Scott has launched its all-new Fastlane range of road bikes with subtle electrical assistance from a TQ HPR40 drive unit to give you a boost when the going gets tough. The bikes are built around an 865g (claimed) frame that shares a geometry with Scott’s non-electric Addict, with prices starting at £6,399.
E-bikes are getting ever more subtle, and you’d be hard-pressed to notice that the Fastlane comes with electric assistance at first glance. Yes, you can see electrical features when you take a proper look, but this one largely flies under the radar.
“Aesthetically, there is little to reveal its hidden power: the down tube is slim, the drive unit concealed between the cranks, and none of the telltale big displays or remotes around the cockpit,” says Scott.
Not that there’s anything you need to hide about riding an e-bike, of course, but you might not want to advertise the fact.
“On a climb, the power supplied is a natural feeling, like your legs getting a second wind to reach the summit,” says Scott. “On the flats, it glides you up to 25km/h [15.5mph] before smoothly disengaging with almost no drag. The Fastlane is a bike that gives you just what you’d imagine – an electric road bike built for smooth acceleration and swift ascents.
“The essentials for controlling the bike – the bar-end display and the shifters for changing assistance modes – are on the handlebars. Everything else is out of sight, so the rider can focus on the road ahead.”
Okay, so that’s the marketing spiel, but what exactly do you get here? We’ll come back to the electricness in a mo and start with the frame.
Scott says, “The goal was always to develop Fastlane as a road bike first, with a drive unit as a bonus. In other words, being as close as possible to a mechanical road bike in terms of stiffness level and riding feel, while subtly incorporating the electric features inside the frame.”
As mentioned above, the Fastlane’s geometry is the same as that of Scott’s Addict road bike. The HMX carbon frame comes in at a claimed 865g, and the fork is 353g. You’ll find lighter frames/forks out there, of course, but those are high-level road bike weights.
“The aero design of the Fastlane is intended to save on watts – battery watts,” says Scott. “By minimising drag on the bike, the rider can reach a speed of above 25km/h [15.5mph] more quickly, and continue cruising there more easily. This helps to conserve the battery and enables longer rides.”
The Fastlane comes with a Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) for use with any groupset.
> What is UDH and is it the future of all bikes? SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger explained
The drive unit is the compact new TQ HPR40, with a claimed weight of 1,170g. You get up to 40Nm of torque and a maximum power of 200 watts.
In line with other drive units in the UK and EU, it will assist you up to 25km/h (15.5mph) before disengaging, and Scott reckons the transition is smooth. As your speed dips below that cutoff speed, the drive unit will kick in again to give you a boost.
“The new, intelligent HPR40 learns from the rider and adapts the assistance to match their style and level,” says Scott. “It provides support when it is needed the most, without being intrusive or loud.”
You can choose between three assistance modes, which you can swap between via buttons on the hoods. It’s all powered by a 290Wh battery that fully charges in three hours. Scott doesn’t make any claims relating to range (it’ll depend on how and where you ride anyway), but all Fastlane models are compatible with the 160Wh TQ range extender (above), which can be swapped for a bottle cage.
The bar-end display shows the battery level and the assistance mode of the drive unit with a set of LED lights. The Fastlane can connect to your preferred bike computer via ANT+.
Check out the Fastlane range
There are three bikes in the Scott Fastlane range: the Fastlane Premium at the top, followed by the Fastlane 10 and the Fastlane 20.
You get an integrated rear light that’s hard-wired to the main battery. The Fastlane is also equipped to connect a front light to the main battery.
The Fastlane Premium and Fastlane 10 come with the Syncros IC-R100-SL Carbon combined handlebar and stem.
Each model comes with the Syncros iS Drop Bar Tool 2 hidden in the handlebar drop.
All three bikes are equipped with 34mm tyres “to ensure comfort on a range of surfaces and to inspire riding roads less travelled”.
Scott Fastlane Premium £11,099
Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace RD-R9250 Wheels Zipp 353 NSW TL
Tyres Schwalbe PRO ONE Evo,700×34
Weight 9.9kg
Scott Fastlane 10 £7,299
Groupset Shimano Ultegra Di2 RD-R8150
Wheels Syncros Capital 1.0 40 Disc
Tyres Schwalbe PRO ONE Evo, 700×34
Weight 10.6kg
Scott Fastlane 20 £6,399
Groupset Shimano105Di2RD-R7150
Wheels Syncros Capital 1.0 40 Disc
Tyres Schwalbe ONE Fold, 700×34
Weight 11.1kg
All three come with 50/34-tooth chainsets and 11-34-tooth cassettes.
14 thoughts on “Scott unveils stealthy Fastlane – an e-road bike that hides its watts in plain sight”
Of all ebikes, the
Of all ebikes, the lightweight road ebike is the most pointless.
AidanR wrote:
Not for people who because of age or illness still want to ride as fast as they possibly can with the power off but who need to switch it on for a bit of assistance with hills/headwinds etc it isn’t.
I understand that there are a
I understand that there are a few people they’re suited to. But realistically ebikes negate weight, so what’s being added by focusing on how little an ebike weighs?
