I am a keen beginner and would appreciate any advice, input, bike suggestions.

I cycle varied terrain largely in the Peak District – big ups and downs with beautiful xc trails. I weigh about 131/2 stone and am fit.

I am selling my Specialized FSR XC Comp which was my first bike and has got me into the sport.

I want a FSR, it must have handlebar lockout and a good frame, so I can upgrade the components if and when necessary, rather than swapping the bike regularly

I am thinking of purchasing a Scott Spark 30 (2009 model now selling for about £2000 in the sales) but could afford the 2010 model at about £2500.

Is this a good choice of bike at this money level?

Any input appreciated

I've got a 2010 Spark 30 on order, lovely bikes.

Deffo go for the 2010 if you can afford it, has the new twinloc lever so you can lock out front and rear sus from handlebar….Also the 2010 is better looking than 09.

Go for it Scott bikes are fab

I dont know where you are but give westbrook cycles in Middlesbrough a ring, they usually match or beat any deal and have 2010 Scott's in store now.

£500 to have front and rear lockout from the bars seems alot, is there much spec difference ?

The 2009 model mentioned above is the sale price.

2009 RRP £2799

2010 RRP £2699

bumley – The twinlock lever is a big draw for me, but not sure if it draws me £500!!!

Duckers – Thanks for the info – I had seen they have the 09 for about £1900 which is where i will get it if I decide on this bike and year.

nicks – the 09 has rear lockout the 2010 has front and rear, so yes £500 for the extra front lockout does seem a lot, but i'm still tempted.

Still hoping to hear a bit more feedback from owners as to wether this is a good choice of bike for my normal terrain.

Andyxxx – its not £500 more this years, the rrp on the 09 model was £2799 so you are saving £100 on the RRP of the 2010 model and getting the upgrade of the twinloc lever!

friend i ride with a has a spark rc he loves it , this year he has ridden it at races/trail centers / cape epic etc and its held up well. they are bloody light.

2010 looks better but £1900 is a good deal !

2010 has colour coded nipples………..thats got to be a winner!!!!!

bumley – mmmmmm that sounds the way i would explain the purchase to the mrs!
Can't get away from it though – 09 sale price (best i can find £1900) 2010 list price £2699 which is £800 more!!!

However as we all know, dealers will discount and if I purchase the 2010 I would pay more like £2300 to £2400 (do u mind saying how much you paid?)

Had one for 5 months riding in the peaks and my local trails. In that time it had 2 sets of bearings and 4, yes 4, rear shocks. The shock eyelet design was lending itself to wearing out repeatedly. Would not touch one with a bargepole. Even when it was working the shock is crappies and relies on continual use of the lockout, bobs badly in all 3 rings when fully open.

There are a hell of a lot of better bikes out there IMO

I can understand why you would go for the 2009 from a financial point of view, but the 2010 is an awesome looking bike and with the changes we've made to it this year (twinloc lever, New Avid Elixir R Disc brakes and the new DT Swiss XR30 wheel set)i think its worth getting.

I could have had an 09 but I just love the look of the new one!!!

willsimmons – Sorry to hear that. Do you know if this is this a problem other riders have encountered?

Certainly interested to hear from any other owners

What other bikes are better IYO?

I have a 2k8 spark30 (bought 12ish months ago for £1500). It's great for enduro racing (did the Peak District Polaris, cristalp and 2 weeks in Cali earlier this year). For racing it is a fast bike, (mine is now sub 25lb having replaced wheels, bars and saddle).

My rear shock blew in Cali and Scott replaced it FOC within 2 days. I will definitely buy Scott again because of the really positive experience I had with them over this and I think their presence on the UK racing scene is a positive thing.

Mine has a 100mm fork (stock pre 2k9) and I would say it's a bit twitchy on the steep stuff and the front end is a touch low and steep, according to Scott website the head angle is the same at 70 degrees on 2k10 as on my bike. The Scott is fast but unforgiving if you tend towards black all mountain style routes (which it's not really designed for IMO, its a lightweight xc Race bike) I'd consider the genius or a Stumpjumper. I used to have an 80mm 2002 Stumpjumper FSR and it was much more relaxed geometry.

As for paying to have 1 lever to lock your forks and rear shock? (1) from what I gather the switches in the past have tended to be a bit fragile (mine has been fine though) and (2) I've been caught once going into rough stuff trying to reach down to unlock the shock and lost a few seconds but £500 for the privelege of avoiding that seems a lot. £500 is the best part of a holiday to go and ride it somewhere ace. Additionally, I tend to run my rear shock quite hard and sometimes ride lumpy long seated climbs with front shock locked and rear on traction, I don't find the bob a problem.

