SCOTT Contessa Spark 930 Bike

A full suspension bike will never have success without, well, good suspension design. From the first time we rode the Spark’s single pivot layout we fell in love. Years later, we still believe that for technical cross-country racing and fast, punchy singletrack it is the best approach. The Spark’s suspension layout has a very specific and proven kinematic and less unsprung mass. Using a flex pivot in the seat stay is an ideal solution for bikes in this travel range. This allows us to keep a very lightweight system while still ensuring optimal suspension performance.

With the new Spark, you can adjust the head angle by .6 degrees slacker or steeper. This can be done without cutting cables or bleeding brakes. All you must do is disassemble the bar, rotate the headset cups 180 degrees, and reassemble. 

With TwinLoc, a rider can effectively control the complete frame, fork, and shock as a system. Why does this matter? A bike with 150mm of suspension travel, correctly set up, has more sag than a bike with 130mm. It's that extra travel that makes it more fun to ride and more capable on the descents, but the greater sag has an oversized effect on the bike's geometry and climbing performance. That's where TwinLoc matters.

TwinLoc helps manage the sag effect in several ways. Whereas most systems only increase low-speed compression in an effort to gain pedaling efficiency, TwinLoc allows us to not only change compression damping, but also to change the spring curve, dynamically altering the geometry of the bike. In Trail mode, the shock is not only firmer, but it has dynamically less travel. The bike sits higher, maintains a steep seat angle for those climbs, and becomes more agile. We also offer a third, full lockout mode for going up in the most efficient manner possible.

These unique settings optimize climbing geometry, even on longer travel bikes. We can eliminate the "long travel effect" that can rob your pedaling efficiency, but we're not robbing you of the full-fun, 150mm travel when you point it downhill. From a race setting, to a lunch ride, to an after work trail shred, being able to switch from mode to mode depending on a trails profile at the push of a lever is paramount to riding faster and having a damned good time. 

An integrated shock platform allows us to refine suspension characteristics without sacrificing weight. Often, when working with bikes at this level, the concept of marginal gains becomes an ever important one.

For the optimal performance of a suspension shock, power transfer must be the most direct possible. What we want to avoid are any inefficient directional movements, in other words, lateral movements (sideways to the direction of travel) as the shock goes through its compression. 

Having an integrated shock allows us to improve this in several ways. Firstly, the frame construction around the shock and with the trunnion mount can be designed to be much more rigid, reducing movement and fostering more efficient power transfer. We can also add much larger bearings to the seat tube pivot, further reinforcing this area and reducing any unnecessary motion. Our integrated Suspension technology also helps us to engineer frames with a lower shock placement which lowers center of gravity. As a result, the bike benefits from better handling, and a more stable, confidence inspiring ride for the end user. 

While these may seem like minor improvements individually, the sum of their parts results in more efficient shock performance. Additionally, the shock is fully protected from any foreign elements. Rainy race? No problem, your shock will continue to perform at its best regardless. 

Accessing the shock via the bottom bracket area is facilitated through a hatch. This makes it easy to adjust rebound, compression, shock pressure, and for installing or replacing the cable for our TwinLoc Suspension System.