Scott Lumen Review | An XC eMTB Stealth Rider

The flush-mounted monochrome display integrates seamlessly into the top tube, giving the bike a clean, minimalist look. A simple battery bar tracks charge level, while expanding circles indicate your current assist mode. With a quick button press, you can toggle through the essentials—battery percentage, estimated range, speed, and power—keeping things streamlined and distraction-free.

TQ’s companion app follows the same minimalist philosophy. You can mount your phone on the handlebar to serve as a larger display for real-time ride data, or head into the tuning menu to adjust Eco, Mid, and High modes. Riders can fine-tune power output, overall assist strength, pedal response, and even top speed. (From a 235 lb rider’s perspective: Eco benefited from a touch more punch, while Mid and High felt perfectly balanced.)

Beyond tuning, the app includes a digital library of user guides and FAQs, plus ANT+ connectivity so you can pair a bike computer or smartwatch—perfect for syncing heart rate or ride stats across your fitness platforms.

For our range testing, we run all bikes on a mix of green, blue, and black singletrack. Power demands can vary widely between riders, but to establish a consistent baseline, we conduct all tests in the highest assist mode and record total elevation gain to give a clear picture of a bike’s minimum expected range. It’s worth noting that our test loop is designed more for enduro and all-mountain bikes, so it’s a bit more demanding than the Lumen’s intended terrain.

In our test, the Lumen covered 15.6 miles while climbing 1,552 feet of elevation. With its 360Wh battery—one of the smaller packs in the eMTB category—that result was right in line with expectations.

Efficiency-wise, the Lumen impressed. eMTBs typically average around 25.6 watts per mile at full power, while the Lumen came in at 23.1 watts per mile. It’s not a huge battery, but it makes the most of every watt-hour.

Naturally, the more elevation you tackle, the more strain you’ll place on the motor, so we’d expect the Lumen to perform even better on flatter or rolling XC terrain. Still, this test gives a good idea of its lower range threshold.

And for riders who want more mileage, Scott offers a 160Wh range extender for a few hundred dollars extra. It replaces one of the two bottle cage mounts but still leaves room for one remaining bottle—an easy trade-off for roughly 44% more range.

We put every eMTB through two climbs: one paved and one off-road. The paved climb, known as Devil’s Backbone, is where all e-bikes are tested. The off-road climb, Water Tower, is reserved exclusively for eMTBs.

On Devil’s Backbone, the Scott Lumen reached the top in 2 minutes and 47 seconds, averaging 10.9 mph. On the Water Tower climb, it clocked 4 minutes and 49 seconds, with an average speed of 10.8 mph. For comparison, the current eMTB averages across all tests stand at 2:09 and 3:36, respectively.

Those times are notably slower than the eMTB average—but that’s by design. The TQ HPR50 isn’t about brute force; it’s about balance. It helps you move forward, not just along for the ride. You’ll still outperform any non-electric bike while maintaining a traditional, natural pedal feel—and in that regard, it excels.

We see this motor as ideal for riders wanting to reclaim a few steps of fitness, keep pace with faster friends riding analog bikes, or use the bike as a controlled training tool to manage heart rate zones. It’s a perfect match for XC terrain—enough support to clear tough slopes, yet subtle enough to preserve the essence of the ride. It shaves down hills without erasing them entirely.

High-power seekers or heavier riders may prefer something with more torque, but for its intended purpose, the Lumen’s motor fits right in.

One final note: the Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain offers plenty of range and crisp shifting. We rarely needed the lowest gear, but it’s there when you do encounter steeper climbs.

The Lumen’s frame is excellent. Its Carbon HMF construction keeps things light and confident—our size L test bike weighed just 41 lbs—and it’s available in four frame sizes for a solid fit. Geometry checks all the modern XC/trail boxes, with a 65.5° head tube and roughly 77° seat tube (depending on size). It climbs efficiently, carves through tight turns with precision, and feels playful when you want to pop off the trail.

