Scott Spark DC Factory Bike

The Scott Spark DC Factory Bike takes Scott's long-running Spark XC race platform and stretches it into downcountry territory, pairing race-bred efficiency with enough travel to handle real trail terrain. It's built for riders who want the pedaling speed of a cross-country bike without giving up confidence on technical descents.

The frame is Scott's Spark DC HMX Carbon Gen5, a carbon layup shared with the brand's World Cup-level Spark race bikes, fitted with CeramicSpeed bearings and a BSA bottom bracket with UDH interface for hanger compatibility. An adjustable head angle lets riders fine-tune the geometry between roughly 64.5 and 65.5 degrees, shifting the bike's character between quicker-handling XC manners and a more stable, descent-oriented stance. Suspension comes from RockShox: a Pike Ultimate fork up front with 140mm of travel and a SIDLuxe XL Ultimate shock out back at 138mm, both running RockShox's Flight Attendant electronic suspension control. Flight Attendant reads terrain input and pedaling effort in real time and automatically toggles the fork and shock between Open, Pedal, and Lock modes, so the bike firms up under hard pedaling efforts and opens back up the instant the trail turns technical, without the rider touching a lever.

Drivetrain and Braking

The build kit leans fully into SRAM's wireless AXS ecosystem. A SRAM XX Eagle crankset with an integrated spindle power meter and 32-tooth chainring drives a SRAM XS-1299 12-speed cassette with a 10-52 tooth range, shifted through a SRAM AXS Rocker Pod. The built-in power meter isn't just training data — it's part of the same power feed that Flight Attendant uses to gauge how hard you're pedaling before deciding how firm the suspension should be. Braking comes from SRAM Motive Ultimate four-piston calipers on 180mm rotors, giving the kind of consistent stopping power that downcountry riding on steeper, faster trails demands. A RockShox Reverb AXS wireless dropper post rounds out the cockpit, letting riders drop the saddle instantly when the trail tips downward.

Wheels, Tires, and Ride Feel

DT Swiss XRC 1200 Spline carbon wheels keep the rotating weight low while adding stiffness under power, a trait that matters on a bike that's still expected to climb like an XC race machine. Scott spec's a mixed Maxxis tread — a Forekaster up front and a Recon out back, both in 29x2.4 — which favors low rolling resistance and predictable cornering grip over outright aggression, in keeping with the bike's downcountry brief rather than a full-on enduro mandate. Factory-level builds like this one carry a claimed weight in the neighborhood of 11.5 kg (about 25.4 lb), light enough to still feel quick on sustained climbs.

Where the standard Spark RC is built purely to win XC races, the Spark DC Factory is Scott's answer for riders who spend as much time descending as climbing but don't want to carry the weight or sluggishness of a longer-travel trail bike. It's suited to riders who want one bike for marathon XC days, technical singletrack, and everything in between, backed by a drivetrain and suspension package that automates the tradeoffs most riders would otherwise have to manage themselves.