I could not agree more. I am happy that the days of websites plastered all over the side of everything is gone as well as the company logo on every inch of the bike.
I own one its such a joy go ride!! It climbs by it itself and downhill is a thrill. Im no expert when it comes to mtb but its a huge upgrade from my last one
Awesome review. Think im going with a Spark 970 in orange. The twin lock is definitely the big selling point for me. Love the idea of multiple bikes in one platform.
That is a sweet looking bike! I've been curious about this model for a while and it's really good to see an objective review done on it with a real bike and not just a demo from scott. Well done sir!
I own the Spark 950. I’m an intermediate MTB rider ( Total of 100km / 1200m climb per week, jeep and single track mixture ) and this bike is amazing to ride.
I bought the 910 a month back and my findings are pretty much the same as you found but my pet peeve was that the stem does not allow riser bars and the stem cover keeps falling off. That is without prying it open. Lastly a lighter wheelset would be nice at $8000 aud.
My only complaint with this bike is getting the parts. I made a point of getting one of these as soon as they hit the show floors, but the special pieces aren’t coming to NZ until April. From there on out though this thing is kinda awesome.
Yes, I was intrigued by the internal rear shock design with Bold; however, the price was too far up there and exclusive to consider. With Scott buying their design (which I applaud), having a bigger scale should improve on that. Others have been less impressed with the rear suspension design when compared to DW-link, Yeti's Infinity and Santa Cruz's VP. Reviewer's have said they pedal better with less bob and ride smoother over the rough. Every bike review I've seen on this Scott has said the rear suspension needs the lockout (on/off) to get the most efficiency out of it. (Nino really utilizes it and has become second nature to him.) I'm like you and probably many others; I don't like the complicated lever/bar setup. Hopefully, Scott can fine tune the suspension kinematics where it's not dependent on the using the lockout going forward, leading to a simpler/cleaner design. Maybe as electronic drivetrains become cheaper, that will be the solution. However, like with Bold, the overall look is truly a beautiful bike minus all the front-end cables.
Great input here David! I really appreciate it. I have found that I do like the lockouts if the bike does not have a ton of Anti-squat. I like the suspension to be very open and plush when I have it open and then when I want it super firm, I can lock it out. Not many companies make bikes with lower anti-squat bc most people do not like to use the lockout levers. So for me, it depends on the anti-squat of the bike if I want a lockout or not. All in all, just ride the thing! lol.
@@BlackWaterCyclist Great point. You'd probably get used to the lockout fairly quickly. Also, the new Bold Cycles Linkin is truly stunning, too. One bike I wish a manufacturer would reintroduce is the Maverick American. I believe going to 29er, modern geo and 1x setup combined with other tech improvements would make for an incredible riding bike. It's been the best riding, bob-free suspension design (especially climbing) I've experienced.
Just picked up a new '22 Spark 960 for a screaming deal. Gonna be an interesting change, my current mt bike is a '98 Santa Cruz Heckler. At least the rear suspension is both single pivot based, but otherwise, geez... this is gonna be interesting.
I've ridden about 1500 miles on my 920 and I find that I'm in the "firm" (half travel?) setting quite a lot riding cross country in and out of short climbs. I often just leave it there and it's fine for downhills as well. It's big fast and/or big technical sections that I make sure to open it up for full suspension. I don't think the hidden shock is "necessary" but I do find cleaning my bike is easier. My one complaint is it seems to have a lower bottom bracket than my last bike and I've gotten much more picky about log overs - can't roll 'em like I used to...
Black water - Im pretty sure we're less than a few miles from each other. Ridings styles, do you like a full suspension vs a hard tail for riding here? Im torn.
Would be interesting to know if the shock being protected in any way prolongs service intervals. Personally I don't want to have to invert my bike to change my settings as sometimes I'll adjust my rebound mid ride. Nor do I want lock out switches/remotes. Just leave the suspension open all the time and pedal faster!
Yeah if you like to mess with your rebound during the ride, this would be a major headache. If you are more of a set and forget rider than this is perfect.
