IN BRIEF
Scott unveiled the Spark DC on 10 September, a full-suspension mountain bike that slots in alongside the Spark RC with more travel: a 140 mm fork and 138 mm at the rear, according to the brand’s spec panel. The geometry calms down, with a 65° head angle adjustable by plus or minus half a degree through the headset, and 440 mm chainstays across all four sizes. The range runs to five models, from the DC 40 at €3,599 to the Factory at €11,499, the latter quoted at 11.5 kg in tubeless guise. Scott nonetheless still files this bike under cross-country.
| Price | From €3,599 (DC 40) to €11,499 (Factory) |
| Range | Five models: Factory, DC 10, DC 20, DC 30, DC 40 |
| Travel | 140 mm front, 138 mm rear (Scott spec panel) |
| Head angle | 65.0°, adjustable by ±0.5° through the headset |
| Chainstays | 440 mm, identical across every size |
| Sizes | S, M, L, XL |
| Frame | HMX Gen5 carbon (Factory), HMF Gen5 (other models), UDH interface, BSA bottom bracket |
| Weight | 11.5 kg (Spark DC Factory, tubeless, without the Save The Day kit) |
| Maximum total weight | 130 kg, including bike, rider, equipment and luggage |
The down-country — the cross-country mountain bike that agrees to go back down — has been argued over for years. Scott has just given it an entire five-bike range: the Scott Spark DC.
The Scott Spark DC gains 140 mm and calms down
The Spark DC, unveiled on 10 September, slots in alongside the Spark RC released earlier this year. Escape Collective describes a bike that uses “the same flex pivot suspension layout as on its racier sibling”, but with more travel.
How much exactly? Scott’s official product page gives two different answers on the same page. Its specification panel reads “Front: 140 mm, Rear: 138 mm”, while its presentation copy refers to a travel configuration of 140 mm at the front and 135 mm at the rear. We are going with the 138 mm from the spec panel, the figure the specialist press also uses.
The geometry follows suit. The official chart gives a head angle of 65,0°, identical across the four sizes, and chainstays of 440 mm that are likewise constant from S to XL. Above all, the Syncros-Acros headset makes it possible to adjust that angle by ± 0,5°: the Factory’s spec sheet lists a Syncros – Acros angle adjust +-0.5° headset, with fork lock, stainless bearings and an IS52 fitting.
Five models, from €3,599 to €11,499
On the French price list, the range spreads across five builds. The Spark DC 40 opens proceedings at 3 599 €, followed by the DC 30 à 4 599 €, the DC 20 à 5 599 € and the DC 10 à 8 299 €. At the top sits the Spark DC Factory, listed at 11 499 €; it gets RockShox Flight Attendant electronic suspension, according to Escape Collective.
The frame difference shows up in the spec sheets: the Factory is built from HMX Carbon Gen5 with Ceramic Speed bearings, the other four from HMF Carbon Gen5. According to those same sheets, all five frames do share the UDH interface — the universal derailleur hanger — and a threaded BSA bottom bracket.
An XC bike that doesn’t quite own its name
One point of nomenclature is worth a look: despite its 140 mm fork, Scott presents the Spark DC in its cross-country section, according to the official range page. Escape Collective picks up on it: “Scott still categorises the Spark DC as an XC bike, even given its longer travel guise” — adding that at “around 12 kg” for a full build in DC 10 trim, the emphasis on low weight gives away those origins.
The figure the brand itself publishes appears on the Factory’s spec sheet: 11.5 kg, with the sheet specifying “Tubless, without save the day kit”. Scott also states a maximum total weight of 130 kg, noting that the total weight includes the bike, the rider, equipment and additional luggage.
