I got up at 6 am and hit my local trails. Today was a special day, it was the maiden voyage of my brand spanking new 2022 Scott Spark 970. It was perfect. I ran into a fellow 2022 Spark owner in the parking lot while unloading my bike and we ended up riding the trails together for about an hour.

First impressions on the Spark 970:

-Damn it is FAST!
-I love how they hid the rear shock inside the frame
-I now understand truly what people mean when they say a bike climbs very well
-I can’t believe how much more intuitive the geometry and ergos feel compared to my old Giant Anthem
-the 3 lever controls on the bar that drop the seat post and allow for 100% travel front and rear, 80% travel or full lock out are AWESOME
-Scott knocked it out of the fricking park with this bike
-people will approach you and ask you if your Spark is an ebike
-I wasn’t expecting the slack head angle to feel so good on an XC bike
-this bike has made all of my other XC oriented trail riding bikes obsolete
-the difference between a 2012 & 2022 Cross Country Mountain bike is HUGE. It’s truly mind blowing how much faster the Spark is on the trail.

You know you’ve found something special when you realize all of your other bikes with the exception of a gnarly chromoly downhill/enduro hardtail are now obsolete.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new bike!

The paint job is a bit ehhh bright but at least no one will have trouble seeing me on the trail. It has a brilliant pearlescent shimmer in the paint so this thing almost changes it’s color in low light verses full sunlight where it looks spectacular.

Beautiful bike! I love bright colors on bikes. Enjoy.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

You know you’ve found something special when you realize all of your other bikes with the exception of a gnarly chromoly downhill/enduro hardtail are now obsolete.

Nice! I'm a road/gravel guy, and even I find myself oddly "into" the specs.

That bike is so clean looking! Love the color.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
That bike is so clean looking! Love the color.

Yeah it really does have a clean, uncluttered look thanks to the way all the cables are routed internally under the stem. I was worried about noise from the cables hitting the frame but Scott put foam liners around the internal cables so they don’t make any noise even on the bumpiest trails. It is a pretty sweet color.

Photo of Spark from internet because I’m lazy and don’t want to go snap a good pic of mine since it’s exactly the same.



Bikes have gotten crazy expensive the past few years. This is the baseline Spark and it’s still right around $3k out the door. I was a little worried about whether I should have spent a little more for the next tier or two up since it has slightly improved suspension components and the same aluminum frame I prefer but honestly the suspension felt great.

The weight is the only thing I would like to improve upon. This bike is not a light bike. Over time I might slowly upgrade components such as the wheels and front fork but I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon.

I primarily rode a very nice 34 lb chromoly framed enduro/all mountain hardtail before getting this Spark. The Spark’s weight isn’t radically different from what I’m already used to riding.

I sold a few bikes to finance the new Spark. Now I’m questioning whether I need to keep any of my other bikes except for the Chromag hardtail and custom built Marin Ebike that I am also quite fond of. I kind of like the idea of whittling down the bikes to only 3 or 4 bikes. An XC full suspension, all mountain Hardtail, a custom ebike and an all mountain full suspension bike like the Specialized Status 160 would pretty much cover all my bases. I suppose the gravel bike makes sense too but dang bikes can be like guns and before you know it you’ve amassed quite a collection.

I hear that.
I love downhill riding and jumps but I find that 90% of my riding is on roads and trails for exercise so I'm trying to talk myself into a 2nd bike.

Nice ride!

I returned to the bike game after about a 20 yr hiatus. The modern advances are staggering.

quote:

Originally posted by sasquatch28:
Nice ride!

I returned to the bike game after about a 20 yr hiatus. The modern advances are staggering.

You are so right!

I knew when the owner of my local bike shop raved about his personal bike, which is the top spec racing version of the Scott Spark that it had to be good. I didn’t think it would be this good. I wasn’t expecting it to climb so well and then when the fast and flowing downhill sections come up it feels just as fast.

I had written off many of the rave reviews as industry jargon that gets thrown around so much it’s almost meaningless but in this case Scott really made something special. The whole design makes for a perfectly balanced XC racing bike that is playful, confident and fast as hell.

Hopping off a decade old XC bike or my modern mental enduro/downhill racing bike and onto the Spark 970 really makes it clear just how much of a difference the changes in geometry can make on the performance of a bike.

The Spark isn’t a good bike to take flying off jumps and hitting long gaps as it wasn’t designed for that kind of stuff but it’s pretty much perfect for the intermediate level trails I spend 99% of my time riding.

The Spark has taken my growing interest in trail riding and really ignited my passion for riding again. It’s the kind of bike that feels so good it is really hard to find faults and criticize. Their are alway going to be minor tweaks here and there that I’ll do to any bike but this thing is pretty darn solid as is.

I can’t wait to get more miles on the Spark!

I just got back from spending a few days with my family at OBX. I was really looking forward to quick a trail ride today on my Spark now that I’m back home. As soon as I load up the bike it starts thundering and pouring.

I thought I had an hour before the storm would roll in…. My weather app prediction was wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
I just got back from spending a few days with my family at OBX. I was really looking forward to quick a trail ride today on my Spark now that I’m back home. As soon as I load up the bike it starts thundering and pouring.

I thought I had an hour before the storm would roll in…. My weather app prediction was wrong.

Sorry to hear that, stick. Mother Nature doesn't give a F#$% about weather app predictions. Tomorrow is another day.

