2018 Scott Spark 920 vs Specialised Camber Comp

[Craig Souris]

Hi

 

I am stumped in choosing which one to buy. At this price point I would hate to make a mistake.

 

I prefer riding trails and some xc. I want a bike that is a good all rounder. The spark has some very appealing components and engineering concepts in its geometry for me. The twin 3 way lock out is convenient and works great. The bike is responsive when putting down the power and is great on the climbs and super on the tech stuff down. Has 2.35 tyres, fox transfer dropper post. 1X12 sram gx drive, boost wheelset tubeless maxxis forecaster, XT 7000 brake set etc. 12.7kg

 

Camber feels beefier and heavier. Tire size is the same. Only has one remote lock out, same same travel on suspension only camber opted for Rockshox and their command dropper post. Shram gx drive 11 spd and sram level tl brake set. And their very cool, innovative and convenient SWAT system.

 

Please help?

[Jehosefat]

Both are fantastic bikes and neither would be a mistake. There isn't a right answer to "which is the better bike".

 

If you've managed to ride both of then and have a favourite then go for that one.

[keithbe]

You've nailed down two good options. Test ride. Test ride. Test ride.

[Spock]

Between those two bikes, the Scott for me...but don't overlook Trek.

 

Some nice specials on Trek right now. This is an awesome bike for R53k...

https://www.trekbikes.com/za/en_ZA/bikes/mountain-bikes/trail-mountain-bikes/fuel-ex/fuel-ex-9-7-29/p/21544/?colorCode=black_red

[stringbean]

Camber for me.

There are also great deals on them at the moment as specialized blow them out because as from next year there won’t be a camber any more( massive mistake from Spez IMO)

Best bike in their range.

If you are taking re sell value into account as well Perhaps the Scott then because when they discontinue the camber their value will drop considerably

[PieterJvR]

I have a Spez Camber Comp and my riding partner has a Spark 910 (as far as I am aware in 2018 models the only difference between 910 and 920 is basically 1x and 2x but I might be wrong).

There is really very little to choose between the bikes, and will come down to preference I believe - but go test ride both bikes and then decide.

 

The fox 34, twinlock and boost spacing on the Spark is very nice.  The swat box and wider rims on the Specialized is very nice (however if you a heavy rider you might get some flex on the front wheel which you can hear from the rotor rubbing if you get out of the saddle), and the RockShox is not as good as the fox 34 I believe.  I also feel the Spark is better on the downs (or more forgiving), and the Camber better on the ups.

But like I said test ride both and then decide which one feels the best for you
 

Camber for me.
There are also great deals on them at the moment as specialized blow them out because as from next year there won’t be a camber any more( massive mistake from Spez IMO)
Best bike in their range.
If you are taking re sell value into account as well Perhaps the Scott then because when they discontinue the camber their value will drop considerably

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread but any idea why Specialized is not making the Camber any more from next year?  Will something else be coming in its place?

[stringbean]

No idea and stupid in my opinion

It’s the best bike in their range.

They will be bringing out standard Epic and then a Epic with 120mm front and back as well.

I’m sure there will be some or other marketing BS why this is better but it’s just a change to continue with sales I would guess.

[stringbean]

Also cost saving.

You now get a few bikes out of one mold.

Much like the car manufacturers do where there is a whole range built around 1 chassis

[PieterJvR]

No idea and stupid in my opinion

It’s the best bike in their range.

They will be bringing out standard Epic and then a Epic with 120mm front and back as well.

I’m sure there will be some or other marketing BS why this is better but it’s just a change to continue with sales I would guess.

Yes I agree also stupid in my opinion, maybe they will come to their senses a year later like Giant did with only focusing on 27.5

[StokedAboutSpokes]

I have a 2017 Scott Spark 910. I love the Fox 34 120mm on the front! Feels very solid

[Stevief]

 

 

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread but any idea why Specialized is not making the Camber any more from next year?  Will something else be coming in its place?

 

 

 

I would assume its because you have the Epic being punted with 120mm and you have a stumpy at 150mm so it seems like the camber has no place in the range anymore as the new Epic is basically pushing it out.  Really sad as i had a Camber for 4 years and it was an absolute beauty of a bike.  It did everything well, climb descend , comfy , light .  It had it all.

 

To the OP both the nikes you mentioned are brilliant and yoiu cant go wrong so choose the one that YOU prefer.  Also as someone else said have a look at the Trek 9.7 .

[stringbean]

If I had to ignore the marketing BS that will come and go with the trends that are happening I would have to say it’s cost saving.

Spez have gone into huge cost saving drive( they have laid off a large number of staff)

They cut the ladies range( which they marketed for years) and now only have one range( which means one carbon mold for frames) and only diffs between men’s and woman’s bikes are colors,saddles and grips.

In doing away with the camber they can use the epic mold to make a long travel bike which will be more cost saving.

I personally think a long travel Epic is going to be flimsy and can’t replace the current camber but at the end of the day as with ALL bike manufacturers it’s about PROFIT.

Bike prices are pretty much getting to their limit so one of few ways to increase profit is to cut production costs which is what is happening.

The next step is doing away with shops and going online ( but we probably 2 years away from that and YES even Spez will go that route.)

[Craig Souris]

Hi all. Thank all for your input. It was a very difficult decision but one had to be made and I went for the Camber. I got it on a great deal witch helped to pull the trigger. I am surprised to hear about the discontinuationof the camber as I spoke to the national sales manager. He did mention there will be changes that he could not divulge but nothing of no more Camber. But this is probably why I got the bike at the price point I did. Anyway. Money gone amd bike under my but. Now to ride it.

[The Ghost]

Dropping the camber would suck. A lot. Increasing the travel wont help with the things that made me choose a Camber over an Epic.

[Milosh]

I upgraded my older epic to a camber  and am Very Happy

Very much a weekend warrior's stage race weapon 

 

Would be very sad to see it phased out 

[Grease_Monkey]

Both are awesome. Anyone that tells you one is better than the other is talking rubbish as they are equally good (just like the Trek, Cannondale, Intense, and I can go on).

 

Choose the one that makes you excited. For me between those 2 it would be the Camber. The SWAT system is a massive bonus for me because you can ride without a hydration pack, and I just love the way it looks and rides. For me, the Camber is a one bike quiver - can handle anything from Enduro to marathon racing depending on how you set it up.

 

EDIT: I see you got the Camber already! Congrats!

 

I think the reason they are dropping it is because the new Epic handles so much better than the old, and having the Camber there is too much overlap between Stumpjumper on the one side and Epic on the other. Besides, the international market buys much more Stumjumpers than in SA because of the focus on trail riding rather than marathon racing, so I would imagine the Camber does not do too well (with the exception of some marketplaces like SA).