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Reportage By: John Watson

Futurism and the Specialized Enduro Expert Carbon 29 – Kyle Von Hoetzendorff

Futurism and the Specialized Enduro Expert Carbon 29
Words by Kyle Von Hoetzendorff, photos by Ethan Furniss

Before we begin let me give you a little background about who I am and how I found myself writing this review. I grew up in Bishop, CA. I raced mountain bikes there as a kid. Then I stopped, the reason is a tired story, and one that you have most likely heard before, it has to do with hormones, cars, beers, and girls. When I moved to Santa Barbara, CA to attend college and I started working at a shop called Velo Pro. This is where I started riding downhill bikes. Then I stopped, did some rock climbing, school, babe chasing, etc. A decade ago I moved to Portland, OR and once again I found myself at a shop, working at the Fat Tire Farm and riding downhill bikes. This is where it gets interesting. First came seat droppers and with it a yearn to explore more trails. I started riding trail bikes, then picked up riding road bikes and cross bikes. For the past three years I worked for Chris King, and my job gave me the chance to ride a wide variety of bikes. Through mutual friends and shared adventures John and I became friends and I have been lucky to post a couple rides and adventurers all the while sharing with him some of my favorite MTB videos and articles from around the web. It turned out that John needed a bike reviewed, so here I am. Lets get started.

Reportage By: John Watson

Ben’s Koi Dreamin’ Schemin’ Specialized Crux SSCX

As I’m pedaling away from Mellow Johnny’s on Ben’s bike to photograph it, I couldn’t help but try to think of some clever way to describe it or at least the back-story. These days, custom paint is divided into a few categories with the most prominent being either high-concept or merely aesthetic. Truthfully, I’m not sure where this one sits on that spectrum.

When I look at this orange, yellow and black steed, it reminds me of some menagerie. It was painted by Dustin at Violet Crown Finishing in Austin, Texas. Close my eyes. Open them. I see a koi fish. Or a tiger. Moreseo, a koi though. Perhaps it’s the sparkles? Tigers don’t have sparkles. Was that Dustin’s inspiration? Who knows. Ben, the owner (a mechanic at MJ’s) has a lot of traditional Japanese tattoos.

When you ride a bike like the Specialized Crux, it’s hard to stand out from the other fish on the field. They’re literally a dime a dozen. Affordable, performance-minded, lightweight and they look great, right out of the box. Sometimes though, you want something a little more flashy, without springing for a custom frame.

The frame was a cheap pickup, actually a trade. The Giant wheels came from a friend, for free. The rest of the parts were scrapped from a free bin, save for the Pro cockpit and post. I don’t want to tell you how much money Ben has invested in this frame, because it’ll make you mad. That and his friend Dustin wanted to really paint a bike.

You don’t need to go custom to have the custom experience. Painters are just as talented as builders and they have the ability to transform even a bike like the Specialized Crux into something that will truly stand out from the other fish in the school.

Case in point… wow.

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Specialized’s New Zertz Command Cockpit

Once in a while, a company like Specialized makes a truly innovative product, well before anyone else. I was both in awe and extremely jealous when I saw this contraption. Only compatible with the Zertz road bike, the Command Cockpit keeps the data where it needs to be, in your face. Smoother is faster, remember? But weight is most important. Specialized has won the “gram game” with this ultralight component.

Check out more below.

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Specialized: Audax Road Shoes

While audax events may be incredibly challenging, the beauty is their non-competitive nature. Riders simply must complete the set distance within the time limit. This endurance sport has grown from its roots in the 19th century to still being popular today, with many major cities having their own randonneur club.

Specialized has been expanding their product line to move away from the “all pro all the time” look and shifting its sights onto fundurance and expedition style riding. The Audax is one of those shifts: a shoe meant for long distance rides. With, what feels to be a wider footbed, comfy fit, reflective hits and easy on-easy off Boa lash, the Audax has some great details.