Nice video !! Excuse me How tall are you ? In the video you said that you would like it more in size XL … I want to get my spark 2023 , but don’t know if it’s better to get the XL or L .. because I’m 186cm (limit of L size) , 89 cm leg .. your answer is going to be very helpful . Thanks !!
He said he is 6′ 1″ = 185 cm. I'm 183 cm and I took XL. It was a big dilemma, all tables, numbers (reach, stack, RAD, etc...) and most recommendations (always size down) were for L, but I had better feeling on XL vs. L. Just on the parking lot in front of the shop (professional bike fit LOL 🤣). Would be nice to have a test ride L vs XL on the trail, but I wasn't so lucky. Anyway it's all about personal preferences. Larger bike is super stable and regarding the playfullness...I think really playfull bike was my old 26er, not new 29er 😀. But that's different story...
The Performance fork felt amazing. I have used all the different model Fox 34 forks and as far as performance, it would be hard pressed to tell a difference blind folded.
I cannot agree with you more. I really want to test both of those bikes but especially the Spur. I may have to be on the lookout for the Izzo for a proper test. Thanks for the feedback.
I’m currently ride a hardtail XC bike with 100m of travel upfront. Been seriously considering one of these as my first jump into full sus bikes. As someone who enjoys all day epic type rides, would you say this would be a sensible choice or would I be better off going for one of the RC versions? I’m torn!
I just bought the Spark 950 as my first full suspension bike and it’s a revelation. Such a nice bike to ride and the best part is I can remain seated over bumpy stuff without the fear of being bounced off the bike.
@@matthoyle2344 Thanks for the feedback. The 950 weighs around 15kg doesn’t it? How are you finding that? My current hardtail is around 12kg, so not super light, but I’m hesitant to go heavier with a full-suss. And how about the lever setup with the lockout and dropper switch? I’ve heard it’s quite easy to hit the wrong thing. How are you finding it?
@@Mowgliy2k Yeah I think it’s listed as 14.5kg. My previous bike which I only had for a few months was a Trek Roscoe 8 that was listed as 14.6kg, but it had 2.8+ tires which I found heavy as well as the bike feeling heavy compared to my old 26inch hard tail, although I’m only getting back into cycling, so not fit yet which accounts for some of the heavy feeling. I think if you want something light you’d need to go for the more expensive carbon Spark, but for an alloy full suspension bike it’s a very reasonable weight. I like the 3 position remote suspension. Fully locked out or in the middle setting it’s great on the road and fully open it’s another league to a hard tail when going down bumpy stuff. The 3 levers are nicely made and easy to use. The lower one is the dropper post, the middle one is Half a push in for medium setting and fully pushed for locked out and the spring loaded top lever with a light press will shift from locked out to medium(2nd press for open)or a firm press from locked out to fully open suspension.
I’m debating the same, Spark 970, really like the Trulock system, if it came stock with tubeless tires I’d be sold, just have to factor in cost of swapping out tires.
Yeah you can actually upgrade the shock, I believe the shock is a 165x40 trunnion mount which is a very common size now. Obviously a shock with a piggy back reservoir will not fit. Good question!
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I prefer the slacked head tube angle of the Anthem up front which I had at 66 degrees since I was running the 120mm fork on it. If I could have swapped the cups on the Spark, I think I would have been in hog heaven. The rear of the Scott is unmatched in stiffness so I prefer that lateral stiffness of the Spark. The newer Anthem is going to be Single Pivot with a lot more material around the BB area so it will be interesting to see how the new Anthem performs as far as stiffness.
@@BlackWaterCyclist have you ridden a Norco Revolver 120? Wondering how it would compare to the Scott? I went from an Anthem 100/90 to 120 revolver, I don’t feel any efficiency loss, race times are faster.
@@rowanRobaggs That Revolver looks amazing! I love the geo numbers on it and I believe you. I would love to test one of those and may try to find one to test. I actually raced a Salsa Horsethief with 120mm in the rear and front and it was just as fast if not faster than other XC oriented bikes just bc I felt fresher after the descents and rough sections.
