Somebody at Specialized's PR dept has a sense of humour!
Sam Hill & Brendan Fairclough on Specialized
- Thread starter jwin
- Start date
get out the Sharpe!
More bike info from http://bikemag.com/features/onlineexclusive/team-news-sam-hill-and-brendan-faircloughs-new-ride/
Hill and Fairclough will both be aboard Specialized Demo Eights, with custom geometry per each rider's preference, for the 2009 season. The bikes will be kept stock except for Hill's, as he is on the SRAM Black Box program.
Uniforms?
Hill and Fairclough will both be aboard Specialized Demo Eights, with custom geometry per each rider's preference, for the 2009 season. The bikes will be kept stock except for Hill's, as he is on the SRAM Black Box program.
Uniforms?
I was told today that the actual race kit was not yet ready and it would be a month or 2 before any photos were available to the public/media.More bike info from http://bikemag.com/features/onlineexclusive/team-news-sam-hill-and-brendan-faircloughs-new-ride/
Hill and Fairclough will both be aboard Specialized Demo Eights, with custom geometry per each rider's preference, for the 2009 season. The bikes will be kept stock except for Hill's, as he is on the SRAM Black Box program.
Uniforms?
Those are stock TLD jerseys, the golf shirt deals are the Monster Army moto pit shirts with added graphics I believe.
Figured those were stand-in jerseys.
Gangsta
What tires will they be running next year? Maxxis or Spec?
I'm assuming it's the same program as the past few years. Specialized just supplies the frames and a bunch of other sponsors do the rest (Hill was on Maxxis tires at the Aussie national a few weeks back). Monster/IH worked this way, as did Decline/Specialized, Santa Cruz Syndicate, Chain Reaction/Intense . . . you get the idea.
I'm sure there are plenty of details yet to be released.
I'm sure there are plenty of details yet to be released.
I think the demo looks great in the red/white paint scheme.
Everybodys doing it. Its a hit.
http://www.evil-bikes.com/#/undefined/news_event/000000006/STEVIE_SMITH_IS_EVIL
you laugh at the "Sam Hill chose the Demo as his weapon" bit, but he tested dozens of frames up at Bromont this summer between Worlds and the Ste. anne World Cup. He was pretty quiet about his impressions, and was rarely seen on a test bike (usually Sean was on it in line or when people were looking), but that didn't keep some of his comments from leaking out. Word on the street back in July was that he really liked the feel of the Demo (and the Sunn, but thought the Orange made too much noise). And while Specialized surely helped sweetened the deal, i don't doubt his initial impressions helped him make a decision; he probably could have ridden any bike he wanted and tested just about as many.hahaha...
I have a friend who helped facilitate the Specialized test and when i saw him at Ste Anne i mentioned that i heard Sam like the bike, just to see what he might say. His response was "Oh yeah, trust me, i know exactly how much sam liked the bike." take it for what it's worth, but maybe money wasn't the only factor. Of course specialized is good at blowing smoke, so the leaked 'impressions' might not have been so accidental (or accurate).
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The demo is a solid bike, its light, the geo is not that bad and the FSR Suspension works good too - but it looks s*** imo.
Good Luck to the boys though, they both had not their best season.
Good Luck to the boys though, they both had not their best season.
While I have not ridden a Demo, I love the FSR suspension. I still keep my '99 FSR in my lineup, I have many, many miles on that bike in all sorts of conditions from XC, to FR, and some DH, and that suspension system just plain works. Fully active, full rear tire hookup, great traction.
I am will to bet these two riders will do well on their new bikes.
I am will to bet these two riders will do well on their new bikes.
The article said they would get custom geometry. Besides looks I don't see the problem besides looks is secondary. I think he made a great choice signing up with one of the really big companies and with Scott Sharples on in marketing Specialized he also has somebody who really understands down hill.
Actually i know that at least Herndon, if not Bangert were running some prototype Specialized tires at the Snowshoe DH series this year, rode up the lift with them once and they were talking about which they prefered, names were 1 and 2 haha. Herndon said he had been running the exact same set for all 3 races!
This doesnt mean anything in relation to what Sam and Brendan were doing but just thought i would throw it in.
I am sure specialized will use all of its racers to help perfect its products behind the scenes. They woudl be silly not to. Whether they race on them or not is another matter entirely. Sponsorships help foot the bills, not just provide product.
Is that Scot Sharples the Australian DH coach?
Yup - look at the Tarmac SL2 and the Roubaix SL2 that Boonen helped them pen down. I didn't like the Roubaix, but don't know that a road bike gets nicer than the Tarmac for a competitive feel.
I just attended SBCU here and was reasonably impressed with the Demo 8. I don't ride DH, but know bikes pretty damned well. I was shocked at how light it was, all things considered. They didn't spend much time on it, but I recall it weighing around 39 lbs stock. They say that one of the guys in Morgan Hill has one that is just under 36 or something of the like.