Since I’ve only put a few rides in while wearing these shoes, I won’t give them a full review, but a detail photo and a short write-up should suffice for now. Now, why does a shoe named after audax riding have a road cleat and not an SPD cleat? I have no idea. Still, they do look a lot less race-oriented than other shoes in their product line. Available soon in a variety of colors from Specialized.

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The South Coast on the Specialized Diverge

I couldn’t imagine riding with a camera bag of that size, but kudos to these guys from Cycle Atlas for hauling their own load. You rarely see that these days, especially with footage like this.

New South Wales’ South Coast is captured magnificently in this video and it really matches with how everyday people would use a bike like the Diverge.

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Coming Soon: The Specialized Turbo Cotton

In the world of true gumwall tires, the higher the TPI, the better. Maybe not for puncture resistance, but surely for the ride. Performance road tires, by definition should perform and the new Turbo Cotton tires from specialized sound like they’ll do the trick. Hell, they sure look like they’re willing to fill that role (roll). I can’t wait to try out a pair!

Casing: 320 TPI Polycotton
Bead: foldable
Compound: GRIPTON
Flat Protection: BlackBelt
700 x 24; psi 115-125; approximate weight 210g

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Made in the USA 40th Anniversary Specialized Allez to be Auctioned for WBR on September 8th

This looks so good. Here’s the scoop:

“Specialized Bicycles has been lucky to serve the greater cycling community by striving to produce products that and inspire to improve riders lives for 40 years. In the year of our 40th anniversary we simply want to say ‘thank you’ to the riders and give back to one of the best bicycle charities, World Bicycle Relief (WBR).”

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Specialized: The Flux Bike Lamp

A couple of people asked about the lamp that’s on Erik’s AWOL x Poler tourer. Earlier this year, when we rode the Outback, it was his sole light source for when the sun set over eastern Oregon. It’s best described as a “super-wide and super-bright beam.”

The Flux uses a Cree LED with a patented reflector for bright and wide light, much like you’d find in the automotive industry.

Powering the Flux are internal rechargeable 5200mAhr Lithium Ion batteries and there are three nighttime modes with power resulting between 1,200 and 400 lumens. You’ll get 1.75 hours at 1,200 and 6 at 400 lumens and it’ll recharge from zero to full in just four hours.

The Flux will hit shelves at your local Specialized dealer shortly.

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A Look at the Specialized Diverge All-Road Disc Brake Gravel Bike

Photos by Andy Bokanev

The world of “gravel grinding” and “adventure” bikes has expanded exponentially over the past few months. While Specialized is no stranger to dirt, the new Diverge all-road disc bike takes cues from their MTB line and adds them to a new drop-bar bike called the Diverge…

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Specialized: Color Dipped Collection Part 02

The Color Dipped Collection continues at Specialized, with a bright, neon blue treatment. Last month’s Chartreuse came and went, leaving this blue and what appears to be a neon red for June and July.

See June’s offerings below and head to your local Specialized store for ordering.

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Specialized: Color Dipped Collection Part 01

To keep your summer bright for the next three months, Specialized will be offering a “Color Dipped Collection“, featuring three products, all washed with the same color. The first month being chartreuse and I’m guessing a blue and a bright red or orange will follow.

See the full offering below and head to your local Specialized shop to order this limited edition set.

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In Stock Now: The Specialized AWOL Transcontinental Edition

Since the first documentation of this project was posted on this site, I’ve been very interested in seeing the AWOL Transcontinental Edition touring bike hit local dealers. It is one of the most unique tourers I’ve ever ridden. My Product Review of the bike was thorough and Erik’s suped up Peacock Nuke edition swept everyone up in awe. Head over to Specialized for specs and contact your local shop for ordering.

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Some Photos from Specialized

While I was at Specialized HQ a few weeks ago, I got a quick tour around their facilities. Amidst all the top secret products and prototypes, I was allowed to shoot a few photos at the model shop and in their new wind tunnel. For me, seeing products developed by hand, rather than on the computer, was paramount. I really miss making models in architecture and there’s something conceptual, yet tactile about the process and end product.

