Coming soon: Radically redesigned 27.5 Specialized downhill bike

Despite the continued success of athletes Troy Bronson and Aaron Gwin on the UCI World Cup circuit, Specialized’s top-tier Demo downhill bike has been around for quite some time. Advancements in carbon fiber and shock technology—not to mention those bigger wheels—meant it was time for a new bike. Specialized took advantage of the long layover between races on the UCI calendar to get the bike to its top athletes in time for its debut at Monte St. Anne this weekend.

Spy shots of the new Demo have been floating around the internet for years, but this week Specialized and Red Bull released this video which gives you a behind-the-scenes look at its introduction to the athletes. The most notable features are the redesigned FSR suspension with a super low secondary pivot near the dropout and a simplified seat stay arrangement. As Gwin says in the video, it can help keep the weight of the swingarm down, letting the bike change direction more quickly. The rear end also pivot concentrically around the bottom bracket, something we’ve most recently seen on Specialized’s P-Slope.

The carbon fiber front end also has a radical, asymmetric shape with essentially a single-sided seat tube. This allows the shock to be easily removed, tuned and serviced—something a weekend warrior might not worry about, but a pro-level mechanic must do several times over a race weekend.

There aren’t many details about the build kit, but we do know the bike rolls on 27.5 wheels, and will likely be available with Specialized’s own Roval wheels and tires. We’ll have more details soon so keep checking back in.