Submitted by
kiwijames
a Racer
from Lafayette, CA Date Reviewed: June 22, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Anything in Joaquin Miller Park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$4200.00
Purchased At:
Pegasus
Strengths:
Light weight, race geometry, lock-out rear, carbon everything, freaky fast, head angle adapts with rear shock Tracloc lever changes. Not everyone has them.
Weaknesses:
Not everyone has one. Clear coat already chipping after a few pebble thrashings. The 34.9 seatpost makes your choices limited unless you opt for a 31.6-34.9 shim, which according to Scott voids the warranty, but they have a shim in the Ransom Limited to accommodate a Joplin ..go figure. Do as I say don't do as I do. Proprietary rear shock.
Similar Products Used:
Years of my GF Sug 1 disc with all XT, Marin Quad Mt Vision Pro, IBIS Mojo, SC Blur XC
Bike Setup:
Stock Spark 20, but jettisoned the XT disc brakes for Juicy 7s. The rest is XT, F100 RL, Dt Swiss Nude and DT Swiss X455 wheels. Tossed the Kenda Nevegals and small block for Panaracer XC Fire Pro 127tpi. Look Quartz carbon and Joplin lever seatpost w/U.S.E. 31.6-34.9 shim.
Bottom Line:
Out of the gates..this one is made for racing XC, marathon/12hr or the Xterra circuit. Can handle much of the AM duties I put it through too. Component mix is great off the shelf, I just couldn't stand the XT brakes, no fault of Scott.
It can be a little twitchy at first until you get used to a different level of feedback from inputs....it's way faster on single track. Tracloc, I was suspect of at first, but it works flawlessly, the handlebar lever is easy to operate but in and area it could take a whack if you biff. I wouldn't suggest lock-out unless riding on pavement or a smooth steady climb as there's no release adjustment if you exceed any stress points. 80mm(middle) handles most of the XC stuff and the 110mm (full open) drops the BB and slackens the head angle for more AM aspects. Spark has a tendency to push a bit more than my previous bikes on the loose stuff. You'll get plenty of questions from fellow riders and everyone wants to give it a flick with the finger to see what's carbon. Thoroughly stoked so far.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB, CANADA Date Reviewed: May 7, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$4000.00
Purchased At:
Great Northern Cycles - Montana
Strengths:
Super light. Loves to climb. Solid components. The rear suspension lockout is simple and works well. Set it in the middle on climbs and wide open on descents. Maybe use the full lockout on your way to the trail?
Weaknesses:
With the rear suspension control on the handlebar, there is a lot of cable hanging off the bars. It has a tendency to slap around when the terrain gets rough.
The water bottle mounts double as cable guides. Trying to put a cage on is more complicated than it needs to be.
Similar Products Used:
Specialized Epic Marathon Carbon
Bike Setup:
Factory setup.
Bottom Line:
If you like a XC geometry, I haven't seen anything better/lighter for the price.
Puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. Heck, it puts a smile on my face every time I walk by it when I am not riding it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jeff
a
from Omaha, NE. Date Reviewed: November 30, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Bike Rack in Omaha, NE.
Strengths:
Light, looks the part, rides like said part, way fast & climbs as well as most hardtails. Lots of travel for the weight.
Weaknesses:
I'm not as good as the bike, but that's a me problem
Only one bottle mount.
Similar Products Used:
LOTS!
Bike Setup:
XTR
Bottom Line:
I've only had it a couple weeks, but I've ridden the piss out of it on every trail in our area & it worked great everywhere. I really wish it had 2 bottle mounts, & for $4200 it should. But I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Scott Morrison
a Cross Country Rider
from Park City, UT, USA Date Reviewed: October 25, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Too many to choose from
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Versatility (due to rear suspension adjustment), weight, efficiency.
Weaknesses:
Requires quite a bit of maintenance to keep it running quiet. Don't know if it's due to the carbon resonating sound or pivot design.
Bike Setup:
Stock except for Thomson stem and Time ATAC pedals. Soon to upgrade wheels and might try some eggbeaters.
Bottom Line:
After a couple months of tweaks and adjustments I am really starting to enjoy this bike. At first it seemed a hair uncomfortable and very stiff. Now after adding a touch of rise with a new stem and basing my rear shock pressure off of sag (highly recommended) instead of the recommended pressure given by the manufacturer, this bike is impressive. Like many of the other reviews have mentioned, the rear suspension adjustment at the handlebar makes this bike incredibly versatile and efficient. Due to the frame weight, it is a great platform for a light weight full suspension XC bike. I am primarily an XC rider with a focus on endurance length rides and races and this bike suits me perfectly.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Daniel Bugas
a
from Santa Fe,NM,USA Date Reviewed: September 30, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
3700
Strengths:
Fast, responsive, rear poplock
Weaknesses:
Poplock switches can become sticky on longer rides.
