Sciu Mace 3 Explorer gravel bike test: Through the 7 mountains with Snow White

A matter of taste: white bikes - yes or no? During the first few laps in the blazing sunshine, the Sciu Mace Explorer makes a very classy impression. Even on people you meet. This eye-catching effect is further enhanced when the matt-white gravel bike has been thoroughly scrubbed through the dirt and the innocent bright paintwork has been given mud-coloured decorative elements by Mother Nature. First rating point therefore: The paintwork of our Snow White is quite susceptible to dirt, especially oily fingers should be avoided!

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But these are superficialities; what can the gravel bike from the Hamburg brand Sciu do on the gravel track? After the first tour, the "popometer" - i.e. the purely subjective impression - says it is comfortable, tracks well and is not incredibly fast for its weight of 8.6 kilos. But a friend did after getting to know the bike for the first time. You sit quite comfortably in terms of position. This is also confirmed by our laboratory value with an STR of 1.55. The directional stability, which, however, turns into tilting of the front wheel when standing or travelling very slowly, is confirmed by a steering angle of 70.5 degrees and a trail of 69 millimetres. The Sciu Mace Explorer is therefore difficult to stop once you get going.

Above all, the tyres fitted to our test bike Schwalbe G-One RStyres, which are mounted on Newmen rims with a 25 mm rim width of 46.5 mm, provide a lot of comfort, but also safety. It was not so easy to find the sweet spot between good rolling resistance and grip/damping. Either too hard and bumpy for gravel and forest or too soft for road sections. The tyre clearance in the frame is large, Sciu does not specify the maximum width, but tyres a good 10 mm wider would certainly be rideable, i.e. 55 mm or 2.1 inches.

Features of the Sciu Mace 3 Explorer

The equipment of the Sciu Mace is split into 2 lines and 3 levels: The Mace Race has a fork without bolt-on points and the G-One RS tyres, which we fitted. The Mace Explorer has 3 holes on both sides of the fork and Schwalbe G-One Bite Evo tyres. Both lines are subdivided into Mace 2, 5 and 7, which differ in terms of the drivetrain:

• Mace 3 Explorer: Sram Apex AXS XPLR
• Mace 5 Explorer: Sram GX Eagle AXS drivetrain + FORCE eTap AXS shift/brake unit
• Mace 7 Explorer: Sram XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain + RED eTap AXS shift/brake unit

We did our test laps with the 12-speed Sram Apex AXS, which did its job smoothly and precisely. The gear ratio was also sufficient for the hilly foothills of the Alps: 40 teeth at the front and a cassette with 10-44 teeth at the rear. For long climbs or a lot of weight from bikepacking bags, colleague Sandra Schuberth recommends a smaller chainring and, if it fits, a larger cassette.

The brakes are fitted with 160 mm discs, which performed as expected on our test Sciu and controlled the gravel bike. The brake line only emerges from the frame or fork just before the brakes, which contributes to the very clean look of the Sciu Mace. Above all, there are no cables (radio controls) or lines (completely internally routed) to be seen on the handlebars.

The 420 mm wide Ritchey handlebars and the 90 mm stem, together with the 72.5° seat angle, ensure a riding position that is not too hunched over but well positioned above the bottom bracket. Compared to the last gravel bike I tested, the Liteville 4-One but I missed the direct propulsion. Perhaps lighter wheels and tyres would improve the impression? The entire Laurad package with Newmen aluminium rims came to 3395 grams on our laboratory scales.

Otherwise, as described, the Sciu Mace Explorer has 3 eyelets on the fork, 2 pre-mounted Fidlock bottle cages and 2 further eyelets on the top tube. Screws for mudguards are also fitted to the frame and fork. This means that the gravel bike is also well equipped on the frame side for long tours. We also liked the extra-grippy and highly damping SQlab Gravel handlebar tape as standard equipment. On the other hand, the WTB saddle is rather so-so. There is no storage compartment, tools or other "extras".

