The new Scott Spark: ignition spark of a revolution?- Scott Spark RC and 900 - News 2022

More travel and an integrated damper.Scott misses an update to the most successful MTB racefully in the world.Does the Spark redefine racing?

The Scott Spark is the most successful MTB racefully in the world.Under the wing of the SCOTT-SRAM-MTB team, it not only won various world championship titles and World Cup victories, but also two gold medals (men and women))) at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and even won the Cape Epic twice.

The engineers and product managers in the development department of Scott were facing a major challenge: How can you make the fastest mountain bike fully in the world even faster?The details such as geometry and frame weight already seemed exhausted at the old Scott Spark.The only chance to improve: a completely new concept that is one step ahead of the current requirements of racing.

Here is our video for the new Scott Spark RC 2022.

With 20 millimeters more travel, a hidden damper (and thus space for two bottle holders))) and an even more aggressive geometry, the Swiss want to defend the sporting supremacy of their Scott Spark in the future.There are also wider tires and as standard telescopic saddle supports in almost every model.Does the concept open or does the goal overlook?

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlchaharles Moreau is the engineer behind the new Scott Spark.With more travel and an integrated damper, he wants to revolutionize cross-country racing.

The facts about the new Scott Spark at a glance:

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlso looks the new Nino Schurter work equipment.The new Scott Spark RC has an integrated damper and 120 millimeter travel on fork and at the rear.With this bike, the Swiss will also start in Tokyo at the 2021 Olympics.Here we show the Olympic bike from Nino Schurter in detail.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlwie In the past, of course, there is still a Scott Spark without the model abbreviation RC.The bikes of the 900 series have the same framework as the Scott Spark RC, but differ significantly in the equipment.With a fork with 130 millimeters of travel, coarser tires and stronger brakes, trail and tour drivers are to be addressed.

The integration of the damper: more than an optical highlight

The fact that the new Spark will come with a damper hidden inside the seat tube has long been suspected of the scene insider.Already when Scott took over the majority at the small Swiss bike company Bold in 2019: At the core of the takeover, it is not about additional market shares, but a patent.Scott is one of the big players in the bicycle industry and as such it is important to build strategic advantages over the competition in the long term.The patent of Vincenz Droux (former owner of Bold))) for integrating the damper in the seat tube is exactly such a lead.Because while the majority of the racefullys are becoming more and more similar, the integration of the dam not only enables a completely independent look, but also the combination of constructive advantages.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlmit a transparent plastic frame shows Scott at the presentation in Leogang in detail how the damper is placed inside the frame.The original patent for the integration of the damper comes from Bold founder Vincenz Droux.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhldie Lower Dampering is located in the bottom bracket area of the main frame.The movement is transferred from the seat struts into the interior of the frame via a lever on the upper damper intake.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlder lever, which transfers the movement of the rear building into the interior of the frame, is composed of three parts and has an integration that ensures correct assembly.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhl over a large opening in the lower tube, the damper can be easily installed and adjusted.

For marathon racers and tourers, the opportunity to transport two bottles in the frame triangle is essential.Those who drive quickly for a long time have a lot of thirst.That is the reason why the dampers are under the top tube with the vast majority of racefullys.In addition to the classic position on the lower tube, there is also space to assemble a bottle holder.

But this classic racefully design also has disadvantages.In this way, the top tube must be reinforced for the damper absorption, which increases the weight of the frame.And the focus of the bike moves relatively far up with this design.This is not ideal for a safe driving experience in the field.These two constructive disadvantages were the reason why the old Scott Spark had a damper in front of the seat tube.Scott as a company, which is known for its lightweight construction, decided against a second bottle holder at the old Spark to produce a particularly light carbon frame and a bike with excellent driving properties.The success on the racetrack agreed with the engineers in their previous prioritization.

Cannondale

Cannondaleda's classic frame design with a damper assembled under the top tube is becoming more and more popular with racefullys, such as the Cannondale Scalpel.The reason for this is very simple: two drinking bottles fit into the frame.Scott solves the space problem for the second bottle holder more elegant and combines several constructive advantages.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlneben the position on the lower tube can also be assembled on the new Spark on the seat tube..At the old Scott Spark, this position was occupied by the damper.

With the possibility of integrating the damper in the seat tube, however.The design of the new Scott Spark brings all the advantages under one hat.So you can position two bottle holders in the frame triangle and the damper suspension sits close to the bottom bracket.Since this area of the frame is particularly stiffly constructed, you only need very little additional material to place the damper absorption there.So an excellent frame weight is possible.According to Scott, the new carbon frame of Spark 1870 grams in size M including dampers and all parts necessary for assembly (switching barrel, saddle clamp, etc..))).A value in which the competition will bite the teeth.In our racefully comparison test 2021, the Specialized Epic had 2081 grams (incl.. Dämpfer))) den leichtesten Rahmen.That's a good 200 grams more.A world when it comes to the top places on the World Cup podium.

