We chose Silver Star Resort as the venue to showcase this new bike due to do the overload of bad ass corners that unfold before riders as they unload from the Comet 6 Pack Express and descend back towards the mid mountain village. Between those perfectly sculpted corners you’ll find raw natural trail that is looking to get shredded on and that is what we’re here to capture.
Check out Curtis as he walks us through the changes to the all new 2011 Demo:
The 2011 Demo is a whole new beast from its 2010 brother, and we were able to catch up with Jason Chamberlain and Brandon Sloan of
Specialized Bicycles to get the full low down on just what all changed and how it will effect us, the end users.
Check out all details and changes below:
-Unlike the 2010 model, you can once again adjust the geos on the 2011 offering. BB height can be raised by 10mm and the head tube angle can be steepened by half a degree by changing a small insert on the rear shock eyelet.
-The frame now uses a "shock extension" or "bearing adapter". The shock is totally stock, but we slide on a Y shaped piece. This allows us to put the shock pivot in a location that was formerly not possible - right next to the tire. This allowed us to tune the leverage ratio the way we wanted. Plus the shock rides on ball bearings, not the Fox DU bushing. Something most all of our bikes do now. Shock Extensions will be available for most popular shocks.
-Head Tube length is now 112mm (was 120 on the 2010 Demo), the shorter head tube accommodates smaller riders and the new style of low, low front ends.
-A new forged, patented head tube process allows us to weld the top and down tube all the way at the ends of the head tube, this gives you the most strength and a very short head tube.
Red is 2010, Black is 2011
2011 Demo 8 Geometry Chart
-Geometry is unchanged from the 2010 model, with simply an additional size added being Extra Small.
View Geometry Chart here.
-Seat tube lengths are as follows - Extra Small = 15.5”, Small = 16.0, Medium = 16.5 and Large = 18.0”
-Rear axle is 150x12mm (was 135x10 in the past) and yet you’ll experience better heel clearance on the new 2011 frame due to the hydro-formed stays.
-Most of the tubes are now hydro-formed as this give us more flexibility in the shapes of the tubes and you can add strength or clearance where needed – as seen in the new 150mm wide rear stays.
-Bottom Bracket is 83mm, but uses the new Press Fit Standard (BB30). Expect to see DH crank manufacturers making 83mm BB30 cranks in the near future. They will be lighter and stronger than current offerings. In this first year you’ll find threaded adapters to run standard crank and BB set up until crank manufacturers get caught up on the BB30 set ups.
-Upper link is now 3 pieces – 7075 sides with a magnesium center bridge.
-3/4 of a pound lighter than the 2010 Demo 8 frame
-Out of the box weight for a complete 2011 Demo 8 should be in the 36lb range.
-New frame is slightly more progressive in its spring rate curve over the 2010 model
-Specialized has hidden all the external forging pockets to help eliminate areas in which mud can collect. Typically you’ll see mechanics using Moto Foam or little sponges in all pockets where mud would typically pack up and collect. This is no longer needed on the new frame. Sam and Brendan’s mechanic Jacy stated that at Maribor (the muddiest race ever), that the new Demo shed mud much better than its predecessor.
-All aspects of the new frame have been pushed to be as compact as possible, very narrow and also very low and tight. Even the rear derailleur hanger has been pushed inboard to the minimum Shimano / SRAM spec.
-Sam and Brendan both rode 2 generations of this new bike, prior to the one you see today. We’ve done a lot of secret R&D testing in which Curtis Keene was heavily involved with. All the riders absolutely love the new bike. Things they’ve keyed in upon are how it feels more plush and controls the bottoming more precisely, while feeling lower and lighter – corners stronger due to the weight being shifted downwards. Riders also stated that they were no longer hitting their heels on the stays.
-Release date and pricing to be announced at a later date.
Huge thanks to Jason Chamberlain and Brandon Sloan of Specialized Bicycles on bringing everyone here at Pinkbike up to speed on the new bike!
Thanks to Ian Galbraith and the trail crew at
Silver Star Mountain Resort for the kick ass trail network and the amazing lodging at the
Snowbird Lodge.
Curtis was gonna talk more about the 2011 Demo 8, but we all figured that actions speak louder than words:
As much as I'd like to ride one next year, I just think it would be really high mantenence with all the broken (light) parts that come with the frame.
I like the past years better than this one
i like the shock mounting,., but @ the same time.. have my doubts about it..