It depends on who you talk to. In my opinion it is an XC bike that becomes more of a trail bike with the switch of a button. With 120mm rear travel and 130mm front, it is right there in the realm of a light trail bike.
I will actually do an unboxing and weight comparison soon as well as a review but just give ya a quick update, it is a bit heavier than the lightest cranks out there from Sram, about 160 grams heavier than the Sram XX1 Dub with the Quarq Spider. As far as the power reading, it has been spot on with no spikes or anything crazy which is the same experience GP Lama had with his unit for the road. I really like it and may get one for the gravel bike as well.
Yes I would definitely say it can hang with other trail bikes out there and would argue that the bottom bracket area is stiffer than the other offerings. As mentioned in the video, this was originally designed by bold as a 130mm trail bike.
They were some cheaper carbon wheels I got to use for gravel. I am currently waiting on some other wheels with wider profile for my mtn wheels so I had these built up while I wait. I believe they were originally some light bicycle rims mated to some DT Swiss 350 hubs.
Don't buy this bike because of the way it looks. Buy it for the twin lock. If you don't think you need it or don't plan on using it I would get another bike. Just saw a review on this bike by three people that sadly didn't really seem interested in using the twin lock for its intended purposes. In my opinion this bike lives with it or dies w/out it.
I cannot agree more. I have actually been a fan of twinlock for years. I would retrofit scott rear shocks on my bikes so I could use the 3 position. Many mtn bikers downplay or just say that lockout levers are dumb just because it is a cool thing to say. Thanks for the feedback.
@@BlackWaterCyclist I‘m awaiting my 940 next week and the sram nx eagle and shimano mt500 brakes really disturb me for the Price of 3600€. Supplychain of bikeparts is still miserable but before 2020 you were able to expect alot more quality for this amount of money
My friend put this bike together for his son and before I knew it he was done ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L When the son came to put it together he was surprised to see it was already done. All he had to do was take the bike to get air and be on his way. My friend did not have any major problems putting this bike together; small issue was putting one of the brakes on straight; however when the son got home he was able to fix it. The bike rides well gears move correctly; good bike for the price. Wrote review after the son took the bike. Sorry.
@@BlackWaterCyclist Yeah, it sure looks different, like a hardtail if that´s the look you´re after. Is it common for the outer elements to damage the shock if it is external? I thought you wanted to show off cool and expensive components, not hide them behind a plastic lid :)
Really like that some newer models are not coming overly molested with stickers. Clean is fast.
I could not agree more. I am happy that the days of websites plastered all over the side of everything is gone as well as the company logo on every inch of the bike.
I own one its such a joy go ride!! It climbs by it itself and downhill is a thrill. Im no expert when it comes to mtb but its a huge upgrade from my last one
Awesome review. Think im going with a Spark 970 in orange. The twin lock is definitely the big selling point for me. Love the idea of multiple bikes in one platform.
Ordered the SCOTT Spark RC Team Bike black today...delivery May 2022! Can't wait!!!! WHOOOP WHOOOP!!!
YES!!! It will definitely be worth the wait in my opinion. That bike looks absolutely amazing!
That is a sweet looking bike! I've been curious about this model for a while and it's really good to see an objective review done on it with a real bike and not just a demo from scott. Well done sir!
Thanks Micah! I appreciate you!
I own the Spark 950. I’m an intermediate MTB rider ( Total of 100km / 1200m climb per week, jeep and single track mixture ) and this bike is amazing to ride.
Great work from Scott.
I imagine they could create a nice light E. Bike from this frame
your wish granted 😀
Replaced the shifter with an XT and very happy with the upgrade. Now I may do the chain.
Im picking my 940 Spark 2022 on tuseday. 😁 cant wait to get it.
Did you get it? What do you think of it?
@@BlackWaterCyclist yes, finaly. Great bike. 😁 I was waiting for him from october 2021..almost half year due to problems Covid etc..
From Slovenia..EU.😉
@@BlackWaterCyclist till now..from 2016 I was riding Scott Aspact 910..no rear shock absorber. 😁 this now feels like I ride a Bentley. 😂
I bought the 910 a month back and my findings are pretty much the same as you found but my pet peeve was that the stem does not allow riser bars and the stem cover keeps falling off. That is without prying it open. Lastly a lighter wheelset would be nice at $8000 aud.
