# Help with a Scott Spark 10 Build



## jadickey (May 18, 2007)

Hi,

Just test rode and bought a Scott Spark 10 today. I wanted something lighter than my 2003 S-Works Epic (an awesome bike, but a bit heavy) and the Scott was the right bike for me.

I bought just the frame, which comes with a Ritchey WCS seatpost and headset. Can't wait to get out and ride it!

I'm thinking of going for a full XTR kit (rapidfire shifters - standard rise derailleur) with Magura Marta SL brakes, CrossMax SLR wheels and possibly a RS Reba World Cup fork.

I'm a former semi-pro racer just getting back into mountain bike racing, so I'm looking for a build on this frame that's going to be at least somewhat durable (can't stand DNFs because of mechanical failures), but also that will do the frame justice and perhaps come in at the 21-22lb range.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

Thanks, 

Jeff


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*here's what you want...*



jadickey said:


> Hi,
> 
> Just test rode and bought a Scott Spark 10 today. I wanted something lighter than my 2003 S-Works Epic (an awesome bike, but a bit heavy) and the Scott was the right bike for me.
> 
> ...


Jeff,
that sounds exactly as the bike i built for a good friend of mine. he wanted all XTR and Ritchey WCS and SLRs as well. we opted for the Juicy Ultimates as this brake is outbeating the Magura performancewise and just a few bolts make it lighter than the Magura as well.

about the only weight-weenie stuff i mounted is the KMC X10 SL chain and lightweight rotors and 11g BB cage.

the bike as pictured weighs exactly 9,72 kilos/ 21,4 lbs (including BB cage)

Frame: Spark 10 ,size M,1779g
Headset: Ritchey WCS Carbon 86g
Fork: Reba WC: 1530g
stem: Ritchey WCS 4Axis
handlebar: Ritchey WCS OS Carbon (152g) ......heavy as hell!!
grips: Progress foam 32g
shifters: 07 XTR
brakeset: Juicy Ultimates with lightweight rotors (160mm = 92g)
wheelset: SLR disc
Eclipse Tubelesskit (sealant): 120g
Tires: Nobby Nic 2,1" 455g+457g (light ones,handpicked)
skewers: Mavic Titanium 88g
Crankset: 07 XTR
Pedals: Eggbeater 4ti 167g
front derailleur: 07 XTR 142 .......heavy as hell!!!
rear derailleur: 07 XTR 198
chain: KMC X10 SL 225
cassette: 11-32 XTR 07
seatpost: Ritchey WCS Carbon 220g
seatpost clamp: 14g (changed to the fixed clamp of my Scale. standard was 39g)
saddle: SLR Carbonio 160g..............heavy as hell!!!
cables: 0815 Shimano


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## jadickey (May 18, 2007)

*Thanks for your advice*

Nino, thanks very much for your advice. That's a beautiful bike! I was really waffling on which set of brakes to get.

I couldn't tell from the photos - what type of rotors did you use - they're not a set of Stan's rotors? Also, what type of water bottle cage did you use?

I was thinking of getting a set of FSA K-Force flat bars. Do you know of any durability issues as between the FSA and the Ritchey, or could you recommend something else altogether?

Thanks,

Jeff


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## vwong (Feb 3, 2007)

Hey Nino,

How much is the real weight of the SLRs? I can't be bothered removing and weighing my set; since I'm planning to get ZTRs.


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## dcb (Sep 19, 2005)

I have the Reba WC on my Spark Limited and although I know it's not the lightest fork, it works SO well I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

The rotors in those pictures Nino posted are Alligators. I got a couple of sets from Nino, one of which is on my Spark which I use with Marta SL's. I never tried the Avids so I can't make a comparison, but I like my brakes. 

For wheels I went with I9's.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

jadickey said:


> Nino, thanks very much for your advice. That's a beautiful bike! I was really waffling on which set of brakes to get.
> 
> I couldn't tell from the photos - what type of rotors did you use - they're not a set of Stan's rotors? Also, what type of water bottle cage did you use?
> 
> ...


