Swiss mountain bike brand, SCOTT, has redesigned it’s two XC/Marathon models, the Spark and the Scale delivering what it says are lighter, more efficient, more durable high-performance bikes. – By Sean Badenhorst
Photos: Mick Ross/FlowMTB.com
The dual-suspension Spark received a major design overhaul, which includes the re-orientation of the rear shock and refinement and simplification of the rear triangle (which now has no pivots) as well as geometry tweaks that sees a longer toptube, more relaxed headtube angle, steeper seattube angle, lower stack height and shorter chainstays.
The hardtail Scale has been refined using carbon layups more strategically to produce a lighter, stiffer frame with increased rider comfort.
Both the Spark and the Scale include the relatively new Boost platform, which uses wider hubs and bottom bracket that offer better design options for increased strength without adding more weight.
In fact, the arrival of Boost was what allowed SCOTT’s engineers to relook at the designs of the already successful Spark and Scale models, both of which have been ridden to World Championships and World Cup victories by Nino Schurter.
Both models also boast Scott’s new rear brake mount, which anchors on one end to the chainstay and the other end to the wheel axle. And both models also include significant integration of SRAM’s 1x gearing, with some models using the brand new SRAM Eagle.
SCOTT has reached a new frame weight frontiers with both the new Spark and the new Scale.
The frame weight of the new all-carbon Scale 900 SL, including hardware is 849 grams, while the Spark RC 900 SL frame, with shock and hardware, weighs just 1779 grams, 279g lighter than it’s nearest competitor… Scott’s engineers are confident it’s the lightest dual-suspension 29er production frame in the world.
For the Spark, the introduction of a Trunnion mount, a firm, low platform at the junction of the downtube and seattube, has allowed Fox to design a more refined rear shock, while the entire Trunnion system offers increased structural strength, a more compact shock option, which is lighter, and which allows for increased standover height.
In conjunction with Fox, SCOTT’s new Spark still offers the brand’s patented TwinLoc, a front/rear simultaneous remote suspension adjustment with three compression-damped travel settings.
The Spark range has been expanded to three wheel size options – 29-inch, 27.5-inch and 27.5-inch Plus. It also offers two suspension options – 100mm front and rear for the Spark RC (Racing Concept) and 120mm front and rear for the Spark (less-serious, but still high performance). The Plus model has 130mm front and 120mm rear for a more trail-riding feel.
In total, there are 25 models within the new Spark range, including seven women-specific Contessa models.
The new Scale range also comes in three wheel sizes (29, 27.5 and 27.5 Plus) with 100m of travel on all but the Plus, which has 120mm of travel. There are also a total of 25 models of the new Scale, including seven women-specific Contessa models.
This is an overall highlights summary of the SCOTT model year 2017 launch, which was held this week at Lenzerheide, Switzerland. We’ll bring more in-depth coverage of SCOTT’s new bikes and products here at treadmtb.co.za over the next few weeks.
We also got to ride the new Fox 32, the lightest 100mm race suspension fork in the world, the new Fox Transfer dropper seatpost and the new SRAM Eagle drivetrain…. Syncros, the component brand that Scott owns, has also launched some new items, which focus strongly on integration, such as a stem that has a Garmin mount and a bottle-cage mount that includes a full multi-tool and mini-pump.
SCOTT also launched four new models of helmet as well as new clothing lines for trail riding and XC/Marathon racing.
From a South African perspective, virtually everything new from these brands that we experienced during the launch is relevant because it’s all XC/Marathon category-specific.
Keep an eye on our TREAD Instagram account for a regular flow of images of the new Scott, Syncros, Fox and SRAM products (follow @treadmtb).
