We also took a look at the geometry. The Swiss produce more besides bikes and attachments. That is the beauty of cycling. An all-day singletrack adventure with tons of climbing and fast descending, Two hours of chunder after work with a little climbing and some roughdescents, Editors Choice: Privateer 141 Mountain Bike, The Best Mountain Bike Accessories of 2022, Cannondales new Topstone Carbon is perfect for your summer plans even if they change, Redesigned Cannondale Topstone gets updated suspension, refined geometry, Pinarello launches new Grevil F gravel race bike ahead of Unbound Gravel. FOX 32 Float Rhythm Grip 3 3-Modes / Kabolt 15x110mm axle / 44mm offset / tapered steerer Reb. Still, that big contact patch saved me more than once in sharp corners at high speeds. Adj. We are proud to be the first manufacturer in the bike industry to meet their rigorous standards and hope that others will follow. Crested Butte, and its fair to say the bike felt capable on trails I would normally reserve for anenduro rig with 160mm of travel or more. And while the rear shock size and stroke is the same between the two bikes, the shocks used on the Spark 900 employ a higher volume air can to improve sensitivity and comfort. Its still rooted in cross-country, but with a slack 67.2-degree head tube angle, 438mm (17.2-inch) chain stays, and 327mm (12.9 inch) bottom bracket height, the Spark 900 Ultimate thoroughly blurs the line between XC and trail. Cranks / Powermeter: SRAM XX1 Eagle with Quarq Power Meter and SRAM DUB Bottom Bracket. Thisvalueformoney grafic gives you an idea how the specification of the bike is according to its pricelevel. Here is an explenation about how we rate bikes. We catalog and rate bikes on over 200 criteria. For all the specs, prices and details on the full range, read on. If you have any further questions you might find the answer in our FAQs. Scott is known for particularly lightweight carbon Fully bikes. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. As with the previous Spark, Scott has engineered the new model to produce two different bikes in one. With all that climbing prowess, I expected a somewhat jarring descent. In the high-end range Scott is particularly known for extremely lightweight mountain bikes with excellent geometry. It is worth taking a look. Whereas the Spark RC comes with fast-rolling Maxxis Rekon Race tyres and narrower 740mm wide bars, the Spark 900 gets chunkier Schwalbe Wicked Will tyres and wider 760mm bars. You can also see it in the great commitment to professional cycling. Please answer the series of questions below to find the right componentsfor your ride. The Twin-Loc lockout lever, with which the complete chassis can be locked from the handlebar, works bombastically and increases the driving pleasure on every tour.. We analysed over 1500 Bikes and work with the average-values of the entire market. Its not a necessary bit, especially for this bike, but Ive always found it nice to be able to lock out both front and rear suspension at once. Adj. Well good news folks, because the new Spark has finally arrived! I was comfortable and confident on all but the steepest and gnarliest sections. Attachment parts Scott sells under the Syncros brand. We want you to ride better bikes! Frame: Scott Spark RC Carbon with BB92 bottom bracket / Carbon SMC Link Carbon swingarm / SW dropouts for Boost 12x148mmTBC Trunnion Box Construction, Seatpost / Saddle: Magura Vyron wireless dropper and Syncros saddle. The shock also rides considerably higher, helping to steepen the effective seat tube angle for a more powerful and efficient climbing position. They offer every imaginable accessory and clothing item for cycling. Joining the current trend amongst full suspension XC bikes, the Spark will now accommodate two water bottles inside the front triangle. Please, It appears you're using an old version of Internet Explorer which is. Scott succeeded in packing both into a competition-ready bike. / Lockout / 120mm travel, FOX Float Custom EVOL Performace Trunnion 3 modes / Lockout-Trail-Descend DPS / Reb. You wont get a more objective statement about mountain bikes anywhere. YOU HAVE NO ADDITIONAL COSTS but you help us with every click to fulfill our mission. Im certain I would have lost some skin during my day out on the mountain had I been running narrower tires. I rode the Spark 700 Tuned Plus, with its 130mm of front travel and 120mm of rear travel, on the lift-service trails at Mt. With each side of the rocker link sitting quite far apart, there also appears to be masses of mud clearance too. This increases the driving fun on the trail enormously. In Val di Sole, he used a Scott Spark with 120 millimeters of travel and a telescopic post. Get the latest race news, results, commentary, and tech, delivered to your inbox. Theres more surface area, after all, which means youll need to input some more force on the bars to really lean the bike over. The Spark RC comes from the factory with the headset cups in the steep position, while the Spark 900 puts them in the slack