The king is dead. Long live the king. Ladies and gentleman, the SX trail is no more. The perennial free ride favorite was officially given the ax during the 2013 Specialized Mountain Bike Launch, and the media was told it would be re-incorporated into the Enduro family as – the long travel Evo and a short travel SX 4x race bike.
The original SXT began as part of the Enduro line up several years ago and was developed as the ultimate bike park and free ride rig. The new Enduro Evo is designed as more of an all rounder. The frame has 180mm of front and rear travel, same as the SXT, but a 20mm boost over the regular Enduro model.
Squish is designed around a coil shock and suspension duties are performed by a custom Cane Creek Double Barrel.
The bike is even more slack than the previous SX. The Evo head tube angle is 65°, normal enduro is 66.5°, and the dearly departed hovered at 65.5°. The Evo has all the goodies you’d expect on a modern mountain bike – tapered headtube, press fit BB, ISCG 05 tabs, and 142 rear end.
The Enduro Evo will be available in two different specs. The top tier seen here and a base level with a muted black on black or black and green colorscheme. All models will continue to be spec’d with a dual guide up front, just like the SX, for those who wish to earn their turns.
Bikes will be available beginning Decemeber. Prices will range from $3-6K depending on build specs.
P.Slope
Good news and bad news. Bad news first. The 4″ travel SX is gone. Those of you who were expecting and hoping for a mini slope style, 4x oriented, trail demon, avert your eyes. The demand for that bike didn’t exist.
The good news? From it’s ashes has arisen the completely revamped P.Slope. It’s designed around the same geometry as the ultra fun P.series hardtails but with 87mm of rear cushion for the pushing. The little fully is the ultimate weapon for their gravity team. By keeping a near identical geometry, riders like Darren Berrecloth can practice on their hardtails, and seamlessly transition to the P.Slope for competitions with bigger or rougher high risk features.
For the seriously bad a* slope style athlete, a front brake can be routed through the top cap, but many team members use Gyros for unlimited bar spins and tailwhips.
The build is rounded out by Specialized P-Series components including a 750mm handlebar, 35 mm stem, and wheels.
The real highlight of the new P.Slope is the suspension. Rather than create another FSR four-bar, Specialized went with a concentric single pivot with a super low leverage ratio. This decision was made in order to run the frame as a single speed without the use of a tensioner, and because the 1.7:1 leverage ratio (perhaps the lowest available) offers maximum tunability.
The custom tuned Monarch 3 shock allows riders like Martin Sodernstrom to run a startlingly low 170 PSI , without blowing through all of the travel. Most slopestyle rigs are designed around a 3:1 leverage ratio and many riders are forced to run in excess of 300 PSI.
The P.Slope is sold with two interchangeable dropouts which convert the frame from single speed to geared. The dropouts are held in place by two Allen bolts, while a third provides chain tension. The post mount is integrated into the dropout. Rear wheel is a 135×12 bolt on.
The frame is shipped with three bottom bracket adapters and can be run with either press-fit cranks, conventional threaded, or adapted for mid style BMX cranks. If you decide to run gears, ISCG 05 mounts are integrated.
Special Edition: Troy Lee Designs Demo
Specialized and Troy Lee Designs teamed up for a limited special edition colorways. Only 100 Demo’s will be produced in this color scheme.
Neat details abound.
Special Edition: Troy Lee Designs Stumpjumper
The StumpJumper Evo Carbon, in both 26″ and 29″ wheel sizes, will also receive the special TLD treatment. Only 100 frames for each wheelsize will be created.
This frame would perfectly compliment the TLD D3 Palmer Red/Gold full face.
New Dissident Colorways
Specialized is also introducing two new colorways for the carbon Dissident. Retail is $350
Really digging this new colorscheme. It’s a nice change from their black or…black offerings from last season.
Stay tuned for a detailed review of the Dissident Helmet.