Bike accessories and personalization are about as expensive as AR customization. I spent $70 on a new dropper lever and considered it a worthwhile purchase.

Yeah the aftermarket parts you can toss on a bike easily rivals the AR15’s mod potential.

Dropper posts are wonderful. Of all the mods you can do they are one of the best! I slowly upgraded all my bikes with dropper posts.

This Scott has a really neat internally routed dropper post. But it’s located right next to the. Suspension lock out levers so it can be easy to accidentally hit the dropper lever.

Interestingly,I don’t find myself raising and lowering it nearly as much as I did on my old Giant Anthem. On my first trail ride I set it in a comfortable place and it felt pretty good on both climbs and while flying downhill.


It absolutely poured yesterday so I’ll probably take my dedicated bad weather bike out on the muddy trails today. I have a rigid frame Marin with front and rear mud fenders and plus size (2.8 inch wide) 27.5 tires that do quite well on mud filled trails. I have some Scott clear protective film I want to install on the Spark that will protect the tubes from rocks that get thrown up at it on the trail.

Hopefully I’ll get the Spark back out on the trail tomorrow. It’s hands down the most fun bike I have for trail riding.

This thing gets a lot a attention. I’ve already had three people ask me if it is an electric bike. It’s probably because of its interesting frame design.

Hiding the rear shock inside the frame does give it a unique and larger bottom bracket/seat tube bottom so it does sort of resemble the current mid-drive ebikes that put a small motor near the cranks in that general area.








So far I am still loving it!

Great looking bike!

I will be putting together a new bike tomorrow. I bought a Specialized Stumpjumper frame and am moving over parts from a Tallboy. The Tallboy was a little big for me, so thought I would try something new.

Just got back from a week in Crested Butte. Rode my Specialized Status down Trail 401 and Doctor Park, had a blast.

That is very nice! Clean lines. The new geo is real. I went from a 2010 Ibis Mojo to a 2020 Ibis Ripley V4 and couldn't believe the difference in ability to climb and descend more better.

It’s been a little over a month and I am still really enjoying the Spark. I’d by lying if I didn’t admit I sometimes wonder if I should have gone with a longer travel Scott Genius trail bike. They were in stock at the time and are now sold out.

I do think for the trails I am riding and my needs the Spark is more than capable enough with its shorter 130mm travel front and back vs 150mm Genius. On the beginner/intermediate trails the Spark is probably much faster and that’s where I primarily ride.

I’m also LOVING my new bike carrier.

dumb question: when you say it's faster, is there something about the bike that allows you to go faster while in the same physical condition? Or is it faster going downhill or in hard turns because the geometry or something makes it more stable and instills more confidence in going faster?

just curious what you mean when you say the bike is faster. and whether it might apply to me given my condition and my rides.

I'd like to go faster on my rides but not sure a new bike would enable that or not.....

Congrats on the new bike! I just got my new one today, a Canyon Grail ON CF 7. Yes, it is an electric gravel bike but I need the assistance with my banged up knees. I should have it, equipped and ready for a ride on Friday. I am off the next week and want to get out and ride a few times. I may even take a crack at 50 miles and then maybe 100k, if my body survives the 50 mile ride.

Congrats on the new bike. Looks nice.

I too have entered the new bike shopping craze. My 24 Y/o Schwinn is feeling tired. So many decisions. Currently looking at gravel bikes with Canyon leading the pack. Looking at the Grizl 8 CF SL. For some reason I am thinking I need a front derailer. Not set on a 40t crank as I don’t think it will give me the top end I’m used to.


My boss recommended the Lauf Anywhere. Looks like a nice bike but not sure about the carbon handlebars. Sounds like either they are loved or hated.

I test rode a Giant Revolt Advanced 1 with the SRAM wireless shift and thought that was amazing. That was the highest priced bike and saw a lot of comments of the frame cracking at the seat post.

So many options and styles have me feeling overwhelmed…..

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
dumb question: when you say it's faster, is there something about the bike that allows you to go faster while in the same physical condition? Or is it faster going downhill or in hard turns because the geometry or something makes it more stable and instills more confidence in going faster?

just curious what you mean when you say the bike is faster. and whether it might apply to me given my condition and my rides.

I'd like to go faster on my rides but not sure a new bike would enable that or not.....

That isn’t a dumb question at all. There are two main things that make this bike feel fast. It has a nice modern slack head angle and a overall a very playful feel to it. The main thing that first surprises (and spoils you) is the ability to flick a 3 way switch that allows for either full suspension travel (130mm) , 80mm travel or full lock out. And it does this simultaneously with the front and rear shock.

I’ve found that I can fly through sections of downhill with much more speed and confidence than I can with my older XC bikes mainly due to great frame/geometry and it’s sporty feel and perfect handlebar reach and overall size/feel. On climbs the first click on the suspension which takes it down to 80mm of travels actually works pretty well on climbs. I don’t often utilize the full lockout but I do go back and forth quite a bit between full travel and firmer first click 80mm travel while trail riding.

For the first time I found that I was passing other riders on the trail especially the downhill sections and a few of the short climbs.
I would say the definitive proof is in the passing, only one rider on a VERY nice ebike set a faster pace.

It’s only issue is that my 970 Spark is entry level and sadly is heavy. I can bunny hop much easier over logs and fallen trees on my old and MUCH lighter Giant Anthem.

Im debating a wheel/hub and tire upgrade along with maybe that new Fox dropper post that is only 100mm up or down.