Electric assistance, limited as it is to 15mph, makes more sense for utility and cargo bikes, or even mountain bikes where for many folk the uphill is a chore that needs to be done to then go downhill.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a bit of assistance on the hills, but I can’t help but think that some lower gears is a simpler solution.
I say this as someone who has an (admittedly not very light) electric gravel bike for commuting. I find myself hardly ever using the electric assist.
Well…some people don’t want
Well…some people don’t want to negate weight with the power, they want to ride as fast and hard as they can without any power and then engage when they’re faced with something with which they can’t cope (even with lower gears). Example: I don’t have an ebike any more but I had a lightweight eroad bike to get me through a pretty serious illness. The effect of said illness was that in recovery I could still ride at a pretty good pace (for me, 30kph+) along the flat without too much trouble but any hill over about 5% became unconquerable, with any gear at all, I couldn’t get up them without becoming severely breathless and pushing my heartrate into a very dangerous place. Having a lightweight eroad bike meant I could still enjoy the thrill, satisfaction and health benefits of a good speed on the flat completely under my own steam but not have to turn back when the road went upwards. I agree that for a cargo or commuter bike weight isn’t a prime consideration, but for a sports rider wanting to ride as much as possible without assistance but have it there when needed it is. I know you can say well just have one a little bit heavier and use a little bit of power but that takes away the pleasure of knowing you’re only using your own power, the ability to compare with what you did on lightweight unpowered bikes previously, and introduces range limitations. As I recovered I was able to complete a century with 1600m climbing by riding about 75% of it completely unpowered and only taking the boost on hills (oh ok, and the last 10 miles); with a heavier bike and so having to use the power more often no way would I have managed that range. So for me, a lightweight road ebike was very far from pointless and a superb way of being able to enjoy almost all my pre-illness endeavours and get fit again for the 100% unpowered cycling I’m back to now.
I’m sorry to hear you were
I’m sorry to hear you were ill, and I’m glad you’re recovering well.
But my point is, that’s (thankfully) a very niche case.
Even if we accept that the
Even if we accept that the use cases are ‘niche’*, being niche doesn’t make something ‘pointless’ – there are plenty of niche products out there doing a very important job for their target market.
[* I’d suggest suffering an illness or injury that puts you in Rendel’s position is a lot less niche than you suggest, but that’s by the by.]
Fair, I shouldn’t have used
Fair, I shouldn’t have used the word pointless.
But it got a good debate going 😉
I agree that there is an
I agree that there is an apparent contradiction (design for speed but assist stops at 15.5mph) and a *challenge* (light weight vs. power).
And it may be niche but I’ve also known a couple of club cyclists with this exact use-case (being able to keep up socially with a group on the hills). For the more mortal drafting certainly works on the flat but is less of a thing going uphill.
If you find yourself not
If you find yourself not using the assist very often, then the chances are that you don’t actually *need* an ebike.
Some of us – like me, for example – do *need* an ebike as we are dependant on the assist to be able to make reasonable headway. Even at full 100% assistance, my average speed is around 13mph.
My current road bike weighs in at 15ish kg – 17kg with the extender and 115kg ish with the rider … a lighter bike would mean less effort from me and the assist to get up to the same speed and distance.
It would also mean my distance could be increased as I’d be able to ride on a lower level of assistance, thus saving the power for when I need it.
Some of us ride ebikes because we want to be able to continue riding *how we used to for as long as we used to*.
Heavy bikes can remove that ability.
Dropping 5kg off your bike
Dropping 5kg off your bike would be roughly 4% of the system weight. Realistically that’s not going to affect range much at all even on a hilly ride, and of course weight won’t be a penalty on the flat. Given that you’ll go up all the hills at the almost exactly the same speed due to the motor assistance, you’re unlikely to gain much at all.
That’s why I think chasing light weight on a road ebike is a bit pointless. That’s not to say it wouldn’t feel lovely to ride, of course.
To be fair, when you see that
To be fair, when you see that relative time savings involved in a heavy vs light bike (within reasonable parameters), or a deep section vs box section wheel, there is little point in seeking lightweight or aero as recreational riders. But that doesn’t make them any less desirable if you like that sort of thing, nor make a light/aero bike more pleasant to ride.
In my limited experience of an E-MTB, I certainly felt the weight even under motor assist… the bike felt less wieldy, and part of the joy to me of a good road bike is the feeling of lightness. Not only that, less weight means more battery range, or a smaller battery which means less weight penalty for the target range/power.
Carrying up stairs?
Carrying up stairs?
Looks like thé sort of ebike
Looks like thé sort of ebike l’ll eventually have to get. I live in thé French Pyrénées and have an average 7% one kilomètre climb to get to my front door. At thé moment it’s no problèm with a conventional bike but being nearer 80 than 70 I know thé ebike day will côme when I can’t make thé climb. When it finally does thé Scott IS precisely thé sort of bike I’ll need.
Love the look of that (FSA?)
Love the look of that (FSA?) open chainring; like the Cannondale spiderring