Unlike the bikes from Bold, where the integrated damper has been used since 2015, Scott does not use a Horst-Link warehouse in the chain struts and instead relies on flexible seating struts.A solution that has established itself on most models in the area of MTB racefullys.

Scott

At Spark, Scottscott does without a Horst-Link warehouse in the chainstays and instead relies on flexible seating struts.

Another side effect of the integrated damper: inside the seat tube, it is protected from dust and dirt.Via the sealing lip of the damper, significantly less dirt gets into the lubrication oil of the damper, which should significantly stretch the service intervals in length.Because the advantages of the integrated damper are so outstanding, it can be assumed that Scott will also put his other fully platforms on this design after Spark.A seasoned company like Scott certainly cannot miss the chance of such a unique selling point in the bike industry.

Scott

Scottgut Protected from dirt, the damper sits in the new Scott Spark within the framework.

As part of the presentation of the new Scott Spark, Pascal Ducrotjedoch emphasized that the Bold brand - even if Scott uses the patent of the integrated damper - is continued independently.While Scott wants to take care of the majority of the market with his orientation, Bold is to address the boutique niche with individual custom structures.

"We are currently seeing no future for 100 millimeter fullys"

In addition to the frame design, Scott sets another exclamation mark with the new Spark.The Swiss breathe the bike on the front and rear 20 millimeters more travel as standard.In the future, Nino Schurter will turn his rounds on the World Cup routes with 120 millimeter travel under the butt."We are currently seeing no future for 100 millimeter racefullys," comments René Krattinger, top product manager at Scott this move.Most recently, the Scott Sram Racing Team already drove a suspension fork with 110 millimeter travel in the old Spark.The complete Spark platform now to move up to 120 millimeters of travel is only a consistent answer to the increased requirements from racing and from the market.Because the end consumers also recently demanded more travel.The market segment of the so-called Down Country bikes, also called sports tourers, has been flourishing for around two years.The technically more demanding racetracks and the desire to drive more and more single trails has meant that almost all major mountain bike manufacturers have a racefully model variant with a 120 mm fork in the range. Rockshox und Fox haben speziell für diesen Zweck in den vergangenen zwei Jahren 120er-Federgabeln entwickelt, die mit 34 (Fox))) bzw. 35 (Rockshox))) Millimeter dicken Standrohren deutlich verwindungssteifer sind als die auf absoluten Leichtbau getrimmten 100-Millimeter-Forken.In our suspension fork test in Bike 4/21, these 120 mm forks were so superior in their function that we came to the following conclusion conclusion:

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlrené Krattinger has been working at Scott for over 20 years and has significantly shaped the development of mountain bikes.The decision that the new Spark models will have 20 millimeters more travel in the future, he confidently represents at the presentation in Leogang.In the industry, Krattinger is known for his good instinct for new developments.Therefore, it is easy to imagine that many other manufacturers will also breathe more travel to their racefullys in the future.

In retrospect, you can delete the word "long-term" from the suspension fork test conclusion.At least at Scott, there will be no series fully with a classic 100 millimeter fork.Even if Trek has recently tried to drive the development in the opposite direction - less travel - we believe that most other manufacturers will follow the trend specified by Scott.120 millimeters of travel will establish itself as the new standard in the area of the race and marathon fullys and significantly increase the once point area of the competition bikes.Nino Schurter also confirms in the interview: “I see no disadvantage through the additional travel.“His professional bike weighs 10.5 kilos and, according to the ex-world champion, is the perfect bike to fight for the gold medal in Tokyo. Zusätzlich zum gesteigerten Federweg setzt das Technik-Ass Schurter außerdem auf die Kombination aus Felgen mit 30 Millimeter Maulweite und 2,4er-Maxxis-Reifen sowie eine Teleskopstütze (>> mehr Details zu Nino Schurters Racebike gibt's demnächst im Bikecheck))).These are equipment details that can also be found in Scott's series bikes and that normal bikers make driving easier in demanding terrain.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlda's new Scott Spark RC for the first time in the history of 120 millimeters of travel on fork and Heck.Nino Schurter will now also start in the WorldCup with 120 millimeter travel road.

System integration and new chain line

In addition to the integrated damper and the additional travel, the system integration of the trains is one of the most striking features of the new Spark.The trains for the damper lockout, the lowerable seat post and the circuit disappear in all Spark models in the tax rate and run completely within the framework.So no additional holes are necessary for traction in the area of the control tube, which reduces the complexity of the frame construction and thus also its weight.Für eine einfache Wartung (Tausch der Züge))) kann die große Öffnung am Unterrohr, die ohnehin für den Dämpfer notwendig ist, genutzt werden.Foam covers should prevent rattling inside the frame.To make maintenance for mechanics as easy as possible and with every brake or.To remain compatible with the circuit was decided against integrating the trains into the handlebar, as is the case with most modern racing bikes.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlwie The older Spark models also uses a handlebars of Syncros for many new Spark-Bikes.The trains are well hidden under the handlebar, but only disappear into the inside of the tax rate in the tax rate area.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlmit Kstoff covers on the stem, the look of the cockpit is extremely clean.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhln takes off the cover, it can be seen exactly where the trains disappear into the frame.Special plastic spacers are necessary for the integrated solution, and can be part of it for easier assembly of the brake line..

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhlvom tax rate runs the trains for the dampers, the telescopic support and the circuit directly into the lower tube.For the damper and the seat post, Scott uses extra thin outer shells with just 3.0 millimeters in diameter so that they are more flexible.A regular outer shell with a four millimeter outer diameter is still used for the circuit.

Scott

Scottofen handlebar you can see the drafts of the new Spark.

Another important characteristic, albeit at first glance: the new Spark frame has a chain line of 55 millimeters.Compared to the standard chain line, the chainring moves three millimeters to the outside, but the crank remains unchanged.As with the normal boost standard, the installation of the rear wheel remains at 148 millimeters.As a result, the chain runs somewhat weird on the largest sprocket in the cassette.But there is more installation space for a stiff and stable chain strut. Noch ist in der Branche kein klarer Trend zu erkennen, aber langfristig ist es denkbar, dass das Einbaumaß des Hinterrades etwas breiter wird (oder eventuell auf den bereits existierenden Super-Boost-Standard wechselt))), um die konstruktive Engstelle an der Kettenstrebe mit einer besseren Kettenline zu vereinen.Even though many manufacturers are now relying on screwed BSA step bearings due to the simpler maintenance, Scott remains loyal to the pressfit standard.For light carbon bikes, this standard combines the most advantages.

Ludwig Döhl

With the new chain line, Ludwig Döhldas chainring is said to be three millimeters further than usual, but with our test bike this was not yet the case.The climbing gear worked well during the first test drives, even if a certain incline run of the chain cannot be denied.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhldank of the new chain line remains more space for the tires and chainstays in the area of the bottom bracket.

Spark RC and Spark 900 now have the same framework

So far, the Scott Spark RC models and the bikes from the Scott Spark 900 series have different frames.The old RC models only had 100 millimeters of travel on the rear, which is why a separate 900 models have had their own frame with more travel..With the new Spark generation 2022, Scott moves away from this principle.There are still the model series trimmed for racing with the namesake RC.However, since this now has 120 millimeters at the factory, no extra frame is no longer required for the trail-oriented 900 models.With the Spark 900, however, a 130 millimeter long fork is installed and a damper with 25 percent more air volume.This should significantly increase the fun on demanding single trails and thus meet the requirements of trail and tour drivers.The identical frame is installed in all models of the Spark RC and Spark 900.Scott wants to meet the different requirements of trail bikers and racers alone with different equipment.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhldie Spark RC models and the models for trail bikers have the exact same framework.With dampers with different air volume and a longer fork, however, there is a different character of the bikes.

The new geometry

It is clear that a completely new mountain bike concept cannot be realized without new geometry.The old Scott Spark was known for its modern, aggressive geometry and shaped the market in its presentation in 2017.The trend towards the flatter steering angle and a longer reach have actually followed all manufacturers in the cross-country area.Although the old Scott Spark RC still has no outdated geometry under today's standards, Scott puts on again when it comes to steering angles and REACH.At 67.2 degrees, the steering angle becomes 1.5 degrees flatter.With a reach of 471 millimeters in size L, the bike grows almost 15 millimeters in length compared to the predecessor.The additional travel at the back also has the bottom bracket migrated by eleven millimeters higher than with the predecessor.The occasional setting up of the crank, which we sometimes criticized in the predecessor, should be eliminated with it.The bikes of the 900 series have a different geometry than the RC models thanks to the somewhat longer suspension fork.There is also the possibility to laugh down the steering angle by 0.6 degrees via an adjustable tax rate.

Scott

Scott over the tax rate shells you can adjust the steering angle.

