Specialized 2011 Long Travel Launch

Is there a better place to unveil your new product line than at the mecca of mountain biking, Whistler Canada? Is there a better time to do it than during Crankworx, probably the biggest mountain bike festival in the world?

The answer to both these questions is undoubtedly “No” and I was lucky enough to have been invited by Specialized to the launch of their 2011 Long Travel line up during the Crankworx festival.

For Decent World readers the two bike lines that will be of most interest are the Big Hit and Demo models but future articles on will present you with the Enduro, P Bikes and DH Tire lines for 2011.

So what’s new for 2011 with Specialized DH bikes?

Big Hit line up: For 2011 there will be 3 different models for 2011, the Big Hit 1,2 and 3.

While all 3 models use the same frame the Big Hit 1 has been designed for the rider on a smaller budget. Specialized worked with shock manufacturer X-Fusion to give the bike quality suspension without the rider taking a heavy hit in the wallet.

A single crown fork, 170mm travel up front and 190mm rear the bike with a decent component spec, the bike is aimed at first time riders who want to get into some Downhill and free-ride action without breaking the bank. The Big Hit 2 and 3 models will have the new Rock Shox Domain duel crown fork up front with improved component specs over the Big Hit 1, setup on these 2 models is more downhill focused than the Big Hit 1.

Demo Line Up: Specialized worked with the Monster Energy team riders to improve the 2010 models and for 2011 the Demo line has been made over and emerged as a dedicated downhill race bike. In 2010 there was a free-ride oriented Demo, this bike is gone for 2011, the Demo is all about racing.

The geometry of the bike is unchanged but there have been many other subtle changes made to the Demo. The end result? The Monster Energy Specialized team of Sam, Brendan and Troy will all be running stock Demo frames for 2011 WC race season.

Changes from 2010:

Low but not Slow: The Demo has the lowest bottom bracket and shortest chain stays of any frame currently being raced on the WC circuit. Low BB: A low centre of gravity means a more stable bike with better handling through rough and fast terrain. Short chain stays mean tight handling, better manoeuvrability and better acceleration. When 1/100th of a second are the difference between hero and zero the fractions these subtle changes are what gets the gold medals fro the Monster team riders. Worried about grounding out cranks and chain-rings on super rocky courses? The shock linkage has an adjustable “chip” which can be flipped over to raise the bottom bracket by 10mm while only steepening the head tube angle by 0.5 degrees. For 2011 the Demo also has improved stander height over the 2010 model. Again, lowering the centre of gravity and improving the bikes stability.

Off with his head: The head tube has been shortened by 8mm bringing the bars lower and allowing greater adjustability of the fork stanchions to fine tune the ride to each individual rider.

Shocking, positively shocking: In 2010 the shock linkage was composed of 3 pieces. For 2011 the Demo has a 2 piece linkage comprised of a Magnesium centre piece and 7075 Aluminium side plates. The end result: It’s lighter, more compact and houses the bearings better than the 2010 model. Additionally Specialized have created a whole new shock yoke for 2011. The yoke positions the suspension pivot in a previously impossible position, directly through the rear wheel. By putting the pivot in this location Specialized say they have optimized the suspension position and fine tuned the shock leverage ratios to create a better suspension action.

Bearings not bushes: The Demo only has one suspension bushing and that is where the shock mounts to the frame, a position where there is only a couple of degrees of movement. All the other suspension points run on ball bearings to create the smoothest possible suspension action.

Bigger back end that’s actually smaller: For 2011 Specialized moved to the 150 x 12mm DH Hub standard and also redesigned the rear stays to create better heal clearance. No more banging your ankles on the stays with this baby.

Fatter where it’s needed: The 2011 Demo now incorporates a 83mm bottom bracket which utilizes the Pressfit 30 standard. This is all new for downhill frames, Pressfit 30 is based up on the BB30 open standard for bottom brackets but rather than securing the bearings with a circlip Specialized utilize a bearing which sits in cups which are pressed into the frame. Tools required to fit it? Nothing more complex than a headset press (or a hammer and block of wood if your name is “Johnny Bodger”). At the present time there are not any DH specific Pressfit 30 compatible cranksets available but the beauty of this design is that Specialized also produce a threaded insert which accepts a standard 83mm bottom bracket and crank, great news if you are just upgrading from your current frameset. Once Pressfit 30 cranks become more readily available Demo frame owners will be able to upgrade their frames and obtain a super stiff, super reliable crank and bottom bracket setup.

Slimmer where it’s needed: The 2011 demo frame weighs 3/4 pound less than the 2010 frame. Stock bikes “out of the box” wiegh around 37lbs, the Specialized guys have their bikes down to 36lbs without going crazy with upgrades. Team bikes, less than that again with Brendan Faircloughs 2011 Demo 8 at sub 35lbs!!

Mud, mud, glorious mud: I reckon that Specialized designed this bike for a typical Scottish summer!! The 2011 demo has significantly improved mud clearance over the 2010 model. Frame designers talked with team mechanics and completely re-designed areas of the old Demo that acted like mud magnets. Tubes have been angled, shaped, slimmed down and opened up as much as possible to shed mud rather than collect it, end result say Specialized is a that will be far less clogged up and weighed down at the end of a race run.

So after all the talk we were given bikes to go and try out on the mountain. While Whistler has many awesome runs with wide open corners and big jumps I tried to search out tracks which were more like the Scottish Terrain Descent-World members would be racing the bike on.

On test day it was cold and damp in Whistler, typical Scottish weather!! After a warm up run down Crank-It-Up, a wide-open track with lots of jumps I headed into the woods for rooty, rocky, tight trails. One line in particular line combo I found really struck me as being similar to some of the tight twisty trails of Scotland. Ninja Cougar to Karate Monkey to Samurai Pizza Cat to Devils Club to Heart of Darkness. All of them are designated green (intermediate) runs but with the damp conditions the roots, rocks and corners all became very slippery and one mistake will quite easily put the rider into ER.

Quite simply the Demo will go as fast as you dare let it. Each run I pushed a little harder until I reached my limit but the bike was never troubled. Everything just worked as one unit, suspension action is smooth and controlled, the bike is solid and eats up everything in its path. SRAM Brakes, drivetrain, cockpit controls it all just plain works fantastically. I haven’t ridden a suspension bike which immediately felt this good since I cocked a leg over the Intense M3 back in 2004.

Push me and I can find but only one fault: The grips were a little thin for my liking but I’m sure any potential buyer could haggle a new set of grips from their local dealer when they buy the bike.

There you have it, bikes will be available from late 3rd quarter 2010 thru your local Specialized dealer. Full bike specs, are available at http://specialized.com.

Note: The bike pictured in the North American color scheme. UK bikes will have the same black and red colors as the Monster Team bikes. This color scheme was not available to photograph at the bike launch.

My thanks to Jon Beckett, Nicolas Sims and all at Specialized who helped put this trip together.

Words Bob Hodge