Jeff,

i personally wouldn't go for oversize diameter bars. a syntace stem and nice lightweight carbon bar like easton SL or RaceFace (both just 99g) would be much lighter without any issues.

rotors are Alligators. much lighter than standard steel rotors and NO downside at all in power or durability. hence - they offer better heat resistance because of better cooling. i use them with EBC gold pads and they are really super powerful. these rotors weigh:
160mm: 92g
180mm: 115g
203mm: 151g
standard Juicy Ultimate rotors weigh:
160mm: 109g
185mm: 144g

the Bottlecage accepts all standard bottles and weighs just 11,5g

i would have built this bike quite a bit different if it were me to choose parts for a "regular" build without spending more money or putting any exotic WW-parts:

Stem: Syntace F99 -20g
handlebar: Easton EC 90 SL - 50g
shifters: Grip-Shift Plasma -65g
Crankset: Atik -80g
front derailleur: Dura Ace -60g
rear derailleur: Dura Ace -20g
cables: Alligator I-Link -30g
wheels: Amclassic Disc -100g
tires: Conti Speedking 2,1 or 2,3 -80g
seatpost: KCNC 31,6 with shim - 50g
saddle: regular SLR -20g

total savings: 575g

so the Spark would weigh about 9,2 kilos / 20,2 lbs without any fancy gimmicks.


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

nino said:


> we opted for the Juicy Ultimates as this brake is outbeating the Magura performancewise and just a few bolts make it lighter than the Magura as well.


Nino, can you discuss what bolts exactly and what did you change how to get the Ultimates ligther than the Maguras?


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*Juicy Ultimate Tuning...*



Cheers! said:


> Nino, can you discuss what bolts exactly and what did you change how to get the Ultimates ligther than the Maguras?


first of all - the Ultimates are just 16g heavier f+r than the Marta SL in stock trim.

my tuning consists of:
2x lightweight 160mm rotor 92g (- 34g)
4 Titanium bolts M6x18, standard is steel (attaching the brakes to the frame and fork) (-9g)
4 aluminium bolts at the lever clamp, standard is titanium (- 6g)

total saved: 49g


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## glovemtb (Mar 12, 2006)

jadickey said:


> Hi,
> 
> I bought just the frame, which comes with a Ritchey WCS seatpost and headset.


How did you go about a frame only order ? How much was just the frame ?
Thanks


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

Today at a my SERC/GSC/AMBC race in mid Ga. Lot of pros about..

The center HT has a broken rear seat stay..










Whats with the black Fox?



















Closer..


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## racer99 (Jan 26, 2004)

Black fox?
My 07 scale 10 came with a black fox - looks good on there!


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## Cheers! (Jun 26, 2006)

the black fox is OEM fork to the bike manufacturers I think. Specialized bikes for 2007 have black fox forks


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

I like. I just thought all the Fox 80/100 XC forks were white.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*tilosshop.com*



glovemtb said:


> How did you go about a frame only order ? How much was just the frame ?
> Thanks


best source to get individual Scott frames is TILO CHLUPKA from tilosshop.com , a Scott-dealer in germany.

just drop him a line. he is a great guy and has superb service.

tilo(at)tilosshop.com

don't forget to tell him Nino sent you....


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*standard Scott...*



Duckman said:


> I like. I just thought all the Fox 80/100 XC forks were white.


that's just the way standard Scale 10s are sold:
http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=9672

so you showed a broken frame. i could show you more broken aluminium frames as well....so what's the deal with that?


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## Duckman (Jan 12, 2004)

Nothing. I see tons of broken Giant frames(since I race an XTC) also. I personally would love to have a Scott carbon HT. But alas..


