Scott Spark 940 VS Specialized Epic Comp Evo | XC Grouptest | Mountain Bike Rider

Описание: Pumped up XC race bike grouptest, Scott Spark 940 VS Specialized Epic Comp Evo head to head. | Click here to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/MBRmagaz...

XC Racing is Huge. 2018’s XC World Cup saw massive crowds and viewing figures that eclipsed even Downhill. Bike brands are pumping massive amounts of money into developing the lightest, most efficient bikes for the XC racing elite to achieve their goals.

But even if you’re not an aficionado of the pure physicality of XC racing, that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from the latest tech. Because an increasing number of brands are producing pumped-up XC bikes that double as short-travel trail slayers.

The basic premise behind this relatively new category of bikes is that you take what is essentially a lightweight XC platform – often the exact same frame as raced on the World Cup circuit – add a longer-travel fork, possibly a different shock, better tyres, a dropper post and more trail oriented components.

All with the aim of boosting the bike’s capability without eroding its raw speed.

And it’s the mainstream brands that are leading the charge with these super-charged XC racers. So let’s take a look at two of the front runners in this battle for short travel supremacy, the Specialized Epic Evo and Scott’s Spark.

Scott Spark 940

In last year’s XC race bike test, the RC version of the Scott Spark shone brightest, taking top honours with a flawless blend of race bike urgency and trail bike versatility.

This model is the ‘regular’ Spark 940. Eking out the travel to 120mm and adding a dropper post, it further blurs the line between racing and trail riding.

Even though the alloy Spark 940 shares an almost identical frame design to the RC – a bike designed to help Nino

Schurter win Olympic gold – a few minor tweaks to the geometry and tubing really boosts its trail confidence.

Specialized Epic Comp Evo

At the launch of Specialized’s Epic XC bike in 2017, the designers had already been playing with a few different models. Incorporating dropper posts and longer-travel forks.

What they realised was, despite the lack of travel, pumping the Epic transformed it into a pretty capable trail bike. The design team was so impressed that the Epic Evo was born and is now available in two complete builds. The high end Epic Expert Evo and this; the more affordable Epic Comp Evo.

If the M5 aluminium frame on the Comp Evo looks like the standard alloy Epic, that’s because both models use the same frame. It’s only by fitting a longer-travel fork that the Evo gets slacker and more trail-oriented geometry.

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