Sea Otter: Scott Spark 700 Ultimate Di2, ultimate DT Swiss fork
MSRP: $12,500 (click to enlarge)
If your bike buying budget is tight, stop reading now. This post will just make you frustrated, angry or both. Highlighted below are the best of the best from Scott and DT Swiss, who partnered up during the Sea Otter Classic to show off some of their new wares.
The bike is Scott’s Spark 700 Ultimate XTR Di2, MSRP $12,500. The fork is the new DT Swiss OPM O.D.L. Race, which tips the scales at a ridiculously light 1,480 grams (for a 100mm 29er with thru-axle). MSRP is $1,300. And by the way, the bike doesn’t actually come spec’d with the fork. (It has a Fox 32 instead.) But a 27.5 version of the OPM O.D.L. Race is the front suspension of choice for three-time world XC champ Nino Schurter, who rides a non-Di2 version of the Scott Spark 700 that’s also pictured below. Drool away…
Scott Spark 700 Ultimate XTR Di2
Launched last year at Eurobike, but not available in the U.S. until recently, the Scott Spark 700 Ultimate XTR Di2 brings together the latest and greatest in electronic mountain bike gadgetry. The drivetrain is Shimano’s XTR Di2, which is detailed extensively here. In a nutshell, the new system avails the user nearly limitless options when setting up shifting, and performs said shifts with near flawless precision.
The bike is also equipped Fox’s iCTD system, which allows the user to rapidly toggle between three settings on both the shock and fork: climb, traction control and descend. Scott calls this the evolution of its TwinLoc manual remote-lockout system, and Fox claims that the electronic system changes settings in less than half a second. Suspension is 120mm in descend mode, and 85mm in the traction control setting.
The battery is housed inside the top tube. (click to enlarge)
Unique to the Spark 700 Ultimate is how it houses the battery that runs both systems; it resides inside the top tube. You need to remove the shock in order to access it, but fortunately the charging port is located on the display attached to the handlebars, so that shouldn’t be a common occurrence. It’s also worth noting that for now this build is only available in 27.5 due to some issues with the 29er frame geometry.
Other spec highlights include Syncros carbon wheels, cockpit components, saddle and seatpost. Tires are Schwalbe Rocket Rons. Claimed weight is 23 pounds size medium, and the frameset comes in at 1,940g including shock and hardware.
The bike of three-time XC world champ Nino Schurter, who unlike many racers, prefers 27.5 wheels. (click to enlarge)
We also got a peek at Schurter’s team issue steed, which is also a 27.5 version of the Spark, albeit a little lighter. Schurter skips the electronics and opts for a SRAM XX1 drivetrain, lightweight carbon DT Swiss wheels with Dugast tubular tires, composite Ritchey cockpit components, and the aforementioned hyper-light DT Swiss fork. It was also spec’d with a pair of Ritchey pedals. Claimed weight is 19.4 pounds.
The crown is made using Tailored Fiber Process, where instead of laying up by hand, it’s embroidered (click to enlarge).
DT Swiss OPM O.D.L. Race Fork
Last but not least is the OPM O.D.L. Race fork, which DT Swiss is billing as the lightest production fork on the marker. It also has three modes Open, Drive, and Lock, which for reference is roughly the same as Fox’s CTD system.
Weight is obviously the big highlight here, and DT Swiss says the lost grams came about in part due to something called Tailored Fiber Process, where instead of laying up the fork’s carbon crown and steerer by hand, it’s embroidered. This, claims DT Swiss, results in a far more precise lay-up with all the composite fibers ending up in exactly the right place. The version Schurter uses is even lighter due to the shorter stanchions on the 27.5 version. The new fork also uses revised wiper seals developed in partnership with SKF, which are claimed to do a better job of keeping the stanchions clean.
For more information visit www.scott-sports.com and www.dtswiss.com.
This article is part of Mtbr’s coverage of the 2015 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. For more from Sea Otter CLICK HERE.
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