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## uphill4me (Jun 14, 2006)

Nino, HELP - I have been wrestling with choosing between the Marta SL 160/160 and Avid Juicy Ultimate 160/140 combo. I probably won't opt for the aftermarket rotors yet, so straight up, which would you consider as the best setup when tying performance to weight advantage straight out of the box? I only weigh 140 lbs and ride XC, so I could probably could get away with just about anything. I'm concerned about lower maintenance and reliability but also saving weight. It looks like most of the builds on light bikes.com use the Marta's, and I currently use Avid BB7 with SD Ultimate levers. Since you build some awesome bikes, I'd like your opinion....PLEASE...thanks


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## EuroMack (Jan 15, 2007)

uphill4me said:


> ... I only weigh 140 lbs and ride XC, so I could probably could get away with just about anything. I'm concerned about lower maintenance and reliability but also saving weight...


V-brakes! Lower maintenance, more reliable, less weight, and cheaper.


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## ryan123 (Jun 15, 2004)

Got my Scott Spark 10 and changed the following:
Fork - Reba WC in white, works perfectly and looks good in white with the white front end of the frame
Cranks - 07 XTR
Chain - KMX X9sl - gold
Cassette - 07 XTR 11/32
Wheels - 07 Crossmax SLR Disc
Grips - ESI Grips Chunky
Stem - Synros FL (white) - needed 100mm and decided on something different, a little heavier than Ritchey WCS though

Also had to put on new pushloc so could mount to Avid matchmaker. I love the ultimate brakes and shifting of the SRAM X0 rear, but also think the XTR cranks and cassette are still way above SRAM


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## mishap (Jan 27, 2007)

My Spark 20 I got last week came w/ a gray Fox. The '07 S-Works Epic I tried out had a black Fox as well.










My large came in a bit chunky at just over 25lb. Going to need to do some work at the end of the season to fix that up since it's the same weight as my housemate's XL '03 S-Works.


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## SmashWings (Jan 4, 2006)

mishap said:


> My Spark 20 I got last week came w/ a gray Fox. The '07 S-Works Epic I tried out had a black Fox as well.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


beautiful machine, ¿can you post more photos from it? side one would be great to see one Spark in L size, only M's I have seen


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## mishap (Jan 27, 2007)

As requested:


















Very stock for now until I get some more pennies together to cut some fat. Probably wheels and a lighter stem/flat bar combo to start until other things start breaking.

Sorry to clutter up the thread but I do love mine quite a lot  Definitely like it more than the Epic and should cost less to make it lighter over the long haul.


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## vwong (Feb 3, 2007)

Do you Spark users feel any bob in the rear shock? The thing that turned me off the spark was that it used a remote lockout system to deal with the rear travel.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*you didn't get it...*



vwong said:


> Do you Spark users feel any bob in the rear shock? The thing that turned me off the spark was that it used a remote lockout system to deal with the rear travel.


that isn't simply a lockout lever but it allows you to reduce travel for climbing....

you have actually 3 setups to choose from:
fully locked
traction mode (70mm of slightly stiffer travel)
all travel

i personally preferred the traction mode which is already soaking up everything . but on the tp of a DH section you can swith to the full travel mode and enjoy the ride with lots of travel.

if it bobs you haven't had the correct amount of pressure in the damper. set it up to 5mm of sag.


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## SmashWings (Jan 4, 2006)

mishap said:


> As requested:
> 
> Very stock for now until I get some more pennies together to cut some fat. Probably wheels and a lighter stem/flat bar combo to start until other things start breaking.
> 
> Sorry to clutter up the thread but I do love mine quite a lot  Definitely like it more than the Epic and should cost less to make it lighter over the long haul.


