Specialized Status II Review
TESTED
Specialized
Status II
Status II
WORDS Mike Levy
PHOTOS Fraser Britton
PHOTOS Fraser Britton
Getting yourself onto a proper downhill bike is an expensive proposal, with many top tier models going for well over $5,000 USD, and let's not forget about the dream machines that can easily double that. Specialized's Status II, at $3,100 USD, is a far more realistic option for many riders who want a bike that can be ridden hard and fast, be it on a race course or just with your buddies, but aren't willing to sell a kidney to do it. The 200mm travel bike comes ready to roll with a dual crown Domain fork from RockShox, a FOX Van RC rear shock out back, and both a chain guide and proper, dual ply DH tires.
Status II Details
• Intended use: downhill
• Rear wheel travel: 7.8''/200mm
• RockShox Domain fork, 200mm
• FOX Van RC rear shock
• 1.5'' head tube
• 10 x 135mm rear axle
• FSR rear suspension
• ISCG chain guide tabs
• Specialized Butcher DH 26 x 2.3"
• MSRP $3,100 USD
The Status is available at two price points - the $3,100 II shown here, or the $2,500 I model - both of which are assembled around the same aluminum frame. While the Status lineup retails for a good chunk less than the race-inspired Demo 8 series, you'd be mistaken for thinking that the platform is low budget - it's far from it. From the flush
aluminum pivot hardware to the very well laid out cable routing, the Status frame looks every bit the part of a high-end DH machine. The details are all there as well, including a full length 1.5" head tube, thereby allowing an angle-adjusting headset to be fitted if the Status owner is looking for more extreme geometry than the stock numbers. The non-tapered head tube also makes for a wide, strong junction for the top and down tubes to come together at. There is plenty of stand over clearance thanks to a top tube that drops down well out of the way as well. Interestingly, Specialized decided to forgo the 150mm rear wheel spacing that is commonly found on the back of most downhill bikes, with 135mm width, open dropouts utilized instead. Why buck the trend, especially in a sport where riders often get caught up in the numbers? The decision lets Status owners fit a standard rear wheel that often retails for quite a bit less than what a 150mm wide, dedicated DH wheel would go for. The choice makes sense to us, but how will the bike's lateral stiffness compare to the competition?
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The FOX shock rotates on two sealed bearings at its rearward mounting point.
Status Suspension
Specialized's two downhill platforms, the Status shown here and the Demo series, use suspension layouts that appear to be very different. There is some truth to that, in that the positioning of the components differ, but they both feature the same FSR genes.
The bike's Horst Link, FSR design is all about keeping the suspension active, regardless of the rider being on the brakes or on the gas. This is accomplished by the rear pivot's location ahead of the dropout, a design that means that the brake caliper is positioned on the seat stay assembly that floats on the chain stays and rocker link rather than pivoting directly off of the front triangle. This allows the braking forces to be decoupled from the suspension's action, thereby letting the bike absorb impacts regardless of if the rider is dragging the rear brake. The FSR design looks very much like many other single pivot, linkage driven bikes, but the key difference boils down to the rear pivot's location ahead of the dropout, compared to the former's location that is usually above the dropout.
Specialized's two downhill platforms, the Status shown here and the Demo series, use suspension layouts that appear to be very different. There is some truth to that, in that the positioning of the components differ, but they both feature the same FSR genes.
The bike's Horst Link, FSR design is all about keeping the suspension active, regardless of the rider being on the brakes or on the gas. This is accomplished by the rear pivot's location ahead of the dropout, a design that means that the brake caliper is positioned on the seat stay assembly that floats on the chain stays and rocker link rather than pivoting directly off of the front triangle. This allows the braking forces to be decoupled from the suspension's action, thereby letting the bike absorb impacts regardless of if the rider is dragging the rear brake. The FSR design looks very much like many other single pivot, linkage driven bikes, but the key difference boils down to the rear pivot's location ahead of the dropout, compared to the former's location that is usually above the dropout.
By altering a bike's pivot locations, Specialized can tune the amount of rearward axle path they desire, as well as the suspension rate and pedalling characteristics, with certain FSR-equipped models in their lineup requiring more focus on one facet over others depending on the bike's intensions. The Status, for example, puts a high priority on being able to absorb hard, abrupt impacts, while Specialized's XC-focused bikes put more of an emphasis on offering a firm pedalling feel. The bike also does without any suspension rate or geometry adjustments, leaving both of those particulars up to the engineers behind the Status' design.
