Specialized Begins Selling Equipment Through Backcountry & CompetitiveCyclist.com

 There are no "trek" products at REI only Bontrager but REI carries Cannondale too.

 @alreadyupsidedown you beat me to it. Of ALL the online stores to partner with, they pick the biggest ass hat, 'sue everyone' web retailer of the bunch. I guess I am not surprised.

 So right. It's a match made in litigation heaven. Both these companies can get bent imo. Bottom of the barrel a-holes.

 The PB poll of bikes at opening day at Whistler, the #1 bike ridden was a Specialized Demo. So, a lot of people still like Specialized.

 @tacklingdummy: there bikes are nice. The company is grade A a*sholes for sure. I worked in a Specialized shop for a bit, they abuse retailers consistently

 I just came here for the spesh* butt hurt,

Didnt leave disappointed

(*other bicycle brands are available)

 Lawsuits already forming around combining the words back, stump, rock, country, rock in french, etc.

 Just another reason to not buy Specialized

 What's the chances they end up suing eachother?

 @tacklingdummy: Every year!

 I don't care what people say as long as I can keep getting my eliminator tires

 I still find Giant to have one of best value for spec bikes, yea there quite mainstream but frankly they make good bicycles, for sure we've got a little oligarchy within a few brands in the bicycle world/industry and Specialized is one of them

 @lehott: giant can afford the smaller margins due to scale. As a whole though, the mountain bike market is miniscule.

 Hmmm Jenson USA has had Specialized products available online for quite a while now. And Fanatik Bike Co is doing custom Specialized frame builds online. Neither ships to Canada, but seems like this is part of a bigger move by Specialized, and definitely not a Backcountry exclusive.

 @ratedgg13: part of the issue is that a few months back, Backcountry.com trademarked the word “Backcountry” and then went on a rampage of issuing cease and desist notices to anyone using the word in their name. It was cut from the same cloth as something specialized would (and did) do. Many many small businesses around the country were forced to re-brand at their expense and it was hugely hurtful to small business. Multiply that by all the other shady stuff Specialized has done in the distant past and in the very recent past and you can see why people are speaking out.

 @Trudeez: Holy F does anyone understand how trademarks work? As a company, Backcountry has a legal responsibility to defend their trademark just like Specialized does with their names. If they dont defend them then they lose the rights to said name and guess what? Another company then trademarks that now available name and would then go after Spec or Backcountry. It seems shady on paper but it really isn't. What's really shady is the fact that Trademarking exists in the first place.

 @Trudeez: oh I'm fully aware of the hoopla, more commenting that this is part of a bigger move by the big red S (the S is for sucks).
@Tmackstab: we all know how it works, but many of us had a problem with how Backcountry handled it. They went after anyone with Backcountry in the name, including non profit advocacy groups etc. Instead of being a friendly neighbor, they were the biggest arses possible about it, and it backfired on them bigtime.

 @MikeAzBS: *grabs popcorn*

 @Tmackstab: theres certainly nothing wrong with trademarking your business name. Of course Budweiser is gonna protect the name Budweiser. The problem is when you're a huge online power or massive cycling entity and you're suing the piss out of mom n pop ski shops in Truckee or mom n pop coffee houses in Whistler. The fact that Evil S and backcountry get in bed together reeks like yesterday's garbage is all anyone's saying.

 @ratedgg13: you're completely right. Evil S is cooking up something. It seems like we are back to how they were ten years ago when all you heard about is how sharty of a company they are. It seems like every day the hits come with them recently. In the last few months, in my area they have: called all terms due immediately, any shop that had inventory on 90 or 180 terms was ordered to pay immediately, right at the start if covid no less. Fired many senior engineers (this was nationwide) claiming cutbacks due to covid and not being able to support hiring back staff, and then rehiring a workforce of younger engineers and fresh college grads no mind paid to pensions, retirements, insurance etc. Signed up the local BMW dealership to be a turbo dealer, so that the local little guys were muscled out. To me it feels like they're doing everything they can to squeeze out the LBS. My prediction is that there will then be "specialized premium service centers." All bike sales will be handled online, and if you need service your only option is the service center, the LBS will not have access to the parts or tools to service the bikes (a-la a BMW dealership) and your tune up is going to go from costing $150 to costing $500 overnight. Granted this is just my prediction, based on nothing in particular. But just agreeing that it definitely seems like they're up to something.

 @Tmackstab: Maybe they shouldn't pick a basic-ass name that is very commonly used in the outdoor world and is NOT unique to them.

