2011 Specialized Demo 8: First Impressions!

Specialized has all of their high end bikes on display at this years Crankworx and I was one of the chosen few who were first to unleash their 2011 Demo 8 upon Whistler's massive terrain. Inside you'll find my thoughts on how the completely revised race minded Demo performed, as well as some great audio explaining the how's and why's of the soon to be released bike.

Read on...2011 Specialized Demo 8 One

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Riding Impressions

While some may scoff at only having put in a day and a half of riding on a new bike before putting down my thoughts, a full day riding lifts in the Whistler bike park will quickly ferret out the weaknesses of any bike. My saddle time on the new Demo was spent on anything and everything that the big mountain has to offer, from muddy and technical Garbonzo runs down No Joke and Original Sin, to high speed dashes down the machine built jump trails, the Demo saw it all today.



My initial runs on any new and unfamiliar bike are always a bit hesitant, and rightfully so. All too often I've thought that me and a new test sled have hit if off wonderfully, only to be thrown off or at least given a good shake of the head further on during the ride. Its not that the bike is doing anything wrong, just that it didn't do what I expected. That never happened during any of the countless runs that I put in on the 2011 Demo 8 One. No "whoa" moments (ok, maybe one, but it really was my fault) and no surprises. The bike quickly felt comfortable upon the first sitting, a roomy toptube and low stance making me feel right at home.




Although this new 2011 bike looks vaguely similar to earlier models, it rides like a whole new animal. The faster you go, the more the bike eggs you on to brake later and later. Fast bermed corners on the bike were incredible. I know I've been as quick through them on other bikes, but the Demo had a whole new level of surefootedness through them that felt as if I didn't even need brakes. The level of chassis balance was impressive, traction was never an issue at either end of the bike and I wasn't required to hang off the bike in order to get it to do what I needed. Jumping the bike was interesting in that if I didn't quite have the speed I needed, I could very easily pick the bike up and simply put it where I needed to be. At the opposite end of the speed scale, if I was going to overcook transition all I needed was a bit of body english to keep the tires close to the dirt and find backside. Into the cloud cover higher up on the mountain's more technical trails proved that the Demo handled proper difficult trails in a good manner as well, not that I'd doubted that it couldn't given it's pedigree. By the end of the day I found myself wishing for a 50 lb lighter spring on the Fox shock, but even so the bike felt forgiving on some very unforgiving terrain. Harsh G-outs and rock ledges made it obvious that the rear suspension is more progressive than others.

It looks like Specialized has a winner straight out of the box. As they should, the Demo has progressed of the years step by step to become an incredibly versatile bike that easily handles any terrain. From being a bit of a beast when it was first introduced, the 2011 Demo is now a full on race minded bike that most any rider should feel at home on. I'm looking forward to spending more time on the new bike down the road, but it certainly looks like a promising package.


What do you make of the new Demo? Is it going to be on your short list for the upcoming 2011 race season? Tell us below!

Visit the Specialized website for more details and information.

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