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With the latest iteration of the Specialized Epic 8 Evo, Specialized pushes their XC bike as far as they are willing to go. The Epic 8 Evo Comp ($5000) features 10 mm more suspension travel than the non-Evo model, a full suite of Fox parts, and a carbon frame with SWAT storage. How does this bike stack up against the rest of the downcountry field? Read on…
This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from our home base of Santa Fe, penned by Ship of Fools Pedal Club and the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society‘s own Blake Hendsch. Below, Blake writes about a fun Specialized Hardrock basket bike build. Let’s check it out!
The new Specialized Stumpjumper didn’t exactly get a refresh. It got a reboot. It now has more in common with the critically acclaimed Stumpjumper Evo than the mild-mannered Stumpy we once knew. And its Genie shock promises unprecedented dimensions of tunability. But at first, the carbon-frame-only update came with an electronic-drivetrain-only twist. That’s why, when Travis heard an aluminum version was coming, he signed up.
Specialized‘s last two bike releases have been made of aluminum. Earlier this month, the brand announced its all-new Crux DSW, and today, its XC machine, the Chisel DSW, was also refreshed with an aluminum chassis. Both bikes are lightweight, race-oriented, and metal. Needless to say, we took note…
Down in Tucson, AZ Spencer met up with local artist and mechanic John “Cookie” Sands to photograph the bike he custom-painted for his partner Veronica. It started as a Specialized Aethos but after it got a few paint chips, Cookie decided to give the bike a truly one-of-a-kind custom paint job. Make sure to check out the gallery of all the hand-painted details…
Spencer takes us on a walk and a pedal with a well-used review of Specialized’s Recon ADV shoes. The pursuit of a clip-in and lace-up shoe without all the other newfangled doodads led him to the Recon ADVs. It’s a simple shoe packed with plenty of technology nonetheless.
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Featuring their innovative Suspend the Rider (STR) rear Future Shock system, Specialized’s Diverge STR has achieved a new echelon of comfort and efficiency in the gravel world. Spencer Harding dives into the nuance of the system and all that it entails and offers. Is the juice worth the squeeze? He thinks so, even if that fruit is pretty pricey.
This has been spinning in the rumor mill for a week or so, but today, Specialized emailed all of its ambassadors, announcing their contracts had been canceled. One of the people affected by this was Sarah Swallow, the director of Ruta Del Jefe and all-around bad-ass community organizer. Read on below for what she has to say about it.
I entered gravel biking by way of art – perhaps not the most traditional point of entry. I’m a muralist who lives in Austin, a bike haven and a city fond of its artists. My love of biking started as a commuter in hilly, urban San Francisco, yet it wasn’t until I moved to Austin that I began to merge my creative pursuits with cycling.
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Southern Arizona has become a destination for many cyclists over the years but it’s long been a refuge for snowbirds with the nation’s largest rock and mineral show, the Gem Show, hitting Tucson in February and bringing in over 50,000 registered buyers annually. While Tucson is bursting at the seams with RVs, campers, and retirees in February, Sarah Swallow resides about sixty miles south of the city at the Appleton Whittell Research Ranch – an Audubon property nestled just outside the quiet little town of Elgin – planning each year’s Ruta del Jefe event…
The early 90s offered a plethora of bikes that would last for ages and Toby’s 1993 Specialized Rockhopper Expert is just another example of a bike that will probably last another 30 years. Let’s take a look in today’s edition of Readers’ Rides!
Our friends at Topo Designs have a new video series called Beyond Familiar. In this episode, Sarah Sturm takes L. and Sarah Wakeen into the Moab backcountry on a bikepacking trip. Check out photos and more at the Topo Designs Blog and tune in tomorrow, Friday at 12pm MT on the Topo Instagram for a live event.
Today’s Readers’ Rides comes from Rokus in Rotterdam, who submitted his Specialized Stumpjumper that was built up by Studio ROOK. I know people love these old Stumpy frames and Rokus did a great job detailing the parts list with a succinct story about where he got this bike. Read on below for all the details!
I grew up working at a Specialized shop, and learned how to mountain bike by watching Ned Overend’s Performance Mountain Biking technique VHS. While I always appreciated the refreshing ideas of small makers, I thought it advantageous for larger brands to be able to invest more in their materials and construction. This was a time when top-end bikes were made of metal, and made domestically.
Metal Matrix (M2) composite is a prime example of this. The big S sourced a 6061 alloy infused with an aluminum oxide ceramic particulate by Alcan. Say that again, backwards now. Alcan called it Duralcan, and I am proud to display their logo on my top tube—that cool typeface!
