2012 Scott Spark range - First ride review

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Scott's new Spark sports better suspension, more progressive geometry, and improved aesthetics across the board.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)

Scott's new 2012 range of Spark full-suspension bikes is no longer aimed solely at cross country racers. While the later first-gen models eventually sprouted longer forks and more trail-friendly componentry, this second-generation Spark is a wholly more proactively progressive machine straight from the get-go in terms of travel, geometry, and versatility. The family has grown, too, to 11 26" models (seven carbon, four aluminum) ranging from US$1,500-10,000 and six all-new 29" models (three carbon, three aluminum) from US$1,650-6,500.

The personality of every 2012 Spark is overwhelmingly defined by the TwinLoc user-selectable suspension settings, operated by a trick bar-mounted lever that simultaneously controls the rear shock and front fork. Upper-end models like the ones we rode can be switched on-the-fly between 120, 85, and 0mm of travel on 26" bikes and 100, 70, and 0mm of movement on 29" versions – both using a new DT Swiss Nude 2 rear shock built just for Scott (lower-end bikes get a two-mode open/lockout switch instead).

Suspension performance in full-travel mode is significantly improved with lower breakaway thresholds as compared to the original DT Swiss Nude shock and a more smoothly progressive spring rate afterward. As a result, the new Spark is better at flattening out high-frequency trail chatter, the rear end no longer wallows in the mid-stroke as the old machine was occasionally prone to do, and in general it's easier to use the suspension to gain speed out of corners than before.

Flipping the TwinLoc switch into traction mode yields a more dramatic change than in years past. DT Swiss has managed to tuck the original Nude shock's external secondary air chamber into the main body of the Nude 2 for a more compact form factor and better bottle clearance but the end result is the same. Traction mode seals off the smaller chamber and produces a firmer and much more sharply progressive spring rate that effectively shortens the travel and also raises the sag point – something we very much appreciated during the countless long uphill grinds of Sun Valley's surrounding terrain.

Higher-end Sparks also get a new semi-analogous system on the matching RockShox fork with full open, platform, and lockout modes on the custom DNA3 compression damper. Just as with the rear end, traction mode restricts oil flow to stiffen things up and while there's no change to the air spring in this case, the end result is the same – a much firmer platform with decreased travel that's very resistant to movement for a more efficient feel.

Ironically, though, both ends firm up so much that they decrease traction, in particular on technical climbs. This middle setting now seals off the bypass port in the Nude 2's compression piston, forcing all the oil to move through the shim stack and making the rear suspension much firmer in this middle setting than any old Spark ever was. Likewise, traction mode restricts oil flow in the custom RockShox DNA3 damper, too (the air chamber isn't affected up front but shunting the oil flow still yields similar reductions in effective travel), whereas the old Spark left the fork free to move.

As a result, traction mode doesn't leave much movement for smaller trail obstacles that can disrupt your rhythm or bump you off line. Thankfully, users can simply dial back the FloodGate adjuster to soften things back up but they'll also have to keep in mind that it'll soften things up in full lockout mode, too. We'd rather Scott kept the old traction mode settings that cut down on rear travel but otherwise left both dampers free to operate as needed (or at least something that doesn't restrict the oil flow quite as much as it does).

Just as you'd expect, the lockout position does just that with a rock-solid feel out back – great for long, smooth climbs or road sections on the way to the trailhead. The RockShox fork adds the familiar FloodGate blowoff threshold adjuster to help fine-tune the ride but there's nothing similar out back. The Nude2 shock will move when locked out if you hit something hard enough but it's a somewhat harsh event that finishes with a clunk at top-out.

Overall, Scott's TracLoc system is admirable in its ambition: like a car with a manual transmission, it doesn't try to do any of the thinking for you and instead provides riders with full control over how the back end behaves. Each mode works as intended for the most part but to expand on the automobile analogy, it's a little like driving an compact car with a small-displacement motor – you have to row the gearbox a lot to extract the most performance and you'll definitely pay a performance price if you're not in the right gear.

Moreover, the advent of two-ring drivetrains has prompted Scott to lower the main pivot by approximately 10mm – roughly inline with the inner chainring – for better pedaling efficiency on steeper climbs. Seated climbing in the inner ring with the rear shock fully open yields good (but not great) pedaling response but when hammering in the big ring, the new Spark answers with pronounced rear-end squat and lots of monkey motion, especially on short power climbs that require ten or twenty strong strokes to crest a rise.

Interestingly, the Nude2 shock that lies at the heart of the new Spark's revamped suspension system is also its biggest handicap. There's no platform-type valving whatsoever, no complex damping circuits to handle more complicated trail situations, and while small bump sensitivity is worlds better than the old Nude, it still feels well behind the latest technology from Fox Racing Shox or RockShox. The three modes are nice and all but ultimately, we were hoping for a little more up-to-date technology in each setting. As it is, the Nude 2 still feels a little old school in execution.

There's also a newly tapered head tube, better top tube clearance across the board, direct-mount front derailleurs that attach to the swingarm yoke, and – finally – a more standard 31.6mm seatpost diameter instead of proprietary 34.9mm one. Carbon frames also get a wider all-carbon bottom bracket with press-fit cups and a true one-piece molded front triangle instead of the molded-plus-tube-to-tube construction of Spark v1.0.

Emphasis is on "claim" here, though, as our pre-production carbon samples didn’t quite back up those numbers. In fact, the 26" one felt strangely soft and the 29" one – while very good – wasn't the big improvement over the current Spark that we were expecting. Our pre-production medium 26" carbon tester was also a touch overweight at 1,990g though that figure also included the bulky quick-release seatpost collar, rear derailleur hanger, front derailleur mounting stub, and water bottle bolts.

Scott US marketing and PR director Adrian Montgomery confirmed our calibrated rear ends, saying these early test samples unfortunately weren't built with final lay-up schedules and were much softer than they should be. We've been promised a production bike in August so we're still holding hope that the claimed numbers hold true, particularly since if they're correct, the new carbon Spark frame should be utterly fantastic in terms of structure given the laundry list of features and Scott's proven track record with composite structures.

First off, all of the Sparks are impressively light. The top-end 26"-wheeled Spark RC is just 9.84kg (21.69lb) with DT Swiss Tricon 1450 wheels, SRAM XX and a RockShox SID RLT3 (medium frame, without pedals); the Spark 29 RC is an excellent 11.04kg (24.34lb) with wider trail-friendly DT Swiss wheels, SRAM XX and a RockShox SID 29 RLT3; an alloy 26" Spark is 11.52kg (25.40lb) with SRAM X9, DT Swiss XM 1550 Tricon wheels and a RockShox Reba; and a similarly equipped alloy 29" Spark is 12.05kg (26.57lb).

Scott has openly championed thru-axles out back but strangely enough, all Sparks will use quick-release dropouts up front. According to Montgomery, Scott's European bigwigs ultimately decided that the Spark's expected competition-oriented audience would already have a fleet of race wheels at their disposal that they wouldn't be too keen to retire. They apparently also made the argument that quick-release wheels are faster to change.

Speaking of 29ers, Sun Valley's abundance of long, grinding climbs also highlighted another issue: the standard 2x10 gearing. The 26x36-tooth bailout works just fine for most folks with 26" wheels but there's no ratio adjustment for the 29er version's greater rollout. This is perhaps more a SRAM issue than a Scott one, though, as the top-end XX crank isn't currently offered with the more 29"-specific ratios of the second-tier X0.