position. Zack Vestal, Scotts U.S. bike marketing manager, says this design completely changes the suspension kinematics. You can read on for an overview of the specs and pricing for the full range below. We have been domestically producing bicycle components of the highest quality since 1976. We are the manufacturer, not just a design house, holistically locating all operations under one roof here in Portland, OR. Maintaining complete control over every aspect, we take pride in our disciplined approach to manufacturing, including: proactive social / environmental responsibility, rigorous quality control, and highly developed design and production protocols that create each and every component that leaves our facility., 2022, Chris King Precision Components So in addition to a complete lockout, theres also an intermediate stage in the chassis. The very top of the line Spark is a race-specific XC full-suspension bike with 100mm of travel front and rear. Our innovative rating system has three groundbreaking advantages over all other product tests you can find on the internet: Here we explain in detail how we rate bikes. Ultimately, the Spark 700 Tuned plus is a rowdy, fun bike that wants to show you how tough it is when it picks on guys twice its size. Pass on this one. At the end of the stroke, it goes a bit higher again to give the bike that bottomless feel., Thats possible in part because of the rocker link design, but also because rear shocks have simply become better, more sensitive to small bumps and more consistent through the stroke. In this mode, the air volume is actually restricted inside the rear shock to make it significantly more progressive, hence limiting the travel to 80mm. If you are interessted: We have a article that explains detailed how we rate bikes. But when I compare that feeling to other plus-size rigs Ive tried, most of which have more suspension travel, the Sparkcomes out feeling downright spritely. You dont need to be a World Cup Pro to enjoy the benefits of a bike worthy of the tops riders in the world. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. The stores often have additional information about availability or color and equipment options. At BIKE-TEST.COM we rate bikes as objectively as possible. Scotts developers always come up with unique solutions. In this grafic we show you how good the most important parts of the bike are. Our revolutionary data processing allows us to break down the complete experience of over 100,000 kilometers in the saddle to each individual bike. Scott didnt just update last years version of its XC-oriented full-suspension bike. Scott will certainly be heading in the same direction in the future. Like the other Sparks in the lineup, the rear suspension is pivotless and takes advantage of a wider bottom bracket area to up the power transfer. If you buy your bike in one of these online stores, we get a small compensation. While those 27.5+tires add heaps of traction, you do need to work a bit harder for it in corners. And going after the super-clean look, the cables are also routed stealthily through the upper headset, with a new Fraser iC SL XC one-piece carbon handlebar and stem to match on the high-end models. Thats why weve prepared an article for you that explains exactly who is behind this website and what our mission is. They are assembled all over the world. 97210 United States. Weve had the chance to test it out for the past few weeks, so if youre keen to know how it rides, check out our Scott Spark review. If the bar is yellow the specifictaion is better than the average level on the market. Wheelset: Rolf Alsea Carbon Mountain Bike Wheels. Pricing will start at $3,999 AUD for the Scott Spark 970, and will go all the way up to $15,999 AUD for the Scott Spark RC SL EVO AXS. All rights reserved. Theme by Safe As Milk. Chris King components we no longer makecan be foundin our Archive. It instead created an entire Spark quiver, from XC-inspired race bikes to more trail-friendly rides. Thats why weve prepared an article for you that explains exactly who is behind this website and what our mission is. And Scott quite rightly points out that it is the lightest option in that list with 120mm of rear travel. Well it looks pretty sweet for a start, and it helps to protect the shock from mud, rain and dust. That really goes to show just how how successful the Scott Spark has been both on and off the race track, no doubt due to its competitively low weight, progressive frame design, and clever TwinLoc suspension system. Theres high leverage that makes the Spark more sensitive in the early part of the shocks travel. Rock gardens galore and descents for days? Each bike brand has its own size structure. Theres also an alloy frame, and theres even a hybrid model that pairs a carbon mainframe to an alloy swingarm. No one else takes such a comprehensive look at a bike. The Spark now features 120mm of rear travel, which is delivered by an entirely new suspension platform. A removable hatch underneath the downtube allows you to access the shock