Specialized Pitch

[ODB]

Hadn't heard a thing about this '08 model till i was just cruising around on the company's Web site today. All I can say is "Wow!" The Pitch offers all the Enduro SL's rear travel and nice geo, but you don't have to pay the premium for Specialized's proprietary shock technology. Hitting an awesome price point with the two models at $2K and $2,700. I think this bike is could be a HUGE seller. I know I want one now:

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkM...sp?sid=08Pitch

[stjunkie]

The only thing that I would question is the cable routing. They look like they might get damaged by rocks on the downtube. Also have never seen a brake line routed on the inside of the CS next to the tire?

[allison]

The Pitch is essentially a Comp or Expert level bike to replace the 06, 05, etc. Enduro bike. I'm also glad they continued with the 6" air FS platform, instead of just having the Enduro SL. I think the singlecrown fork in the front is probably a bit more versatile. The only thing is I think they should've come out with a higher level bike, something with a Fox 36 Talas or Float or similar, and higher level components.

Edit.. actually, I take it back. The rear suspension looks totally different:



Sad as it is.. I have no good side shots of this bike!

[ODB]

Originally Posted by allison

The Pitch is essentially a Comp or Expert level bike to replace the 06, 05, etc. Enduro bike. I'm also glad they continued with the 6" air FS platform, instead of just having the Enduro SL. I think the singlecrown fork in the front is probably a bit more versatile. The only thing is I think they should've come out with a higher level bike, something with a Fox 36 Talas or Float or similar, and higher level components.

Agreed on the fork issue. But the upside to that is you could always trade in the Pike and slap a 36 or, better yet, my Lyrik on there and slacken the head angle another degree.

[PacMan]

Originally Posted by stjunkie

The only thing that I would question is the cable routing. They look like they might get damaged by rocks on the downtube. Also have never seen a brake line routed on the inside of the CS next to the tire?

The cables on my '04 Enduro Expert were routed on the underside of the downtube and I never had a problem in 3 years of use.

They are routed there on my Yeti 575 as well and I've had no problems in 10 months.

I know it looks like bad place to route them and maybe it isn't thost ideal place, but it isn't the end of the world either. I wouldn't not buy a bike just because of it.

Ditto with the rear brake hose routing. Same on the Enduro and the 575 and no problems.

----------------------

I was looking at the parts spec on the $2700 Pitch Pro and saw that it has SRAM X5 shifters and Juicy 3 brakes. So $2700 doesn't even buy you at least X7 shifters and Juicy 5's?? I see you have to drop over 3 G's on the Enduro SL comp to get those.

I thought one of the advantages of going with one of the "Big 3" was a better parts spec for the money.

[allison]

Originally Posted by PacMan

I know it looks like bad place to route them and maybe it isn't thost ideal place, but it isn't the end of the world either. I wouldn't not buy a bike just because of it.

He's a Homer anyway

[Keith B]

Intitial reviews of the Pitch rate it extremely highly - it has the geometry of the SL in the slack mode and does away with the SL's weak point - the oh so average Spesh dual crown E150.

[DISCO]

Decent travel but typical low end spec.
For the money it's hard to beat the cheaper one (comp I think) Might actually take one for a ride.

For the same Price range you could be on a much nicer equipped redesigned Chumba Evo.

http://www.chumbaracing.com/evo.shtml

Another bike just over the horizon is the new trek Remedy with the ABP pivot and and again much nicer kit.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...ll_suspension/

Then again drop that kind of coin on a Kona Coiler and you would be hard pressed for competition.

[ODB]

Originally Posted by Keith B

Intitial reviews of the Pitch rate it extremely highly - it has the geometry of the SL in the slack mode and does away with the SL's weak point - the oh so average Spesh dual crown E150.

I don't know what the Big S was thinking with that fork. I mean, dual-crowns are soooooo 2003.

[mazer75]

Hey! I have that Spesh E150 dual crown fork on my 07 Enduro SL Expert! It's not bad, especially after I had the failed air cartridge changed out

For me, the geometry of the bike is absolutely perfect.

Isn't the Pitch just the "regular" Enduro with a new name? Having both an Enduro and an Enduro SL in the same lineup was a bit confusing to a lot of folks I think.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by PacMan

The cables on my '04 Enduro Expert were routed on the underside of the downtube and I never had a problem in 3 years of use.

They are routed there on my Yeti 575 as well and I've had no problems in 10 months.

I know it looks like bad place to route them and maybe it isn't thost ideal place, but it isn't the end of the world either. I wouldn't not buy a bike just because of it.

Ditto with the rear brake hose routing. Same on the Enduro and the 575 and no problems.

