MTB Bike Advice Needed

[440MTB]

Hey there!

So I got back into Mountain Biking in Jan 2022 (haven't been on a bike in 7 years!) as purchased a very neat 2015 Silverback Sola 2 29er (Hardtail) with a RockShox Recon Gold fork (100mm Travel with 32mm Stanchions), XT 2x 10, etc. and I've racked up around 1000km on the bike here in the lovely Bottelary Hills MTB area and surrounds (in Cape Town) since then.

I then saw a very neat 2019 Scott Spark 970 here on Bike Hub which I bought from @The Bike Vendor. The bike arrived in one piece (thanks again Leon!) and it looks basically brand new.

The Scott came with a 1x 10 setup which consisted of a Deore M6000-SGS Rear derailleur and wide range Shimano CS-HG500-10 (11-42t) cassette and 32T ring up front on the stock Shimano Crankset, I then saw the 1x12 SLX kit on sale, but was disheartened when I realized it was only compatible with Microspline Freehubs, so I got a complete SRAM NX Eagle 1x 12 upgrade kit which was fitted this week when the bike was in for a major service (for peace of mind).

I only today realized the RockShox Judy Silver TK that came on the bike has 30mm Stanchions, and I'm not sure about the quality of the X-Fushion Pro O2 RL that came on the rear either, and I'm a bit concerned about the fact I'm going from 32mm to 30mm from the Recon to the Judy now.

So, cutting one short story long... on to my question.

I like riding stuff like Meerendal, Bottelary Hills MTB, etc, maybe trails a tad rougher down the line, would the Scott hold up with the thin stanchions and NX groupset, or would it be best to rather try sell the bike again and look for something a bit more beefy (at least SLX/GX groupset and 32mm stanchions)?

I really don't want to put wear on the bike only to find out it's not going to work for my needs, as I can rather sell it and look for something more suited for my needs, but I've not been into riding MTBs long enough to know what will work/last for my riding needs.

As for my build, I'm 1.81m tall (ride Large frames) and weigh around 76kg.

Edited May 18, 2022 by MDvdM

[Nic Brigando]

I think a big factor will be how much you're willing to spend.

If spending an extra 5k isn't the biggest issue for you - simply upgrading the fork might be a simpler long term option. Selling off the Judy and picking up something like a Reba would cost you around that price secondhand - and you could choose to get 120mm travel or change it up (I assume the Spark you're talking about is the 120mm version.) 

Selling the entire bike (post NX upgrade) might be a bigger hassle, but you should be able to at least sell it for what you bought it for without the upgrade. However a newer bike with better spec will most likely set you back a decent amount more than you paid for the Spark.

Honestly, I would just try it out and see how you feel about it. The lower end air rockshox all feel pretty similar and I would doubt that a rider of your experience would be able to tell the difference based off of stanchion size alone. Going from a 100mm hardtail to 120mm and dual suspension is going to feel very plush regardless of the fork spec. Everything that you could ride on the Recon Gold, you'll be able to ride with the Judy, no problem at all. Other gravity type riders might make quips about your "noodle fork" stanchions but at the end of the day, it does what it needs to do. I rode a fuji outland 1.1 2020 with the exact same fork for about 1000km and never had an issue with flex. I do throw my bike around a decent amount and the fork just worked. Didn't feel quite as plush as the Spark 910 and Fox 34 that I upgraded to, but at a third of the price, I didn't expect it to!

In my experience the X-Fusion shocks are perfectly fine. They don't have the status of Fox or Rockshox but they do the job and majority of the time, do it well. I wouldn't worry about that at all. The NX groupset is perfect too, especially if you're worried about replacing parts frequently. The NX cassettes are pretty solid and can take quite a few km before needing to be replaced.

I think a dropper post might be something to look into if you don't have one on the bike already, as that will make your riding experience on the trails more enjoyable than any fork upgrade.

TL:DR your bike, as it is now, is perfect. Maybe look for a dropper if you don't have one on the bike already

Edited May 18, 2022 by Nic Brigando
that -> than spelling error

[OVERDRIVE]

Get rid of everythingShimano and you'll be ok. 

