NSMB.e.MAGAZINE - Freeride, Extreme and North Shore style Mountain Biking

Three men are responsible for virtually every full suspension bike Specialized makes and all the high end hardtails as well; product manager Brandon Sloan, Engineer Jason Chamberlain and Assistant PM Joe 'Buck' Buckley. These lads take testing seriously and they recently boxed three prototype 2007 Demos and landed on the North Shore. They were here to determine whether the new frames are up to the task and in three days they rode Cypress, Seymour and the Woodlot. Generally when riders come from anywhere else in the world to ride the Shore they are content to ride the more mellow lines. This trio is the exception the rule and they challenged the toughest lines in each location - racking up serious vert along the way.

After nailing a well-received design many bike companies put their feet up for a couple of years. New designs require big cash along with massive labour and efffort to produce new toolings, forging dies and jigs. Brandon, Jason and Buck don't see it that way and it seems that every year flagship bikes are sent back to the CAD program completely or tweaked at the very least. This year the changes are dramatic.

The Demo 9 is gone but there will still be two Demos in the line for 2007 - a Demo 7 and a Demo 8. The frames are very similar aside from an inch difference in travel and shorter stays on the Demo 7. The only other distinguishing feature is that the 7 will come with a 1.5" single crown fork while the 8 will have a 1 1/8 head and will be spec'ed with a dual crown. Does this mean the 7 will run Manitou? Actually it looks like Rock Shox has jumped into the 1.5 game and you will likely see their new 7" air sprung fork up front. I can't tell you what it's called but I can tell you it felt great on the trail for the one run I managed to get in. You'll get a full report from Stuart Kernaghan in July when he attends the SRAM media camp in Moab.

The Demo is one of those rare finds in the world of bike products. People in the bike biz tend to be vocal about the perceived shortcomings of their competitors' products. Occasionally something comes along that defies that sort of mud slinging and even bitter rivals are forced to admit that it's good. The Demo has been that sort of bike. There were some problems with the early Demo 9s developing some non-fatal cracks but otherwise the frames have been almost universally well received.

Brandon Sloan getting to level 2 on the Salvation Wall ride. Click image to enlarge.

Brandon logging some time on CBC.

Too Rich or Too thin.
Riders of big bikes have recently caught the weight weenie bug. DH riders are doing everything short of drilling holes in their derailleur cages and even freeriders are recognizing the benefits of a sled with less lead. Lowering the frame weight became a priority for Brandon and the team as well as further lowering the centre of gravity, improving square-edged bump performance along with simplifying and lowering the cost of production.

Jason Chamberlain bests the kinked Teeter Totter on Salvation. Click image to enlarge.

Joe Buckley doing some real-world testing. Here he's dropping the Pile Driver on Boogie Man. Click image to enlarge.

The new Demo downtube arcs steeply downward from the headtube before gently curving back to greet the bottom bracket shell. This creates a cavity for the shock to live in, enabling it to be positioned closer to the ground. This also impoves access to the controls and air valve on the Fox DHX 5.0. The rib cage forgings are gone and that, along with a smaller, simplified link plate, accounts for much of the weight savings. I wasn't able to wrench any frame weight numbers free but Brandon's Boxxer WC-equipped Demo 8 weighed in at around 37lbs with XC cranks and kevlar tires. A no compromise build of 40-41 lbs should be realistic for most of us.

2007 is looking like another good year to saddle up a Demo.

You won't see these bikes there but to get a look at the 2006 Specialized line up click here.