Bike Setup:
All stock exept for fork which I swaped for a rockshox revelation 426 100mm-130mm and a tubeless conversion.
Bottom Line:
My last bike (my first bike) was a Jamis Dakar XC Comp. It was a great first bike but it felt a little heavy on longer uphill rides. I weigh 155lbs so it made a big difference having a bike that's 6lbs lighter. The bike weighs an accurate 26lbs. Having a poplock on the rear shock is a handy feature. I will ride the rear rigid uphill if the trail isn't too rugged, at 50% if it is, and at 100% downhill. It's crazy being able to do all of that with the flick of a switch. When the rear is totally locked it doesn't budge at all. I usually ride two 12-20 mile singletrack rides a week. I could't picture a bike being any better than this.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard Prout
a Cross Country Rider
from Lake Hawea, New Zealand Date Reviewed: June 14, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Cycle Surgery Dunedin
Strengths:
super light weight, looks, geometry for racing, lockout shock via lever on bar
Weaknesses:
DT Swiss Rear shock lockout mech (dont ever try and do maintenance on it without getting the workshop manual. Its a nightmare!). My shock leaked and had to be returned. Fox Float RP23 works well as a standin, but despite being a better shock, I will swap back because the bar lockout is such a good feature of the DT Swiss. Scott should have got Fox to build them a bar lockout.
Similar Products Used:
Oodles
Bottom Line:
Fantastic bike. On the first weekend I got it, I won a 45km race nearly 8mins clear of the next competitor averaging near road bike speed. On the second weekend I stuck in a challenging 6 hour epic into the mountains. Fast dirt trails, lots of long fast down sections, plenty of medium size rocks, riverbeds, etc. Gave the bike a real hammering. Worked perfectly. Smooth, fast, taught. Not for major hucks / downhills. But lockout shock on bar a major plus because you can race up hills like the hard tail boys, then click-click, and you fly past them on the downs.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Justin
a Cross Country Rider
from Marietta, GA Date Reviewed: June 1, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Blankets Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$4000.00
Purchased At:
Atlanta Cycling
Strengths:
4" travel, fairly plush for a XC race bike, good geometry, solid components. Lightest 4" travel frame made and surprisingly stiff.
Weaknesses:
Giant seatpost size, warranty only 3 years w/o annual dealer checkup, heavy DT Swiss wheels, no platform shock, proprietary shock, new design so no long term durability info.
Similar Products Used:
'07 S-Works Epic Carbon
Bike Setup:
Stock XT, DT Swiss Wheels, Fox F100 RL, Ritchey Pro Carbon bar/seatpost
Bottom Line:
My large came in at 25lb even which is the same as my old HT setup. More active and lighter than the Epic despite costing over 2k less. Great race/enduro bike if you're a finess rider and not too likely to crash.
Also a great platform for weight weenies since few frames are as light. Still fairly expensive for a 25lb bike but ultra light 4lb frame/shock gives a lot of leeway for a 20lb FS race bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Doug Driscoll
a Cross Country Rider
from St Albans, UK Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Peak District
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$5600.00
Purchased At:
Evans, UK
Strengths:
I had always been a hardtail hard liner ... up until now. Finally a full susser that becomes a hardtail at the flick of a neat little switch. Amazingly though, you rarely need to bother locking it out. This is such little bob out of the saddle that you rarely need it. Ride is amazingly smooth yet the bike still accelerates like my Scott Scale 10.
Weaknesses:
Scott had to keep the cost down somehow ($2,000 cheaper than the 10?!)and I would point at the wheels as not being up to the rest of the bike. No UST and they are heavy. I changed them for Crossmax SLs with a Dura Ace 12-27 cassette but the bike still feels a tad heavy. Assuming the frame weight claims are accurate that really only leaves the forks (Fox F100RL) as the culprit. Pace RC39 XCs already on my xmas list.
Similar Products Used:
Scott Scale 10 (1 year) and Cannondale Caad4 (5 years). The Scale is mega and I'll keeping it for suitable XC racing.
Bike Setup:
As standard but replaced DT Swiss wheels with Mavic Crossmax SLs and fitted a Dura Ace 12-27 cassette - which saved a lot of weight.
Bottom Line:
Got to be the ultimate XC full susser. Considering the spec (2007 XT + XTR rear mech) it is also very good value compared to it's rivals. For me it really is the best of both worlds: A full susser that becomes a quality hard tail at the flick of a switch - and with very little weight penalty. But as mentioned above, you rarely need to lock it out because it works SO well out of the saddle anyway.
$
Overall Rating:
