Fast But Flawed | 2023 Scott Spark 940 Review

The Scott Spark is one of the most successful cross-country mountain bikes of all time. The Spark 900 series features a boost in fork travel and burlier components, to give a solid dose of extra downcountry attitude
With the range-topping Sparks now touching close to £15,000, can the cheapest carbon-frame version, this Spark 940, live up to its tempting £4,299 price tag? Tom Law has been putting it through its paces to find out.
What do you think of the Scott Spark? Let us know in the comments 👇
#scottspark #crosscountry #2023bikes
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:40 Frame Details
02:49 Geometry
03:57 Specification
05:42 Ride Impressions
07:22 Climbing Performance
08:58 Descending Performance
11:10 Scott Spark Vs Transition Spur
12:21 Final Thoughts
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[@kinvart86]

I bought a Spark 930 two months ago and could not be happier! The fox/shimano combo with 4 piston brakes really make a better value than the set on the 940. An amazing bike both up and downhill 🤘😎

[@bikeradar]

Yeah during our research on the range the 930 seemed like the pick of the bunch, or drop down to the alloy 950 and upgrade the brakes. Great to hear you're enjoying it!

[@stuarthawkins4482]

Did I just hear him say the £4299 price tag was tempting? The bike world’s gone mad.

[@bikeradar]

Sadly the world we live in, but when this gives you an awful lot of the perfomance of the near £15k top model, paying less than a third of that sounds tempting to us!

[@BastienChanot]

@@bikeradar don't be silly, a new Neuron from Canyon with much higher end build such as XT groupset and performance elite level suspensions cost 10% less that this NX equipped entry level Scott. And don't get me started on the incredible value the second hand market offers right now. The price asked by Scott here for this build is.. absurd, no matter how we look at it.

[@sophiamartinez590]

@@BastienChanotCanyon is a joke of a bike brand. They don’t support the industry at all. Second hand is where it’s at for value.

[@BastienChanot]

@@sophiamartinez590 Canyon isn't the only one providing far more retail price value than Scott here, far from it. Besides, as a consumer and rider, and as a previous Canyon owner, I would strongly disagree with your statement. An industry only exists if there's enough consumers and bikes sold, and a consumer will always be looking - among other things - for value. On those 2 fronts, Canyon is pushing the boundaries and represents by itself a large part if not the biggest part (for some ranges) of the industry. It also tremendously supports pro teams, athletes and media production on most bike related disciplines which helps bringing more riders to the roads and trails. The brand isn't without its flaws (consumer service, sizing recommendations among other things) but calling it a "joke" can't be taken seriously by any stretch of the imagination, neither quantitatively or qualitatively.

[@CristianCiupitu]

@@sophiamartinez590 what do you mean by "they don't support the industry"?

[@guilhermemedeiros117]

I got myself 2 years ago the Scott Spark 970 for 2800 USD. 1 year later I upgraded the brakes for M6100 (mt201 before), recently the derailleur for the Sram GX AXS (NX before), and now I am upgrading the fork for Fox 34 fit4. Spent 1200USD on upgrades. With a little more I could have got the Spark 940...but despite the weight 14.4kg, after the upgrades, I am quite happy with the bike. Thinking on next upgrade...lol Syncros carbon handlebar ... maybe!! I could just sell it and buy the 910 but I enjoy doing the upgrades... lol

[@IIISentorIII]

Awesome! Another upgrade could be the Elitewheels pro 36 for 500 bucks. I have those on my Stumpy and those are amazing. You find lots of 15% off codes out there on YT. Lots of Spark hete in Switzerland

[@IIISentorIII]

I think the 930er is the way to go with this bike in the "trail" version. In fact I just saw someone ride it and had a talk with him today. And the "dream" version is the SCOTT Spark 910 :). A year ago I test rode those bikes for a couple of weeks including the RC Versions and I honestly loved the 930er and the 910er. But I was never fully happy with the cost and components ( over 6k for the 930, and alloy triangle for the 930 for 3'700Euro). In the end I did buy a new Stumpjumper Carbon Comp on sale for 2900 Euro ( SLX Groupset, full Carbon factory 11, Internal frame storage, 13.5kg stock, 170mm Dropper post. 140mm x 130mm travel, 4 piston brakes, internal frame cabelrouting and the Bike is dead quiet!). I Installed a XT-Shifter and Chain guide and did go tubless and had a blast riding it the the last 10 months in Switzerland Cheers

