An incredible SCOTT Spark under 9 kg with Flight Attendant inverted fork, wheels under a kilo, and ready to race

Ten years after building what was then considered the lightest 29-inch dual suspension bike in the world, Gustav Gullholm, better known as Dangerholm, surprises again with a creation that takes the new Scott Spark RC to the extreme. His latest project weighs in at 8,987.8 grams, making it one of the lightest and most exclusive XC bikes ever made on a fully functional and competition-ready platform.

Scott Spark RC by Dangerholm: ten years later, it breaks the limits again with a spectacular bike weighing only 8.99 kg

But this time the goal went far beyond setting a new weight record. Gullholm himself explains that, after years obsessed with eliminating every possible gram, he decided to change his philosophy and seek the perfect balance between lightness, performance, reliability, ease of maintenance, and aesthetics. The result is a Spark RC that, as he himself admits, is “the best bike I have ever had.”

Ten years of evolution on the same platform

The story of Dangerholm is closely linked to the Scott Spark. In 2016, he bought his first Spark RC frame, a project that would end up becoming the famous 7.33 kg bike that gave him international recognition and marked the birth of the Dangerholm brand.

Since then, he has built numerous versions on the third and fourth generations of the Spark, but he claims that none had excited him as much as the new fifth generation developed by Scott.

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For him, the great leap of this new Spark RC is not only in the weight of the frame or in the geometry, but in the enormous amount of small details that make the bike more enjoyable to use on a daily basis. The integration, ease of maintenance, design solutions, and overall quality of the set were precisely the reasons that led him to make this platform the basis of his most ambitious project to date.

Breaking the nine-kilogram barrier without sacrificing performance

The challenge was clear from the beginning: to drop below nine kilograms.

However, Gustav Gullholm makes it clear that reaching that figure today is much easier than a few years ago thanks to the evolution of frames and components. The real difficulty lies in achieving it without resorting to extremely delicate or unreliable parts.

For this reason, on numerous occasions he chose to mount components that were slightly heavier than other available alternatives because they offered better performance, greater durability, or simply conveyed more confidence for real competition use.

The entire bike revolves around that philosophy. It is not just a simple collection of ultralight parts, but a bike designed to race at the highest level while maintaining excellent reliability.

An astonishingly light frame

The starting point is the new Scott Spark RC HMX-SL frame in size L, which has a declared weight of 1,446.6 grams, including all the necessary hardware for its operation. Dangerholm also explains that this figure can still be reduced by about 15 grams when Scott incorporates a new carbon link that was not yet available during the assembly of this bike. 

Even more striking is the comparison with his 2017 project. The set formed by the frame and RockShox SIDLuxe Flight Attendant shock, including the battery, weighs only 1,799 grams, practically the same as the 100 mm Spark RC used almost a decade ago to build that famous 7.33 kg bike.

The difference is that now the frame offers a completely renewed geometry, greater travel, electronic suspension, internal storage, and much superior integration, which for Gullholm demonstrates how far the platform has evolved.

A project where every decision has an explanation

Although Scott has developed the new Spark RC with numerous integration solutions, Dangerholm decided to forgo some of them to save weight.

The bike does not feature the new Syncros Octopus Cable-routing Technology or the Save-the-Day internal storage kit, two elements that could be installed later without major modifications but did not fit within the weight target set for this project.

Even seemingly secondary details were carefully studied. The new integrated seat clamp weighs more than a conventional one, but Gullholm emphasizes that it offers much better sealing against water and dirt and eliminates the need to use mounting paste thanks to its rubber inserts, a perfect example of how Scott has prioritized ease of use over saving a few grams.

Five days to achieve a unique finish

One of the most spectacular aspects of this bike is its finish.

Far from using conventional paint, Dangerholm decided to leave the carbon fiber completely visible, achieving a shine very similar to that of polished metal.

The process was extremely laborious. First, he carefully removed the original finish using blades and sandpapers of different grits. Then he continued with cfive additional sanding phases up to grit 4,000 and finished with four different mechanical polishing processes.

In total, he invested around five full working days just to achieve the finish of the frame.

Beyond the visual aspect, he assures that polished carbon has practical advantages, as it is more resistant to scratches and much easier to clean than a painted surface.

An Intend Samurai XC fork with Flight Attendant as a key piece of the project

In the suspension section, we find one of the most striking configurations of the entire bike.

At the back remains a completely stock RockShox SIDLuxe Flight Attendant, while at the front appears an exclusive Intend Samurai XC of 120 mm with an inverted design and finished in machined aluminum.

What is really special is that the fork has been adapted to work with a RockShox Flight Attendant cartridge, replacing the hydraulic system of Intend. For this, it was necessary to install a specific rod supplied by the German manufacturer and make small modifications to integrate the electronic module.

Dangerholm claims that the Flight Attendant has completely changed his way of understanding XC bikes and states that he would not build another competition bike without this automatic suspension system.

Components chosen to the millimeter

The selection of components is probably the most impressive aspect of the project.

The steering maintains the original Syncros parts but incorporates CeramicSpeed SLT bearings, designed to operate without grease thanks to a self-lubricating polymer that improves durability.

The cockpit is presided over by a Darimo IX2AL stem weighing only 76.4 grams and a Darimo handlebar of 690 mm specifically polished for this bike. Gullholm explains that for years he used handlebars between 730 and 740 mm, but the evolution of XC bikes has led him to significantly reduce the width without losing control on descents.

The Vertical Helium Race dropper post also received significant modifications. It was reinforced with an additional layer of carbon to better adapt to the new frame mounting system and subsequently sanded and polished to match the finish of the rest of the bike. The saddle remains an old prototype from Berk Composites that he already used in his famous 2017 Spark RC and still considers the best he has ever tried.

A transmission very different from the original

The transmission combines practically stock components with others deeply modified.

The WERT StW-M titanium cranks, manufactured in the Netherlands, weigh only 321.6 grams despite having passed enduro-specific strength tests. They are accompanied by a SRAM XX SL power meter and a 38-tooth Garbaruk chainring.

The cassette and chain belong to the exclusive SRAM Eagle Transmission 1987 edition, specifically acquired by Dangerholm to take advantage of its lower weight compared to the conventional XX SL version while maintaining the silver finish of the entire bike.

The rear derailleur is based on a conventional SRAM GX Eagle Transmission, although after receiving a complete carbon kit from HOPP Carbon, it retains hardly any original parts.

The gear shifting is done via an original Zirbel ZShift01 control, connected to a SRAM BlipBox and capable of also controlling the Flight Attendant system from the same side of the handlebar.

Wheels below one kilogram

For the wheels, Dangerholm opted for PI ROPE Light SLS5 285, a German model with Vectran fiber textile spokes whose total weight is only 949.1 grams.

There was the possibility of mounting even lighter rims, but he preferred a slightly more robust version to maintain the behavior of a bike designed for competition.

The assembly is completed with Tufo XC14 TR SG tires in front and XC11 TR SG in the back, a combination that, as he explains, offers him the best compromise between rolling speed and grip.

Complete assembly and weights of the Scott Spark RC by Dangerholm