In a perfect world, I would have liked to see the process of modeling products and then testing them in the wind tunnel, rather than posting fragments, but so it goes!

These photos will just end up on my hoard drive if I don’t post them, so check out a few more below!

Reportage By: John Watson

Erik’s Di2 Alfine 11 Peacock-Nuke Specialized AWOL

Ever since Erik showed me the first sneak peek at his Specialized AWOL, I knew I’d have a blast photographing it one day. Little did I know, however, it’d be in San Francisco. By now, you’ve seen photos and video of this bike here on the site. How could you miss it? With the special Nickel PVD – Physical Vapor Desposition – coating, it pops!

Erik even referred to this bike as a “peacock” in the Transcontinental video. It’s almost so distracting that you fail to notice the Shimano Dura Ace Di2 Alfine 11 speed Gates carbon belt drive set up with hydraulic disc brakes. Or the wicked fat tire clearances.

Other nifty details are the Plug by Supernova, which charges electronic devices but one of my favorite frame details is the special bracket for mounting the rear Supernova light onto the non-drive rocker dropout. And of course, the Fällkniven F1 Swedish special forces-issued knife with its (purple) zip-tied sheath.

Trust me, during our ride in the Diablo Range, I was geeking out so hard on this bike.

Yeah, it’s pretty jamming and what better place to shoot it than Bernal Heights in SF, at sundown, as the sky itself put on a color-assault of its own. Countdown to full nuke… 3… 2… 1…

Reportage By: John Watson

Review: The Specialized Edition AWOL Transcontinental Touring Bike

As someone who has everything he needs in a touring bike, I’ll admit that I was a little apprehensive to spend a weekend on the new Specialized Edition AWOL Transcontinental touring bike (due out in late February). Honestly, it just didn’t seem like my kind of rig. I like cantis, the feel of a traditional drivetrain and the look of a 110mm stem.

Now, from what I had seen of the AWOL, it was the exact opposite and that bothered me. A lot. First of which was the riding position. The bars were level, or even higher than the saddle, due to the massive head tube and positive rise, 80mm stem. It looked like a MTB, not a touring or rando bike with its compact geometry.

Next up, a Gates Carbon Belt Drive and an 8 speed Alfine hub – there’s no way that gear range would be wide enough! The bike relied on TRP’s Hylex single speed hydraulic disc brakes. Up until this point, every hydro disc system I’ve ridden on drop bars has felt horrible, especially when compared to my XT and XTR setups on my mountain bikes. Even my SLX on the fatbike felt better…

My opinions aside, the bike still intrigued me and one thing I’ve been trying to work on is separating my somewhat arrogant opinions and being more open minded about product reviews.

When Erik told me that he really wanted to do a ride that was mostly dirt on the AWOL, I figured what the hell? Up to this point, the AWOL has been showed on road, not off-road. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? Maybe some of my opinions would change and I’d have to pull my foot from mouth.

That’s exactly what happened. Check out more below!

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Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 04

Well, the time’s here. It’s the fourth and final episode in the Specialized AWOL Transcontinental Race documentary. This has been one hell of a journey and I can’t wait to see what the AWOL team has planned next.

As always Ertzui delivered an exceptional web series. It’s so good that I just watched the whole thing over again. See parts one through three below!

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Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 03

Man, this has gotta be my favorite web series of the year. Is anyone else actually considering doing something like this? I miss the open road and these videos truly capture the physical and psychological challenges you encounter along the way.

Go AWOL!

Previously:
Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 02
Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 01

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Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 02

Here’s the second, gut-wrenching episode of the AWOL project’s coverage from the Transcontinental Race, shot by Ertzui. Watch as the road takes all Erik and Recep have to offer. The Stelvio section looks horrific!

Previously:
Specialized AWOL: Transcontinental Race Part 01