Thank you very much, gorgeus machine  . The bike is great on stock but if you want to make some changes to make it lighter, one thing when they go worn out would be continental speed king supersonic 2.1 (400 gr), don't know the weight of the OZON ones but here you will cut many grams. Stem: ritchey wcs or syntace f99. Wheels: Tune - Sapim CX - Stan no Tubes or similar. Pedals: Crank Bros or Speedplay (personal choose  ).
Ideal bike setting would be very similar to nino wrote on the second part, if money wouldnt be a problem


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## glovemtb (Mar 12, 2006)

nino said:


> best source to get individual Scott frames is TILO CHLUPKA from tilosshop.com , a Scott-dealer in germany.
> 
> just drop him a line. he is a great guy and has superb service.
> 
> ...


Thanks for response Nino. But, I'm in US. I would hope to find dealer here in states that would do frame only for a custom build.


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## drainyoo (May 12, 2007)

nino said:


> Jeff,
> seatpost: Ritchey WCS Carbon 220g


Nino, the Ritchey including other bike sites list this post at around 158g - 176g. You sure this one was 220g?


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## mishap (Jan 27, 2007)

drainyoo said:


> Nino, the Ritchey including other bike sites list this post at around 158g - 176g. You sure this one was 220g?


The one that comes w/ the Spark is a 34.9mm x 400mm so its going to weigh a good bit more than smaller diameter versions.


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*Ritchey WCS Carbon 34,9/400: 236g*



drainyoo said:


> Nino, the Ritchey including other bike sites list this post at around 158g - 176g. You sure this one was 220g?


that's what we are talking about - no comment


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## drainyoo (May 12, 2007)

mishap said:


> The one that comes w/ the Spark is a 34.9mm x 400mm so its going to weigh a good bit more than smaller diameter versions.


Oh I didn't know that the diameter on the Spark was that big. That makes sense then.


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## drainyoo (May 12, 2007)

nino said:


> that's what we are talking about - no comment


HA you have a shot for everything. Good stuff. Thanks.


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## Batas (Jan 16, 2004)

nino said:


> that's what we are talking about - no comment


 What a TANK! And expensive too! And thinking that my LBS wanted to sell me one of thos:madman: :nono:

Will have find a shim FAST for the kcnc ti pro lite that just arrived home...


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## Batas (Jan 16, 2004)

drainyoo said:


> HA you have a shot for everything. Good stuff. Thanks.


 A foto camera was Nino's best buy... That and a porno magazine, to help him with his sculptures...  :thumbsup:


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## nino (Jan 13, 2004)

*well...*

too bad i had to follow the original of 1780 very strictly.

i personally would have made a couple of things different 

anyway - she is standing on top of a fountain in the middle of zurich/switzerland for the next couple of centuries so she needs some muscles...


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## SmashWings (Jan 4, 2006)

I'm not very sure of using shims in a carbon frame , because of the forces it can suffer, but in this case could be a very nice way to reduce some grams.
A thermoplastic shim would be nice here 31.6mm - 34.9mm (23 gr 100mm lenght)

https://www.use1.com/products/seat_post_shims/shim_generic.php


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## mishap (Jan 27, 2007)

I'm fairly certain that I read in my owner's manual that using a shim would void the warranty. 

I'm a little afraid to pull the Ritchey Pro Carbon out and weigh it given the only upgrade path would be the WCS carbon at $200 and it's not exactly featherweight either. May just have to settle with sawing mine down since I have a good bit left inside.

Anyone else make attempts at lightweight 34.9 posts?


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## CanOnlyRide (Oct 27, 2005)

great advice in this thread! i love the spark, im thinking about buying one but i just want the frame... a lbs of mine sells scott and im real cool w/ the owner so he would prolly help me get one... i hope... How much do they usually go for? just the frame?


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## jadickey (May 18, 2007)

*Spark 10 Frame*

I bought my Spark 10 frame for about $2950 (including DC sales tax). The frame includes a seatpost and headset.


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## Batas (Jan 16, 2004)

jadickey said:


> I bought my Spark 10 frame for about $2950 (including DC sales tax). The frame includes a seatpost and headset.


 :shocked: Frame only? expeeeEEESIVE!


