For those of us who live outside of continental Europe, cross country racing is perhaps a discipline we know little about. But thanks to the likes of Nino Schurter, arguably one of the fastest, certainly one of the most stylish riders and one of the few who can conquer the dizzying severity of today's XC race courses, this lycra-clad hurt locker of speed and endurance is coming to the fore. And with the Olympics this year in Rio di Janeiro, the only representation of mountain biking on what is the biggest stage of them all, the leading brands are going all out to give their athletes the best tools for the job.
Swiss super brand, Scott, are well known for their passion for cross-country racing and in a world where the lines between a trail bike and that of a pure-bred cross country bike are becoming increasingly blurred, they felt now was the perfect time to unleash their updated Spark and Scale range. Lenzerheide, Switzerland would play host to the launch and while its slopes may be more associated with the gravity race set, this picturesque location is loaded with trails to suit all tastes and indeed bikes, making it the perfect location for Scott to show off their 2017 speed machines...
| Cross country is getting more and more exciting and the bikes are getting a little bit closer to the bikes most people are riding around on in the woods, with dropper posts and wider bars. It's an exciting time to engage more riders into XC. - Joe Higgins, Chief of MTB Engineering, Scott Sports. |
Scott Spark 700 Plus TunedDetails
• Intended use: XC / trail riding
• Travel: 130mm front, 120mm rear
• 27.5+ wheels
• 110mm Boost front and 148mm Boost rear
• 66.9° head angle
• HMF carbon main frame, link and swingarm
• Fox 34 Float FIT4-3 forks
• Fox NUDE trunnion mounted shock
• Scott Twinloc TSP Suspension system
• SRAM XX1 Eagle transmission
• Internal cable routing
• Weight: 11.6kg / 25.5lb (Size M w/tubes)
• Sizes: S, M, L, XL
Okay, so this isn't necessarily what most of you would consider as a
cross country bike, but what Scott's new 700 Plus range proves, is that it doesn't take much to turn a thoroughbred XC race machine into a smile-inducing trail thrasher. And that's exactly what you have here. Combining the lightweight versatility of the Spark RC, Scott's engineers upped the travel, tweaked the geometry, added a shorter stem, wider bars and some plus-sized rubber for good measure.
The resulting bike has fun written all over it and with only 120-130mm travel, you won't feel like you're taking a gun to a knife fight; as, really, how many of us really need 140-160mm travel on our local trails? The 'plus' tires help tame even the wildest of terrain - don't take our word for it, go and try one - not to mention the crazy lightweight build and fun-loving geometry. Think all-day adventures and hitting the kind of terrain you would usually steer clear of with anything less than 150mm travel and you're pretty much at the Spark Plus. and what it represents. With five models in the Spark Plus range to choose from, plus a women's specific Contessa Spark Plus, Scott haven't skimped when it comes to a concise range of options to suit all riders and budgets.
Like all the bikes in the Spark lineup, the Spark Plus, Spark RC and the standard Spark, Scott's chief engineer, Joe Higgins, hit the drawing board to create a new suspension design that would not only deliver the desired attributes for the new Spar, while doing so in the lightest way possible.
Though the new Scale still maintains the single pivot design, it's moved away from the top-link design of past iterations and now employs a rocker link with a pivotless swingarm. The swingarm not only aids the design through a degree of flex, it's lack of bearings or hardware also helps to keep weight to a minimum.
The new suspension design was also intended to tackle much of the feedback gained from the old
Spark which suffered with, a lack of sensitivity and support - two elements which were at the top of the to-do list for the new Spark. What Joe and his team did, was to create a suspension kinematic that would achieve a more consistent leverage ratio. Dishing out more sensitivity at the start to handle small hits, support from the sag point to maintain a good position in corners and putting the power down and with enough progression at the end to help you when you need it.
| Construction processes have matured so we could easily save some weight compared to the old bikes. Something which is more specific to the Spark was that we could improve the kinematics as we had feedback that the old Spark wasn't as sensitive or as supportive as we wanted. Geometry was another factor, which has, on the whole, moved on in the last few years and we now have access to new materials that didn't even exist five years ago as well. - Joe Higgins |
| I think there's really going to be a renaissance in the amount of capable 120-130mm travel bikes. - Joe Higgins |
Developed in collaboration with Scott's XC team, their new integrated chainguide mounts directly to the frame via the main pivot. Adopting this interface, the engineers at Scott not only saved weight (the guide itself weighs a claimed 23 grams), but also removed any potential complications or additional components from the frame.