 @Tmackstab:
Sure they have a ‘right’ to defend themselves, but they are and have used that as an excuse to attack.
There’s a massive difference in ethics there. It is naive to think otherwise

 @Trudeez @ratedgg13 @Tmackstab : Met/walked the OR show in Jan the guy who did Backcountry Denim (the lawsuit that blew the story up), it was really interesting/sad. HUGE, drawn-out ordeal. He was on the brink of getting the case closed when Backcountry threw a bunch more stuff at him to get it tied up in the courts for much longer ($$$ lawyer fees). He basically lost 3 years of his life but ended up coming out -- ok. It was all done in the shadiest way possible. What a mess.

 @timbud: He said 'a legal responsibility to defend their trademark', not a 'right'. I'm not defending either company, nor the law, but when it comes to trademark law there is an important difference in terms.

 @cmrn: yes. Hence why i used inverted commas

 @Tmackstab: The pitchfork carrying kids here just don’t care about your effing facts.

 what did trek do? i am curious

 @Trudeez:
this happens in all industries and is not isolated to specialized or to backcountry. Enve was originally edge but had to change their name because of a company in europe with the same name that sued them.
most businesses end up trademarking their name for money or for protection either or

 @Trudeez: Not to derail the conversation but the Budweisser case is exactly why it is wrong. That's an international company trying to steal a name of a beer that has been brewed in Budweiss si de the 12th century, and then a big shot American company uses that name "because it's well recognised" and tries to claim it for its own some 600 years later claiming the company that actually created Budweisser and made the name famous cannot use it any longer. Trademarks just make this outrageous injustice possible even though they are meant to prevent it..

 @Trudeez: Cost a small local shop about $25,000 to rebrand. backcountry.com is a bunch of bums.

 @lehott: if you are willing to have 2010 geometry in 2020 then yes.

 @Trudeez: comment gold lol thanks for that.

 @tacklingdummy: money talks, right? All the armchairs can get all #waki as much as they want, but if buyers are sending big S the message that big shop R&D is what they trust, or local shop support is king, then all the rest can get in the back seat.

 Of all the comments, yours is the most truthful. You work at a shop, I can tell.

 You can buy them straight from specialized online or Mike's bikes. Not sure this will make much of a difference.

 It won’t matter. Remember that pinkbike commenters are the super users. For every one pb member there are 100 dads who won’t buy a bike online. As much as you think big ticket bikes are the bread and butter, spesh gives a f*ckload more about hybrids than enduros. Most of those bikes are EP’s anyway and are getting flipped after a year. Market is over saturated and advancing so fast nothing has value after two years anyway. Solve those problems and online and lbs can both be successful. A lot of players need to bow out to do that.

 @usedbikestuff: The end. Nailed it

 @usedbikestuff: so true. I recommend online bike brands to friends getting into it and they never want to do that. Almost always they buy a Specialized or Santa Cruz.

 @PtDiddy: Specialized and Santa Cruz have become the Starbucks of the world.

Consistent product. You can go into any Starbucks and get essentially the same consistent thing. It isn’t pour over Moots or hand tamped espresso Ancilotti, but for the masses it is better than what they’re used to and the right price.

Throw in full warranties and that ridiculous Santa Cruz free bearing thing that fanboys blow loads over keyboards about and it’s such a safe choice it is tough to ignore.

Add in that Santa Cruz doesn’t change models every year and pretty much only colors, you can get a current frame one year old for a minimum of 30% off on Competitive for most of the year.

Add in on top of that a legacy of exclusivity and famed Syndicate riders and you have a great winning recipe for that Starbucks coffee.

To the earlier point. Everyone is scraping and trying to stay relevant with ever changing shocks and axle diameters that is getting harder and harder to do.

 @usedbikestuff: I think Specialized is Starbucks and Santa Cruz is Pete’s.

I have to admit, Specialized new line of Stumpjumpers has a sexy looking frame. The Enduro too, good looking bikes.

 Dont sleep on their tires. Very under rated.

 @Snowrydr01: same as Bontrager? The xr4 team tires are actually pretty good.

 @dualcrownscottspark: Very blocky...you mean like one of the gold standards of traction the DHF?

 @Snowrydr01: Sure I heard they are made in the same factory as Maxxis or something.

 @dualcrownscottspark: Have you ever owned a pair or is this based on wild photograph based conjecture?

 @NorCalNomad: Your right. I was jumping to specialized's tires being bad. Blocky ≠ bad. I apologize for trying to put down specialized, and I was wrong about them being outdated. The tires look pretty modern actually. I just have a stupid grudge on specialized.

 @dualcrownscottspark: my stumpy evo came with butchers and they really let go in turns in a bad way and burp fluid really easy. Not impressed at all and pretty quickly swapped them for magic Mary super gravity which was a no brainier. Specialized dissident helmet on the other hand was a great product!

