August 23, 2003 – In early July Pedal had a chance to preview Specialized 2004 product lines at their headquarters in California. lt's never a bad time when you have to go spend some time in Northern California for “work”, especially if it means hanging out with the good folks at Specialized and riding their newest 2004 bikes. These are not normal people. They're fanatical bike riders, just like us. This is what makes Specialized such a great place to visit: it's like hanging out at a race, or a group ride. Everyone, from the bean counters to the president himself, all love riding. Many could smoke us in a time trial. Some are so fast that it takes a Pro Euro racer to put the hurt on `em.

Riding in the demonstration forests outside Santa Cruz, I had the chance to try a few of the upcoming designs in real dirt conditions. The new FSR XC is one remarkable redesign: now with 4″ of front and rear travel, it's remarkably capable, yet the Fox Triad rear shock really makes it feel remarkably efficient, especially in the ProPedal setting. Lateral rigidity also felt improved, something that we later witnessed testament to in Specialized's in-house testing facility, where we watched a frame being repeatedly stressed by massive pistons. To say that Specialized does their own homework is an understatement. The new S-works Enduro might have been my favorite bike of the weekend: super light, but with 5″ of travel on each end, the Enduro did everything well: climbing was especially remarkable thanks to the Brain Technology borrowed from the Epic platform introduced last year – thanks to an inertia valve, the suspension activates automatically on rough terrain, then nearly locks out on smooth terrain. Even better, the Brain is now adjustable, so it was easy to adjust how quickly the shock transitions between active and non-active. I also spent a couple shuttle runs on the new Demo-9, a burly freeride bike that neither I nor the terrain could come close to properly testing. This is not a light bike, by any stretch, but it's also not one that would shy away from any challenge. For those of you looking for the next best thing in freeride, the Demo-9 should suit you nicely. Be sure to put it in your will, as it looks to be far more durable than we are.

We also spent some pavement time trying the newest road designs. One ride on their new Tarmac made me a believer. This visual festival of carbon fiber and bright red aluminum achieves the same lusty stares as Ferrari's and other exotics; a monocoque carbon top tube and seatstays arc gracefully into a single shape, and the alloy downtube, BB, and chainstays are bonded to it in an extremely labourious hand-made process. Equipped with the new DuraAce 10-speed components and Mavic Ksyrium wheels, the entire bike weighs barely enough to be UCI-legal. On the road, it's every cliche you can call up: dreamy, silky, fast, beautiful…the only problem I had was trying to not continually look down at the bike to admire it while riding. It's a dedicated race bike, and handles as such, with aggressive angles and a low head tube that inspires carving through corners. The carbon truly smoothes the road vibrations, and the alloy lower section delivers the stiffness needed for sprints and aggressive climbs. For those looking for performance with a bit more comfort, the new Roubaix models are worth a look, including the full carbon frame offered at the top of the Roubaix lineup. With slightly more relaxed angles, taller head tubes, and road-smoothing features like elastomer inserts inside the carbon fork blades, seatstays, and seatpost, the Roubaix models will excel on any high-paced road ride, and leave you fresh for the final sprint, even if it's across cobblestones.