[Chadvdw67]

Do you still have the Sola? Swap the forks, the 32mm fork will feel better, and will be a fair bit lighter as well

[ChrisF]

25 minutes ago, OVERDRIVE said:

Get rid of everythingShimano and you'll be ok. 

 

Arme man van die wal in die sloot in help .....

[MORNE]

1 hour ago, OVERDRIVE said:

Get rid of everythingShimano and you'll be ok. 

@OP,

ignore comments like this and you’ll be just fine. Trust me.

(See it goes both ways)….

nothing wrong with your bike OP. Just ride it. The rest will come.

[ChrisF]

25 minutes ago, MORNE said:

@OP,

ignore comments like this and you’ll be just fine. Trust me.

(See it goes both ways)….

nothing wrong with your bike OP. Just ride it. The rest will come.

 

SO easy to get sucked into the marketing machine .....

 

Just ride and enjoy the bike.

 

Repair or upgrade when stuff wears out or breaks.

[440MTB]

3 hours ago, Nic Brigando said:

*SNIP*

TL:DR your bike, as it is now, is perfect. Maybe look for a dropper if you don't have one on the bike already

Legend response! Really appreciated man. Going to give my Scott a go and see how it holds up, I was under the impression forks are a bit more expensive to replace, but see one can get a decent upgrade here for a decent price, so I'll just ride this one (and maintain it well) and see how it goes, not planning on doing any mega gaps soon anyway. 😅

2 hours ago, OVERDRIVE said:

Get rid of everythingShimano and you'll be ok. 

LOL! If you supply the funds to do so, let's go! Hahaha

2 hours ago, Chadvdw67 said:

Do you still have the Sola? Swap the forks, the 32mm fork will feel better, and will be a fair bit lighter as well

Still have the Sola, but it's a 100mm, so not going to work - I'll fine tune the Judy and see how it goes... 🤙

2 hours ago, ChrisF said:

Arme man van die wal in die sloot in help .....

For sure! Hahahaha. 🤣😅 Like I said, if he's willing to pay, I'll replace everything. 😝

1 hour ago, MORNE said:

@OP,

ignore comments like this and you’ll be just fine. Trust me.

(See it goes both ways)….

nothing wrong with your bike OP. Just ride it. The rest will come.

All good man - Going to stick with this one and see how it goes! 👍👍

33 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

SO easy to get sucked into the marketing machine .....

 

Just ride and enjoy the bike.

 

Repair or upgrade when stuff wears out or breaks.

Good advice. Thanks for reply! 😃👍

[Chadvdw67]

Pretty sure the Recon from your Sola can be adjusted to 120mm travel, just ask your bike shop, but either way, just go have fun on your new bike

[thebob]

Ridden that vintage of Scott Spark before. Very capable bikes and will not hold you back at all. A dropper post is a great upgrade for sure. Enjoy it 👍🏻

[Shaheedalex]

Hi ad a dropper (I really like my Lyne dropper)do a proper suspension setup(Have you adjusted since purchase?) dont cheap out on proper set tyres for your riding style/terrain and enjoy what you have..try not to get caught up in the best and latest things....

[figjam_sa]

I agree. Get it setup correctly and add a dropper or spend money on contact points. 

I wouldnt upgrade parts on it. Rather save up and buy a spark 960/950/940 or a trek top fuel 8 or maybe a spez epic evo. You will probably not get your money back if you do suspension upgrades abd try selling the bike with them.  I dont know the trails so I'm not sure if more suspension is needed. But I think 100-120mm is fine for what you want to do

 

[Steady Spin]

We raced downhill in the 90s on forks with 30mm stanchions. You really don't have anything to worry about. Especially not at your weight. 

Also nothing wrong with NX. Good honest piece of kit. Both bikes in the house have NX cassettes and they are really durable. Just a little heavy. 

Slap a dropper post on that bad boy and shred the gnar. Enjoy the bike.