 @Bigwill13: yeah, the tire compound isn't very good. The tread is fine, but from what I've heard from friends, the tire compound has no grip.

 @Bigwill13: I think their droppers suck too. They have no modulation. Its either up or down and the lever takes a lot of force to push.

 @dualcrownscottspark: yeah very similar to the Maxxis exo or whatever it’s called, all good until it folds over!

 @dualcrownscottspark: mine came with an xfusion manic which is fantastic!!! It does use a Specialized lever which is ok but not compared to a wolfs tooth

 @Bigwill13: maybe I'll stick with Schwalbe... love a good rocket ron and racing ralph. Wish they came in 2.4 though. But until they have 2.4 width I'll just take a Maxxis ardent and Ikon. All great tires.

 @Bigwill13: I don't have a dropper on my bike right now But I'll have one soon!

 I mean my specialized hill billy is great for winter in the uk

 @Snowrydr01: can confirm, I used the Purgatory on my Rockhopper Pro for 2seasons and had zero issues with tires, not even a puncture and setting up tubeless is pretty straightforward aswell. Grippy tire and held in the sidewalls. I'd purchase again

 I'll only buy specialized tires. They are on the same level as the best companies out there but cheaper. I've used literally every casing of every tread now and I'm always blown away.

 @dualcrownscottspark: is there anything you actually experienced YOURSELF before you knock products? You heard something from a friend who heard it from Bozo‘s mom...and take that as truth. You are perfect FB & Twitter campaign fodder...

 @Heidesandnorth: I’m wrong, and I’m sorry. I haven’t experienced this, and I shouldn’t take people’s word. I owned a specialized hotrock, and that’s where I got my grudge against them. I hated that bike. But as I said to @norcalnomad, I’m willing to try some of specialized’s tires. I’ve had experience with the dropper, and maybe the newer ones are better. And your right, I took my friends word as truth, as I already didn’t have a good image of specialized. I’m willing to try and change that though.

 @NorCalNomad: i got lambasted by my group for not liking the DHF. The Butcher was a very similar pattern but stuck to the wet roots where i live better. Ultimately i ditched the butcher for an assagai which is head and shoulder better then both.

 @dualcrownscottspark: i actually preffered the tire compound over maxxis for a similar shaped tire DHF vs Butcher.

 @Bigwill13: Had the same problem with the Butcher here in the desert SW. No burbing problems though.
In the loose Granite it would just washout without warning. I switched to the New Purgatory and have been very happy with those. Smaller Knobs but a whole lot more of them. Horses for Courses.

 F*CK BackcoutryDOTcom! Scrape the goat!

 @clint026: yeah because not buying from an unethical online retailer is just like taking over a neighborhood... Get out of here with your BS.

 Are any small shops Spesh dealers?

 @alexisfire: I suppose that depends on the definition of small. As PB suggested there are a range of scales and some dont have much of an internet presence. You are probably correct that none are truly small. But in smaller communities there are proportionately small spesh dealers. I just think it's a shame they dont have their brick and mortar dealer's best interests in mind. All the big brands and many smaller ones are making it hard for shops to be viable businesses these days...its a shame.

 I have two local shops selling Specialized. But they seem to be doing really well. It helps when they offer great service.

 Do people really want to buy bikes online? I mean the local Norco shop did say they got a lot of web orders for hybrids etc and of course some custom sight builds.

To me online sucks. The price is the price. I got 20% off MSRP on my bike (wasn't on sale) plus free tubeless, 10% off accessories purchased with the bike (which they kept honouring for the first 6+ months), a free full tune-up, some other no charge labour etc etc. Plus I get to talk bike stuff when I go in and they usually have free cookies or brownies.

You can't get any of that online.

 @alexisfire: my local shop is borderline tiny. They only sell Specialized and they seem to be doing well. Everything from kids bikes to dh.

 @eh-steve: I buy online because I usually buy slightly used. I have only bought one new bike online, a Marin Rift Zone, from Jensen. I would have bought it locally but they didn't have it in stock and couldn't match the price. Otherwise, every other new bike I bought was from a bike shop.

 @PtDiddy: and you probably got a good deal since it was Jensen. The way spesh rolls I assume they'll make the call on when sales prices are allowed and by how much.

Without an amazing sale I'm not drawn to the likes of yt and commencal. Better bang for buck if you compare MSRP to MSRP, but you can't haggle with an online shop and there are no perks and slow support for issues. If my bike has a major issue or they can't get parts in they'll give me a loaner so I can keep riding. Spesh apparantly has great turnaround times on warranty issues, so maybe not an issue. On the flip side: Little good buying from an lbs did for people with recalled rocky mountains. My friend still doesn't have an ETA on a frame and in the meantime he's not supposed to ride it.

