Along with their sweet new bikes, Specialized has a full line of updated bits and pieces for you and your bike.
Starting with the shoes, they’ve made them lighter and have a really nice new commuter/city shoe that can be worn with or without cleats, and we snapped a few pics of their custom team shoes and some other not-new-but-probably-not-seen shoes they do for just kickin’ around off the bike.
Above is the new S-Works mountain bike shoe. It gets dual Boa straps for the upper and mid-foot and keeps velcro at the forefoot, giving you more versatile adjustment. The Boa dials are the new ones that turn in either direction to quickly tighten or loosen the straps. Weighing in at just 305g per shoe (size 42), it uses Specialized’s FACT Torsion Box carbon sole, has a vented tongue and mesh panels at front and sides and Micromatrix upper. The bottom has a “stomp pad” in the middle for traction and to protect the carbon sole and replaceable tread blocks.
Hit ‘more’ to see the rest of the shoes, plus tires and saddles and check this post for a few treats from their recent press/dealer camp…
The Pro MTB shoe uses their D-Link upper strap with low profile M-Lock SL ratchet closure with an adjustable strap on the crank arm side of the shoe to allow for customization of the fit. Tread is thermoplastic with a full length carbon sole. Weight is 375g per shoe (size 42) and it’s available in narrow (A), normal and wide (EE) widths in some colorways.
The Women’s Pro MTB shoe takes all of the features of the men’s version above it but uses a women’s contoured, fitted upper more suited to ladies feet. The upper has more venting along the sides, too. Weight is 350g (size 39).
The 2011 S-Works road shoe gets more mesh venting across the entire top and keeps the dual Boa dials of the current model. The big news on this one is that they made it lighter than ever, claiming that it’s the lightest production shoe with a mechanical closure at just 225g per shoe (size 42). FACT 12 high modulus UD carbon sole is stiff as can be, but it’s now an even thinner outsole, putting your foot closer to the pedal.
The Specialized Elite Touring shoe is built around their Body Geometry concept and designed for commuting, spin class and touring. The Elite model is new for 2011 and features a ratcheting upper strap, SPD compatibility and a non-slip tread pattern.
Both the Elite and Sport (below) model have the Slip-Not tread on a walkable nylon sole.
The Sport Touring model gets three velcro straps rather than the ratchet.
TIRES
On the road side, there’s the S-Works Turbo (left) and Turbo Pro. The S-Works model combines low weight with low rolling resistance and their BlackBelt puncture protection and a 220TPI casing. It’s available in two sizes, 700x21c and 700x23c with weights at 180g and 185g respectively. Even though it’s the one that looks solid, it has a dual tread compound with harder 65a durometer at the center and grippier 55a on the edges.
The Pro model has a 127TPI casing and dual tread compound with 70a in the center and 60a on the edges. Same size options with weights at 195g and 200g.
For those that like a little adventure, there’s the Roubaix Armadillo Elite Road Tire. It combines a high volume 25c casing with 23c dual compound tread for solid all around performance (70a center, 60a sides). It uses their Armadillo puncture protection.
The Renegade is their tubeless ready, superlight XC race rubber. Despite its ridiculously low weights, it’s still got a 120TPI casing and butyl wrapped aramid bead. We rode the 29er tire on a test ride at their dealer camp and it hooked up surprisingly well for such a light, low profile tread pattern. So, what are the weights?
• 26†x 1.9; psi 35~65; approx. weight 400g
• 26†x 2.1; psi 35~65; approx. weight 460g
• 29†x 1.95; psi 35~65; approx. weight 450g
Two more new tires are the Hillbilly (left) and Butcher DH tires. The Hillbilly is an altered version of their Storm DH with a more moto-inspired tread pattern for drier conditions. The knobs are designed to grab well on roots, rocks and off camber sections. One size only, 1150g.
The Butcher has been run under Sam Hill lately and is a faster rolling tire thanks to ramped center knobs. Big, strong side knobs help keep it from losing it in the corners. Butcher sizes are:
• 26†x 2.3; psi 25~50; approx. weight 1250g
• 26†x 2.5; psi 25~50; approx. weight 1260g
Both tires use a 60TPI dual ply casing with wire bead and 70a base compound and much softer 42a top rubber. They also have a butyl insert at the bead to help prevent pinch flats.
SADDLES:
New for 2011 is the Romin Carbon. Based on the Romin saddle (which we reviewed here), it takes the same shape but lightens it up about 30g to 40g by using full carbon rails.
The Chicane Carbon is a traditional contoured racing shape with the modern goodness of carbon rails and a full carbon shell.
The Phenom Pro is a mountain bike XC racing saddle that’s been updated with carbon rails. The nose is downturned for better climbing position, and it has a rubber pad underneath the tip to make shouldering your bike a bit less miserable. It has a medium density foam padding and carbon reinforced shell.
The Henge is a new all-mountain saddle with a rounded tail to prevent snagging on your shorts. It gets hollow titanium rails with a carbon reinforced shell that has some built in flex. Flush mounted scuff guards keep it from getting all torn up on the edges.
The last little treat: Specialized’s road and mountain bike teams have a friendly (?) competition going to see who can develop the lightest star nut assembly. Currently, the mountain bike team is winning at just 12g. I weighed it compared to a standard FSA cap and it came in at less than half. How? A chiseled out top cap with an insert that uses just three prongs rather than four. This bad boy was our little parting gift from the dealer camp, and it’s currently on my main mountain bike. B. A.
FTR, I asked if these are available for aftermarket sale and don’t have a firm answer yet. I’ll update when we hear back.