[Robbie Stewart]

I got a riding mate who klaps Hoogekraal Skills Park , Bloemendal Flow, Plaisir de Merle Flow and Banhoek on his Silverback HT with pretty much same spec as you.

He's been riding now for about 18 months, maybe a tad more, and has not really been unable to keep up with a Scott Genius and Spez Camber. His skill level usually konks in way before he runs out of bike.

- and yes, he rides the A-lines for the most part.

You'll be fine, especially at the trails you frequent. No need to splash cash now, unless you really want a better bike.

edit - in fact he's taken that bike down Jonkers Armageddon starting at 8, Red Phoenix from the very top, Firehut et al as well, so he even rides gnarly jank on his bike with 100mm entry Rockshox with no hassles.

Edited May 19, 2022 by Robbie Stewart

[Robbie Stewart]

1 hour ago, Steady Spin said:

We raced downhill in the 90s on forks with 30mm stanchions. You really don't have anything to worry about. Especially not at your weight. 

Also nothing wrong with NX. Good honest piece of kit. Both bikes in the house have NX cassettes and they are really durable. Just a little heavy. 

Slap a dropper post on that bad boy and shred the gnar. Enjoy the bike.

I upgraded my Spez Camber to a 40mm stem, 780mm bars and dropper from Lyne and a set of 36mm trail rims from Rapide and went from Sram GX2x11 to NX1x12. 

It was like new bike day at a fraction of the cost and that bike rides like a much more gnarly bike than it actually is.

It has 120mm 32mm Rockshox Revelation up front which I popped 3 tokens into and it rides super plush and never bottoms out.

I'm 1.86m, ~120kg odd in size and it has held up beautifully. It's not always just about the bike...

 

[dasilvarsa]

19 hours ago, MDvdM said:

Hey there!

So I got back into Mountain Biking in Jan 2022 (haven't been on a bike in 7 years!) as purchased a very neat 2015 Silverback Sola 2 29er (Hardtail) with a RockShox Recon Gold fork (100mm Travel with 32mm Stanchions), XT 2x 10, etc. and I've racked up around 1000km on the bike here in the lovely Bottelary Hills MTB area and surrounds (in Cape Town) since then.

I then saw a very neat 2019 Scott Spark 970 here on Bike Hub which I bought from @The Bike Vendor. The bike arrived in one piece (thanks again Leon!) and it looks basically brand new.

The Scott came with a 1x 10 setup which consisted of a Deore M6000-SGS Rear derailleur and wide range Shimano CS-HG500-10 (11-42t) cassette and 32T ring up front on the stock Shimano Crankset, I then saw the 1x12 SLX kit on sale, but was disheartened when I realized it was only compatible with Microspline Freehubs, so I got a complete SRAM NX Eagle 1x 12 upgrade kit which was fitted this week when the bike was in for a major service (for peace of mind).

I only today realized the RockShox Judy Silver TK that came on the bike has 30mm Stanchions, and I'm not sure about the quality of the X-Fushion Pro O2 RL that came on the rear either, and I'm a bit concerned about the fact I'm going from 32mm to 30mm from the Recon to the Judy now.

So, cutting one short story long... on to my question.

I like riding stuff like Meerendal, Bottelary Hills MTB, etc, maybe trails a tad rougher down the line, would the Scott hold up with the thin stanchions and NX groupset, or would it be best to rather try sell the bike again and look for something a bit more beefy (at least SLX/GX groupset and 32mm stanchions)?

I really don't want to put wear on the bike only to find out it's not going to work for my needs, as I can rather sell it and look for something more suited for my needs, but I've not been into riding MTBs long enough to know what will work/last for my riding needs.

As for my build, I'm 1.81m tall (ride Large frames) and weigh around 76kg.

I agree with you.

The 970 is the bottom of the 2017 range and it's a beginner XC Bike.

Very Expensive to Upgrade the Suspension and it will always remain a 970 (for resale purposes).

The 2017 940 is the one I like in Alloy.

If you can get your money back or even make a small profit I would consider selling it.