I do plan on buying a frame from chromag direct though. My experience with their products and support has been amazing.

So I guess my willingness to buy online depends on how I perceive the after sales support and the total value (not just price).

 I find a lot of shops just don’t have what you need in stock so I just end up ordering online as I get it quicker and not at an inflated price. Sad really and I know I should support the local shop more but at the same time I can do most mechanical work myself so I just order it.

 A friend just opened an almost purely service oriented shop and I love it. Basically what I've always wanted. Having to wait days to get my bike back for a small fix cause their are a hundred hybrids to sell is annoying (not that I fault the shop, they gotta get theirs). It makes so much more sense for me to buy disposable stuff online and just focus on the shop for all the work I can't do. Means the shop owner can keep things small and efficient without having to stock said hybrids.

 @Bigwill13: The problem isn’t that LBS don’t want to stock the item, it’s because they can’t. They physically can’t buy the item to stock it because online retailers buy 500 of the Minions everyone wants at a time, sell them below MAP and keep the product out of local retailers hands.

 @MikeAzBS: I dont know if hell exists, but I feel like karma does. I hope not for your sake. It's just pretty lame that people are so entitled and not sympathetic these days. If the shop you go to doesnt offer any tangible value in other forms, I dont blame you though.

 @MikeAzBS: yeah, that's pretty lame.

 I think the key is defining 'local support'. The local shops are so inconsistent, frustrating and expensive I've been forced to avoid them. I want to support the local scene but man is it difficult.

 @downcountry: Exactly! I'm usually a "gotta have it now" kind of guy. Which should benefit the lbs model vs online. But unfortunately what I need usually isn't something they stock, or if they do, I over pay so much that I always leave feeling like a schmuck.

 @MikeAzBS: I think that is why local shops have to play to their strengths. They should be focused on repairs, tune ups, fittings, advice, and selling consumables that people have to have right now like tubes (for heathens),derailleur hangers, tires, etc. In my experience the local shops have been great at these.

 Its spesh, you dont need a valid reason to hate down here in the PB comment section, just grab your pitch fork and join the other villagers in the square, we got us a good ole fashioned roasting to be had

 @usmbc-co-uk: if you don't understand the dislike of Specialized, you're willfully ignorant.

 @GeorgeHayduke: I understand it but don't agree with it.

 @jeremiahwas: What don’t you agree with? You agree with stealing bikes from people then having said bike copied in China then sue the the person you stole the bike from for copyright?

Can’t people actually support this criminal brand, disgusting actually.

 @SLBIKES, I don't know that story. What bike did they copy?

 @jeremiahwas: I don't understand it, but I do agree with it. Any chance to pull out my pitchfork and I'm IN!!!

 @jeremiahwas: cool story - what's it like being a sociopath?

 @GeorgeHayduke: wow that’s a bit extreme. Feel good writing it?

 @jeremiahwas: how so?

 @slumgullion: He stole Tom Rictchey and Gary Fisher first mountain bike, watch the movie clunkers, you guys are are showing your ignorance

 @pinhead907: That is how the company was founded, Mike Sinyatd was a parts supplier that took Tom Ritchey mountain bike and had it copied in China, then sued Tom for copyright because Tom was a kid and did not understand the copyright stuff, Sinyard is a predator and the brand just steals others ideas then sues them

 They started with the Stumpjumper and Rockhopper, now it's time to debut the Turbo Levo Cornhusker Combine. 29inch wheels have been replaced with 29ft wheels so you can buttf*ck every square inch of Iowa with your Monsanto seeds and still have time to make it the county fair to ride the tilt-a-whirl before the cows need milked. Does this make your cornhole quiver?

 @rocky-mtn-gman: I literally laughed so hard at this I choked on my coffee

 The difference between REI and backcountry is that REI actually tries to help non-profits while backcountry sues them

 I had to scroll down far to long to see this. Feel like they’ve been online at Jenson for months.

 Im still not! This is definitely Hail Mary territory on backcountry’s part.

 @pinhead907: I'm with you on that, the hillbilly is excellent, I had to buy some on an emergency and was really impressed. I'm not real fussed about the rest of the range but the Hillbilly is great as a all around aggressive tyre rather than just a cut mud spike. I leave it on the front in summer. The first 2.6 models are undersized (2.45) but I hear the black diamond models are full fat. I would like an even softer compound option
for winter though.

 Do you really want to find it though...

 Just ordered one last week

 No great loss..

 I can't find the Specialized Hillbilly Grid anywhere either. Such a good tire.

 Bye bye?

 Bike shops not going anywhere... still need to service your bikes.

 I don't buy a lot of Specialized stuff, but Specialized stuff is sometimes the things I buy at local bike shops because in general the prices are the same online as in the authorized retailers.