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Riding the Status II
The popular Demo 8 proves that Specialized knows how to design a downhill bike with racing in mind, a fact that gives them a bit of leeway when it comes to the Status in that it doesn't have to follow the relatively extreme geometry set of a contemporary downhill race bike. This much is obvious when sitting on the red and white Status II; it feels a touch more upright than its more expensive sibling, as well as slightly higher off of the ground. Don't get the wrong picture, though, because the Status is far from feeling 'freeride-ish', but there is certainly more of an all-around character to it when compared to the Demo.
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Handling We wish we could narrow down the combined ingredients that create a bike that feels at home right off the bat, because it is always a great thing to jump on an unfamiliar steed and be at ease straight away. This was the case with our medium-sized Status II test bike - it just felt 'right' from the get-go, minus the too-skinny 750mm wide stock handlebar, of course. Tip it into a corner and it does what you ask of it without fuss. While some 200mm travel sleds can feel a bit awkward without a good amount of momentum behind them, the Status still responds well at a slower pace and doesn't require the body english to get around those tight, slow bends. Braking hard into a corner would force the bike's Domain fork deep into its travel, making the handling a touch twitchy when pushing hard, but this can be minimized by tinkering with the fork's spring rate and oil weight, something that heavier Status riders would do well to look into. And what of the Status' standard, 10 x 135mm rear axle? In all truth, it passed unnoticed during our time on the bike. It felt every bit as rigid as a 150mm wide thru-axle setup, and we wouldn't be able to make the call in a blind test. Specialized did spec the bike with a 10mm bolt-on axle, though, likely upping the rear end's ability to brush off side loads. The 10 x 135mm spacing also means that Status owners aren't restricted to expensive 150mm width hubs, but can fit a more price-conscious rear wheel if the need arrises. While maybe not the Usain Bolt of downhill bikes, the Status motors along nicely when throwing down pedal strokes between corners, and the FOX shock's compression adjustment certainly adds to the bike's 'sprint-ability' if required. | Status vs. Demo We've spent a bit of time on the more race-focused Demo 8, so how do the two compare? The Demo 8 is a great DH bike, one of our favorites, in fact, but we also acknowledge that it isn't going to be for everyone. Much like a powerful street bike, the low-slung Demo can bite a rider who hasn't yet come to terms with the bike's low bottom bracket and short rear end. Use those two attributes to your advantage and the Demo 8 becomes one of the most formidable cornering machines ever made, but forget and you are asking to get spanked as a reminder. The Status, on the other hand, is a more forgiving steed that can still be ridden extremely fast, and, as a bonus, you're less likely to catch a pedal thanks to the bike's slightly higher ground clearance. As a matter of fact, tight, rocky trails are actually easier to ride fast aboard the Status than the Demo, again proving that a bike's geometry is by far its most important aspect. |
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Suspension
The Status' rear suspension may look very different to what is employed on the Demo, but its layout features the same FSR DNA and, not coincidentally, performs similarly. This is a good thing, though, with the rear end of the bike remaining active regardless of what we were doing. This was highlighted when coming into fast and rough corners, with the bike doing well to remain settled and planted in such circumstances, keeping the chattering to a minimum and the traction high. The active and neutral rear end could also be felt on the steeps, where the the rider's weight being pitched forward can often result in the back of the bike locking up and skipping over steps and holes on the trail - not something that we can complain about during our time on the Status. The active and forgiving ride also didn't seem to detract from the bike's ability to be jumped, pumped, and generally thrown about when required, allowing us to not only ride fast, but also have fun. In fact, the Status' rear end felt somewhat invisible after swapping between other DH sleds, with us never wishing for more or less of anything from the bike. The FSR rear end simply goes about dealing with the terrain in a quiet way that left us very satisfied, if a bit bewildered that we couldn't find something to complain about.
The FOX Van RC offers rebound and compression tuning options, but lacks the volume and air pressure adjustments of FOX's pricier rear shock. This means that we couldn't use those features to tune the rear of the Status to either ramp up or be more linear through its travel, but we also never really felt the need to make any such adjustments. Sure, a heavier, pro-level rider might want to squeeze even more performance from the bike's rear end with a higher-end shock, be it a DHX RC4 from FOX or a Cane Creek Double Barrel, but that would also jack the price of the Status up a considerable amount and defeat the purpose of this affordable trail-crusher.