If you think you'll be racing then the Scott is a good bet, otherwise there are probably more "solid" options that will serve you better for peak district abuse. My spark is now boxed for the winter and I'm sure it wouldn't take too much Peak district gritty muck over the winter before things started wearing out.

Depends what you are looking for really but for a beginner I think you'll probably get more fun out of something more forgiving. Happy shopping.

I think Newton has hit the nail on the head, not a bike for riding all year round – certainly not if my experiences of ownership (Jan to June) are anything to go by. I got sucked in by the low weight of the frame but once you look past its party trick it really isn't all that IMO. I have seen other Sparks with the same issues, not just the 08 model I had.

I now have an 08 Fuel Ex and an 09 Anthem X. Both great bikes in their own right. The Anthem is a great race bike but the Trek is the one that always puts a smile on my face. Seemingly the perfect combo of pedalling efficiency, geometry and plush feeling suspension for riding everything and having a blast whilst doing so. Fuel Ex might suit your riding area a bit better.

Neither of those need a lockout either, the suspension performance in all conditions is vastly superior to the Spark.

Newton – thanks for the lengthy response. I will not be racing and fell for the bike because of its weight and rear handlebar lockout (which is a must on whatever I purchase) You have certainly given me second thoughts. I do not have any preffered riding terrain, because living near the Peaks it is a varied ride every time.

I want a light, reliable, good allrounder with a fantastic frame and rear lockout (and I am not very good so yes very forgiving thrown in)

Willsimmons – Thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look at them, but doubt I will purchase a bike again without handlebar lockout – I hate fiddling and fumbling under my seat all the time.

AndyXXX my point is that with a sorted suspension design and good shock then you really don't need a handlebar lockout. My experience of handlebar lockouts is they try and make up for inefficient/basic suspension. My concern would be that if you get too caught up with whether it has a handlebar lockout or not you might miss out on the bike that will actually suit what you want to do on it.

Perhaps you should consider trying a few out? Just make sure if you do that any test is set up for you by someone who knows what they are doing.

The new 2010 Fuel EXs in particular look good with that new dual chamber shock.

I know people like different things, but I'm really not sure why you are so hung up with getting a rear suspension lockout. I personally don't see no need in them at all.
The peaks is a tough place on equipment due to the sandy soil. Something with a good bearing life would probably be a good idea.
The Spark is a very light bike and probably brilliant for racing.

Willsimonds – Yes I understand what you are saying. If I found a rear suspension bike that didn’t need altering all the time I guess I would not be as bothered about the handlebar lockout – Perhaps my first bike has tainted my view.

Trying bikes out in Sheffield is easier said than done, but you are right, ideally I need to be trying some. I will try and see the 10 Fuel EX.

Traildog – The only reason I thought I was bothered about the handlebar lockout is because my current bike needs constantly fiddling with and I hate it and I thought all bikes must be like that, but am interested to have read willsimonds comments.

Spesh Epic automatically locks out the rear when you don't need rear suspension. Light, forgiving and superb backup from Spesh UK as well if you ever need it.

I changed the shock on my Spark for a Fox RP23 wit a Push conversion,no more messing with lockout levers

Actually, I would second the Trek EX – A bike shop in the states lent me one on a free Demo whilst mine was at a different shop getting repaired. good fun bike (not as fast as the scott uphill but rode really well).

Can't think of many uk bike shops that would let a $3k bike out FOC for a long weekend, to a foreigner with no interest in a new bike. Yukaipa bikes rule.

" my point is that with a sorted suspension design and good shock then you really don't need a handlebar lockout. My experience of handlebar lockouts is they try and make up for inefficient/basic suspension."

I'd agree with that. My old FSR had a lockout and I never used it. I have an RP23 on the Superlight and don't wish I had a lockout even on out-of-the-saddle road climbs.

A friend had a Spark. He hated the flexy bendy wobbly ride and had lots of trouble with broken lock-out levers, knackered shocks and bushes/bearings wearing quickly.

Dark Peak gritty mud would suggest a multi-link carbon bike wouldn't be ideal. A reliable and simple single pivot like an Orange 5, with an RP23 shock, would be more suitable I'd have thought.

