Not your average dentist bike: the SCOR 2030 X01 was designed to have fun! While BMC’s gravity-oriented subsidiary brand has only been around for a little while, they’re aiming high. With the 2030, the Swiss manufacturer enters our 2024 trail bike group test with the shortest-travel competitor in the entire test field. However, the conservative travel is paired with progressive geometry, which should result in a deceptively capable character. The big question: Can it secure the high SCORe in our trail bike group test?
13.4 kg in size L | € 7,999 | Manufacturer’s website
Pedalability meets shredability! Tipping the scales at 13.4 kg, the SCOR 2030 X01 is the lightest bike in the entire test field, and was designed to deliver a solid performance on the trail despite generating just 140/120 mm of travel. Admittedly, with a longer stroke shock you could increase the rear travel to 130 mm, but that would be far too easy SCOR say the € 7,999 2030 isn’t just another beefed-up XC bike like many others in this travel category, but rather a purpose-built trail bike, so we were keen to see how it holds up when the going gets rough.
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best trail bike 2024 – 15 of the most exciting trail bikes in our 2024 comparison test
The SCOR 2024 2030 X01 in detail
With a distinctive frame silhouette, minimal branding and a special suspension design with a horizontally-mounted shock splitting the seat tube, the 2030 X01 is distinctly recognisable as a SCOR. While at first glance, the cockpit is rather crammed with cables, these are pretty well organised, ensuring an overall tidy look. Moreover, the cables are clamped at the ports, preventing them from rattling on the trail, making the 2030 incredibly quiet. The top and down tube are covered with a frame protector, which can be fully customised using SCOR’s online design tool. This is complemented by a generously sized TPU plate on the down tube and a rubber chainstay protector, which is meant to replicate the brand’s local jump line. The 2030 is also SCOR’s first bike to feature a full-size storage compartment in the down tube, which is positioned in such a way that the cover of the compartment merges into the shock mount. The compartment’s cover doubles as a bottle cage and can be opened with a twist lock, which requires a little effort to unlock, especially if the bike is covered in mud. Due to the slim down tube, the compartment doesn’t provide much storage space, but comes standard with a waterproof pouch for all your trail essentials, meaning that you can finally leave your backpack or hip pack at home.
The spec of the 2024 SCOR 2030 X01
The suspension alone reveals that the SCOR 2030 X01 means business. The 34 mm FOX Factory fork relies on the superior GRIP2 damper, which is usually found on more capable forks, and delivers a tremendous performance on the trail while at the same time offering countless adjustment options. The only downside is that the rebound adjuster is hidden inside the lower leg, which makes it fiddly to adjust. The fork is paired with a FOX FLOAT Factory shock, which forgoes a piggy-back reservoir. It’s integrated deep into the frame, which makes it rather finicky to adjust. SCOR prioritise freedom of movement over weight, relying on a long-travel 185 mm BikeYoke DIVINE dropper post, which is a rare sight on bikes in this travel category – awesome! SRAM CODE Ultimate brakes do stopping duties and offer the same features as the top spec RSC model, like tool-free bite point and lever reach adjustments, as well as SRAM’s proprietary SwingLink technology, which is designed to minimise deadband and optimise modulation, thus reducing arm pump. However, the brakes are paired with small 180 mm rotors front and rear. We recommend upgrading to 200 mm discs, which ensure more braking torque and better modulation, while only adding marginally more weight to the bike. SRAM also supply the cable operated X01 drivetrain. For the wheels, SCOR combine a lightweight DT Swiss XMC 1501 carbon wheelset and MAXXIS tires, with a DISSECTOR at the front and a Rekon at the rear, both in the hard DualCompound rubber compound and thin EXO casing. Although this combination helps reduce weight and rolling resistance, thus ensuring a smooth performance on hardpack trails, we recommend upgrading to tougher tires with a more aggressive tread pattern, like a Minion DHF at the front and DISSECTOR at the rear, both in the more robust EXO+ casing. While you’re at it, you should run the soft MaxxGrip rubber compound at the front, which significantly improves traction, especially in wet conditions.