The
Syncros SL line was developed alongside the new Spark and Scale range, adding a degree of integration while upholding the same ethos of reducing weight while simultaneously increasing comfort and structural rigidity. The Spark 700 Plus Tuned (medium tested) came with an appropriately short 50mm FL1.5 stem and 760mm wide FL1.0 carbon bar with a 12mm rise and finished off with Syncros lock-on grips. The super lightweight XM1.0 saddle (10% lighter than the 2016 iteration) sports carbon rails, which have had their fibres orientated to increase comfort and control flex.
Love it, loathe it or simply don't understand it, Scott's three-position on-the-fly Twinloc suspension system is back for 2017. Through a unique partnership with Fox Suspension, the patented Twinloc system controls both the damping and the air volume in the mere milliseconds it takes to activate the lever.
The handlebar-mounted lever has been redesigned for 2017 and now sits under the handlebar, increasing its integration into the cockpit while making full use of today's 1x equipped bikes. Switching between 'descend' mode, 'traction' and fully locked-out, you can optimise performance based on your trailside circumstances. The latest Twinloc system is a far cry from those it superseded.
The
Trunnion mount isn't new, but it's a design which has been somewhat overlooked in recent years, that is until now. For Scott, adopting the Trunnion mount allowed them to use a metric shock and since the shock body extends between the mounting bolts, it frees up additional space to cram even more in. In this instance, this was an additional 7mm of shock stroke on a 165mm eye-to-eye shock, which coincidentally is the same size as that used on the old Spark.
| The Trunnion design gave us the opportunity to save some additional weight, but we mainly chose it for the structure. Suspension performance isn't really affected but it does represent a stiffer foundation for the shock and with a shorter linkage, as it's stiff at both ends. There's also a tiny bit of 'float' in the Trunnion mount to help with wear and tear as well, but it's less than a millimeter. - Joe Higgins |
The other significant advantage of the Trunnion mount is that you can design a very clean frame around it. In the case of the Spark, that meant removing unwanted and unnecessary bends and angles, which can compromise carbon fibres from achieving their full potential. The asymmetrical down tube and linkage give the shock 6mm of left-hand offset and some continuous structures and straight lines for the carbon fibres to do their job.
The carbon layup around the mounting areas is also superbly stiff, compromising of 15-layers of carbon fibre on either side of the trunnion mount. Each layer is around 0.2mm thick. While 3mm of thickness might not sound like much, the downtube is on average only 1mm thick, so the stiffness of this part of the bike is significant. The way in which the wall thickness varies between different areas of the frame is also a critical element that Joe and the team put a lot of thought and effort into. The goal? To deliver a more efficient structure.
Scott Spark RC 900 and 700 SLDetails
• Intended use: cross-country
• Travel: 100mm front and rear
• Wheels: 29" and 27.5" options
• 110mm Boost front and 148mm Boost rear
• 1x optimised frame design
• HMX-SL carbon main frame
• Fox 32 SC Float Factory Air forks
• Fox NUDE trunnion mounted shock
• Scott Twinloc TSP Suspension system
• Internal cable routing
• Frame weight: 1749g w/shock
• Complete weight: 9.9kg / 21.8lb (Size M) w/tubes
Away from the plus-sized tires and fun loving attitude of the Spark Plus reside the real speed machines of the Spark range, the Nino-inspired RC 900 SL (29" wheels) and 700 SL (27.5 wheels). These are accompanied by the RC Ultimate, RC World Cup, and RC Pro - all of which are available in either 29" or 27.5. On top of that, there are 10 more Sparks in the range and yeah, they too are all available in both wheel sizes. Add to that the five women's specific
Contessa Sparks, which are only available in 27.5, and you're looking at a lot of bikes and a lot of options. With that in mind, let's focus on the top of the range, all singing, and all dancing, RC 900. After all, we can all dream, right?
| We moved the main pivot up because it's optimised for a 1x transmission, giving us more anti-squat than the previous bikes. We stayed with the single pivot as it allows us to build the lightest possible suspension system. - Joe Higgins. |
| It's just like a tiny additional spring so it's like a couple of PSI in your shock and it saves us a lot of weight in the process. - Joe Higgins on the advantages of the Spark's new 3-piece pivotless swingarm. |
THREE PIECE SWINGARMThe Spark's new swingarm consists of three separately moulded parts and consists of a brake mount and the left and right sides. The old Spark swingarm was made up of 18 individual parts and weighed 130g more than the new one.
