2016 SCOTT SPARK 900 PREMIUM BIKE

When you need a bike that provides front and rear suspension but gives a cross-country vibe, the Scott Spark 900/700 HMX provides the proper tool. As with most of Scott’s offerings, you choose between the lighter and more agile 27.5” wheel and the better-rolling 29er. Luckily, both are super-light, with the 27.5” coming in at 1890g, and the larger tipping the scales at 1900g, both in Medium.

Scott has been tinkering with the design to make it more versatile, as that should be the calling card of any cross-country bike. They’ve improved the rear shock thanks to an ongoing collaboration with Fox. The Nude shock with DPS damping is not only easy to fine-tune when you’re off the bike, but thanks to the TwinLoc lever mounted on the underside of the left grip, you can shift through three suspension settings while  you ride, open, traction control, and lockout. You can also raise or lower the bottom bracket height by 7mm (and adjust the head tube angle by .5 degrees by flipping a chip at the top of the rear suspension linkage. Stick with the lower position for better stability unless you have a particularly rocky but rideable route. Finally, they’ve lowered the lower part of the downtube for a practical reason: more room for a downtube-mounted water bottle.