They are a bit pushy from time to time for a retailer to deal with, but I think they are trying to take charge of their own destiny and seem to be doing pretty well. Their product has given me a totally new impression since 08s hit the street.
I have an 08 SJ FSR Expert and like it pretty damned well. I never liked an Epic, but the 09 Sworks Epic is pretty friggin' awesome. I suspect these cats will do well on Specialized.
I really don't think the importance of having proper geometry can be understated. For a guy like Sam (or for anyone who really knows what they want), getting a bike to fit and feel right might be more important than suspension performance, weight, pedaling etc. Just look at how many different designs can be found in a world cup top 10 (303, V10, Giant, Tomac, Mondraker, MSC, Kona, Commencal, Sunday, 224, Sunn, Mongoose, Intense, morewood, scott, trek, turner) and none of them is the holy grail of performance. Anyone with the requisite skills and a bike they feel comfortable on should be able to ride around, or adapt, to a frame's shortcomings. I rode a 223/24 for years before getting a Sunday and i'll be the first to tell you that the Sunday feels like it has a lot more cornering traction and is a lot more comfortable to ride and pedal, but i don't think it has helped me go any faster. pretty much the same can be said for the top guys when they switch bikes; their results stay the same. I think it was Gracia at the Andorra WC who said "we're all riding the same stuff now." But getting a custom frame certainly can't hurt.
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Excellent, excellent point.
As the most of you are not really into the german language, here is a rumour from middle europe: Rafael Alvarez de Lara Lucas will be also in the Monster Energy Team.
The rumour comes straight from a person in specializeds marketing department.
The rumour comes straight from a person in specializeds marketing department.
Ok...Not maybe the official jersey for 2009 season. But I liked it.More bike info from http://bikemag.com/features/onlineexclusive/team-news-sam-hill-and-brendan-faircloughs-new-ride/
Hill and Fairclough will both be aboard Specialized Demo Eights, with custom geometry per each rider's preference, for the 2009 season. The bikes will be kept stock except for Hill's, as he is on the SRAM Black Box program.
Uniforms?
I'd like to see something different than that black/green, they are using for years.
When monster is paying your bills, you wear black and green.
Isin't blue and red, some other energy drinks colours? Good choice for the press release! Haha!
Blue and Red for the big one, and blue and orange for a few of the smaller ones. Good times.
Spot on Lee - from what I've heard, Sammy worked fairly close with Weagle and the guys at I.H. to get his Sunday dialed into the custom-geo bike he had near the end of the 07' season, so having that again with Spesh would be no different. DIRT did a pretty good write-up of the dimensions of Sammy's bike with the cust.-geo and it was really more of a "large" than a medium. WB was around 46" and change whereas a Med Sunday is 45.25". TT and DT lengths were also tweaked to put more bike in front of him.
Spesh has a MASSIVE amount of resources to draw from to make a frame to Hill's exact specifications and geo. so I'm sure he'll be stoked once all that gets sorted out. Brendon is a big boy, so I'm assuming Brandon (Spesh) will be helping to put together an XL frame for the young lad. =)
Say what you will about whether a Demo 8 is better suited to DH or FR, but it's gonna be awesome to see the two of them together ripping it up as an actual DH-dedicated race team on the UCI WC circuit under the Specialized banner - for the first time since Palmer if I'm not mistaken.
Branden has been on more different bikes then anybody in the past couple years. Jesus.
From Orange to Honda to IH to spesh.
Hope the new bike works out for him and he settles into it easily, Seems like its probably hard to reach his full potential switching rides every year, seems hard to really get behind what you're riding with all that.
Anyway, hope he has a great season with Sam.
From Orange to Honda to IH to spesh.
Hope the new bike works out for him and he settles into it easily, Seems like its probably hard to reach his full potential switching rides every year, seems hard to really get behind what you're riding with all that.
Anyway, hope he has a great season with Sam.
Is it me or is that bike missing the upper shock shuttle.
Yeah, something is definitely different with that frame. The brace that the shock mounts to is normally in plane with the shock. Its a lot shorter and angled downward a bit on Sam's bike. The actual place where the front of the shock mounts is different as well when compared to a stock demo 8. Must be his specific geometry tweaks eh? Compare his frame to the one on the site. Definitely different.
It must be better, i need one with that specific geometry now! It will make me faster!
It must be better, i need one with that specific geometry now! It will make me faster!
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This one?
if the 2010 demo looks anything like that, the sales on that bike will skyrocket! Although that is a drawing, somethings should be corrected, ie: getting a higher seat tube and some other tweaks, but it looks amazing! Probably, and knowing specialized, the link that links to the shock would have a bearing to smoothen out the shocks performance.
I say the BB is a tad too low and the HA could do with a little slackening to be called race worthy.This one?
It looks like it wouldn't pedal very well and OMG, the brake jacking that would come from it!
It looks flexy and I hope they aren't serious about the colour! I mean pencil-grey? Come on!
That is a freeriding bike, not a DH race bike.
Did I leave anything out?
Why would you want a higher seat tube ? It's a DH bike...