Saving weight here meant that it could be added elsewhere to boost stiffness, such as the BB shell. The new dropout design on the Spark takes this innovation one step further, thanks to a design integration with the 12mm thru-axle, further optimising weight, increasing stiffness and reducing the chance of the frame being damaged if the rear derailleur is damaged.
BRAKE MOUNTThanks to the simple tubular carbon construction and the lack of a pivot in the dropout, the seat stays flex freely as the suspension compresses. If the brake was mounted to the swingarm using a traditional mount or bracket, it would compromise flex.
The new mount anchors directly to the chainstay and the wheel axle thanks to an innovative adapter. The rearward-facing caliper bolt fixes to the chainstays, much like a regular mounting configuration, while the front bolt attaches to the adapter. The beauty of this design is that it is cleaner and lighter and doesn't inhibit the brake from doing its job as the swingarm flexes.
1X AND 2X OPTIMISEDScott have two Spark frames in their 2017 range, one with a removable 'High' direct mount front derailleur bracket and the other, a bespoke 1x offering. The latter gave the team behind the Spark the opportunity to engineer symmetrical chainstays and seat tube that would not only save weight but also boost stiffness in the process - these are found on the more race-orientated HMX-SL and HMX-RC frames.
The 2x optimised Spark frames, which are either made from HMX or HMF carbon, have also been designed with 1x in mind. If you choose to shed the front derailleur at a later date, the frame effortlessly turns into a more 1x-specific chassis.
TWO PIECE ROCKER LINKThe rocker link is made from two separate compression moulded carbon pieces (alloy on Spark with the HMF frames) to allow access to the unneeded material that would otherwise be hard to reach and remove in a single piece. Manufacturing them in this way, as opposed to injection moulding, also allows for a greater degree of carbon fibre placement and subsequently delivers increased control over the load levels, which are transmitted through the rocker.
Scott Scale RC 900Details
• Intended use: cross-country
• Travel: 100mm front
• Wheels: 29" and 27.5" options
• 110mm Boost front and 148mm Boost rear
• 1x optimised frame design
• HMX-SL carbon main frame
• Fox 32 SC Float Factory Air forks
• Scott Rideloc TSP Suspension system
• SRAM Eagle XX1 drivetrain
• Frame weight: 849g, size medium
• Complete weights: 900 SL - 8.6kg / 18.9lb w/tubes / 700 SL - 8.5kg / 18.7lb w/tubes
Revamped for 2017, Scott's premier XC race hardtail, the Scale RC, is back and packing a plethora of updates. The ready-to-race RC (Racing Concept) frame now weighs a featherweight 849g, which is no mean feat and sets a new benchmark for weight. To achieve this the engineers responsible for the Scale's development worked hand-in-hand with their opposite numbers working on the new Spark frame. No surprise, both bikes share a number of similarities.
With a grand total of 15 Scales in the range, all of which are available in either 27.5 or 29" wheel options, with three additional 'Plus' options and seven more in the Contessa range, Scott have lots of bikes to suit all manor of riders. At the top of the pile is, of course, the RC 900 SL. Manufactured using Scott's premium HMX-SL carbon, it saves 117g over their marginally cheaper HMX frame and 250g over their entry level carbon HMF frame. A key feature of the Scale, aside from its astonishingly low weight, is its shock damping system, which is designed to balance both comfort and stiffness.
| The biggest challenge encountered while developing the new Scale was the balancing act between strength and weight. - Dan Roberts, Bike Engineer, Scott Sports. |
The spindly seat stays and thin top tube work hand-in-hand with the wider downtube and chainstays to create two distinct zones. The 'comfort zone' extends from the dropouts to the end of the top tube, where it joins the head tube. The 'stiffness zone' follows the same path underneath, extending from the dropouts via the bottom bracket and up to the headtube.
