I’m so over Specialized
March 23rd, 2007 by Tim GrahlAm I the only one that’s sick of the Specialized 29inch thing?
For years now they have been stalwart about not coming out with a 29er (oh wait… they won’t even call it a 29er) and now it’s supposed to be this big f’n deal that they’re about to release one. All this secrecy and gossip and blah blah blah.
Hello! You are years behind everyone else in the industry!
As of now I don’t care what they release, I’m not really interested. There are plenty of other players in the marketplace that didn’t sit around with their fingers in their ears ignoring the big wheeled wave rushing their way. I’ll pay attention to them and show interest their way.
And this bs about “waiting until they had the platform perfect”… don’t give me that. You know your biggest rival in the market is working towards a 29er as well so you’re just trying to beat ‘em to the punch. For a company that prides themselves on being cutting edge, this is pretty sad.
Now to the media side of things… I have been knocking on their door for information about what they’re doing in the 29 inch market for a long time now and all I have ever gotten, from several different sources, is slammed doors. Every other company that is doing anything big wheeled is excited about talking to Twenty Nine Inches because they know ya’ll reading this site are the biggest fans of the platform and they respect you. Instead, the only way I get confirmation, after consistently and politely trying to help them build the buzz, is the dealer email that was snuck to me a couple days ago. And when I approached my contact at Specialized with this info, his response was:
“As soon as we have more info, I’ll let you know.”
Seriously? You won’t even confirm it for me?
So I am over Specialized. Not interested anymore.
Does this mean we won’t report Specialized 29ers when they finally get released? Does this mean we’ll turn down doing a review on one?
Of course not. The reason for this site is to keep up on news and reviews of big wheels and we are gonna do that regardless.
I’m just sick of it and had to get that off my chest.
What is RSS?
Get our articles in your inbox:
can I get an AMEN!?
Tim, lighten up, enjoy your family and have a good weekend.
It’s not that big of a deal unless it turns out to be a great bike, in which case everyone wins. If it’s just another 29er, it’s just another bike.
IMO it’s not that hard to see what works and doesn’t for 29ers. Applying the benefits to a line of bikes should be easy for Spec, it’s not rocket science and they have the technology. I’ve never owned a Spec in over 30 years of riding but if the right one came around, i might think about it.
All this from a company that wouldn’t let anyone but dealers into it’s Interbike booth, I wonder, why should we be surprised? Looking at their history regarding the platform, we find it is rife with public relations gafs and even today, in the post below this, there is a link (in shiggy’s comment) to their Riders Club website showing another goofy statement or three.
I’m a bit surprised that a big outfit like Specialized seems to be bent on shooting themselves in the foot regarding 29″ers. To be honest, it’s nothing really that serious, but the P.R. behind the whole thing leaves one scratching their head.
True, once they are out, and folks can ride them, check them out, and compare them this all will be forgotten. Or, if the bikes don’t quite measure up, for whatever reason, it could all come back to haunt them. Either way, we’ll have to wait and see.
Regardless, what has led us up to this point in Specialized’s 29″er history is a bit odd, at best.
Ive have had simular experience’s with the big red S. Reminds me of when Shimano told the world, we would all be riding Dual control. Ha wheres Dual control Mtb stuff now? Never Riden A Specialized as A result of these kind of shenanigans, I dont like being told what to like; and how to like it.
If anyone ever rode their pathetic attempt at a singlespeed ( their Hardrock version), You’ll know not to expect to much from this other “niche” offering.
Overall …. it’s a good thing for the 29′er riders simply because they [Specialized] are a “big player” and that means there will be more options for us 29′er riders.
Hopefully, longer travel suspension forks and better rims/wheels etc. will emerge onto the market as more of the big name manufacturers come online.
So I generally believe that it is good to see them joining the party, and as always, their product/s will be judged by everyone who rides the big wheels. If the product is good they will no doubt sell plenty, if not……….
Whatever happens, this move into the 29′er market is a benefit to 29′ers in general.
I would like to see all the big names bring a 29′er to market.
As for me, I will always support those who did the hard yards by adopting the 29′er standard early. Let us not forget the guys who have put their blood and sweat into the 29′er movement and had the foresight and courage to produce the frames and components that got all of us onto the big wheels.
R.
Specialized is our Anna Nichole Smith! I love it please keep it coming.
When specialized starts to roll 29 then let us turn our sights toward…Santa Cruz!
The waiting feel is fine…….
Lighten up, So Specialized hasn’t rushed to your door with the inside scoop on their upcoming 29ers. Guess what, as much as I like this website and the information here, it is not the center of the world wide web of 29ers. That would be MTBR.com. I am sure it would be great for your site traffic to have an exclusive bit of news to release on the new Specialized 29ers you don’t care about but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.
No Ad For You.
Specialized is doing what they are best at being patient. Then picking what seems to be the best and buying the rights. If they wanted to they could have called the factory in Tiawan and had them start putting the stickers on. They’ll wait and see what head angle and fork rake becomes the standard then jump on board. Let everyone else do the R&D. It’s alot cheaper than making a mistake and having your bikes become the lame ones no one wants. Let Joe,Tom,&Richard Spend years figuring it out then mass produce and crush the compition. History repeats itself again.
