Nino Schurter's Custom Scott Spark RC- XC World Cup Round 1, Nove Mesto
The Scott Spark has become a workhorse--if you can call a switchblade of a race bike a "workhorse"--for years now. Scott, however, reworked the Spark in time for the Olympics in Rio (you can check out Matt Wragg's behind the scenes story here) with an eye towards modernizing the geometry and improving the bike's suspension. What you see here, however, is a completely custom Spark--Olympic gold medalist, Nino Schurter's Scott Spark RC, to be exact. PB Photographer Matthew DeLorme met up with Schurter and got the skinny on Nino's one-off ride.
The paint job was a present from the Scott factory to Schurter. A smattering of Nino's victories are emblazoned on his frame...you know, in case he needs a reminder of what he's doing at the races.
Mean and low. Schurter runs a Syncros negative rise stem to keep his bar height at a reasonable level, something that's not always easy to achieve on a 29er.
SRAM Level brakes handle braking duties. No tool-less reach-adjust or lever-throw adjusters here. Fiddling, naturally, is not an option.
Cross-country racing has grown more technical in recent years, but 160-millimeter rotors still get the job done on these descents.
If you can see beyond (or beneath) the pimp-style paintwork, you'll notice that Scott radically beefed up the bottom bracket/downtube junction of the Spark frame--adding an extra measure of stiffness to the mix.
A 38-tooth chainring...just another indicator that the owner of this bike isn't like the rest of us. It takes freaky levels of fitness to power that ring in a race.
Eagle up front, Eagle out back..yep, that's a lot of SRAM Eagle.
Scott didn't simply nip and tuck their race frame. They went to a whole new suspension design. The previous Spark utilized a shock mounted horizontally to the top tube. The latest Sparks sport a shock that is oriented vertically, in line with the seat tube. That's one of the reason's Scott beefed up this section of the Spark frame.
The custom details keep piling up. Schurter's Spark even gets a personalized, custom-stitched saddle
Let's see...carbon rails, a stiff base...oh, and Nino's name on the underside of the saddle. The underside too? Really? Who's going to ever see that? Oh, Matthew DeLorme will. And you, of course.
Even Schurter's DT Swiss wheels get the custom nod. Schurter is running rims with a 24-millimeter internal width. Maxxis' new Aspen 2.25s provide the dirt connection. The revised Aspen was developed in the run-up to last Summer/Fall prior to the Olympics.The tire's profile is now optimized for Nino's 24mm internal rims. Maxxis also revised the knob heights. Nino and most of Maxxis' XCO racers are using the brand's 170-TPI casing from Maxxis' road bike line, in this case, with EXO sidewall protection, to further reduce rolling resistance. 29x2.25 Aspens (albeit, with 120-TPI casings) are already out on the market for those of us who aren't riding bikes with our victories memorialized on the top tube.
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Other than the fork, that is one of the neatest sponsors layout on a bike I've ever seen!! The bike looks trick!!
Low key murdered out fox shock and all, any reason why he's not using the DT Swiss suspension package, or at the very least the R414 on the rear like previous years?
Take note of the bevel on the aircan where it meets the shock body, as well as the "lip" where the aircan seals meet the shaft. Rockshox may very well make a shock for that frame, but the bike pictured in this article is clearly equipped with a murdered fox shock.
I am sorry but that is definitely a murdered out Fox DPS Nude rear shock. I run DT Swiss ODL on my bike and the Fox DPS is very similar with 3 settings. I am sure Nino wanted the three settings still and Scott has a damper to drop into the Rockshox forks to have the 3 settings but Rockshox does not currently have a three setting rear shock unless that new Blackbox Deluxe that they are working on is 3 setting but the one in the picture is very clearly the Fox DPS Nude shock. @Zaff is right, you can see the lip of the Fox rear shock.
Prolly why the shock is devoid of any graphics.
If it were a RockShox, it'd have RS graphics all over it.
Begs to be asked, why ISN'T he running a RS?
I would probably run a 34 or 36 with eagle.
Yes, I gladly welcome such geometry in mainstream XC, across all manufactuers - it has a lot to offer for regular folks but little for world's elite racers, which is kind of the opposite what a 29" DH bike is. If i would be after XC racing bike I would go for Pole. Ultimate racing bike - I'd go for UNNO.
So it is the best XC racing bike from a company that sponsors top athletes in the sport, but not by far, there is no "by far" in XC racing bike design anymore. Sorry I am mentally wanking again.
Why do we still talk about 29ers like they are some anomaly that nobody can set up properly. They are the norm now and the bar height they have is the norm now. Get over it everybody.
Dear Maxxis: pretty please make 29x2.35 170tpi EXO Aspens optimized for 25-30mm i.d. rims for the general public!