the ability to fit two water bottles or a bottle and a range extender battery inside the frame. Scott pitch the Lumen as "an e-bike for a mountain biker," with weight and handling much closer to a Spark than their other e-bikes and a serious focus on reducing noise to an absolute minimum.
The Lumen's other party piece is the ability to fit two water bottles or a bottle and a range extender battery inside the frame. Scott pitch the Lumen as "an e-bike for a mountain biker," with weight and handling much closer to a Spark than their other e-bikes and a serious focus on reducing noise to an absolute minimum.
Scott Lumen Details
• Claimed weight from 15.5 kg (34 lb)
• TQ HPR50 motor, 200% assistance, 50Nm
• 360 Wh battery + 160 Wh range extender
• 29" wheels, 130 mm travel F&R
• Headset cable routing
• Two bottles or bottle & range extender
• 77° seat angle, 65.5° +/-0.6° head angle
• Price: TBD
• www.scott-sports.com
• Claimed weight from 15.5 kg (34 lb)
• TQ HPR50 motor, 200% assistance, 50Nm
• 360 Wh battery + 160 Wh range extender
• 29" wheels, 130 mm travel F&R
• Headset cable routing
• Two bottles or bottle & range extender
• 77° seat angle, 65.5° +/-0.6° head angle
• Price: TBD
• www.scott-sports.com
Motor & Battery
After considering alternatives from Fazua and others, Scott settled on TQ as the motor supplier for its low weight, noise, and ride feel. It provides 50 Nm of torque (that's 10 Nm less than Orbea's RS-tuned motor and 35 Nm less than a full-power ebike) and assistance goes up to 200% of rider input. That means if you pedal at 100 watts, the motor will add up to 200 watts.
There are three assistance modes to choose from, which Scott tunes to their liking, but these can be adjusted by the rider with an app.
The 360 Wh battery is fully integrated into the downtube - it's not designed to be removed easily. This helps Scott save weight by keeping the downtube structurally uncompromised. The optional 160 Wh range extender mounts to the downtube bottle bosses via a custom mount which can be swapped to a water bottle cage without tools. It plugs into the charging port just in front.
Anyone who's driven the Starship Enterprise should feel right at home with the Lumen's control panel.
Frame Details
The Lumen shares all the unique features of the Spark, including Scott's TwinLoc remote that firms up or locks out the fork and shock with an under-bar remote. Like all of Scott's recent bikes, the shock is hidden in the downtube, which Scott say is the most structurally efficient place to put it and leaves space for the two water bottle mounts in the main triangle. There's an extended air valve on the shock to make adjusting it more accessible and a sag indicator on the side of the frame.
Like the Spark, the Lumen also uses a flex-pivot rear suspension system to save weight, but it delivers 130 mm of travel to the Spark's 120 mm.
The top models use Scott's Fraser IC DC integrated cockpit. The standard top cap can be swapped out for an integrated computer mount.
The headset is the entry port for all the Lumen's cables. It's also an angle set, allowing +/- 0.6 degrees of adjustment.
Geometry
The geometry is very similar to the Spark. The Lumen has a 12.5 mm longer chainstay length to fit around the motor and a slightly steeper seat angle. The head angle is similar in the neutral setting, but the headset cups offer 0.6 degrees of adjustment in either direction, from 64.9 to 66.1 degrees.
Models and specifications
There are four models in the range including the Contessa women's version (pictured above). Pricing is yet to be confirmed.
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1. Build it super light to make it even more agile and simply push some limits.
2. Carefully fine tune it to shed some weight where possible but allow for some burly tires and brakes to make it super fun on the downhills while still being a breeze going up.
3. Build fewer bikes and do some god damn calf raises.
Let me know what you think!
But seriously, knowing just how light a full suss emtb can get is very intriguing, and this being a mile muncher over park bike, it's probably the best platform for it.
Either that or do the @bicyclepubes collab as @BShaw suggests. I'd like one that recharges the battery from a hub dynamo, with an AXS seatpost dispensing bananas at the push of a button please.
Stick to bicycles and leave the motorcycle tuning to others.
But now I question myself.
You know, if people were so proud of their eebs, wouldn't the motor be a shiny, bling bit they'd be proud of showing off to everyone like guys with custom exhaust on motos????
The reason everyone is working so damn hard to hide the mopeds inside bicycles is so they can pretend they're doing the work & totally legal.
Just trying to feel less ashamed of being moped heroes. #allMyOldMtbHeroesRwhoringMopeds
On the real tho, if you "caught" someone riding on an unsanctioned trail with an ebike, even if you're the trail builder, you really don't get to complain - you're both breaking the law (cue Judas Priest) and that is, after all, the spirit of MTB.
Pinged the guys at my LBS - who is a Scott dealer - about routing. They hate building and working on headset routed bikes and basically echoed every negative point I've read in the comments. Only good thing they said was "maybe it looks slightly better... but bikes looked good enough to begin with." Nothing surprising here.
In an age of SWAT and Gloveboxes, I fully expected that "inside the frame" party piece to mean "inside the frame". Maybe next time.
Good luck son
Asinine, these e-toys. You aren’t unlocking any new experiences.
They need to determine the reasoning to charge $16k for it.