My only complaint with this bike is getting the parts. I made a point of getting one of these as soon as they hit the show floors, but the special pieces aren’t coming to NZ until April. From there on out though this thing is kinda awesome.
Yes, I was intrigued by the internal rear shock design with Bold; however, the price was too far up there and exclusive to consider. With Scott buying their design (which I applaud), having a bigger scale should improve on that. Others have been less impressed with the rear suspension design when compared to DW-link, Yeti's Infinity and Santa Cruz's VP. Reviewer's have said they pedal better with less bob and ride smoother over the rough. Every bike review I've seen on this Scott has said the rear suspension needs the lockout (on/off) to get the most efficiency out of it. (Nino really utilizes it and has become second nature to him.) I'm like you and probably many others; I don't like the complicated lever/bar setup. Hopefully, Scott can fine tune the suspension kinematics where it's not dependent on the using the lockout going forward, leading to a simpler/cleaner design. Maybe as electronic drivetrains become cheaper, that will be the solution. However, like with Bold, the overall look is truly a beautiful bike minus all the front-end cables.
Great input here David! I really appreciate it. I have found that I do like the lockouts if the bike does not have a ton of Anti-squat. I like the suspension to be very open and plush when I have it open and then when I want it super firm, I can lock it out. Not many companies make bikes with lower anti-squat bc most people do not like to use the lockout levers. So for me, it depends on the anti-squat of the bike if I want a lockout or not. All in all, just ride the thing! lol.
@@BlackWaterCyclist Great point. You'd probably get used to the lockout fairly quickly. Also, the new Bold Cycles Linkin is truly stunning, too.
One bike I wish a manufacturer would reintroduce is the Maverick American. I believe going to 29er, modern geo and 1x setup combined with other tech improvements would make for an incredible riding bike. It's been the best riding, bob-free suspension design (especially climbing) I've experienced.
Just picked up a new '22 Spark 960 for a screaming deal. Gonna be an interesting change, my current mt bike is a '98 Santa Cruz Heckler. At least the rear suspension is both single pivot based, but otherwise, geez... this is gonna be interesting.
I've ridden about 1500 miles on my 920 and I find that I'm in the "firm" (half travel?) setting quite a lot riding cross country in and out of short climbs. I often just leave it there and it's fine for downhills as well. It's big fast and/or big technical sections that I make sure to open it up for full suspension. I don't think the hidden shock is "necessary" but I do find cleaning my bike is easier. My one complaint is it seems to have a lower bottom bracket than my last bike and I've gotten much more picky about log overs - can't roll 'em like I used to...
Trail mode
supposedly raises the bottom bracket
*Traction mode
Black water - Im pretty sure we're less than a few miles from each other. Ridings styles, do you like a full suspension vs a hard tail for riding here? Im torn.
Would be interesting to know if the shock being protected in any way prolongs service intervals. Personally I don't want to have to invert my bike to change my settings as sometimes I'll adjust my rebound mid ride. Nor do I want lock out switches/remotes. Just leave the suspension open all the time and pedal faster!
Yeah if you like to mess with your rebound during the ride, this would be a major headache. If you are more of a set and forget rider than this is perfect.
I’ve found rebound to be easy to adjust. Indeed it’s behind a door but you don’t have to invert the bike to get to it. Takes maybe 15 seconds.
Nice video !! Excuse me How tall are you ? In the video you said that you would like it more in size XL … I want to get my spark 2023 , but don’t know if it’s better to get the XL or L .. because I’m 186cm (limit of L size) , 89 cm leg .. your answer is going to be very helpful . Thanks !!
He said he is 6′ 1″ = 185 cm. I'm 183 cm and I took XL. It was a big dilemma, all tables, numbers (reach, stack, RAD, etc...) and most recommendations (always size down) were for L, but I had better feeling on XL vs. L. Just on the parking lot in front of the shop (professional bike fit LOL 🤣). Would be nice to have a test ride L vs XL on the trail, but I wasn't so lucky. Anyway it's all about personal preferences. Larger bike is super stable and regarding the playfullness...I think really playfull bike was my old 26er, not new 29er 😀. But that's different story...
