Scott spark update#

When SCOTT changed the orientation of its rear shock on the Spark from beneath the toptube to against the seattube (in 2016), it was the result of research showing that location is more efficient.

Integration has been a key focus for SCOTT and nothing confirms this better than the new integrated rear shock.

Scott spark update#

SCOTT didn’t just update it’s highly successful Spark, it completely redesigned it to deliver the most advanced full-suspension mountain bike there is, taking integration, efficiency, performance and aesthetics to a level unmatched in mountain bike design. Paid partnership with SCOTT Sports Africa Here are 11 reasons a SCOTT Spark should be your next mountain bike. Not content to rest on its laurels, SCOTT has now moved the full-suspension mountain bike bar for innovation, design and technology even higher with the launch of its new Spark. Few brands can claim to have been as influential as SCOTT, especially in the highly dynamic mountain bike segment. These brands lead with new designs and fresh, cutting-edge technology. This isn’t a unique feature but it’s one that’s usually the preserve of longer-travel bikes.First-tier bicycle brands are brands that invest heavily in innovation. In a final detail, the shock mounts via a reversible ‘chip’ that can be flipped to adjust the angles and bottom bracket height. The chainstays do the bulk of the structural work, allowing the seatstays – which only have to drive the shock – to be slender, cutting weight and improving tyre clearance.īetween seatstays and shock is the 3D forged swing link, which is almost invisible at rest as it hugs the seat tube. Substantial chainstays now carry a post-mount rear brake inside the rear triangle, with the rear pivot moved back to clear it. In another neat detail, this a direct-mount unit that shares its mount with the swingarm pivot. More unusually, the seat tube is asymmetric, cranking to the left and taking on a square cross-section at the bottom to give as much contact with the bottom bracket shell as possible while still leaving room for the front mech. From the side the significant curve is obvious, although it’s sufficiently far down the tube as to not impede saddle dropping unduly. The seat tube is quite a piece of work too. There’s plenty going on with the top tube too, with both the shock mount, swing-link pivot and a small seat tube strut all hydroformed in. The down tube takes the direct route to the bottom bracket, with a hydroformed flare to boost weld area up front. There’s now a 44/50mm head tube that will take a tapered-steerer fork (although this model uses a straight one). The 2012 Spark has a similar layout to the old model, with a swing-link driven shock slung under the top tube, but this is an all-new frame.

Scott spark 60: scott spark 60 Steve Behrįrame & equipment: Lightweight frame gives scope for upgrades, adjustable angles add versatility It does come with a big handful of extra bar spaghetti, though. Generally we’re not big lockout users, but the system is so quick and easy that you find yourself using it just for the first few pedal strokes out of corners. There’s also the unique Twin Loc lever that acts on both shock and fork simultaneously. This is a taut and lively system rather than a plush and bottomless one – an arrangement that plays better with the raked-out geometry than you might expect.Īlthough the RockShox Recon fork uses a coil spring, the Spark feels well-balanced front to rear. It’s never been a super-plush setup, thanks largely to the DT Swiss air shock, so the added 10mm of travel at the bottom end isn’t an immediately obvious change. That adjustable shock mount gives you the option of easing yourself into it via the still fairly relaxed High position (68.7-degree head angle and an extra half inch of bottom bracket height).ĭespite a travel bump from last year’s bike, the feel of the Spark’s back end remains very similar. It’s quite different from most bikes in its class and takes a little getting used to. Combined with a 70mm stem on the Medium test bike, this delivers an almost mini-downhill-bike feel.Īt speed over rough ground the Spark is hugely confident, and sorted weight distribution means it’s happy at jogging pace on tighter trails too. Out of the box with the shock mount in the Low position, the Spark runs a 68-degree head angle – distinctly kicked out for a 120mm bike. The 2012 incarnation pretty much completes that transition, with Scott jumping firmly into the slack-and-low geometry camp. While the Spark started life as a cross-country race bike, it’s been gradually drifting trailwards over the years. Ride & handling: Kicked-out geometry makes for huge grins lively but controlled suspension feel