From a technical point of view, the seat clamp is the only shortcoming in my eyes. Although the solution is very "aero" and visually it could hardly be more inconspicuous, if you pull the seat post completely out of the frame, the eccentric block falls into the frame! Ok, you don't often pull the post out - admittedly, but this can happen when transporting it in a smaller car, for example. Also, the bolt has to be tightened with a lot of torque (approx. 10 Nm) for carbon frames so that the seat post is really stable in the seat tube.

Conclusion on the Sciu Mace Explorer

The "popometer" was not deceptive, and our measurements from the laboratory also show that the Sciu Mace Explorer is a very directional, good-natured gravel bike on which the tester, at 1.72 m in size M, felt very comfortable. The riding position is not too sporty, allowing long tours without premature fatigue. If you find the right tyre pressure, the bike offers a good balance between comfort and propulsion. However, the impression remains that the relatively low weight is not fully reflected in the propulsion, which is probably due to the aluminium wheels. Carbon rims are only available on the top-of-the-range Mace 7 version.

The numerous screw-on points are practical for bikepacking. The supplied Fidlock bottle cages are great - if you already use the system; otherwise the old bottles that already populate the kitchen cupboard are useless.

As classy as the Sciu Mace 3 looks, it also rides smoothly and elegantly. It is just as much fun on an after-work ride as it is on a long tour with luggage. Thanks to the low weight of the bike, a little extra load is not even noticeable.

Facts and figures about the Sciu Mace 3 Explorer

• Weight of complete wheel: 8.6 kilos
• Frame sizes: S: <167 cm // M: 165-178 cm // L: 175-187 cm // XL: >188 cm

(the bike was tested in M, all lab values refer to this, here with *)

Geometry

• Seat/top/head tube: 419/550/141 millimetres*
• Stack/Reach/STR: 574/370 millimetres/1.55*
• Stack+/Reach+/STR+: 627/544 millimetres/1.52*
• Wheelbase/caster: 1,035/69 millimetres*
• Seat/steering angle: 72.5/70.5 degrees*
• Chain stays: 435 millimetres*

Equipment

• Headset: Sciu tapered headset (1.5" drop-in system)
• Fork: Sciu Gravel Carbon with mounting points
• Wheels: Newmen Evolution SL X.R.25 12x100 SP FADE R CL 28h (front complete, 1438 g*) // Newmen Evolution SL X.R.25 12x142 SP FADE R CL 28h XDR (rear complete, 1957 g*)
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-ONE Bite Evo, Super Ground, TLE, 45-622 B/B-SK HS487 ADDIX SpeedGrip 67EPI, Tan wall
• groupset: Sram Apex XPLR GROUP | 1X12
• Cranks: Sram Apex 1 DUB 172.5 mm, 40T DM without bottom bracket, DUB
• Bottom bracket: Sram DUB Pressfit Road
• Sprocket: Sram XG-1251 XPLR 10-44T, 12-speed
• Rear derailleur: Sram Apex XPLR AXS 12-speed, max. 44T
• Chain: Sram Apex 12-speed, incl. PowerLock
• Shifter: Sram Apex AXS eTap shift/brake unit hydraulic disc brake, flat mount
• Brake discs: Sram Paceline Rounded 160 mm, one-piece, centrelock
• Handlebars: Ritchey Comp Butano V2 drop handlebars (S/M 420 mm) (L/XL 440 mm)
• Stem: Sciu Carbon 90 mm WSC-012
• Handlebar tape: SQ Lab 714 Handlebar tape Gravel
• Saddle: WTB Volt Steel medium
• Seatpost: Sciu Carbon, 27.2 mm, 520 mm
• Bottle cage: Fidlock ready bottle cage, black, 2x per bike
• Price: 3599 euros (4499 euros with Force EXPLR circuit)

Equipment variants of the Sciu gravel bike Mace

Mace 5 Explorer: GX Eagle AXS drivetrain + FORCE eTap AXS shift/brake unit

Mace 7 Explorer: XX1 Eagle AXS drivetrain + RED eTap AXS shift/brake unit

Also Mace 3, 5 and 7 Race: fork without mounting points, Schwalbe G-One RS Evo, Super Race