Although SCOR is still a very young brand, the 2030 gives away its DNA with its unmistakable frame silhouette.
Due to the narrow down tube, the 2030’s storage compartment is on the small side. That said, the compartment is incredibly practical and comes with a waterproof pouch as standard, allowing you to leave your backpack at home.
The SCOR’s FOX FLOAT shock forgoes a piggy-back reservoir and is a little finicky to set up.
While the shallow-profiled tires of the 2030 ensure low rolling resistance, we would swap them for a more aggressive set of tires with a tougher casing, which would improve the bike’s trail performance.
The frame protection on the top and down tube can be customised using SCOR’s online design tool.
The rubber chainstay protector ensures a quiet ride and is meant to replicate the brand’s local jump line.
SCOR 2030 X01
€ 7,999
Specifications
Fork FOX 34 Factory GRIP2 140 mm
Rear Shock FOX FLOAT Factory 120 mm
Seatpost BikeYoke DIVINE 185 mm
Brakes SRAM CODE Ultimate 180/180 mm
Drivetrain SRAM X01 Eagle 1x12
Stem Burgtec 35 mm
Handlebar SCOR Carbon 800 mm
Wheelset DT Swiss XMC1501 Carbon 29"
Tires MAXXIS DISSECTOR, EXO, DualCompound/MAXXIS Rekon, EXO, DualCompound 2.4"/2.4"
Technical Data
Size S M M/L L XL
Weight 13.4 kg
Specific Features
storage compartment
adjustable head angle
Tuning tips: Tire with more aggressive profile, more robust casing, and softer rubber compound at the front | Bigger brake rotors front and rear
Jersey Fox Calibrated LS | Pants Monserat TP01 Pants | Shoes Ride Concepts Accomplice
The geometry of the 2024 SCOR 2030
The SCOR 2030 is available in 5 sizes, S to XL, including an intermediate M/L size. Reach values only grow by 20 mm between the smallest and biggest frames, making it easier to down- or up-size if you’re on the fence. However, at 497 mm in size L, reach is incredibly long, so you should be careful when choosing your size! At 440 mm, the seat tube is nice and short, ensuring plenty of freedom of movement on the bike. The remaining geometry values prove that the 2030 was designed for riding trails rather than just for climbing performance. Particularly evident is the 64.5° head tube angle, which is very slack and can be steepened up to 65.5° by turning the headset cups. Chainstay length is very short across the board, especially considering it’s a 29” bike, measuring 429 mm in sizes S to M/L, 432 mm in L and 434 mm in XL.
| Size | S | M | M/L | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top tube | 578 mm | 606 mm | 627 mm | 650 mm | 672 mm |
| Seat tube | 400 mm | 420 mm | 430 mm | 440 mm | 480 mm |
| Head tube | 89 mm | 100 mm | 108 mm | 118 mm | 130 mm |
| Head angle | 64.5° | 64.5° | 64.5° | 64.5° | 64.5° |
| Seat angle | 76.5° | 76.3° | 76.3° | 76.3° | 76.3° |
| Chainstays | 429 mm | 429 mm | 429 mm | 432 mm | 434 mm |
| BB Drop | 36 mm | 36 mm | 36 mm | 36 mm | 36 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,187 mm | 1,207 mm | 1,227 mm | 1,247 mm | 1,267 mm |
| Reach | 435 mm | 457 mm | 477 mm | 497 mm | 517 mm |
| Stack | 600 mm | 610 mm | 617 mm | 626 mm | 637 mm |
The 2024 SCOR 2030 X01 on the trail
As soon as you swing your leg over the saddle, you’ll be surprised how plush the SCOR 2030 feels for a bike with this little travel. As a result, the rear suspension offers excellent small bump sensitivity and a high level of comfort on climbs, although it can’t quite match the SCOTT’s “stoic composure” with its TractionLock suspension. At the same time, the rear suspension works very efficiently, getting you to the top of the mountain in a lively fashion, provided you aren’t chasing for uphill KOMs. The long reach results in a rather stretched pedalling position, which is pretty comfortable, and keeps the front wheel planted on the ground on steeper climbs.
