Ah, Whistler, the mecca that seems to always deliver. I'm not just talking about that trails, however, as the bike park that every downhiller in the world wants to live at the bottom of is also the chosen location for plenty of testing. Case in point:
We've seen Specialized's racers and development riders on unreleased machines at the Whistler Bike Park more than once in the past, and it's actually where the current generation Demo was first spotted a few years ago.
It was déjà vu at the WBP yesterday, with a photo of what sure looks like an unbadged prototype downhill bike (pictured above) under a Specialized rider being sent to us by an enterprising Pinkbike member. Is this the current Demo's replacement? And it sure looks like a 29er, doesn't it? Yes, Specialized's World Cup racers have been on current Demos that the team has modified to work with bigger wheels,
including one that Loic Bruni's tested (but didn't race) back in 2017, but this might be their first dedicated 29'' wheeled downhill rig.
Loic Bruni was on a heavily modified, 29'' wheeled Demo at last year's Fort William World Cup. It employed a custom rocker link for his needs, as well as a lengthened rear-end to provide more room for the larger diameter wheels.
The all-black, unbadged bike is sporting Magura brakes, DT Swiss rims, and Öhlins suspension that the average park rat isn't able to get his dirty paws on; all bits that you'll find on the team's race bikes. Also, the pants are a bit of a dead giveaway, eh?
I reached out to Vernon Felton, Specialized's Global Mountain Bike Marketing Manager, who had this to say: “
We’re constantly working on new bikes—making them faster—and our athletes are a key part of that process. Their input drives what we do. So, yes, that bike is something we’re working on. You can expect to hear more about it in the future—but for now, that’s all we’re going to say about it. Stay tuned.”
Fair enough. Replacement or not, you don't need to be a bike surgeon to know that The Big S is obviously working on a new downhill sled. ''
Specialized relies on feedback from professional athletes in developing and testing advanced pre-production products in real-world applications,'' Sean Estes, Global PR Manager at Specialized, explained when I went sniffing for details. ''
Thanks to this top-level feedback some of these products, or elements of their designs, eventually show up in future retail product offerings. We call this Project Black.'' Okay, no details but we do have a secretive sounding name, which is kinda cool.
Current production Demo on the left, new prototype on the right. The standard Demo's shock is driven by a large rocker, and the main pivot rotates around the bottom bracket shell. The new prototype appears to eschew both of these things, with the shock sitting much lower and no concentric main pivot.
But this is a whole new bike from front to back, and it
looks like it's a 29er from the get-go. No surprise, really, as many teams now have a big-wheeled downhill bike in their stable, if not for sale, at least for their racers to use. Besides the wheels, what else is different? Nearly everything, it seems, but it still employs a Horst Link suspension layout. However, the main pivot no longer rotates around the bottom bracket; instead, it appears to be well forward of it, and the shock is sitting much lower than it does on the production Demo. Also, it looks like the shock is driven directly off the swingarm rather than by the rocker, although it's hard to see those details in this photo, so there might be a small linkage system as well.
If you think that all we have right now is speculation, you'd be 100-percent right. But the last time we saw a prototype Specialized downhill bike rolling around Whistler, it turned out to be the new Demo. Just say'n.
The picture I was shown was of a bike with 29er wheels. The shock sits almost on the down tube like the Sunn bikes of the past. But I didn't see a 4 bar arrangement. The rear triangle was more like a single piece
Agreed. Vern was absolutely great with what he did with Bike Mag. Bike Bible was something I looked forward to every year till he left. I loved the other things he did for Bike as well. Since coming to PB I did not see that quality in either Bike mag or in what he contributed to BIKE. I also think he should not rep one company. This imo is a bad move for spesh
no way.
nobody even comes close these days....
'quicker than greased owl poop'
'w.f.o.'
'zoot'
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15916340
He's in keyboard Valhalla... fest in peace my great keyboard warrior friend. We may have disagreed but I always respected you
*crickets*
/leaves
Haro.
I’ll see myself out....
We should probably let this thread die, at least that’s my Instinct, these puns have their Glory, though I have Faith that one day they’ll Reign again.
I would have loved to have seen that text message conversation:
Levy: "V-dawg, whut up with dat new Spesh?"
Vernon: "Who dis?"
Levy: "Levy from Pinkbike"
Vernon: "Lose this number"
Did I manage to keep a straight face? Pffkgmpfff... ekhem sorry. Misogyny is a disease yes...
Cue the "racing for Spesh kills careers" comments....
29"s are so mutch fast than anything else that there will no have tracks long enough for them
The planet will be smal for 29"s
The marketing department at the big S clearly have pinkbike wrapped around their little finger.
What could pinkbike possibly gain from posting a pic with the riders leg coincidentally covering the entire frame??
Yes obviously it's their new dh rig.
Anyway rant over, back to vital I go...
They did drop sram brakes for reliability concern.
And tell us which is fastest down the hill.
The only reason no professional rides 26ers is the industry decided to stop making them.