jspier

Any word on where Sandra Walter ends up?

Yes, people losing their job happens all the time. Losing it with zero notice is quite a bit worse. Losing with zero notice at the very end of a finite hiring season is the part that really sucks here. If Specialized really had any value for these employees (who were really hired to bleed Big S's everywhere they could - and DID), then they would have done this differently. Clearly they didn't care enough to do this in a respectful way, thus it's a dick move by Spec.

@DirtBagTim: The Quebec field test definitely didn't have any past comparisons.

Who cares - I'm just glad they referenced these bikes against a previous winner from the category. We've been asking for that at every field test and I think this is the first time it happened. Plus, the whole second half of that video was hilarious! Mike and Mike are amazing together. They can deliver an hilarious conversation, without going off-topic or making themselves the focus. Everyone else producing 'content' please take note of that!

So now a video on your own site (auto)starts with an ad?

Third last pic - where exactly did he take off from? Cool bike check though. Always helpful to know how other tall riders set things up.

COMPARE THESE BIKES TO PAST DC FIELDTEST WINNERS. Yes, I'm SHOUTING, because we asked you to do this nicely last time, everyone agreed it was a good idea, and now here we are again with zero comparisons. It would massively increase the value of these field tests to relate them back to previous tests - at least for the class leaders. Knowing how the best climbing / descending / overall bikes in this test fair against those respective winners from the last test allows us to carry over so many more relative considerations. Instead, we have five or six more bikes in isolation each time you do a test. So many of the things you're saying about the Allied (a bike VERY few would see in shops or trails) seem to echo what was said about the Epic Evo (a bike most of us have some connection to). HOW DO THEY COMPARE?

They also massively screwed up how to handle transgender athletes in sport... although an assist is owed to the UCI on that one too. There's a lot to balance these days, and it's not always easy, but you can do a better job than what BC have been doing.

I mean that's all well and good, but how does anyone adjust the new SID fork where the ramp up is too progressive without any volume spacers installed?

@brianpark: This is a strong argument for Outside+. If I knew there were more XC coverage telling these stories (and maybe doing some tech too), I'd be happy to pay. I'm far less interested in EWS/Redbull riding, and feel my PB clicks have plummeted lately as your content seems to be shifting more to that side (though using the comments section as a popularity scale certainly seems to support such a shift). As such, I find much of my content consumption is European these days vs North American, as the coverage just isn't here.