Flow trails shake at the sight of the SCOR 2030 because they know that they’re about to get ripped.
When you point your nose downhill, the first thing you’ll notice are the short chainstays and long front end, which result in a slightly unbalanced ride. As a result, you’ll have to actively weight the front wheel, because the front tire tends to slip away in open corners. However, you can remedy this by picking a smaller frame size and using a front tire with more grip. Built for trails, the suspension of the 2030 delivers a tremendous performance on the trail, making you feel as if it had more travel than it says on the tin. But at the end of the day, 120 mm of travel is 120 mm of travel, meaning that the SCOR provides lots of feedback while at the same time offering tons of support, rewarding active riders with plenty of speed. This encourages you to pump through rollers and berms and to pop off natural kickers you wouldn’t even notice with another bike. If you get a little too excited and land a little too hard, the suspension doesn’t rush through its travel. When the trails get rough, it’s impressive how firm the rear suspension remains when you pick up speed, especially considering how plush it remains on the climbs. That said, the SCOR is the least composed bike in the entire test field, which should come as no surprise given that we’re talking about a bike with just 120 mm of travel at the rear, not exactly the weapon of choice for riders who like to straight-line it through rock gardens. On the other hand, the SCOR has very agile handling, which puts in on par with the Cannnondale. Together with the firm, poppy suspension, it turns the 2030 into a stiff, direct flow trail rocket that is still relatively easy to ride.
Who should take a closer look at the 2023 SCOR 2030 X01?
Although still a relatively young brand, SCOR were able to use BMC’s extensive know-how to create a fun bike that’s designed uncompromisingly for trail fun. The 2030 X01 is aimed at playful shredders who like to play on flow trails rather than fight the gnar on tough enduro tracks. It’s a fun machine, even on trails that would be boring with many other bikes. As a result, it’s a great option for XC riders who want a little more trail potential, as well as for enduro and DH riders who are looking for a more playful, agile bike.
Our conclusions about the 2023 SCOR 2030 X01
The SCOR 2030 X01 is a high-precision, short-travel shredding machine that makes it clear from the get-go that it was designed uncompromisingly for trail fun. Uphill, it’s very efficient and nimble but by no means a KOM hunter. Downhill, it delivers a firm ride with plenty of feedback from the ground and intuitive yet agile handling. Despite covering a rather small range of applications, the SCOR 2030 X01 really drops the hammer when it wants, popping off ledges and pumping through rollers, and having a lot of fun in the process.
Tops
- Excellent suspension feels more capable than you might expect
- Very agile
- Flow trail machine
Flops
- Small range of applications
- Lacks composure
You can find out more about at scor-mtb.com
The test field
For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: The best trail bike 2024 – 15 of the most exciting trail bikes in our 2024 comparison test
All bikes in test: Cannondale Habit LT 1 (Click for review) | Cube ONE55 C:62 SLT 29 (Click for review) | Ghost RIOT Trail Full Party (Click for review) | Merida ONE-FORTY 10K (Click for review) | Mondraker Neat RR SL (Click for review) | Nicolai Saturn 14 Swift HRZ (Click for review) | Orbea Occam LT M10 (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Heckler SL XX AXS RSV (Click for review) | Santa Cruz Hightower X0 AXS RSV (Click for review) | Scor 2030 X01 | SCOTT Genius ST 900 Tuned (Click for review) | Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo SL (Click for review) | Trek Fuel EX 9.9 X0 AXS T-Type (Click for review) | Yeti SB140 LR T3 X0 (Click for review) | YT JEFFSY CORE 5 CF (Click for review)
Did you enjoy this article? If so, we would be stoked if you decide to support us with a monthly contribution. By becoming a supporter of ENDURO, you will help secure a sustainable future for high-quality mountain bike journalism. Click here to learn more.
Words: Simon Kohler Photos: Peter Walker
