It looks awesome, unfortunately the $5000 at least that I expect even the comp to cost me won’t change my race results 
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I love the bike, but I can’t imagine flipping it upside down and removing the cover before every ride just to put a few psi in the shock.
I already contacted two dealerships and they’re not taking pre-orders yet, but my name is on the list as soon as they find something out. I’m going with the RC pro I think but, I like the black team color as well. If I go with the black team though I would have to upgrade A bunch of components.
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Sorry for the potentially naive question, but why hide the shock? I mean, what does that add, other than being different?
An extra bottle mount. Something different. Looks dope.
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It does protect it from dirt and grime and gives some additional room to play around with shock location.
Placing weight lower in the bike is generally better as well
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I thought it was an e-bike at first with the large enclosed bottom bracket area 
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I’m very interested in giving it a try! Curious how the shock placement and design will feel. Seems like it should be very efficient and perhaps a bit lower center of gravity.
Looking at geo on paper doesn’t tell much of a story, but I’ve gotta say my (albeit unpopular) opinion is XC race rigs are going too slack for almost every race course I’ve ridden. I’ve never felt unsafe blitzing downhills with a 69 degree HT, but I’ve definitely noticed anything longer/slacker making switchbacks and tight corners a challenge. But I guess it all depends on the terrain, and you can make riding adjustments to make anything work.
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Yup, protection is a lead comment that Scott lists in the detail video from their launch page. And the lower center of mass is always good when you can do it.
Besides the functional aspect, it just looks clean to me.
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Goodness me that’s awesome!
76°STA and 77°HTA with 120mm front and rear. Bold, and fast. Interestingly near the setup of my Spark 910.
Good to see 2.6" tyre clearance. The RC is a real complete bike now. It’d be interesting to ride the RC with it’s smaller shock (more linear?) vs the more progressive shocks of the current Spark/new 900 series.
I do wonder how much water and crud is going to find it’s way into the frame via the cable entry 
Considering those 2 options too. Still not sure if the AXS is worth it over the non-AXS Team version. Kinda like the Fox 34 on the non-AXS and not yet 100% sold on the AXS color scheme.
What’s your reasoning?
First upgrades on the Team for me would definately be to add a dropper and a nice set of wheels. Though there’s plenty room for that seeing the price difference.
So @Nate , will you be on the same bike brand as Nino in South Africa? This is going to be a rocket ship.
If you mean the one on the head set then it’s very well sealed + the entry pint is under the stem so usually mud won’t collect there unless you go head deep in it.
I’m going on frame color alone. I already have XX1 AXS, lightweight dropper and a nice wheelset. So basically just be using the frame on the Team and swapping over brakes, drivetrain, dropper and wheels. With the black team though I would need to upgrade the fork and handlebars as well. So the Team will need to significantly cheaper.
Jap, just modified my Pivot M4SL from 67.5 to 68.5 and it feels way better. No way I would want a 67.2 HTA on a XC bike.
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Some very interesting detail here: New Scott Spark 2022, changing the rules of the game
Note the variable HT angle/bearings, integrated tools, frame weights and pricing.
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For me and my local trails, I really think the RC is the do-it-all bike. I currently have a 2017 RC and while it’s fine on my local XCish trails, it quickly gets over its head on more aggressive trails. Now I just have to figure out how to justify the uprade to the spouse.
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Easy, think of the resale value of your 2017 in this market!
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Last fall I was in the hunt for a modern geo XC/trail bike with 120mm/130mm travel and the ability to carry two full sized water bottles. I ended up with an Epic EVO. However, I would have chosen this new Spark if it was available then.
I think this will be a popular bike if they have a decent supply of them
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