Scott takes cross-country racing seriously. They offer the Spark, their German-designed, dual-suspension racer, in nine models. Yes, nine. The entry-level Spark 60 sells for $1840, and the line continues up to the perfect-for-these-lean-times $12,420 Spark Limited. Our test bike, the
Spark RC, falls one notch beneath the Limited, but a full 42 percent below its asking price.
WHO IS THE SPARK MADE FOR?
The Sparks are made for cross-country racing. That’s the short answer. Inside the cross-country racing community, the Spark is more specifically designed to pry the racer away from the hardtail he is still clinging to.
WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?
The Spark RC frame is all carbon fiber. Scott leaves off the bi-directional (woven) top layer to save weight. The real strength of carbon composites comes from unidirectional cloth, which has all of its fibers oriented parallel to each other. Unidirectional cloth is layered in a complicated sequence that braces each section of the frame according to the way it encounters stress. Hold the Spark’s frame up to a strong light and you can make out this feature.
Scott USA molds the head, down and top tubes in one piece. Scott calls the process IMP (Integrated Molding Process) and this, along with the use of stronger carbon fiber material (dubbed HMX net), contributes greatly to the Spark’s light weight.
The swingarm is another IMP, one-piece molded part, and it even has carbon dropouts. The Spark’s rear-suspension rocks on sealed ball bearings. Scott warrants the frame for five years—even if you race it—and that’s an expression of confidence.
This Spark features an integrated seatpost like those found on many high-end road bikes. The integrated seatpost saves weight and is claimed to add lateral rigidity over standard seat tube and seatpost designs.
WHICH COMPONENTS STANDOUT?
The DT Swiss-made Scott Nude TC air shock offers three settings actuated by a remote TracLoc lever on the handlebar. You get LO (lockout), TC (traction control that limits rear wheel travel to 3.1 inches) and AT (all terrain). The Nude is mounted using ball joints, so it is not subjected to unwanted lateral stress.
The RockShox SID Team fork also gets the remote lockout treatment with the rider-tuned Floodgate feature. Sag gradients on the right stanchion tube make dialing in sag and setting the positive and negative air chambers a simple process. BlackBox Motion Control, a technology born in RockShox’s race department, controls damping.
Components from Schwalbe, Ritchey, the hardware, and even the torque etchings around key hardware, all point to this bike’s German heritage. Even the graphics give this bike a Euro feel.
HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
When you have the convenience of the Scott Nude TC air shock’s push-button, on-the-fly mode switch, you should take advantage of it. We set the sag at no less than 25 percent and trusted our left thumb to firm up the suspension when needed. The fork was also easy to get in unison with the rear suspension.
Moving out: The Spark RC feels amazing when accelerating. It jumps forward. It is light and offers more lateral rigidity than you’d ever expect from a sub-23-pound bike. We never used the shock’s AT setting for anything but descending, as it allows the rear end to become too active for pedal pounding. The left thumb works between the LO and TC mode, depending on the trail conditions.
Cornering: Precise, fast and fun is how the RC rider feels railing the tighter sections of a cross-country racecourse. The bike’s lightweight and rigidity allow the rider to rocket out of corners, in or out of the saddle. Again, best results came with the rear suspension locked out or in the short-travel mode.
Climbing: We were not overly impressed with the climbing ability of the last Spark we tested (the 24.6-pound, 2007 Spark 10), but this bike is 2.6 pounds lighter and features the integrated seat tube. One climb was all it took for the RC to win us over. We attacked most climbs in lockout mode and chose our lines carefully. Don’t expect the shock’s blow-off function while in lockout mode to enable the Spark to respond to roots or sharp-edged bumps. It is way too firm. Ride around the bumps or go to TC mode.
Descending: The Spark RC has a balanced feel if you take the time to correctly set the suspension. Open up the shock and fork for the descents. While the RC never feels like it is giving up four inches of rear wheel travel, it will smoke past a cross-country hardtail race bike. The cornering performance is here to back you up, too.
Braking: The brakes are awesome, but you have to use them wisely. Grab a handful and you have scrubbed too much speed. The Spark RC is a precision instrument, and its operator has to treat it that way to get the most performance out of it.
TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
The shock’s rebound dial is extremely hard to turn, and there are no detents to count, so dialing in the low-speed rebound is touch and go during the setup process.
A dedicated cross-country race bike that weighs 22 pounds doesn’t need a granny gear. If you are serious enough to drop eight grand on a bike that is good for only one purpose, you’d better be able to work a 2x9 drivetrain.
Wheels are held in the fork and frame with DT Swiss RWS clamps. A racer needs to practice wheel removal using this system, because it is not as fast as a conventional quick release unless you are really good at operating it. Do it at the top of a lung-busting climb after a hard effort to see how well you have it down.
We would experiment with running a smaller-diameter front disc rotor if it meant shaving a little more weight off this already featherweight racer. The 2x9 drivetrain suggestion, foam grips and going tubeless are other possible options for weight freaks.
BUYING ADVICE
The Spark RC is an obvious choice for cross-country racers who are ready to expand into dual suspension. The Spark’s traditional frame geometry and remote shock lockout are designed to make that transition seamless. The Spark is at its best with its suspension set tight, so riders looking for anything but a true cross-country race bike need to look at other Scott models. If cross-country racing is your only focus, though, the Spark RC is your crystal clear choice.
SPARK RC
Price $8625
Country of origin Taiwan
Weight 22 pounds
Hotline (800) 292-5874
Frame tested 17"
Bottom bracket height 13"
Chainstay length 16.5"
Top tube length 23.5"
Head tube angle 69.8°
Seat tube angle 73.5°
Standover height 30.5"
Wheelbase…43"
Suspension travel (front) 3.9"
Suspension travel (rear) 4.3"
Frame material Carbon fiber
Fork RockShox SID Team
Shock Scott Nude TC
Rims DT Swiss XR 4.20
Tires Schwalbe Rocket Ron (2.25")
Hubs DT Swiss 240 S
Brakes Avid Juicy Ultimate Carbon
Crankset Truvativ Noir
Handlebar Ritchie Carbon WCS (23" wide)
Shifters SRAM X.O
Rear derailleur SRAM X.O
Chainrings Truvativ (44/32/22)
Cassette Shimano (11-32)
Pedals Crankbrother Eggbeater SL