Talk about a smooth ride and confidence-inspiring stopping power… the 2015 Scott Solace 15 Disc is quite the endurance bike. While most will put it squarely in the endurance category, Scott claims the Solace delivers performance in spades with a light and stiff platform.
For 2015, Scott is releasing a single disc-equipped Solace that features a full Shimano Ultegra groupset with hydraulic brakes — including thru axles front and rear. I spun a few miles on the Solace 15 Disc and came away completely impressed by the smoothness of the design. Those thin seatstays really do a number on road chatter and isolate the rider from much of the typical rattling — it’s really amazing actually.
By swapping the undermounted rear brake with a disc brake, the magical seatstays work in concert with the remaining “Comfort Zone” to smooth everything out. It’s quite interesting that the rear seatstays can be flexed inward by hand — thus displaying the compliance capabilities.
The downtube, bottom bracket and chainstays form the “Power Zone” and are stiff indeed. That said, one has to wonder why no Scott-sponsored teams ride the Solace on the cobbles of the Spring Classics. The Solace 15 Disc and the remaining Solace line is certainly not as fast as the Addict or Foil, but for the masses, it will deliver the comfort we all seek with confident stopping power.
As it stands now, no road teams will be riding the disc-equipped model for awhile — unless both discs and 15mm/142×12 axles win the battle. Time will tell.
Scott Solace 15 Disc Features
- Scott HMF carbon fiber frameset
- 15mm front and 142x12mm rear thru axles
- Disc brakes with 160mm rotors
- Shimano Ultegra groupset
- Syncros cockpit with carbon seatpost
- Syncros RP2.0 disc wheelset
- Price: $3499
The Bottom Line
The Solace 15 Disc is a great bike in the Solace lineup. I’d prefer most of the Solace line to have disc brakes — especially since the pro teams prefer the Addict/Foil combination. That said, this bike is squarely what the bulk of the market needs — comfortable riding position, road-smoothing design and disc brakes for consistent, all-weather stopping.