to adjust the air pressure, rebound and compression damping, or to replace the lockout cable. Scott gives a 5-year warranty on its mountain bikes. This differs to the typical geometry flip chips youd normally find at one of the shock mounts, which also affect the bottom bracket height, reach and seat tube angle. Surprisingly, the new Scott Spark isnt lighter than its predecessor. Below is the Scott Spark RC 900 World Cup we use in the office for some of our MTB product testing for reviews. Join our colony to hear about events, new product, get exclusive discounts, and more! Learn more about the latest models from the Scott line-up at scott-sports.com. To make it as easy as possible for you, we have translated all manufacturer-specific designations into unisex sizes (S,M,L). The Scott Spark RC 900 World Cup needs no introduction. This system is built around a custom Nude rear shock (made by Fox, RockShox or X-Fusion, depending on the model), which along with the fork, is joined via a cable to a remote lever at the handlebar. By switching the cups around 180, its possible to slacken or steepen the head angle in isolation by 0.6. Scott Sports acquired Bold Cycles back in 2019, and since then theres been a whole lot of speculation around what that would mean for the two brands. This design echoes the silhouette of the full suspension bikes produced by Swiss brand Bold Cycles, which is no coincidence. Keen to know how it actually rides? C) Two hours of chunder after work with a little climbing and some roughdescents. But if getting to singletrack means climbing paved roads or dirt roads, dont discount TwinLoc out of hand. This might be your rig. Theres even ski equipment for the winter. That should stiffen the rear end, and it also eliminates several components from the overall structure, thereby reducing weight by up to 130 grams, according to Scott. But if you like our advice and we helped you find your dream bike, you can still help us. It also means the frame can be massively oversized around this downtube, seat tube and bottom bracket junction, and that bodes well for chassis rigidity. Its hard to believe that the current generation Scott Spark was launched all the way back in 2016, just in time for the Rio Olympics. B) The XC race course On the trails, this maximizes the riding fun. Portland Oregon Still, its peppy and quick, especially for a long 29er, and while theres a bit of that slow steering/long front end that plagues just about all bikes in this category, the Spark never felt unwieldy. This ushered in a trend reversal. If a bike has earned a BIKE-TEST.COM TIP, it has not only a particularly good equipment, but usually also an excellent geometry. It does look quite busy there with all those cables, but the new dropper lever placement offers a potentially more ergonomic solution. Thats not a sentence were used to typing out in a new bike launch story, but given how much chunkier and raked-out the new frame is, and the fact that it now has 120mm of rear wheel travel, it ought to make sense. Still, itll be a more involved process to change air volume spacers in the rear shock, and tracking down a creaky pivot looks like it could take a little longer too. Heres a look at how the claimed weight of the top-end Spark RC HMX SL frame stacks up against some of its competitors; As always, take those numbers with a grain of salt, as theyre claimed weights from the manufacturers themselves. These bikes use exactly the same chassis as the unisex bikes, albeit with womens specific touch points. If you cant get your hands on it, consumers will have the chance in the very near future, cost aside. We analysed over 1500 Bikes and work with the average-values of the entire market. Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro dItalia, Tour de France, Vuelta a Espaa, and everything in between when you All new Spark models get Boost spacing, which allows for shorter chain stays, which is particularly important on 29ers: Shorter chain stays generally equal quicker handling, and also allow the rider to center his weight over the rear wheel for more confident handling. The Swiss are among the most innovative designers of bikes in the world. Neither was common in cross country racing until then. Powered by Shopify. Helping to achieve the two-bikes-in-one trick, Scott has employed adjustable headset cups for tweaking the head angle independently to the rest of the frame. Its amazing how much the 29er platform has changed in just the last few seasons, and the Spark 900 Ultimate exemplifies much of what is going right with big wheels today. Join Outside+ to get complete access to exclusive content on VeloNews, a subscription to Peloton Magazine, training plans for road and gravel, and more. Nevertheless, we take a look at the geometry of each bike, completely detached from the recommendation of the manufacturer. Chain / Cassette: SRAM XX1 Eagle Rainbow 10-50 tooth. With the new Scott Spark, we finally have our answer. Theyre all of the highest quality and go well with the design. If youre struggling to spot