If anything, the quality of the Status' back end exposed the RockShox Domain's shortcomings when pushed past anything above a moderately quick pace. Yes, the steel-stanchioned fork is quite smooth and active, but its damping could be overwhelmed by fast, successive impacts, giving the front of the bike a somewhat unpredictable feel when we least wanted it. It was almost as if the fork forgot its job for a split second, highlighting the internal differences between it and its pricier BoXXer cousins.
Other Ride Notes
• The minimalist chain guide may not be as popular with riders as some other brands, but we didn't suffer a single derailment during the test. Having said that, we would like to see some bash guard-type protection incorporated into the guide - we didn't damage the chain ring or chain, but it only takes one good hit to cause some ride-ending damage.
• Specialized's Butcher DH tires are great all-around performers, and we were also happy to see that they use a burly DH casing that kept us from flatting during our time on the bike.
• The stock, Specialized riser bar, at 750mm, is a bit too skinny for our liking. Bar width is always going to be personal preference, but we would install something wider if the Status II was in our stable.
• The bike's cable routing is bang-on; the lines stay out of trouble and are nearly invisible when viewed from a few meters away.
• Heavy or aggressive riders will want to step up to a 200mm rotor out back instead of the stock 180mm that comes fitted.
2013 Status II
The Status II goes stealth for 2013, but there is one standout component spec change that should make prospective buyers happy: the rebound-only Domain R used in 2012 is replaced with a more adjustable BoXXer RC. The fork's low-speed compression dial means that it is a step up from the Domain, allowing the Status II pilot to tune out the brake dive that we complained about on the '12 model, and it is well over a pound lighter thanks to its aluminum stanchion tubes (steel uppers are used on the Domain). Other changes include Truvativ Descendent cranks, and Specialized's own Bennie pedals as stock equipment.
The Status II goes stealth for 2013, but there is one standout component spec change that should make prospective buyers happy: the rebound-only Domain R used in 2012 is replaced with a more adjustable BoXXer RC. The fork's low-speed compression dial means that it is a step up from the Domain, allowing the Status II pilot to tune out the brake dive that we complained about on the '12 model, and it is well over a pound lighter thanks to its aluminum stanchion tubes (steel uppers are used on the Domain). Other changes include Truvativ Descendent cranks, and Specialized's own Bennie pedals as stock equipment.
 | The fact that we grabbed with budget-level Status when heading out for shuttle runs instead of a number of other bikes in our stable, some that retail for about twice as much, speaks volumes about the Status' abilities. The bike's neutral handling and dialled rear suspension outshine the less than exciting component spec, not to mention that the Status frame itself could be the crown jewel in another company's lineup, let alone the 'second tier' offering under the Demo. Simply put, the Status II offers the best dollar to performance ratio of any downhill bike we've ridden. - Mike Levy |
www.specialized.com
Member since Oct 18, 2005 
my wife is 5'5" and it looks hilarious when she rides my HT around the block
In regards of Handlebars, Chromag 760mm is my sweetspot for my 2 bikes.
Love the look of the 2013 status. Hope it fits
Just take the bar that feels good for you. It's not a competition. It's just what's right for YOU. Nobody cares if you ride 800 or 680 bars.
Cheech, Specialized is one of the biggest brands out there... Would be kind of stupid, REALLY, to sell a FR/DH bike with narrow bars if they aim at satisfying as much riders as possible. If 750 is too wide, you just cut it. If it's too narrow, then tell you dealer to take the bar off and add a little cash (or nothing) to get a wider bar. It's as easy as that.
suckers!!!!!!!
I can't wait to see the first guy on vid to get hung on both bar ends between two trees at mach speed and EJECTED (not that I dislike wider bars, just think I would laugh at that a LOT... then cringe... then wonder if the guy was alive...)
well then please check the Young Talent Industries TuEs 2.0 WC Limited
getting Mavic Deemax Ultimates, a CCDB and a Marzo 888 RC3 Ti etc. for the same Price couldnt be THAT bad
I think YT's bikes look AWESOME and as someone else already pointed out, they have a great spec. as well. That said, to us Americans thy're like Diesel Toyotas, non Bling G-Wagens and Unimogs etc. : they're "foriegn unobtanium" unfortunately. Even worse to hear someone (in fact MULTIPLE people) say they've been trying to get ahold of one but can't get the company to play ball 9even worse to hear KRDIECKX say that he's GOT one and the CS is "non-existant" aye - they're a German co. aren't they??? If you're not getting good CS in GERMANY I shudder to think what it'd be like outside Germany). Makes it seem like it's pretty unlikely that I'l be seeing let alone getting to TRY OUT any of their bikes in the near future... Bummer for us Americans aye
I'm sure that the Status WILL be used heavily in rental fleets for sure, but (and I'm not sure how you meant that statement so I'm not trying to flame you) I can see some upcoimng, young, killer riders who would be stoked to have the 2013 Status and could concievaby take it to an AM or Junior podium. I forsee there being a LOT of these in the younger ranks as their a GREAT suspension system for DH and the price will be attractive.