The integrated suspension is another standout. It’s the kind of setup a casual observer might mistake for a hardtail, but the 130mm rear / 140mm front travel combo works beautifully. The RockShox Recon Gold fork and X-Fusion NUDE 5 shock offer enough adjustability to find your sweet spot, though they lean slightly firm rather than plush. A sag indicator on the suspension pivot removes the guesswork from setup.

Scott’s TwinLoc system adds even more control. With a handlebar lever, you can toggle between fully open suspension, a traction-control mode that shortens travel to 90mm, or a full lockout. It’s a clever system that maximizes pedaling efficiency and keeps the bike responsive across rolling terrain without diving too deep into its travel.

A couple of frame design choices come with tradeoffs. The integrated shock and adjustable headset routing make for a sleek, refined look, but they also complicate maintenance and part swaps. For shop-serviced riders, it’s a non-issue; for DIYers, it’s worth noting.

The wheels and tires are solid but leave room for upgrades. The Schwalbe Wicked Will tires roll fast on hardpack, with chunky shoulder lugs for grip, though they’re less at home on softer terrain. The stock wheels are a bit heavy—expected on the 920 base model—and a lighter set would noticeably improve agility. The Formula hubs have relatively low engagement, which isn’t a dealbreaker but feels more apparent on the Lumen’s modest power system. These are all serviceable components, but they’d be first in line for future upgrades.

The Shimano MT520 four-piston brakes deserve praise. XC e-bikes sometimes cut costs with two-piston setups, but Scott made the right call here—stopping power is consistent and confidence-inspiring.

A few elements come down to personal preference. The color scheme is tied to the spec level, limiting aesthetic options, and our testers were split on the grips and saddle comfort. Those details feel more restrictive at full price than they do at the discounted rates this outgoing model is seeing now. With the new-generation Lumen and TQ motor already on the scene, the 920 offers solid value—and with a few small upgrades, it can feel downright premium.

Overall this is a really competent trail bike. Good modern geo, lightweight build that’s snappy enough on the trails, All good things.

We liked a lot of the spec, and some things were serviceable, but worth considering upgrades. Suspension is on the firm and supportive side, but ovrall it’s nice. The brakes were nice 4-piston inclusions where some XC things bight just go for 2-piston ones. And the drivetrain works well.

Tires, wheels and hubs are sreviceable, maybe worth looking at upgrades. The Wicked wills held up well on our harderpack terrain, they’re not as good in softer things, even according to Schwalbe’s own website. And the wheels and hub are a bit slow. A higher engagement hub would be nice with the gentler motor power as it stood out a bit more than usual, and if you got lighter wheels you can shave the weight down even more to be more in the high 30s.

The Scott Lumen is a nimble ride that hardly lets the world know it’s electric—or even full suspension, for that matter. It’s a bike full of subtle, satisfying surprises.

Overall ride quality is excellent. This is a lively short-travel trail machine that handled our Utah desert terrain with ease. The TQ motor runs nearly silent, delivering a boost you can appreciate without robbing you of the workout—exactly the balance many XC riders are after.

Scott packed in several thoughtful components, from better-than-expected Shimano MT520 four-piston brakes to the versatile TwinLoc suspension system, which gives riders direct control over how the bike feels and responds on varying terrain.

Our test bike was the base model, so there are a few areas we’d look to upgrade over time. But with this being an outgoing generation, those upgrades are easier (and more affordable) than ever—or you can simply enjoy the solid stock build as is.

For XC riders looking for a little extra assistance, competitors searching for a smart training tool, or anyone who appreciates an e-bike that doesn’t drown out the sounds of nature, the Lumen delivers plenty of appeal.

Click below to find your nearest Scott dealer and experience it for yourself.

Happy Riding! Make sure to let us know if you have any questions or if you think we left anything out in this review of the Scott Lumen down in our comments section.