where the shock is, thats because its actually hidden inside the frame. Scott has an extremely good dealer network. We understand that all those listed weights are for Medium-sized frames including the rear shock and hardware, but without a standardised set of scales and the frames physically in front of us, its impossible to verify them. As to how that compares to the competition? Damping wasnt sophisticated. It even bit well into dusty, dried-out marbles-on-concrete. Heading to Crested Butte, Colorado for the launch of Scotts revamped Spark line was sort of like that: Decide what kind of trails you want to ride, and choose your Spark. With it you can reduce or completely block the bikes suspension travel. We reviewed the specification of every bike. We treat every bike exactly the same, no matter which manufacturer it comes from. Pedaling bob was nearly non-existent; you could mistake this for an XC race bike. Additionally, Scott will be producing several womens specific models under the Contessa label. Almost every manufacturer has a size calculator for its bikes online. Not so on this Spark, with its surprisingly bottomless rear suspension feel, though I did have to dump some air pressure from the fork and from my tires to get the front feeling as plush as I wanted it. See our Scott Spark review for our verdict on this futuristic XC bike! join Outside+. Yes, TwinLoc crowds your handlebars a bit, and my test bike had the dropper post lever mounted on the right side of the bar, which took some getting used to. Why hide the shock inside the frame? But heres the nitty gritty: The frameweighs in at 1,779grams (Spark 900 RC SL, HMX-SL carbon) with shock, which makes the Spark RC the lightest XC race bike on the market, according to Scott. Scott says the shock placement also lowers the bikes centre of gravity, though were skeptical as to how much of a difference that actually makes. Perhaps the big tires that I ran around 17psi added more suspension, or maybe the geometry was just right for tackling steeps; either way, the Spark 700 was fun to huck, easy to roll down steep technical rock gardens, and fast digging into loamy corners. More importantly though, theres been an increase in travel. We are taking extensive precautions to protect our employees and follow CDC and state guidelines. With all the info we give you here about the bikes, youre probably wondering: are these guys credible at all? While each bike in the line has its own personality, they share a major change to the rear suspension: Its a rocker link design, and unlike previous Spark iterations, the rear shock is not mounted to the top tube. We calculate with statistical averages for the ratio of leg length and height. If Nino Shurter can ride it, then pretty much anyone else can. Now its time for you to choose your adventure. Click on each link to see my first ride thoughts. CRESTED BUTTE, Colorado (VN) Remember those choose your adventure books that let you change the story by making decisions at key plot moments? And the results were impressive. Despite that success, weve been anticipating a redesigned Spark for some time now, especially with all the new XC bikes that have been hitting the market over the past year. Quite the contrary: This is about as responsive as it gets with big wheels. That means the chain and seat stays flex to accommodate suspension movement; Scott added an isolated rear brake mount that allows the stays to flex with the suspension, as well as sandwich dropouts that sit between lobes of the frame tubing. money grafic gives you an idea how the specification of the bike is according to its pricelevel. We have a article that explains detailed how we rate bikes. I would confidently take this to my local trails, those with the 30-minute climb out of the parking lot Though I probably wouldnt throw down my fastest time. Along with the 10mm difference in fork travel, theres a greater difference between the two bikes; Scott says the process to flip those headset cups around is a simple process, despite the cables and rear brake hose routing through the upper headset bearing. We want to make our statements about the bikes as independently as possible. In addition, we also check the geometry of a bike and draw conclusions about how this bike rides. Follow us on our mission. This allows for better climbing. By clicking enter you are verifying that you are old enough to consume alcohol. This lever sits underneath the two suspension paddles, instead of the vertical placement on the old bike. Therefore, unlike most media, we are not financed by advertising. Most recently, they have integrated the damper into the Scott Spark bike frame. If you want to know exactly what size you need, you should read this blog post from us. Nino Schurter and Jenny Rissveds saw success on the Spark RC 900 at World Cup races in 2016, with Rissveds nabbing the top spot on the podium at Lenzerheide and Schurter doing the same in Albstadt. Scott bikes are not only absolutely stylish, but also always embody the limit of what is technically possible.