The idea behind this new frame design was to deliver the rider with increased comfort, as well as stiffness where it matters most. The new Scale RC delivers both the traditional 'seated comfort' associated with carbon frames, but with 'stood comfort' factored in as well, to help reduce the volley of vibrations encountered on descents.
| The previous Scale was very stiff and while it delivered 'seated comfort' the feedback we had was that it was harsh when you were descending with too much feedback through the pedals. We've learned a lot about seated comfort from our road bikes, but the challenge with the new Spark was about 'stood comfort' and absorbing impacts while stood up and descending. Nowadays, if you release a really lightweight hardtail, that's cool, but if you can release something that's the lightest in the world and have added features like seated and stood comfort, then that's even better. - Dan Roberts |
| It's like a little Jack Russell... you can pull up on the bars and get it into the air and you can still race on it. It's a whole mess of fun in the woods. - Dan Roberts |
We'll have more on these insanely light bikes in the coming months, including prices (which aren't currently available) and comprehensive reviews of selected models.
MENTIONS: @SCOTT-Sports
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It seems to very much depend on where and how you are riding, for the moment I'm not selling my current bike to get Plus, but it's not impossible in the future.
I went into it setting my expectations pretty darn low, so in the end I wouldn't say it was awful--it was actually more fun than I expected. After riding the 27.5+ tires, I got it. This makes a ton of sense for a new rider that may not be as good at choosing their lines, or anyone that may not be as nimble atop their sled. The traction is amazing, and lets you lean the bike waaaay over when you want to. Still, after riding one I can safely say that the 27.5+ is not for me. If you could give your ride a shot of novocaine, and pop a few Xanax, that's what this tire size felt like to me... just slogging down the hill, ironing out all the wrinkles until everything was a nice sanitized shade of beige. Climbing was not the worst, but I cannot use any word even resembling 'fast' to describe it. Perhaps at the top of the carbon-o-meter (and price range) the weight to climbing relationship would be different.
I can say that I'm thankful that many of these newer frames will run a 27.5+ AND a 29r, having the choice is great. And hey man, I'm stoked for you and that you're having fun atop your new bike! New bike buzz is the best buzz!
It's another new standard
5 yeras old and still going strong. Great bike and lead all the other light , longer travel designs (enduro?)
I would ride the shit out of a 120 spark. It's gorgeous and Scott has amazing XC geometry.
@RoadRunner13: my thoughts exactly. I buy bikes for the type of riding I do every day, not because I have aspirations to hit DH tracks a few times a year. 120/130 makes the climbs fun, keeps my local trails exciting, and is capable enough to get me up/down *almost* anything, and have fun doing it. And if I'm going to a big mountain destination ride I can always rent/demo for a few days.
Spark gets overwhelmed and sketchy if you try to push on descents. 160mm is however way overkill for the trails I typically use the Spark for. So best option is to have both, but I'd take the 160 if I could only chose a single bike.
TL/DR - upside down shock to hide the cables
Have you ever considered killing yourself? Just a thought.
Yours truly,
A Mountain Biker
Please change "Scale" to "Spark" since that's the bike with the suspension.
As for Scott's marketing guru smoke and mirrors comments, give riders an efficient fast FS XC design that works great everywhere, and let the rider "save weight" by choosing a lighter fork, tire, saddle, pooping more, using 30ml less sealant. Saving weight was a goal so now it's an expensive single pivot with multiple shortcomings, puh-leeeze.
Remote lockout important even on DW Link bikes in racing though, hence why Absalon has it on his BMC. I've watched Giant Anthems (Maestro) go WOMP WOMP WOMP on out of saddle efforts, or bob when spinning up hill.
Even on HTs they still lock the fork when they can on climbs.
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Shame you didn't do the same with the race bikes...still too roadie (light but with roadie crap handling).
please tell me what I need
Seriously?
Endurance? Yes, but there's hardly enough speed.
The amount of flex needed on bikes with 100mm or less of travel for this style design is very very minimal not enough to cause premature destruction from riding, shit you can't even visually see it or feel it happen.
It's not just Kona and Scott going the route of a solid rear triangle single pivot design so maybe, just maybe the engineers who develop these suspension designs for major companies may know a little more than you and I when it comes to how much stress is actually happening at any given time through the suspensions travel.
Also, just a heads up for when you rant about how bad this design is with your buddies later....The flex for this system does not come from the rear triangle, it comes from the pivot area located on the seat stay. So if the Carbon was to fatigue as you stated it would break in the pivot area, the rear triangle will be fine. I mean, I don't mind hating on a particular design, we all get an opinion... just make sure your hate, is educated hate.