Thanks Frank !! Your comment help me a lot ! Enjoy your bike !!
Nice review!..Quick question: Where can i buy the Xcadey powermeter crancks?
Sorry for the delay, you can get them through AliExpress or Ebay.
Hello! Great review! How did the Fox Performance Fork feel? Considering is an OEM one, was it good enough?thank you!
The Performance fork felt amazing. I have used all the different model Fox 34 forks and as far as performance, it would be hard pressed to tell a difference blind folded.
Such a great looking bike. Wondering how it stacks up to the YT Izzo or Transition Spur which we loved here at SLMTB. Great review.
I cannot agree with you more. I really want to test both of those bikes but especially the Spur. I may have to be on the lookout for the Izzo for a proper test. Thanks for the feedback.
@@BlackWaterCyclist we reviewed both the Izzo and Spur and they are excellent bikes. The Spur is amazing for sure.
thanks for review
I’m currently ride a hardtail XC bike with 100m of travel upfront. Been seriously considering one of these as my first jump into full sus bikes. As someone who enjoys all day epic type rides, would you say this would be a sensible choice or would I be better off going for one of the RC versions? I’m torn!
I just bought the Spark 950 as my first full suspension bike and it’s a revelation. Such a nice bike to ride and the best part is I can remain seated over bumpy stuff without the fear of being bounced off the bike.
@@matthoyle2344 Thanks for the feedback. The 950 weighs around 15kg doesn’t it? How are you finding that? My current hardtail is around 12kg, so not super light, but I’m hesitant to go heavier with a full-suss. And how about the lever setup with the lockout and dropper switch? I’ve heard it’s quite easy to hit the wrong thing. How are you finding it?
@@Mowgliy2k Yeah I think it’s listed as 14.5kg. My previous bike which I only had for a few months was a Trek Roscoe 8 that was listed as 14.6kg, but it had 2.8+ tires which I found heavy as well as the bike feeling heavy compared to my old 26inch hard tail, although I’m only getting back into cycling, so not fit yet which accounts for some of the heavy feeling.
I think if you want something light you’d need to go for the more expensive carbon Spark, but for an alloy full suspension bike it’s a very reasonable weight.
I like the 3 position remote suspension. Fully locked out or in the middle setting it’s great on the road and fully open it’s another league to a hard tail when going down bumpy stuff.
The 3 levers are nicely made and easy to use. The lower one is the dropper post, the middle one is Half a push in for medium setting and fully pushed for locked out and the spring loaded top lever with a light press will shift from locked out to medium(2nd press for open)or a firm press from locked out to fully open suspension.
I’m debating the same, Spark 970, really like the Trulock system, if it came stock with tubeless tires I’d be sold, just have to factor in cost of swapping out tires.
Where is this trail? Looks like north FL.
great dude, is it possible to add a chain guide to the spark 2022?
Yes it is, Nino runs one on his. It's a direct mount style.
Okay, so if you wanted to upgrade your rear shock, is it even possible? Thanks!
Yeah you can actually upgrade the shock, I believe the shock is a 165x40 trunnion mount which is a very common size now. Obviously a shock with a piggy back reservoir will not fit. Good question!
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How does this compare to your slackened Anthem?
I prefer the slacked head tube angle of the Anthem up front which I had at 66 degrees since I was running the 120mm fork on it. If I could have swapped the cups on the Spark, I think I would have been in hog heaven. The rear of the Scott is unmatched in stiffness so I prefer that lateral stiffness of the Spark. The newer Anthem is going to be Single Pivot with a lot more material around the BB area so it will be interesting to see how the new Anthem performs as far as stiffness.
@@BlackWaterCyclist have you ridden a Norco Revolver 120? Wondering how it would compare to the Scott?
I went from an Anthem 100/90 to 120 revolver, I don’t feel any efficiency loss, race times are faster.