You try living in the US for two months on one month's pay.
Same with Trek, now having a $10k "elite" DH consumer bike thanks to Gwin's winning seasons.
The MTB journalism remains piss-poor, but the average MTB buyer/rider seems unaware that he or she is being played as a fool. I guess having more money than sense is a true First World Problem.
Agree that Specialized is overpriced. Most beginning DH racers would be better served with a used bike and some skills courses.
Agree that the $1400 price is more in line with "budget" category, though.
www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/bikes/model/glory.2/12056/57361
Please give examples of a sport that died because it failed to "grow."
Please.
This is the result...
www.velomsm.com
Do you even know how to pedal a bike, Burandt? You realize bicycles can be pedaled uphill, right?
Here's a little reminder from someone who's watched several sports go through phases of big growth & faddishness, and phases of slow-down. Balloons in growth due to "promotion" and faddish me-too buying are bad for the long-term. MTB has seen several phases of mad, faddish popularity since the late 1980s. The rest of the time it hasn't died, or threatened going away forever. It simply wasn't experiencing a fad of me-too-ism. Fads cannot be sustained.
In alpine lift-served skiing, people panicked that skiing was "dying" during the 1980s. What hurt skiing in that period was not a lack of growth, but instead, the idea that ski hills needed to become "resorts." Ski hills over-spent on real estate "development" and this is what put the kibosh on skiing. Lift tickets got super-expensive. People who weren't from the idle rich segment of humanity couldn't afford skiing. But the sport weathered that downtime just fine.
Being panicked about MTB "dying" is just paranoia. People will continue to ride MTBs even if every single bike park closes down. Even if Whistler stops running a bike park, people will continue to ride bikes.
Whining about not enough bike parks is the attitude of a spoiled child.
And as fait may have it I do know that my bike has pedals..... actually I pedal a bike almost every day it's a single speed cruiser that I roll around downtown denver it's even got a coaster brake just like the some of the first DH bikes yeah check it out I bought it from a buddy in a bar at 2AM for $40 so I can go urban down hilling jumping over bums curbs all kinds of stuff it's even complete with a cup holder to hold my beer or coffee, yep hoopdie has seen more miles than most.
oh yeah and one other thing I snowboard at a basin never herd of it didn't think so well there is no resort there..... But I do also love vail and oh my what a resort do they have. Did you know that I could hike to the top of a mountain and snowboard down it???? yeah no kidding but you see they invented lifts to get me to the top faster and as it turns out those lifts are there in the summer so why not be able to ride down the hills.
buckle up BRO because the "fanboi's" as you call them are coming and it's not going to stop,
lock up your daughters,
hide your spandex,
find your wide bars because it's coming and it's going to be awesome after all once global warming takes away all the snow all we will be left with is ski lifts with dirt under them.
FYI I still like bikes like the status.......ahh I feel better thanks
Burandt, you're satirizing yourself un-knowingly. You bought a DH bike for the image of tough-DH-bike-owning-badass, and now you're worried your image will crumble because you don't have 25 bike parks within 3 hours drive. You know what, Burandt? That's YOUR stupid mistake here, not everyone else's.
Go on and try to hash me because you imagine I'm some kind of roadie or whatever other kind of rider you think is a "wuss" or whatever. I'd spank you silly in a DH race. Wearing lycra. On an XC bike. And then I'd get out a slightly plusher bike that doesn't qualify as "AM" in your world, and spank you even worse. I wouldn't need an "AM" or "slopestyle" or "freeride" bike to beat you, let alone a DH bike.
Most serious lycra-wearing riders could stomp you on their XC bikes too. Why? Because they ride for the sake of riding. They don't buy a bike to maintain an image.
Hoo boy.
Buy used.