Thanks all – I think I will start looking at other options and because of your suggestions have been reading about the Trek fuel EX and could afford the 2009 9.8. It certainly gets good press. If it is correct that the rear shock doesn't need adjusting every 2 mins, it may be an option.

gingerflash – thanks for your suggestion. I have never contemplated an Orange because I think they are ugly (perhaps a daft reason to discount)

Think I will start another thread about the Trek

The Spark is a light bike, it was designed to be the lightest FS frame on the market, which it achieved (originally), the downside was that it doesn't ride that well without playing with the TracLoc the whole time.

Other things, Trek Top Fuel or Fuel Ex and the Spesh Epic or the Stumpjumper with a Brain shock require far far less user input (none in the case of the Spesh bikes), and ride far better IMO. For the sort of budget you're looking at you could consider something like a Yeti ASR too.

As for paying £800 for the 2010 model just to get a more complicated plastic lever, some mid-range brakes and some heavy wheels. Just no. That's plain moronic.

njee20 – Thanks for the suggestions – I will take a look at them. After reading all the above helpful input I have decided to look at other bikes and am going to see a 2009 Trek fuel 9.8 this afternoon.

Top Fuel or Fuel Ex?

Both good bikes, Top Fuel is lighter, 4" travel, more racey, Fuel Ex is 5" travel, more relaxed, bit heavier.

Fuel ex 9.8 (2009) but if they have a top fuel in will look at that, but probably above my budget.

Dark Peak gritty mud would suggest a multi-link carbon bike wouldn't be ideal. A reliable and simple single pivot like an Orange 5, with an RP23 shock, would be more suitable I'd have thought.

Yes and no. I have had no issues with my Fuel Ex bearings and they are 16 months old now. I wish I could have gotten 16 months + out of Genius RC, Spark and Blur XC bearings!! The ones on the Fuel EX are generously sized in comparison to a lot of others. Also the rear end stiffness afforded by the one piece sturdly linkage goes a long way to promoting bearing life by avoiding the side loading that the bearings in most suspension bikes were never designed to take in the first place.

Just to finish off the Spark bashing my TracLoc lever broke after only a matter of weeks of owning. Got all clogged up with grit and was never right again.

I want a FSR, it must have handlebar lockout and a good frame

Hope im not pointing out the obvious but the Spark is NOT an FSR design. Its a singlepivot with a linkage activated shock. Of course with only 4" travel its debateable how much difference there actually is and wether youd even notice, the spark afterall does get very good reviews.

Ive got a Yeti ASR, thats also a singlepivot with a linkage activated shock, really nice ride but if you bought new it might be out your price range.

I rather assumed that 'FSR' was being used to mean full suspension.

Trek offer a free replacement on their pivot bearings, which is good, and they do seem to outlast many others, certainly far far superior to Specialized, the ones in my Epic are dreadful.

Spark is nearer 5" travel than 4" as an aside.

The Top Fuels are not necessarily any more expensive than the Ex, but they're much harder to come by, so you may not find the deals, or end up getting the 2010 model.

I thought the Spark is 110mm rear travel, which is closer to 4" than 5"??

You lot have really put the cat amongst!

Looked at the Trek fuel Ex 9.8 which I liked.
Looked at Stumpjumpers which I have decided against.
Also looked at a Whyte E-120 (liked it but ugly to my eye but in the running) and despite being ugly a Orange 5 – which could get my business because Orange are prepared to ship a demonstrator from Halifax.

Will have to decide in the next few days cos my bike is on Ebay!

I thought the Spark is 110mm rear travel, which is closer to 4" than 5"??

Oh yeah, dodgy maths…

Don't rush into spending that sort of money, be without a bike for a couple of weeks rather than buying one because 'you have to'.

Definitely worth a Demo on an Orange if you are interested in one. They need a dose of pro-pedal to reduce any pedal induced feedback. Even MBR who love them comment that it is not the most efficient pedaller. So if you're looking for something that you don't need to fiddle with shock levers on then it might not be what you are after so try it out first.

After loads of deliberation and conversations and reading advice on this forum I decided it should not be necessary to have handle mount lockout.

Yesterday I purchased a Trek fuel ex 9.9 (09) at what I consider a good discount. I took it out for 3 hours and was very impressed with it and didn’t feel the need to touch the rear suss once!

Thanks to all for your input

Andy

Hi Andy, that is great. Glad you are happy with your purchase and I certainly think it was the pick of the bunch you listed a few posts above, but I am biased I suppose!