I also would not buy a bike with cables going under the bottom backet and would re-route them. I had that type of routing on my old GT I-Drive and caused poor rear shifting due to the dirt and mud that would get into the housings.

Other than that..nice bike!

[ODB]

Originally Posted by DISCO

For the same Price range you could be on a much nicer equipped redesigned Chumba Evo.

I highly doubt you could come close price-wise (isn't the Evo around $1,600 just for the frame?). Also, the Evo may ride like a dream, and no offense intended to any Evo riders here, but i think that frame is a fugly mid-'90s throwback in the looks department. I mean, it's even more ghastly than my Ells Joker. Meanwhile, the Speshy's lines are oh-so sexy. Performance is paramount when selecting a bike, but -- and go ahead and call me superficial for this -- looks matter too.

[station]

Ok, so I got a chance to ride the new Enduro. I have this to say about it. I rode up a 6" curb. I didn't hop up, or pull up on the bars. I headed to the curb and rode right up. Can you imagine what that would be like downhill over rocks and with some effort. This new design is amazing. Specialized makes me smile.

[DISCO]

Originally Posted by ODB

I highly doubt you could come close price-wise (isn't the Evo around $1,600 just for the frame?). Also, the Evo may ride like a dream, and no offense intended to any Evo riders here, but i think that frame is a fugly mid-'90s throwback in the looks department. I mean, it's even more ghastly than my Ells Joker. Meanwhile, the Speshy's lines are oh-so sexy. Performance is paramount when selecting a bike, but -- and go ahead and call me superficial for this -- looks matter too.

I know better than to argue aesthetics but agree the bike looks great. If I were in the market I would actually ride one of these but 6" bikes are weird. They are heavier and dont pedal as well as a 5" or less but they don't drop with the authority as a heavier 7' bike. In all I would call them the "Shemp" of a manufacturer's line up. Still though on a tight budget one could do much worse (or uglier in this case).

[allison]

Originally Posted by DISCO

I know better than to argue aesthetics but agree the bike looks great. If I were in the market I would actually ride one of these but 6" bikes are weird. They are heavier and dont pedal as well as a 5" or less but they don't drop with the authority as a heavier 7' bike. In all I would call them the "Shemp" of a manufacturer's line up. Still though on a tight budget one could do much worse (or uglier in this case).

That may be so, but I started out on a 5" Stumpy and the second I got on Justin's Enduro at Noble Canyon going up AND down I felt like I became a better rider. The Enduro took on technical climbing much better, and descends like a dream. I feel like I can blaze DHs on the Enduro so much faster than the Stumpy, and I'm willing to sacrifice the weight and ease of climbing unless I'm doing 35+ miles!

[Evil Chocula]

Originally Posted by DISCO

I know better than to argue aesthetics but agree the bike looks great. If I were in the market I would actually ride one of these but 6" bikes are weird. They are heavier and dont pedal as well as a 5" or less but they don't drop with the authority as a heavier 7' bike. In all I would call them the "Shemp" of a manufacturer's line up. Still though on a tight budget one could do much worse (or uglier in this case).

I agree with you. My Giant Reign was too big for XC, and too small for real DH/FR.

[PacMan]

I would say for most people, 30+ pound 6" travel bikes are overkill 90% of the time. More often than not, a 4" travel bike would do just as good though may not be as fun. Around 5" is usually good enough for just about everything.

Is a 32 pound 6" travel bike going to be more fun descending Noble than a 5" travel bike weighing less than 30 pounds? Sure. Is it worth the weight penalty on the climb?? I would think most people would say no, myself included. Hence the reason I'm on a 575 that weighs 29 lbs. Still almost 6" of travel, but more XC in nature I think.

[allison]

Originally Posted by PacMan

I would say for most people, 30+ pound 6" travel bikes are overkill 90% of the time. More often than not, a 4" travel bike would do just as good though may not be as fun. Around 5" is usually good enough for just about everything.

Is a 32 pound 6" travel bike going to be more fun descending Noble than a 5" travel bike weighing less than 30 pounds? Sure. Is it worth the weight penalty on the climb?? I would think most people would say no, myself included. Hence the reason I'm on a 575 that weighs 29 lbs. Still almost 6" of travel, but more XC in nature I think.

That's why you have a 23lbs XC bike, a 30lbs AM rig, and then a 40lbs DH bike.

[ODB]

Originally Posted by PacMan

Is a 32 pound 6" travel bike going to be more fun descending Noble than a 5" travel bike weighing less than 30 pounds? Sure. Is it worth the weight penalty on the climb?? I would think most people would say no, myself included.

This is the upside of being a fat bastard like me: I don't notice a couple extra pounds of bike weight when climbing, so 6 inches and 33.5 pounds is just fine for all uses, as far as i'm concerned.

[PacMan]