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## jadickey (May 18, 2007)

Agreed, it is expensive. You'll have to save your pennies for this one. MSRP per the Scott website is even higher than what I paid.

But the ride quality is awesome, the warranty is great, and it's not cheap to otherwise get a 21.5lb full suspension bike with 4+ inches of travel...


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## mtbscott (May 11, 2005)

I've had my Spark Limited about a month now and have gotten to race it three times now. The first was the day after I got it, and I DNF'ed with the Stan's Crows tires I'd put on not holding air. Then I found out the rear shock was blown, DT sent another one immediately. Now that the shock is working, I'm really liking the bike. This past weekend I did the Bump and Grind in Alabama, used the 4 1/2 inch rear travel for most of the course but the 2 1/2" for the jeep road climbs. My home scale only measures in 1/2 lb increments but getting 22 lbs for my large frame with only the tires and pedals changed from the stock build. I am using Maxxis Crossmark non-UST's and triple ti eggbeaters. My previous bike was a Titus Racer X and I think the Scott is right in league with that benchmark but 3 lbs less.


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## CanOnlyRide (Oct 27, 2005)

can i see pics?


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## mishap (Jan 27, 2007)

I got my Spark 20 for 4k+ tax. I didn't have enough modern parts on my old bike to justify a frame only but I do think you could probably pull 1.5k in parts off the 20 if you had the time and were so inclined to sell them and finance a custom build. The shop also had the Spark 30 for $3,400 but the components kind of suck and you're looking at 26lb w/ pedals.

Also, the warranty is only 3 years if you don't take it in for an annual checkup at the bikeshop. It was something I noticed only after reading the manual very closely.

My 1st race will be on it next month. It's been a long time since I've raced so I'm looking forward to it.


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## glovemtb (Mar 12, 2006)

*That is the 2nd blown rear shock I've heard of so far.*



mtbscott said:


> I've had my Spark Limited about a month now and have gotten to race it three times now. The first was the day after I got it, and I DNF'ed with the Stan's Crows tires I'd put on not holding air. Then I found out the rear shock was blown, DT sent another one immediately.


That is the 2nd blown rear shock I've heard of so far.


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## sagecycles (Nov 16, 2006)

I had a Spark 10 demo that I was racing all this season, however I now have a Spark LTD. The last race of the spring series, was my first race on the Spark LTD. My results were 11 minutes faster than the previous year on my Litespeed Sewanee. A big noticeable difference was the much lower fatigue level with Sparky, probably due to the lighter weight and more travel.

PS: I have a new Spark 10 medium frame only, if someone wants a 21 lb custom build. come and get it.


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## CanOnlyRide (Oct 27, 2005)

sagecycles said:


> I had a Spark 10 demo that I was racing all this season, however I now have a Spark LTD. The last race of the spring series, was my first race on the Spark LTD. My results were 11 minutes faster than the previous year on my Litespeed Sewanee. A big noticeable difference was the much lower fatigue level with Sparky, probably due to the lighter weight and more travel.
> 
> PS: I have a new Spark 10 medium frame only, if someone wants a 21 lb custom build. come and get it.


how much you want for it??? pm me


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## vdulay01 (Jun 26, 2007)

*Scott Spark 10 Frame*



jadickey said:


> I bought my Spark 10 frame for about $2950 (including DC sales tax). The frame includes a seatpost and headset.


Could you please send me the info on where and if they have a website where you bought the frame. How much was it without the tax?

Thanks alot.....


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## jadickey (May 18, 2007)

I bought my Spark 10 frame plus a full build kit from the Bicycle Pro Shop in the Georgetown area of Washington, DC. It's a LBS down the street from me (wanted to purchase from a local shop). Their website is http://www.bicycleproshop.com/index.html Talk to Tony - he's one of the managers at the shop and was very helpful in getting my bike together.

I've stored the sales slip away, but DC sales tax is something like 5 or 7%. I'm terrible with math, so you'd be better off calculating what that runs to.


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