Scott Spark RC World Cup EVO

The defining feature of the fifth-generation Spark RC frame is where the rear shock lives. On conventional XC full suspension bikes, the shock sits vertically inside the seat tube. Scott's engineers repositioned it horizontally above the crankset, driven through a linkage that pivots near the bottom bracket. The BB area is already the most structurally reinforced zone of any carbon frame — concentrating the suspension forces here eliminates the additional reinforcement required around a conventionally placed shock, which reduces total frame weight and improves structural efficiency. The frame is built from HMX Carbon in a Gen5 layup, the same material grade used in the RC SL frameset and two tiers above the entry-level HMF carbon found lower in the Spark lineup. CeramicSpeed bearings are fitted at every pivot, titanium hardware is used throughout, and the Syncros Octopus Gen2 system routes all cables cleanly through the headset. A Syncros-Acros headset with ±0.5° of adjustability allows the rider to fine-tune the steering character without changing forks.

Both suspension units run RockShox Flight Attendant, an electronically managed system that uses inertial sensors in the fork crown and rear shock to detect terrain and rider input, then switches between Lockout, Pedal, and Descend compression modes automatically. SRAM AXS Rocker Pod controllers on the bar allow manual override when preferred. The RockShox SID Ultimate fork and SIDLuxe Ultimate rear shock are tuned specifically for the Spark RC's suspension…