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.

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

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.

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.

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.