[@jslopez4]

You CAN lower the stem without cutting the steerer tube. You just can't put on the plastic cover for the clean look

[@bikeradar]

It can be done, but you'd need to buy regular headset spacers too as the stock ones can't be put back on top like a regular setup, so it's very much a bodge!

[@tateflanagan2672]

As someone who owns a new Scott genius and has changed the brakes and dropper cable the headset routing is honestly about the same as any other bike with internal routing. the most annoying part was the chainstay to front triangle but still wasn't as bad as other bikes due to the easy access with the opening. To go between the HTA setting is super easy too. The most annoying thing is you can't lower your stem without cutting the head tube that's a bummer. Also you don't need the 3 mm housing but you can get it from jagwire and quite nice for alot of bikes with tight dropper posts routing.

[@JoshuaMarcAragon]

I agree. I just built up a gravel bike with semi-integrated headset routing and it was no more difficult than any other internal routing I have done. To be honest, I found it was easier since you can run the housing/hoses through the back of the bike first and they just pop right out into the head tube where they are easy to grab and pull up. Slap in the bearings, put in the fork, and then put the rest of the headset and spacers on. No big deal.

[@YOELEO]

Nice Video! 👍

[@ferencvarju651]

Nice review! As a 910 owner, I can confirm that the stem can be lowered temporarily without cutting the steerer. Don’t put the plastic cover back pn, and use normal headset spacers on top. Once you’re done with dialling in the fit, you can make the final cut and put the plastic cap back on. I’m still not saying it’s user friendly though :D

[@bikeradar]

Absolutely, it's a bodge, but a temporary solution for sure! Not the neatest but a work around all the same, great tip!

[@macpaul1391]

Usually, you have a certain range of spacers before and after shortening the steering tube. E.g. 15 mm of spacers mounted already with a maximum of 30 mm possible and after cutting off 15 mm you get 0 to 15 mm range.That may also depend of how long the carbon tube is cause this only applys to carbon steering tubes. Best is to ask the manufacturer thouroghly before buying.

[@Bonky-wonky]

Thanks for the honest review, calling out that headset cable routing bs.

[@bikeradar]

Thanks for the kind words! Contrary to popular belief, all of our reviews are 100% honest, and in this case we definitely felt we had to call some things out, including the cable routing. There's an awesome bike hidden away behind the flaws though

[@Bonky-wonky]

@@bikeradar if bigger platforms like bikeradar, pinkbike etc make potential customers aware of the headaches that come along with this routing they might steer away from those bikes and it will hopefully go the way of plus size tyres..

[@colingryms3373]

I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy and my friend just purchased a Spark (disclaimer: we're old). I find the Spark much better for the riding we do with one exception, downhill. The dropper and lockouts will become second nature after riding for a time.

[@adamj2281]

Debating these two bikes, I have a 2022 Scott Spark 950, most of my trails are pretty flat and twisty. That's why I chose the Spark, that and at the time the Tallboy was much more expensive. Prices have dropped, and I'm still kinda debating swapping.

[@qwertycycles1173]

If you are unsure about stem height you can use standard spacers on top of the stem like standard stem. No issues with this and its actually easier to do than standard spacers as you do not need to remove the stem to remove the lower spacers. Typically something you do once in the bikes life.

[@cedricbethea358]

My experience is that it comes down to the frame because most if not all components can be replaced and upgraded to fit each individual's taste.

[@headstashmusic3897]

When I try and switch my Spark in full lockout it just pops back into the middle setting. Wont stay in lockout mode.

[@Calboy31170]

Personally, vanity over tried and true functionality is not a good idea. Great review btw….Reminds me of the old days when a money biased media wasn’t as common.