The geometry data of the Scott Spark RC

Measure / size	S	M	L	XL
Steering angle	67.2 °	67.2 °	67.2 °	67.2 °
TROUT LOON (mm)))	90	90	105	115
Ober tube (horizontal / mm)))	562	590	614	642
Survory height (mm)))	758	765	776	799
Cancer lowering (mm)))	-45	-45	-45	-45
Cross -bearing height (mm)))	330	330	330	330
Wheelbase (mm)))	1129	1159	1190	1231
Seat pipe length (mm)))	415	440	490	540
Seat angle (mm)))	75.9 °	76.1 °	76.6 °	76.9 °
Chain strut length (mm)))	437.5	437.5	437.5	437.5
REACH (mm)))	411	441	471	501
Stack (mm)))	602.5	602.5	616	625
Priority length (mm)))	50	60	70	80

The geometry of the Scott Spark 900 models

Measure / size	S	M	L	XL
Steering angle	65.8 °	65.8 °	65.8 °	65.8 °
TROUT LOON (mm)))	90	90	105	115
Ober tube (horizontal / mm)))	561	589	613	641
Survory height (mm)))	759	767	778	801
Cancer lowering (mm)))	-43.5	-43.5	-43.5	-43.5
Cross -bearing height (mm)))	331.5	331.5	331.5	331.5
Wheelbase (mm)))	1145	1174	1205	1236
Seat pipe length (mm)))	415	440	490	540
Seat angle (mm)))	75.7 °	75.9 °	76.4 °	76.7 °
Chain strut length (mm)))	437.5	437.5	437.5	437.5
REACH (mm)))	410	440	470	500
Stack (mm)))	607.5	607.5	617.7	627
Priority length (mm)))	50	60	60	70

Make a good better: the new Twinloc lever

The Twinloc lever, with which you can block the complete chassis from the handlebar, is part of the brand image of Scott's MTB-Fullys and of course also used for the new Spark generation 2022.As usual, in addition to a full lockout, you also have the option of only reducing the travel in the rear.The general rear construction function of a fully is retained.The chassis is noticeably tightened and the bottom bracket moves slightly up.In numerous practical tests, this system has established itself as extremely functional and above all as a real added value for bikers.In order to implement this unique system, Scott has developed special nude dampers together with Rockshox, Fox and X-Fusion, which are only used at Scott. Die verschiedenen Einsatzbereiche (Trail und Race))) bekommen einen jeweils auf ihre speziellen Bedürfnisse abgestimmten Dämpfer, der jedoch laut Scott von jedem offiziellen Fahrwerks-Service-Center gewartet werden kann.Because almost every Spark model is equipped with a telescopic support, the operating lever on the handlebar was revised.The lever for the seat post is now a bit back behind the levers for the chassis.The ergonomics is so much better than with the old Twinloc version, in which the lever for the seat post was still integrated on the grip clamp.On a first test drive, the handling worked very intuitively after a short time.

Ludwig Döhl

Ludwig Döhldie upper two levers of the Twinloc system control dampers and suspension fork.The lower lever is responsible for lowering the seat post.

Diversity wins: Spark frame in 5 different quality levels

Neben den Highend-Rahmen mit den hochwertigsten Carbon-Fasern (HMX SL))) gibt es beim Spark 2022 noch zwei weitere Carbon-Rahmen (HMX und HMF))) und einen Hybrid-Rahmen mit Aluminium-Hinterbau und Carbon-Hauptrahmen.In addition there is the sparka aluminum variant.The large variety of frames comes about because Scott is represented in many international markets and covered price points for complete bikes from 2400 to almost 13,000 euros.All frames differ only in the frame material and thus of course also in the frame weight.Design and geometry remain identical in all price points. >> Eine Übersicht mit den spannendsten 2022er-Modellen des Scott Spark RC und Spark 900 finden Sie hier. <<

Frame execution	Weight in size M incl..Dampers (manufacturer's specification)))
Scott Spark HMX SL	1870 grams
Scott Spark HMX	1990 grams
Scott Spark HMF	2150 grams
Scott Spark Hybrid (aluminum background)))	2590 grams
Scott Spark Alloy	2990 grams

How does the new Scott Spark drive?

We had the opportunity to drive the new Scott Spark models during a press event in Leogang.Both the new Spark RC and the Spark 900 Tuned left a consistently positive impression.The new rear triangle works well and the new geometry makes a coherent impression.A detailed test report with driving impressions of various test drivers, weights determined in the bike test laboratory and we deliver rigidity in Bike 8/2021.The output is from 6.July at the kiosk or here as an online edition.

Daniel Geiger

Daniel Geigerwir were able to briefly drive both Scott Spark models at the presentation in Leogeneng.There is a detailed test report in Bike 8/21.

Daniel Geiger

From the model year 2022, Daniel Geigerdas Spark RC has 120 millimeters of travel.How does the Nino Schurter competition bike drive?

Bike conclusion to the new Scott Spark