Video: Scott Ransom vs Orbea Rallon - Which Lightweight Enduro Bike Is Best?

What's the ultimate do-it-all MTB? If you want a long-travel bike capable of taking on the toughest enduro courses and bike parks but still want something that climbs well enough to pedal all day, these bikes should be on your shortlist.

The 2024 Scott Ransom and Orbea Rallon are highly capable enduro bikes with 170 mm of suspension at each end, yet both are relatively lightweight and highly efficient on the climbs. But which is best?

The models we have for this test are unapologetically premium, but both have less expensive stablemates and either one is versatile enough to be the only mountain bike you need.

We have full reviews of the Orbea and Scott , but this article goes deep on how the two bikes compare.



Features and details


First, let’s take a look at the unique features of both bikes.

The Scott was completely redesigned earlier this year, and the main story is that Scott hid the shock inside the downtube to match their other bikes, using a six-bar suspension system to make that work. They got rid of any lockout on the fork, but it still has the Trac Loc system on the shock that firms it up for climbing with a remote on the handlebar.


The Orbea Rallon was subtly updated at the end of last year, becoming half a degree slacker and increasing rear wheel travel to 167 mm. One cool thing is that Orbea allows you to customise the paint and parts on their website - I specified a 35 mm rise handlebar, 40 mm stem and 230 mm dropper post.

Weighed as they came, the Orbea is very slightly lighter, but part of that is down to the tire spec - the Orbea came with EXO+ tires front and rear while the Ransom had a DoubleDown out back. With the same wheels and tires fitted the weight is almost identical.

The Scott is more expensive if you’re paying in dollars, but here in the UK, there’s not much in it. And while this is the top-tier Ransom, there is an even more expensive version of the Rallon which goes for $11,000 or £11,400. On the other hand, both bikes are available with less expensive build kits, but Orbea is probably offering better value at the lower end of the range. As for the models we have on test, neither could be described as good value and both fit into the money-no-object category.


Specs

Both have a full-carbon frame, Fox Factory suspension and alloy wheels. Both have moderately useful in-frame storage and the option to run a 27.5” rear wheel, although only Orbea will let you buy it with one.

The Scott has an adjustable headset offering 1.2 degrees of head angle adjustment, while the Orbea has a flip chip to adjust the angle of the whole front triangle by half a degree and the BB height by 7 mm. But if you go for a 27.5" rear wheel, the shock extender for a mullet setup only lets you run it in low mode.

The top-spec Ransom uses SRAM’s X0 Transmission gears and Code Ultimate brakes with 2 mm thick rotors that seem to improve consistency and bite. This second-tier Rallon makes do with Shimano's XT mechanical drivetrain which I have no problem with, but the Shimano XT brakes had a wondering bite point even after bleeding - I preferred the brakes on the Scott.

On the subject of spec it’s worth noting that Orbea allow you to choose either these EXO+ trail casing tires from Maxxis or the downhill versions. I’d much rather have their Double Down enduro casing. That's what you get on the rear of the Scott, albeit with an EXO+ on the front, but I think this is a good all-rounder setup for most people.


Climbing

Both of these bikes are very impressive when it comes to climbing and covering ground. I don’t mean they’re better than you’d think considering the travel - I mean they’re better than a lot of trail bikes. They’re lighter than many trail bikes and both manage to keep pedal bob in check well even with the shocks fully open.


The Scott has the Trac Loc lever under the bar. When you push it once it makes the air spring more progressive by reducing its volume. I barely notice the difference while climbing - the effect is more noticeable when you’re pushing into a berm or pumping. That can be for flow trails but I barely use it for climbing. Push it again though and it firms up the compression damping, which I do sometimes use for a long smooth climb, just because it’s so easy to use you might as well. Ad in a race situation, I could see that being a benefit for those mid-stage sprints. The Orbea has a climb switch too, but it’s harder to reach so it’s less useful.

With the shocks left open, both bikes pedal equally well.

The real difference is in the seat tube angle. With the saddle set to my pedalling height, I measured the Orbea’s effective seat angle at 76.4 (low) or 76.9 (high), while the Scott is 77.4 degrees. So even in the steeper setting, the Rallon puts your weight slightly further back than the Ransom.

I did some back-to-back tests comparing the Orbea’s high and low settings on a loop with a steep climb and descent, and the high setting was better for me. In the low setting, I feel too off the back - I can’t get the power down as easily or control the front end on the steepest uphill sections. Fortunately, the high setting isn’t too high for descending. In fact, the BB is still about 7 mm lower than the Scott’s, and the head angle is only slightly steeper. I preferred the high setting on the Orbea - it’s noticeably better for climbing and I wouldn’t say it’s any worse for descending.

But with the Scott, the seat angle is another half a degree steeper, and that’s what gives it the edge for me when it comes to climbing.


Descending

I got on well with the Ransom from the first ride. It's easy to use the external sag indicator to set the sag, though I did end up softening the spring pressures until I had around 33% sag. I also ran the compression damping fully open for the most part. This gives a nicely balanced suspension feel, with good suppleness and support deeper into the stroke. It feels settled on steep terrain and tracks the ground well enough, while still avoiding harsh bottom-outs on big landings. The extra sag also helps compensate for the BB which is a little on the high side, at least compared to the Orbea.

The Rallon had me scratching my head a bit more. The shock has more adjustments but I couldn’t get it to feel as supple as the Ransom. I then measured the usable travel of both bikes by compressing the suspension with a ratchet strap, and the Orbea was only giving me 159 mm at the point where the ratchet strap was maxed out. There may be a bit more travel available if bottomed out really hard, but when tested in the same way the Scott was giving me 172 mm of travel. This probably explains a lot of the difference in suspension feel, because, on paper, the kinematics are much the same. I think the Fox X2's bottom-out bumper is making it hard or impossible to use all the travel and making the suspension feel more restricted when compared to the Scott, which slightly over-delivers on travel by my measurements.

Geometry-wise, the bikes are remarkably similar. The main difference is the Rallon is a little bit lower (even in the high mode, which is what I used most often). But I never felt the Ransom was too high once I’d increased the sag to 33%. The ability to run the Rallon extra low is a potential advantage for riding especially steep trails with tight turns.

But while both bikes are solid descenders with well-judged geometry, the Ransom’s suspension is noticeably more forgiving on bigger hits thanks to the extra travel, and it's easier to set up too.


Verdict

To sum up, I’m thoroughly impressed with the versatility of both bikes. They both allow you to attack the toughest climbs and roughest descents without feeling compromised in either setting. But for me, the Scott Ransom is the better-performing bike both uphill or downhill.

The Ransom's hidden shock protects it from mud and grit, potentially reducing service requirements, but overall it's probably harder to live with thanks to its headset cable routing and two extra pivots,

So which would I buy with my own money? Well neither - I’d probably look at an entry-level Canyon Strive or Merida One-Sixty for half the price, but then I am the sort of person who buys own-brand baked beans. Money-no-object? The Ransom is the best all-rounder enduro bike I’ve tested so far.

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Reviews and Tech Videos Reviews Enduro Bikes Orbea Scott Orbea Rallon Scott Ransom