But I suppose when the tween-thirty moms go in to the store and the kid tries on a TLD Carbon once thats $400 and says 'Okay pay for it' and the mom just goes 'Okay...' then. The real kicker is, it costs no more to make the Demo than the status. At least that's how it was in 08' with the 7/8 and the BigHit FSR.
Im just getting old and cranky I guess.
Plus it would probably hurt carbon demo sales too, I mean you get practically all the performance with a little bit more weight with the alu one so there is less incentive to get the best. Especially if the alu one was at the status price point, noone would buy a demo.
and its race worthy entered 2 races (amateur) this year and was a bit embarrassed that everyone was riding sponsored and on pro bikes and full kit...... well I won both races 2 for 2 obviously not world cup worthy but it does what you need it to do looks sweet and rides awesome
www.pinkbike.com/photo/8612193
As for 750mm being narrow well it all depends on what you use. I switched to 750mm this spring and yeah initially they felt narrow but now I'm totally used to it.
Just a tip for people especially younger riders.. Never ever pay retail price.. I got my bike shop to sell me my status for $2900.. I couldn't get a better bike for that price..
Always ask for lowest price and then say "surely you can do a bit better than that!"..
If you don't ask then you'll get ripped off.. If they won't drop the price then go somewhere else.. Its really that simple. Playing two or more bike shops off for price will get you even more discount..
Just a tip for people especially younger riders.. Never ever pay retail price.. I got my bike shop to sell me my status for $2900.. I couldn't get a better bike for that price..
Always ask for lowest price and then say "surely you can do a bit better than that!"..
If you don't ask then you'll get ripped off.. If they won't drop the price then go somewhere else.. Its really that simple. Playing two or more bike shops off for price will get you even more discount..
Funny that considering most bikes reviewed on Pinkbike are all mostly Specialized. :\
Once PB decided it wanted to be "the" source for MTB journalist income earned with a captive audience (teenage fanbois and e-riding desk jockeys) whose click counts gain big (ish) bucks for PB, it signed a Deal with the Devil to always say great things about Big Companies.
That's how you "grow the sport," bro-heem. With unquestioning fanboi blather.
Speedy might be confusing PB and VitalMTB. It's Spomer and The Greed Collective at Vital who are busy performing un-natural physical gratification acts toward Specialized. Here at PB the massaging is more non-discriminatory.
Nice troll, though.
Your pee-marking of territory is funny though. Maybe ask your team-mate RC why MBA got the reputation MBF. Maybe you'll see some truth there.
And while you're at it? Look up the definition of "troll," buddy. You're wrong on that one. Remind me, Fraser -- when did you meet me? Oh that's right. You never have.
I roll my eyes, and laugh at your sad shilling & cover-up impulses.
"You can only review what a company sends you" is a statement that distracts. HOW does a company decide to send you something? WHY does a company decide to send you something?
You crack me up Fraser. Nice pictures, but really dude, you're clueless about life.
Being a good photographer and being a DH fanboi isn't the same as knowing how the world works.
Reviews often have comments like - forks lack a little bit of adjustability, bars are a bit narrow, tyres could be better which is ultimately all you can find to pick on when the bikes being produced are so good - rating one bike another comes down to performance vs price, finish quality and looks as performance vs performance without those other factors becomes irrelevant.
Manufacturers dont send bikes to journalists expecting good reviews because they are supporting the journalists through advertising revenue, they expect good reviews because they know their bike is good. Its not like they are churning out sh*t and getting other people to palm it off as gold.
If every bike is so good, why review anything?
"Supporting the journalist through ad revenue"? WTF does that mean? Who is the journalist? I haven't encountered a single MTB journalist. I have read plenty of hack, no-talent writers who regurgitate marketing brochures or Sales Dude Lingo. That's not journalism. That's Sales Conduit Work. Journalists don't care whether their writing raises hackles, reduces "unit movement" or otherwise blackens someone's eye. Hacks fluff the manufacturer, help "move units," and throw fake punches that miss the target but get a loud, sound-effects "CRACK!" that doesn't match the sound of a punch hitting a person.
Hell I'll take one - rip it to pieces, lay its flaws, errors and problems open for us all to see.
Ummm, the Kona Operator, Norco Aurum... both bikes are much better spec builds and about the same price.
rode it at fort william, morzing,la bresse.great bike definatley recomend it.
pedals are not cheap, either.
to say the taka is heavy as f*ck in comparison doesn't do it justice. And I'm not even talking about the fact that you could get three taka's for the price of one status