In my opinion it doesn't LOOK as good as the old Demo but hey, whatever I'll never be rich enough for one anyways, and if its lighter, and (hopefully) rides better, who cares.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/5305565
i don't like the style of the new frame- looks shit, the 2009 looks way better!
anjoy the link:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4188181&l=a4ef7dad1c&id=761079830
Makes me want to get a Demo again.
Anyone want to buy a kidney?
As for the weight factor, there is less excess bends and material on the bike so there for it weighs less. Looks a bit bottom heavy to me though. Bet it rails on 180 berms.
I agree though, air shocks are awesome for weight but I'm thinking what if you blow a seal on one up on the mountain? Major suckage. Wonder if they will offer it with coil-n-oil?
Is this the bike Matt Hunter rides in Follow Me?
@MountainGoat65
I am not sure, they seem to have done a lot of work on this and the frame I believe will hold up to the abuse of most riders.
Oh no, hang on… www.foxracingshox.com/bike/11/shocks/DHX_AIR
And with the performance of the RP23 with Boost Valve the DHX Air's are becoming less and less popular anyways!
It feels like this new frame cant be trusted till a year and a half of production and to see how many of them hold up to other people's abuse or how pros ride theme like mat hunter ride the old one. and it says in the article that the frame uses a new Press Fit Standard bb30 bottom braket. does that mean that the bottom braket works like the head tube that doesnt have a thread but needed to be pressed to fit which will be harder to replace.
Correct me of im wrong....
I weighed my wife's XS Demo 8 II at the shop and it was 38.5 lbs.
its in the japanese specialized catlog
i'll look it up for u tho :')
Now this top tube looks weird, it's like something happened to the poor bike, how bad it is to make it straight ona racing bike?! I don't think Gee Atherton complains on his XC-style toptube on his Commencal. Seriously it seems like the next generation of Specialized bikes is going to have a standover of my wifes city bike! Just sell it with the basket to mount on handlebars
Now I do believe that Vivid Air is fanf*ckintastic as well as guys from FOX and RS possess some certain substance of intelligence and huge amounts of brilliance, and after two years they must have solved that
How many long shock stroke bikes did those DHX airs have problems on? I bet not many.
And I've always hated the look of the demo's but this year I'm loving it! But in the video it looks wierd because of the standover height..
9 speeds on my bike it's too much i don't need all that.
5 speeds it's really enough.
I saw his derailleur is a X0, so like a normal XO i guess, and what is his shifter???
I have X9 shifter and derailleur. could i fix my gear to have only 5 or 6 speeds working and not more?
But for the shifter, how you fix it to have only 7 speeds working and not 9...?
It is a handy thing to know in case you are out riding and you break your rear derailler cable, you can screw the limit screws so that you can choose which cog you are stuck in instead of the spring forcing the chain onto the smallest/hardest cog.
www.pinkbike.com/news/tech-tuesday-sram-rear-derailleur-adjustments-2010.html
And i tried also with this two screws...
And i can't move the derailleur more than one speed less...
So how he can have only 7 speeds?
I will try again tomorrow... but f*ck ya... I don't want this f*cking 9 speeds
I am keen for a set...
bad - head tube shape
^^*)
Look at the hydroform downtube, 150mm rear axle, the new “progressive” rear suspension, the adjustability, etc…
36lbs….. Ya right! On what planet?
If the 951 didn’t exist, I’d probably be on this one since Santa Cruz doesn’t offer anything close... (except maybe the new carbon fiber V10).
The Demo runs the FSR suspension. The 951 runs VPP.
The 2004-2006 Demos ran the 150X12 rear axle before later switching to 135x10 for their 2007-2010 Demo frames.
Again the 2004-2006 Demos had adjustable Geo which changed the head angle & BB height.
36lbs is realistic with the parts available on the market today and the M5 Alloy frame.
Check out the Mondraker Summum, full factory build weighs just over 33lbs, there's a video on DIRT that's just been put up with the review & weigh in. The Demo is nothing like the 951, it's a pure evolution of their previous models, if anything Specialized are bringing back in what they got rid of. They're even bringing back in the 9.5x3.0 shock setup which they used to run on the old Specialized Demo 9. Expect to see more manufacturers using hydroforming to shape up their tubing, it's the way forward. : )
My large is a little over 35lb, and i've got a lot of carbon parts on it that a few other people probably wouldn't even consider for DH. Saddle, cranks, bars, seatpost....
No way 33lbs for the Summum, and i totally doubt 36lb for the Demo too