My buddy just got a Specialized Crosstrail Pro a month ago for $ 1200. We put a bash ring in place of the 48 ring & put some Specialized Fast Trak LK 29er tires on her (totaling another $ 100). Who said Specialized isn’t making a 29er?
His bike is everybit as trail worthy as my VooDoo Dambala (that I’ve sunk $ 1800+ buck into). The geometry is good, it handles great in tight single track, the parts spec kills for the money and the fork isn’t too bad either.
Before bitchin’ about the “Big-S” disrespecting 29 riders; open your eyes to what they do have to offer. I’ve been watchin’ the dust off the rear tire now for the last two weeks.
i heard that specialized is threatening to sue any bike company that uses the letter “s” in any of their product names. HAH!
What the hell is a 29er?
Let me clear up a few things…
First off, I never said it was a bad thing that Specialized is entering the 29er market, I’m just frustrated with their attitude in doing so. They’re late to the game, why play it up like they are doing this awesome, secretive thing? Everyone knows they are gonna release big wheels at some point…
PaMtbRider: Good job on taking one bit of my frustration and focusing on it. I don’t expect a company the size of Specialized to be seeking after me breathlessly, however when there is genuine interest and offers to work together and they are ignored and scoffed at and I am obviously lied to, it’s just dumb. Companies like Gary Fisher, Redline, Cannondale, Bianchi, Raleigh, etc etc all like working with us to varying degrees and have never been as closed off and stuck up as Specialized. Again the company, that in my opinion, needs some PR help since they already have plenty of egg on their face in the 29er world. I’m not looking for them to bend over backwards for us, but there’s no need to be jackasses about it.
J-Dub: I’ve been aware of the Crosstrail, however it is not built to be beat up on singletrack. It’s a “Multi Street” offering from Specialized built for pavement and gravel roads. Not implying that it can’t take a bit more abuse, but it’s not billed as a mountain bike and should be used as such carefully.
spanky: I hear ya and I’m not completely against that strategy. It’s worked before and could very easily work again. On this point is where I start having problems with the attitude I see coming out of the company. If you’re gonna play piggy back with companies that actually have the guts to try it first, don’t swagger around and do your PR like your the greatest thing than sliced bread. Just release the damn bikes and sell ‘em.
Specialized will eventually release their 29ers and I’m sure they’ll sell a good many of them as they will probably be well made. We’ll also make sure to cover them here on twentynineinches.com. The reason I’m still “over” them is their overall smug attitude and haughtiness. It pisses me off and I think it’s bad for the industry.
Tim: My buddy is A Giant Bike Rep here in the southwest, whom has seen me race and do well in Semi-Pro over the last year and A half riding my Kona Unit 2-9. He has personally lobbied Giant to produce A geared 29er, but with no results; being told twentyniners will go away, and various other comments about twenty niners being A fringe group that wont last.
On the other hand you have makers like Gary Fisher, Cannondale, Kona, Etc who try new things, who innovate. These makers I might also add have strong grassroots programs that help little guys like myself get A leg up in the racing world.
Since getting A grassroots deal through Kona I cant say enough about the support they have given me; they really listen to racer feedback and industry demands. I get asked all of time how I like my twentyniner, and which brands I like. When A sport level rider asks A seasoned racer what he thinks specialized, Im going to tell them the truth.
The truth is Specialized is jumping the train. I personally dont care for train jumpers, I like inovators who seek input from real people. Thats why I love this site, because I will never ride another twentysix inch wheeled bike again. I love hearing about the new 29er products. I dont like it when the place I go for info is being dissed by Specialized.
Ive got your back Tim, ive been over Specialized for years now.
Amen Thunderlump… That’s good perspective. Like you, I’ve been over Specialized and their smug, ‘holier than thou’ attitude for a long time. Back in 1990 when I got my start racing mountain bikes, I thought they were the Shiznit because of their incredible race team (Ned, Sara Ballentine, Lisa Muhich, Daryl Price, etc…). But it’s funny. The deeper I go into the bicycle industry, the less interest I have in what Specialized is doing. So I think it’s safe to say I won’t be toeing the start line next season on an Epic-29, or whatever catchy marketing phrase they “invent” to “innovate” in the big wheel mountain bike segment of the market (I love market segmentation…).
The “Big S” for me is Salsa Cycles. Their 29ers kick butt, and like Thunder mentions about Kona, the crew at Salsa is genuinely interested in receiving constructive feedback on its frames and components. It’s refreshing to work with a company that understands the concept of customer focus.
Cheers,
MG
By Michael Frank
Madrid, Spain
“Employees of Specialized are incredibly confident. Talk to officials at this 600-person-strong company and they’ll tell you straight away that they don’t compare themselves to their competition; beating the other guy isn’t their goal. Talk to other people in the bike biz and that’s not what you get. Instead you hear, “well these guys are bad because of X, and those guys aren’t on their game because of Y.” The amount of bile in the bike biz would be laughable if it weren’t so pathetic. Take a step back and remember: These are bikes, adult toys, about as serious and important to the fate of the universe as the chewing gum stuck to the sole of your shoe.”
I think Specialized should do whatever Specialized wants to do.
What’s a ‘Specialized’? o_0