@@rowanRobaggs That Revolver looks amazing! I love the geo numbers on it and I believe you. I would love to test one of those and may try to find one to test. I actually raced a Salsa Horsethief with 120mm in the rear and front and it was just as fast if not faster than other XC oriented bikes just bc I felt fresher after the descents and rough sections.
Do you know if the spark 970 is a trail or XC bike?
It depends on who you talk to. In my opinion it is an XC bike that becomes more of a trail bike with the switch of a button. With 120mm rear travel and 130mm front, it is right there in the realm of a light trail bike.
Trail bike- 120 mm to 150 mm this bike has 130 front 120 rear
how do you find the xcadey cranks and powermeter?
I will actually do an unboxing and weight comparison soon as well as a review but just give ya a quick update, it is a bit heavier than the lightest cranks out there from Sram, about 160 grams heavier than the Sram XX1 Dub with the Quarq Spider. As far as the power reading, it has been spot on with no spikes or anything crazy which is the same experience GP Lama had with his unit for the road. I really like it and may get one for the gravel bike as well.
Would you sell the tri lock levers?? Cuz I need that ))
Nah, it isn't my bike, I don't think my buddy would appreciate me selling parts off his bike. :)
29x2.60 tires fitted
Do you think it can compete with full on trail bikes
This one is the 900 series so it’s supposed to be against others in the trail category like the ripley, scalpel-se, trail 429.
Yes I would definitely say it can hang with other trail bikes out there and would argue that the bottom bracket area is stiffer than the other offerings. As mentioned in the video, this was originally designed by bold as a 130mm trail bike.
What wheels did You mount?
They were some cheaper carbon wheels I got to use for gravel. I am currently waiting on some other wheels with wider profile for my mtn wheels so I had these built up while I wait. I believe they were originally some light bicycle rims mated to some DT Swiss 350 hubs.
What is the weight?
About 33 lbs
Awesome❤❤❤❤
Don't buy this bike because of the way it looks. Buy it for the twin lock. If you don't think you need it or don't plan on using it I would get another bike. Just saw a review on this bike by three people that sadly didn't really seem interested in using the twin lock for its intended purposes. In my opinion this bike lives with it or dies w/out it.
I cannot agree more. I have actually been a fan of twinlock for years. I would retrofit scott rear shocks on my bikes so I could use the 3 position. Many mtn bikers downplay or just say that lockout levers are dumb just because it is a cool thing to say. Thanks for the feedback.
@@BlackWaterCyclist any idea what the top of the shock is mounted on? how do you service it
"stock wheels are heavy so I put some lighter wheels on", that's really not something you want to hear at this price point.
Yeah I agree but with supply chain issues I think that is where they are cutting corners. For 6k, I would expect something better as well.
@@BlackWaterCyclist I bought the Orbea Oiz M10 tr instead. Partly because it hit my sweet spot price/performance but also due to availability.
@@BlackWaterCyclist I‘m awaiting my 940 next week and the sram nx eagle and shimano mt500 brakes really disturb me for the Price of 3600€. Supplychain of bikeparts is still miserable but before 2020 you were able to expect alot more quality for this amount of money
My friend put this bike together for his son and before I knew it he was done ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L When the son came to put it together he was surprised to see it was already done. All he had to do was take the bike to get air and be on his way. My friend did not have any major problems putting this bike together; small issue was putting one of the brakes on straight; however when the son got home he was able to fix it. The bike rides well gears move correctly; good bike for the price. Wrote review after the son took the bike. Sorry.
.....but why?
But why hide the shock? Mainly to protect it from elements, 2 bottles, looks cool.
@@BlackWaterCyclist Yeah, it sure looks different, like a hardtail if that´s the look you´re after. Is it common for the outer elements to damage the shock if it is external? I thought you wanted to show off cool and expensive components, not hide them behind a plastic lid :)
This is a trail bike isn’t it
Love it,can’t wait to get one. RC900 Team AXS if i can get hold of one here in the UK that is. Thanks for the great review. 👏👏👍👍🚵🏼🚵🏼
Man you will love it! I think it new Spark is perfect for the UK with the enclosed shock. Keep all that muck off the seals and small parts.