The disadvantage to flip chips is they also change other dimensions significantly. For example your Mino Link lifts the BB by 10mm. A headset cup makes head angle adjustment with much less significant changes to other geo, I think.
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Youāre probably right, but not sure if the more nuanced changes are better or worse as far as how they will affect the bike handling. Mino link makes a decent difference to the ride, a half degree of HT angle with nothing or little to other parts of the bike may not make that much of a difference in handling and negate the benefits of having the adjustment a bit
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I have to agree. The headset/headtube area is the least appealing part of the bike to me. I have enough issued getting my standard (hard enough to get) headset to stay quiet without adding extra movement/angles etc.
It might be fine on the standard straight headset to be fair. I donāt want a bike slacker than 67.2 personally anyway as thatās perfect for where I ride and the Racing I want to do.
I am reading the headset angle switch is Ā±0.6 degrees. The HTA difference between RC and 900 is 1.4 deg. Seems like frame geo must be different between RC and 900.
Noā¦ I guess the additional .2 comes from the 10mm longer vork
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I Agree looks like an ebike to me.
Best looking bike in this category is the Transition Spur imo!
Also there is a weight penalty if comparing to Epic Evo and others
The frame on the cheapest Epic evo is lighter than the top of range scott spark frameset! and over a kg lighter than the aluminium spark.
Specialized did the right thing by only having 2 frame specs for sworks and the rest (scott has 6)
Epic Evo is a much better option if you prefer to buy the lower end option and upgrade as I did.
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This is exactly why back when I was racing on Epics, I would buy the lowest end Epic, strip the parts, sell, and move my nicer sram 10 back in the day or 11 speed onto the bike. There was no difference between the cheap carbon frame vs the top of the line build - minus the s works. I was looking so hard for a lower end epic evo this year but it was nearly impossible. The only one I found was in the yellow and I just couldnāt 
Man, Iām in desperate need of some reviews for this bike. Really want to know if I made the right call to order one or if I should cancel. It looks to be everything I need in a MTB, but maybe it rides like a turd 
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Same. I am keen to hear some real world reviews.
I think itās going to be fast though. Depends what youāre coming from, but it definitely looks like theyāve upped the stiffness and still utilise the TwinLoc to get the most out of an active rear end.
I canāt tell exactly, but it looks like the linkage has changed slightly moving to the Bold/internal shock design. Did you order the RC?
Iām jealous. I think itās going to be an amazing bike.
Thereās really not many bad bikes out there and Scott has a solid MTB background. My preference as a non racer would be for a trail version and not the XC variant just for the extra capability and robustness of parts.
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I agree. The previous Spark was ahead of the game in a number of areas so itād be surprising for the new one to not be good. It may just be different to what some people are after.
As XC racing is my main(only) racing Iād 100% go for the RC. Iām really curious how the shock and shock tune changes of the RC change the way it rides. It will potentially be a very efficient and snappy 120mm bike. Mineās got the Fox suspension like the new 900 series and is more plush, it is perfect for me as it makes me more comfortable when hitting the chunkier stuff and Iām used to using the traction mode now. The same bike with more supportive suspension would be an interesting option though and could be very fast.
Really makes me wonder just how much slower my Fuel EX is compared to a Top Fuel, not that Iād sell mine but I do wonder sometimes
I dare say itās a bit if youāre pedaling. Or, you can probably go just as fast, but youāll be smashed.
A bit like racing XC with DHF/DHR tyres.
That Top Fuel looks like a really nice bike and with the 68Ā°HTA would be quite quick in the right stuff.
So many options these days depending on what/where we ride 
Yes, I ordered the RC (Team issue AXS). Considered the 900, but I thinks thatās just a bit too much bike for me and the trails I ride in the Netherlands. Mostly fast flowy trails and not much technical descending.
Iām coming from a >12kg hardtail with 100mm front fork, so I feel this is quite a leap foreward. Never ridden a full sus before.
Been looking for a new bike for a year now. Previous no1 was the Oiz TR, but the Spark ticks a few extra boxes of which the integrated rear schock is a big one. We ride a lot if wet muddy trails in the winter months, so this should save me some maintenance.
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As @Cleanneon98 said, thereās really not many bad full suspension designs now (from the main players) as everyone has raised the bar so much in recent years. I bet itāll be great for you.
I have no idea what the trails are like in the Netherlands, but at least it might be more aero in the crosswinds with the shock hidden away 
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I bet Iāll even get a bit of that sail effect due to the large bb area
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I think the idea behind the new Spark is to sacrifice some weight for more suspension. The end result is that it is a very light 120mm front and rear suspension XC bike. So comparing with the Epic EVO it has 10mm more rear travel and slightly more weight. The question then comes down to riding characteristics, rigidityā¦the frame encapsulating the rear shock might be more rigid but thatās all on paper. Would need to ride oneā¦
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This seems to be one of the first reviews that was not part of the Scott Spark introduction day. Dunno how objective this channel is, but at least itās something. So far so good! He also has a vid up with a tech walkthrough of the bike.
Hope to see some more critical reviews in the coming weeks.
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ah manā¦ I shouldnāt have watched thatā¦ now I REALLY want it
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Thereās also this: https://enduro-mtb.com/en/new-scott-spark-900-tuned-axs-2022-review/
Not as positive as I hoped for! Particularly the tall seat post limiting dropper post.
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