There's a confusing amount of variations of the Spark platform in Scott's catalog, including the purebred cross-country race whippet RC models, plus-sized monsters, and women-specific Sparks, but it's the standard Spark that's probably the most well-rounded in the family. The 29'' wheeled Spark 900 employs Scott's Twin Loc remote system that, with the help of a few extra cables, allows the rider to adjust the bike's travel between 85 and 120mm, or lock it out, all while simultaneously controlling the 120mm-travel Fox fork.
Spark 900 Details• Intended use: cross-country / trail
• Rear wheel travel: 85 - 120mm
• Wheel size: 29''
• Carbon front triangle, alloy rear
• Twin Loc fork/shock suspension control
• SRAM X01 Eagle 12spd drivetrain
• Weight: 27lb 1oz (size large)
• MSRP: $5,599.99 USD
•
www.scott-sports.com If you really feel the need to define the gray Scott, its travel and geometry numbers put the $5,599.99 USD Spark somewhere in an ambiguous middle ground that a lot of us call trail riding, AKA mountain biking. Sure, you could slip into your Lycra and test yourself on the 27lb 1oz Spark 900 at a cross-country race, but it also looks like the kinda rig that would make a good all-day steed. This versatility is further underlined by the bike's proper tires, dropper post, and wide-range Eagle drivetrain.
Frame DetailsThe Spark range received a complete redesign for 2017, going from the top tube-mounted shock and rocker link to what you see here, a bike with a vertically mounted shock and rocker that certainly looks more contemporary next to its predecessor. The redesign wasn't done solely for appearances, though, with the fresh model featuring new geometry that's longer up front, shorter out back, and slacker to boot. Scott also claims that the new frame is lighter than the old Spark.
The Spark 900's front triangle is carbon fiber, and it's a pretty sharp and clean looking thing despite all that's going on with it. Cable routing is internal and nearly invisible, with the suspension control line exiting the downtube directly below the trunion-mounted shock. There are no ISCG tabs, which is acceptable on a 120mm-travel bike, but the 900 does come stock with a tiny and very light guide that shares its mount with the main pivot hardware. There's also room for a large bottle inside the front triangle (that's the sole bottle mount location), which I always harp on about to the point of ad nauseam.
The back of the Spark 900 is aluminum, but it features the same lack of pivots at the dropout as the carbon rear end used on the higher-end models. This built-in flex design, which has been used for many years, required Scott to come up with a different brake mount that wouldn't prevent the flex-pivot from, er, flexing. The forward section of the brake mount bolts directly to the chainstay, while the 12mm wheel axle runs through the back of the mount, thereby keeping it from inhibiting the suspension action.
Suspension DesignThe Spark's suspension layout has changed drastically for 2017, but it's still a relatively simple looking single-pivot design that uses a rocker link to compress the now vertically-mounted Fox shock. The new design is said to offer more support, increased sensitivity, and a more consistent leverage ratio throughout the travel, all while being lighter than the previous version. ''Construction processes have matured so we could easily save some weight compared to the old bikes,'' Joe Higgins, Chief of MTB Engineering at Scott Sports, explained at the new bike's launch in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. ''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,'' he said of the old bike and how it defined the goals for the 2017 model.
Instead of a pivot at the axle, the alloy rear end is designed to flex at the dropout, an approach that's not specific to Scott but one that should yield a lighter package given the lack of bearings and pivot hardware.
The alloy seatstays drive a short link to deliver between 85mm and 120mm of suspension travel via a trunion-mounted, proprietary Fox Nude shock with three modes: Lockout, Traction Control (85mm), and Descend (120mm). This is controlled via the bike's Twin Loc dual-lever remote the adjusts both the damping and the air volume of the shock while simultaneously adjusting the compression damping of the 120mm-travel Fox 34 fork.
I'm generally not a big fan of remotes or different travel modes, but Scott's Twin Loc system does offer loads of tuning at the tip of your thumb for on-the-go adjustability, and I can see why that's going to make sense to some riders. And, aside from a bit of a rat's nest of cables in front of the handlebar, Scott has managed to do a relatively clean job in the design department thanks to the Spark's internal cable routing and combo dropper post/Twin Loc handlebar mount.
Specifications
Specifications
|
Release Date
|
2017 |
|
Price
|
$5599.99 |
|
Travel |
85 - 120mm |
|
Rear Shock |
Fox Nude Trunnion Scott custom |
|
Fork |
Fox 34 Float Performance Elite Air FIT4 |
|
Headset |
Syncros FL2.0 Drop in |
|
Cassette |
Sram X01 Eagle |
|
Crankarms |
Sram X1 |
|
Chainguide |
Scott Chainguide |
|
Bottom Bracket |
Sram GXP PF |
|
Rear Derailleur |
Sram X01 Eagle |
|
Chain |
Sram PCX01 Eagle |
|
Shifter Pods |
Sram X01 |
|
Handlebar |
Syncros FL1.5 T-Bar, 740mm |
|
Stem |
Syncros FL1.5 |
|
Grips |
Syncros Pro lock-on |
|
Brakes |
Shimano XT |
|
Wheelset |
Syncros XR2.0 CL |
|
Hubs |
Syncros XR2.0 CL |
|
Spokes |
DT Swiss Competition |
|
Rim |
Syncros XR2.0 |
|
Tires |
Maxxis Forekaster |
|
Seat |
Syncros XR1.5 |
|
Seatpost |
Fox Transfer |
|
ClimbingWith just 120mm of travel when left fully open, I expected a lot of the Spark 900 as far as climbing manners go, and it impressed in some areas but left me a bit perplexed in another. First, the good news, which is that the mostly gray Scott is an efficient little package that doesn't need the Twin Loc remote to feel sporty. The bike is like a two-wheeled pep rally when you're feeling energetic; no, it's not quite as lively feeling as a Ripley of the same travel, but it's only a hair's width behind in this department.
That's one of the reasons why a bike like the Spark is often chosen: because it's fast and nimble. Well, more on the nimble part later, but the Scott is fast, anyway.
Yes, pushing the Twin Loc remote one stop to switch to the firmer, 85mm-travel setting does make a difference, of course, but it's a silly thing to do when you're on singletrack - it seemed to matter little on proper trails, and I preferred the more forgiving but still sporty full-travel mode. Gravel roads, sure, but give me all the suspension when I'm doing my thing, please. The firmest setting, which requires a fair bit of lever throw at the remote, is a lot firmer but not a lockout.
While the Spark's efficiency is good enough to light a fire under anyone's ass (sorry, I had to), I didn't gel with the bike's handling on technical, tight, twisting climbs. A 120mm-travel trail bike should feel like you can weave through any and all vertical agility courses, but I struggled with steering that often felt a bit too calm for my liking.
Now, I know the 67.2-degree head angle isn't anything out of the norm these days for a bike like the new Spark, but the geometry as a whole didn't make life easier on climbs that are technical struggles, and I feel like a 120mm-travel trail bike needs to do exactly that. The Spark isn't a handful, mind you, and the Maxxis rubber and shorter rear end deliver loads of traction, but the handlebar requires a surprisingly heavy hand given the 900's travel and intentions. My butt also kept telling me that the bike's 73.8-degree seat angle felt slacker than that number, which isn't great for a guy like me who tends to stay planted in the saddle for the large majority of climbs.
| With cross-country-like efficiency but more relaxed trail bike handling, the Spark 900 isn't an out-and-out whiz on technical climbs. But what it does do is gobble up singletrack efficiently when its pilot is on the gas. If that sounds like it matches your needs, then you're in luck. |
DescendingThere are many different interpretations of the contemporary trail bike, but I think that most riders would agree that it has to let you get after it on the descents once the climbing is finished. If it doesn't, what's the point? Well, the Spark 900 is definitely one of those ''get after it'' kind of bikes that only gets better the harder you push, which is something that can't be said of some bikes in the same travel bracket. The ride is stable and surefooted at speed, with a riding position that feels like you're down in between the wheels rather than high up above them, and that's a virtual "you got this" when you're in the midst of high-speed moments on the trail.
A short-travel trail bike can be a surprising thing sometimes; with relatively small amounts of suspension, an exciting moment can quickly go south if you're not on top of things, but this never happened when I was on the Spark. The bike never felt like it was against me, and while the Scott could be a handful on truly steep and scary terrain (it is a 120mm-travel trail bike, after all), there's not much that I'd shy away from when riding the gray 900. Again, I have to give kudos to Maxxis and their new Forekaster tires that felt predictable and don't need to be within 2 or 3 psi of their ideal pressure to work well.
The price for that sure-footedness and stability is a ride that's not exactly playful; it'll do what you ask of it, but this isn't a bike that's eager for long manuals or to be cutting up and down the trail as you jump from line to line. The Spark is more about speed and covering ground than making the most out of that ground, and there's nothing wrong with that - a skilled rider will still be able to get the 900 into some interesting places on the trail, while a rider with less confidence will probably benefit from the Spark's stable, autopilot-like handling.
Great suspension should do its job nearly invisibly, and the Spark's rear end does pretty much exactly that. The Fox 34 fork required some volume spacers - that's rider and terrain-specific, of course - but never felt fussed as far as damping goes. The FIT4 damper is as dialed as it gets, so that's not really a surprise, and the fork is a good fit for how the Spark is meant to be ridden. The bike's rear end also went about its job quietly, although it's worth noting that the top of the stroke felt more supple than expected, which never hurts things. Besides that, I never felt like I was sitting too deep into the travel, and bottoming moments were a no fuss, no bang kind of thing.
| Don't buy the Spark 900 expecting a toy that loves to be thrown around like a BMX bike; it's not an agile, playful thing, even for a 29er. But what the Spark does do well is allow its pilot to let go of the binders and carry some serious speed. It's a bike that, while not being overly frisky, loves to pretend that it has an extra 30mm of suspension travel on both ends. |
Component Check• Twin Loc Remote: If you're a button-pusher, you'll love the Spark 900's cockpit; if you're not, you won't. The dual-lever Twin Loc remote works as intended, and it's relatively clean, but Scott and Fox tag teaming the remote to create a single unit limits setup options.
The three levers (including the Transfer post) all seem a bit cluttered when you're in the heat of battle on the trail, and the seatpost's trigger actually makes contact with the gray Twin Loc release lever. Extra cables aside, the packaging of the combination remote is clever, but the ergos aren't quite right.
• Maxxis Forekaster Tires: I had never used the Forekaster before getting on the Spark 900, but they ended up being surprisingly good performers, and a great choice on a bike like the Spark that is essentially a very capable cross-country machine. The 2.35'' Maxxis rubber felt extremely predictable, and especially well-suited to the seemingly never ending wet and loose conditions that have persisted for the last few months. With a tubeless setup and a 21/23 psi combo (I'm 160lbs), I had all the traction I could hope for and suffered from precisely zero flat tires.
• Fox Transfer Dropper Post: I don't care how heavy it was, the sometimes annoying rattle, or even the monstrous remote: Fox's old D.O.S.S. dropper post was a favorite of mine simply because it seemed indestructible during a time when everyone else's droppers were anything but. Its replacement, the Transfer, is lighter and simpler, but it's quickly earning the same reliable rep in my books for being trouble-free. And I don't just mean the one that came stock on the Spark 900; I mean every single Transfer that I've ever used.
• X01 Eagle Drivetrain: SRAM's 12-speed drivetrain feels like it shifts as quick as a dual-clutch transmission on a high-end sports car, and it also offers a 500% gear range that should be enough for any rider, regardless of abilities and fitness, just so long as they pick the appropriately sized chain ring. That's all fine and dandy, but I'm still going to bitch about the eight-tooth jump between the two largest cogs. The shift is actually fine and decently quick, but man, that eight-tooth difference is a cadence killer that has never felt right to my legs. I'd choose the standard X01 11-speed drivetrain if I had the choice, but maybe I'm too nitpicky - most other reviewers seem more than fine with it.
Pinkbike's Take | The Spark 900 is an interesting thing; it certainly has a bit of cross-country thoroughbred in it, but it's far more confidence inspiring at speed than any feathery race whippet could ever dream of being. And while it might not be a technical trail specialist, many riders will surely find the Scott's surefootedness to be well worth the tradeoff.— Mike Levy |
About the Reviewer Stats: Age: 36 • Height: 5'10” • Inseam: 33" • Weight: 165lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None • Instagram:
killed_by_death Mike Levy spent most of the 90s and early 2000s racing downhill bikes and building ill-considered jumps in the woods of British Columbia before realizing that bikes could also be pedaled for hours on end to get to some pretty cool places. These days he spends most of his time doing exactly that, preferring to ride test bikes way out in the local hills rather than any bike park. Over ten years as a professional mechanic before making the move to Pinkbike means that his enthusiasm for two wheels extends beyond simply riding on them, and his appreciation for all things technical is an attribute that meshes nicely with his role of Technical Editor at Pinkbike.
A spring made out Aluminum is a bad idea.
Carbon fiber, steel or Titanium yes.
But Aluminum?
Also a suspention will react better to small stuff if it has real pivots.
The old Spark wasnt sensitve or supportive enuf?
Increase the "support" and you will have even less sensitivity.
The stays are over simplified the suspension is overly complex.
BTW when did mountainbikers start screaming for internal cable routing?
Never .just more bs shoved in our face untill we think we need it.
Hey - if the warranty is good for 12 months, then buyer-beware, right?
Like steel alloy.
Maybe this is a message for PB bike reviewers - it might not be obvious to all of the product managers in a bike industry, but people want VALUE for their money these days, value and transparency. Can you include warranty info with bike reviews? Because its a major part of what you are paying for.
Oh my gawd engineering student is here too. Are you thorough in the... you know... are you thorugh in the... art? The science, have you mastered the science, I mean The Science!!! Have you performed the experiments? Do you know, I mean do-you-know the answers?
I shall step aside to the shadow of my ignorance now, and silent I shall remain... for the noble masters of metallurgy and alchemy have entered the rooms of this great council. Blessed we are indeed... let the wise speak!!!
As mentioned before, aluminium doesn't have a fatigue limit, that is to say there is no stress/strain small enough, where it will survive indefinitely. It will crack at some point. Carbon will as well if i'm not mistaken. Steel has a point where it will survive. Look up fatigue limit and woehler's curve to find out more about it.
This is also the reason you can have steel and titanium bikes "forever", but aluminium bikes tend to develop cracks when they get older, if they are used and abused enough.
Now flex swingarms are shit. Every sensible person with a basic knowledge of history of bike design knows that. Someone who heard of Yeti 575 or AsR. Put a pivot in there or GTFO. However all sorts of frames fail so I really don't know what is the point of elaborating this discussion in that manner.
On the internet you never know who the engineer is. Unless you know it's like, dunno, Dave Weagle. Then you listen to what the man has to say. Usually, but not always (i still find it dubious that the R3ACT suspension needs almost no damping, that just does not compute).
There have been many aerospace accidents due to fatigue in aluminium parts, in many cases also due to short flights these airplanes made, which meant a lot of pressurization cycles and take-offs and landings, which, of course, means loading cycles.
i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac131/spoeni/Other/6061.png~original
EDIT: this will be a better picture: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/S-N_curves.PNG
Of course i'm not saying that you can't dimension for high cycle amounts, MatWeb says the 5*10^8 fatigue limit for 7005 T6 is 150 MPa which is still quite high and that's half a billion cycles. Which is loads. My point is merely that, given the data i have (anyone can prove me otherwise, since i've never been completely 100 % certain in this) aluminium will at some break, no matter how small the loads are.
"The concept of endurance limit was introduced in 1870 by August Wöhler.[9] However, recent research suggests that endurance limits do not exist for metallic materials, that if enough stress cycles are performed, even the smallest stress will eventually produce fatigue failure.[5][10]"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_limit
But that doesn't mean other brands don't crack, i had the 2008 Commencal Meta 5.5, which notoriously cracked in the top tube-seat tube joint (thoughonly on S and M models if i'm not mistaken), which survived for 7 years under my ass (with a seat post extended over the minimum insertion mark) until it cracked on a weld on the swing arm. With a new swingarm it's now ridden by a friend.
Intense's 951s rear swingarms were another failure in design (there was a 90° edge on the bottom yoke around the rear tire, where the pivot mount was extruded, and that edge just got opened - a stress riser by design).
Etc.
These things are definitely a YMMV type of thing, but some brands still err a bit more towards he side of increased cracking or no problems. But there ar eno brands where none of the frames crack or all of the frames crack.
All materials suffer from notch failure steel being the most resistant.
All materials that need to be very stiff strong and light will have a failure point .
Aluminum frames are going through huge amounts of flex and stress.
But making an aluminum tube into a pivot junction would create much higher levels of stress.
Thus the Aluminum would have to be thicker.
My point is :
Here is a bike with a carbon fiber front triangle.
You can use individual layers to orient the way the stress is carried in the tubes.
You could perfecly shape the stays to handle the extra loads .
BTW Waki as a stone mason i work with structural engineers. They are human .They make mistakes.
Some good reading on fatigue provided by ASME:
www.asminternational.org/documents/10192/1849770/05224G_Chapter14.pdf
As for the Scott, i too was MAJORLY surprised that they made a carbon front end and an aluminium rear end and not the other way around with this design.
@shredteds: my point was that there is no stress, where aluminium would survive 'indefinitely'. There appears to be that limit for steel.
Of course it survives a billion cycles, it will survive 2 billion or 10 billion cycles. But the stress to achieve that is lower every time. Which is not true for steel.
But thanks for the article, will read it.
Good thread though.
On another note I just got my 900 ultimate and it is amazing. the extra 20mm of travel and fox 34's make it ride so nicely. I love it
@davidccoleman - yes lots of frames crack around there, with pivot around the drop out and without it. Spesh was a master at it and no wonder - They used to have a 5mm thin(ck) plate between lower pivot bearing and the chainstay, The weld was short and the plate was concentrating lots of stress in weld area. Majority of failures of SX trails were in that spot. So there is no case to make that sparks flex stay has impact of any signinficance on failure rate. There is no case here.
How you ride the bike.
That coke can hard tail ridden by someone with limited skills will kill the frame with chunky riding.
Go big but ride smooth and the frame will see much less stress.
Then you have people that love to catch air but land on the reaf wheel with the wheel on an angle. Tweek the bar and kick your feet out a bit when you jump and wou will land the rear wheel with huge amounts of side loading.
I dont think bike testing machines simmulate this type of load on a frame.
I have seen quite talented riders that land ugly when they jump.
Also i own that spesh frame that is notoriously famous for cracking at the weld near the pivot on the disk brake side.
Yet some how my frame has survived two years of constant free riding enduro whatever.
The frame is that one off silicone matrix stuff . its basically 7000 series tubing. Which cant be heat treated after its welded.
So the weld can become the weak point.
Who knows if the weders always got the amperage correct to get proper penetration of the weld.
Maybe some welders got it right and some did not.
The quality controll on bikes is quite bad.
QC cost money. You have to hire skilled people and purchase or build expensive testing equipment.
There are many factors that can cause one to unfortunately own a defective bike part.
For me it boils down to feed back from people who have used the part or bike in question.
Then there is the warranty. Will the manufacturers back the product they sell.
I've seen bikes of all different kinds of suspension kinematics that end up breaking. There's a lot of different variables that has to be considered for every frame that breaks.
The geometry and suspension is so similar to the one Nino rode to victory in the Olympics. Sure he's in shape and he'sexcellent when it comes to handling his bike but the bike does play a certain role in contributing to his victories.
All in all the Scott Spark is proven to be a fast and incredible bike for its intended use: XC/TRAIL.
Good to hear that the Forekaster is a worthy alternative!
I'm not convinced about the neg view on the ardent....I got some as standard on a honzo, a 2.4F / 2.25R....I though I would have to change them but they seem to do all I ask even when pushing the limits....
@vernonfelton seems to like them
www.bikemag.com/gear/tested-maxxis-ardent-2-4-x-29/#FpAq1wdCf8Sbj2Dp.97
In terms of a neg review, I'm convinced, unfortunately. I came over the tiniest of rollers on a downward slope... couldn't have been in the air more than 6 inches and went from on the bike to on my back in the blink of an eye. That was my *last* let down by that tire (on a steel Honzo, coincidentally). If I was absolutely forced to give the Ardent some praise it would be in agreement with @joebunn -- as a rear tire (in the right conditions) it's an ok tire.
But putting the Ardent aside for a moment, has anyone had time atop its cousin, the Ardent Race? I've noticed that the side lugs on that version are more continuous instead of alternating...and that would alleviate about 90% of the issues I have with the original Ardent. Curious to see how that one rides..
@gooutsidetoday
: its dry here (at the moment) and tbh the places I use it are predominately rock/hard pack and not mud. I did buy an ardent race for my Capra as I was impressed with the tread pattern, but sold the bike before I could use it, largely because it was so muddy at the time!
I need to buy some proper tubeless tyres for my honzo so maybe I wil pop an ardent race on.
The 2.4 ardent has quite a different shape compared to the 2.25" imo and that's on measly 23mm ID. Would you use a forecaster both ends?
you got a bit of redundancy going on with the latin lingo there. the "ad" in "ad nauseam" translates roughly to "to the point of", so you could just go with: "...harp on about ad nauseam." or: "...harp on about to the point of nauseam." i think...
think i'll leave dork mode on, feels kinda cool...
"...
Point being, some of these 100mm rear travel bikes are super-capable, and with a longer fork (the Hei Hei in particular has a really steep STA so it's actually better with the 120mm fork, from personal experience) are really good trail bikes that pedal and climb excellently.
The categories are being blurred, and it's a great thing. I raced a Ripley LS at Stage Race and hit the podium; raced it in a pro XC race 2 days ago and the same. Light trail bikes and capable XC rigs are very similar now in weight, pedaling ability, and handling.
1. Twin loc (which is supposed to control the front fork as well)
2. Fox dropper
3.??????
1. Dropper Post,
2. Engage Twinloc
3. Release Twinloc
1.Install more levers
2.?
3.Happyness
And if you don't like that jump, what about the massive 37-46 (24%) that Shimano gives you on the 11-46?
Going from 42 to 50 cog is a 15% jump. Most other jumps are 13%.
Why is the lack of such tabs even worth mentioning ? Its a 29er XC bike with a clutched derailleur and narrow-wide chainring.... it doesn't need a chain guide.