[@Bonky-wonky]

Seems like they are targeting non bikers that are attracted by all that “integration” and don’t work on their own bikes. I for one would never buy one, shame as my first mtb was a Scott Expert Racing which I absolutely loved.

[@bikeradar]

Thanks! It does look great, but is indeed a pain to work on. Hopefully you won't have to do it too often!

[@fusion01wp]

I have owned countless carbon bikes from Scott, Trek, CUBE etc and would never bother paying a premium for it again. Owned alu bikes - Giant Trance etc - and never felt the difference. Save a few grams, stiffness is debatable. They don’t make any difference in the real world. I’d put the savings towards other important considerations in life, such as paying monthly bills.

[@user-xu9yv7fq5t]

What bike would you recommend for someone just starting to get into mountain biking?

[@cheech7886]

I had a Scott before but thinking of changing to a cube. Which did you prefer of the two?

[@nootnoot1463]

Good reviewer

[@bikeradar]

Thanks for the kind words and glad you enjoyed the video!

[@shitydrummer]

Would you recommend this. Have an heibike amt cf6 but possibility of refund due too carbon fault ( aka cheaply built 5k bike ) I don't feel I enjoy going back too a longer travel trail/Amt and can't be bothered with another e bike. Would u recommend this, want one bike too do it all. Be able to ride places like cannock but also go on a "road" ride down a loop witch cuts through my local woods and rural areas. Also a possibility of bike park Wales blue/ easier reds. Would you recommend or would you suggest a slightly longer travel ?

[@bikeradar]

The Spark would be a great bike by the sounds of it! We rode the RC version around Cannock and it was great fun, very capable and the light weight make it a breeze on the climbs. The bigger fork on the 900 series would easily handle blues and reds at BPW, so definitely worth a look!

[@frienduro24]

Hidden shock with that cable mess. It’s a Butter Face.

[@setransou]

Nailed it!

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

They hide the shock and route the cables through the headset to look "klean and kool", then they have a mess on the left handlebar that Edward Scissorhands would be proud of.... Good ol' bike industry.

[@bikeradar]

There's a lot going on for sure, a Twistloc would help both aesthetically and functionally!

[@psullivan265]

Had my 930 2022 for ten months and while loving the looks, suspension and short stingy ,loose climbing ability the spectre of my good old Felt Edict Pro follows me around on EVERY ride. The higher overall weight of this bike has clipped my wings in so many ways and i question my choice of bike regularly. Ive zero memorable fast rides to recall from having the 930. The Felt? Dozens.

[@chubscoi]

I want one already

[@bikeradar]

Great bike, we're sure you'd love it! Just put some funds aside for a few tweaks!

[@pedrotrigueira794]

Got one and the front tire feeling on lose gravel is scaring!!!.. but then again i’m a road cyclist and MTB is something mew to me ;))

[@IIISentorIII]

So replace the front tyre ?! ;)

[@lbanezjs1000]

6000 AUD and has SX shifters and NX rear end. my oh my.

[@bikeradar]

It performs ok, but for sure would be nice to see GX feature. The shifter is the main area we'd want to upgrade, in fact we'd love to see more brands down-spec the rear derailleur rather than up-spec like this and fit a far better shifter

[@jcqsvntr]

Just Bought a new 920 for half the price said on this video, the bike market seems to be in trouble and thats fantastic news for us 😊

[@Habs80550]

Where were you able to purchase for half the price?

[@lfk53]

Liar

[@MAGAIVER]

I love the Spark but that parts spec has no place os what's supposed to be a high end carbon XC bike specially one as expensive as the Spark is.

[@bikeradar]

As mentioned in another comment, the next model up in the range, the 930 looks a lot better value for the spec you get.

[@hcc2891]

This is how to do a bike review -- great job.

[@bikeradar]

Cheers! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@ashleyeaston3203]

£4k tempting. My Arse is it!!!! £3k would seems reasonable at best

[@bikeradar]

The 2022 model was £3699, so closer to £3K, but aside from direct buy brands, its hard to get a carbon bike for much less than this now

[@mw-0794]

What brakes would you recommend to upgrade?

[@bikeradar]

A good 4-piston brake would be great, Shimano's Deore M6120 would be a great shout without braking the bank. SRAM's G2 RE brakes might be for ebikes, but they're great on regular bikes too and can be picked up quite cheaply

[@hjfcoco]

Will this frame accept 29x2.6 tires like the RC?

[@IIISentorIII]

The RC and Trail version use the same frame.

[@hjfcoco]

​@@IIISentorIIIawesome ty!

[@soulcaliburbra]

Can I transforme this bike in a spark RC version?

[@IIISentorIII]

Yes it's the same frame.

[@pedalandypedal]

Dude speaks with a period after every single word.

[@bikeradar]

Fair. Point.

[@pedalandypedal]

@@bikeradar Touché

[@ehywa9799]

😍😍😍😍👍👍👍👍

[@XCRiders]

I don’t care for the looks with the shock hidden in the frame I’m sure would get used to it. I bet it gets mistaken for an Ebike

[@bikeradar]

We had more than a few people ask if it was an ebike

[@user-cb9iy4mn3z]

My friend put this bike together for his son and before I knew it he was done kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L When the son came to put it together he was surprised to see it was already done. All he had to do was take the bike to get air and be on his way. My friend did not have any major problems putting this bike together; small issue was putting one of the brakes on straight; however when the son got home he was able to fix it. The bike rides well gears move correctly; good bike for the price. Wrote review after the son took the bike. Sorry.

[@BastienChanot]

Since there's not only the retail options to consider but a dense and very accessible, very mature second hand market with the same component generation and an already modern geometry, a £4299 bike equipped with NX sounds like a ridiculously bad value, regardless of the inflation and "world we live in". And don't get me started on the sustainability front. Bike manufacturers must get back to their value assessment board very quickly or they may soon sit on hefty and costly stocks.

[@bikeradar]

You can certainly find some great bikes seconds hand, but it's a risk to take on an equally expensive bike with no warranty or dealer back up. Nothing comes for free so if you want that piece of mind in case anything goes wrong, buying new and a lower spec might be worth it.

[@BastienChanot]

@@bikeradar Fair! But most products (if maintained properly and excluding wear / tear / impact related issues) are warrantied 2 years. So typically dealer/warranty support aren't an issue for recent 2nd hand bikes.

[@louiscrasher]

the 3 locks 3 cables solution is stupid, so much bs on the handlebar nowadays, just put one shifter with 3 positions or more, both front and rear into one

[@benchoi9474]

Mini rise flat bar? hmmm.. it seems just flat bar would be better like rc model

[@Nicoya]

I don't know why bike companies aren't using the obvious solution to headset cable routing (other than not doing it at all): Just move the upper headset bearing lower in the head tube, leaving a gap open behind it that leads to the empty space where the top and down tube join. Then you can feed the cables in through the headset spacer cover fairing things to keep the clean look without the downsides of having them go through the upper headset bearing. Also it's well past time to give up on the lockout levers. It's not 2005 anymore: a well designed suspension doesn't need them, so long as you learn how to not pedal like a gorilla.

[@rubioe3067]

Some tipical spanish words ,where do you come from ... i bough it apples ... That's my case today when i was to buy a new trail (more focus on the agroo way) bike to the Scott local shop and i my finally choose was a 500km used Orange Spark 930 (22) by 2600€. What a fall of the... financial stock market that I escaped

[@MaQuGo119]

LOL in my cuntry this same bike is at £5033

[@bikeradar]

Ouch!!!

[@raiphtheimposter]

too much of a faff with the cables, levers and hidden shock. nino would win xc on a dh bike! for pure xc, scalpel or oiz for the win.

[@setransou]

Agreed, overly complicated to service, proprietary parts that are difficult to source. Like a high end super bike with cable actuated brakes and shifters, sure it looks clean but when its time to fix or service, you are spending 4x the time or $ to deal with it. So many other brands out there that work just as well without the maintenance headache/nightmare!

[@bikeradar]

The shock is a total non-issue, it's as easy to work on and adjust as any other bike and it does keep it away from trail detritus. The cables again are a pain, but will not be an issue all that often. The remote is the real downer here and after a quick go, the Squidlock on the Orbea is a little better, but not much!

[@chrisorr3919]

Clearly under specced for the price... insane price increases aren't justified. Needs a magic mary on the front and shimano slx all around to improve this...fox suspension would probably make it better too... glad I bought an older gen from new 2022 genius 920.

[@bikeradar]

Its not the best value in the range, or compared to the competition. We think the 930 model would be our pick from the Spark range

[@JogBird]

looks like an ebike

[@bikeradar]

"is it an e-bike?" We got asked that question A LOT!

[@TheLelol]

Sorry but that closed shock design is unnecessary complicated and has almost no benefits compared to open designs. From an lean engineering point of view thats simply bullshit😂

[@bikeradar]

It isn't as complex as you'd think, it does make some things a little more complicated, but nice to see something different rather than the usual, "looks a session" nonsense 😂

[@aleksarajkovic3471]

Orbea for the win, Scott is overpriced af

[@bikeradar]

Yet to ride the new Oiz, but be interesting to see how it fares, as the Scott is super capable for what it is, even with a few niggles

[@aleksarajkovic3471]

@@bikeradar got the 2022 oiz few days ago, its an amazing bike, 100mm of travel but rides like it has more on the downhills😁

[@setransou]

I cant stand Scott’s incessant need for remote lockouts on ALL their bikes. Twin locks even on ebikes??? For the love of God Scott, why does an ebike need lockouts??? Who cares about pedal efficiency when you have a motor??? And don’t crash and break your twin lock. They have been on backorder for months. Plus they internally rout everything through headset??? And the housing for the lockouts is proprietary 3mm??? Hydros, shifter, dropper, two lockouts and you have a rats nest in the cockpit! God help you (or the mechanic serving your bike) if you want to change the bearing cups to a different angle cup set or change a worn out upper bearing. Or if you need to refresh your shift/dropper/lockout housing. Just stop it Scott! How you continue as a successful bicycle company is beyond me. Your shop support is terrible. If you want to find tech info about a particular mode you have to sort through an annual 500+ page PDF doc. Why not have a web based system to organize your product info??? As a dealer, you cant even order product you want. You have to take what they give you. Imagine a customer comes into your shop and wants a specific bike that you dont have. No sale for your shop cause Scott simply wont be able to get your shop that bike, period. Screw their business model and their unnecessarily complex and proprietary designs.

[@tinshield]

Engineers run amok

[@bikeradar]

Its kind of their USP, so we're not surprised to see it feature. Doesn't mean it can't be improved upon though!

[@WRBWRXWGN]

I wanted to argue with you because I love my 2023 Spark RC Team so much, but everything you say here is accurate. I hunted for well over a year to get the bike I wanted. And I still had to compromise on build spec. No shop in the western US would/could take my money because they couldn't understand when/what inventory they were going to get. I called nearly weekly for months. Nothing. No forecast, no usable info. Wildly frustrating and I could sense the dealers were as frustrated as me. Then I get the bike and as I worked on it/upgraded it, I could get zero technical support from local shops because none of them had any real training on the technical aspects of a VERY high tech and proprietary bike. And the proprietary tech, while cool, is simply not available. I did need a new TwinLock remote so I could add a dropper. 6 months leadtime quoted by the shop. So I had to use an old 2021 unit. I need the 3mm TwinLock housing... Literally can't be bought from Scott or Jagwire. Like I said, this bike is excellent (at least in the spec I have). Truly excellent in how it performs and is engineered. But I had to fight every step of the way to throw stupid amounts of money at Scott and now that I made it into the club, there's no support and I'm just waiting for a component failure that will leave the bike down for weeks to months.

[@simonmajura]

Sounds like a typical Scott: Bad value for money, infuriating headset cable routing and useless suspension remotes.

[@bikeradar]

Its not all as bad as that, the frame is great and it is a genuinely fun bike to ride, Tom would love to try one with his suggested mods made!

[@trentvlak]

Just say no to cable tourism!