Sneak peeks »
2006 Specialized bikes
You can tell that summer is in full swing when the major bike companies start releasing tidbits of info about their product line for the upcoming season. Specialized made the plunge today and announced some of the details for their 2006 bike lineup.
For 2006, Specialized is going to be utilizing a new carbon fiber process called FACT (Functional Advanced Composite Technology). I won’t get into the production details here but rest assured that a number of 2006 models will utilize FACT carbon construction.
The Specialized Epic will receive a facelift, and the top-of-the-line model will weigh in at a very light 2350 grams (or 5.17lbs) which includes the rear shock. The top three Epic frames will be equipped with a remote-reservoir Brain shock that gives the bike 130mm of rear wheel travel while being more supple than previous incarnations of the race-ready shock.
For 2006, Specialized raised the bottom bracket height of the Stumpjumper by a bit and slackened the head angle, which will make the bike a little more suited to true epic trail riding (as opposed to full out cross country riding). The only negative is that all of this new technology comes at a price — both the high end Epic and Stumpjumper are expected to retail for around $7000(usd), which is almost $2000 more than the current top-of-the-line models. Ouch.
Next up is the 2006 Enduro. The frame is largely unchanged but Specialized is spec’ing the new Enduro with Fox’s DHX Air — a shock that has all of the features of the coil over DHX lineup in a package that weighs half as much as its big hit sibling. Specialized will also equip the Enduro with a dual ring chainguide / roller setup that moves the bike away from the ‘epic’ category and more solidly into the ‘trail’ or ‘light freeride’ one. The top-of-the line Enduro model will feature the Fox 36 up front and lower priced models will use either Marzocchi or Fox forks. No pricing details were made available for the Enduro.
NSMB.com has the inside line on the revamped Big Hit, which looks set to hit the market at price points a little below those set by the pricey Demo series. For 2006, Big Hit fans can run dual 26″ wheels and choose from one of three separate models, each of which is at a different price level. Also, NSMB has a great shot of the new Trail SX, whose frame design is one of my personal favorites at the moment.
Update (26 July 2005) : British websites Singletrack World and BikeMagic both released images and descriptions of the 2006 Specialized lineups this week.
The Singletrack sneak peek at the ‘06 Specialized bikes. The Singletrack writeup includes images of the revamped M5 hardtail and the repositioned Enduro, along with some new road bikes.
The writeup by BikeMagic is the best of the bunch to date, with some great closeups of the carbon Stumpjumper hardtail, the Stumpjumper Epic, and the new Trail SX.
Update (2 August 2005) : Finally, I’ve tracked down a couple of images or the 2006 Specialized P series. The frames on these P-series hardtails look amazing — the head tube / down tube junction looks burly and the finish looks solid. Check them out!
Update (26 September 2005): Bike Magazine spent some time on the 2006 Specialized carbon bikes.
1. Posted by 2006 Specialized accessories and parts » The Biking Hub | 11:06 am, 4 January 2006
[…] While the 2006 Specialized bike lineup has been poking around online for a couple of weeks, there’s been precious little about Specialized’s lineup of parts and accessories. For 2006 Specialized looks set to move firmly into the accessory market, providing consumers with an entry-to-exit retailer that can meet all of their bike buying needs. The big ‘S’ has new helmets (one similar to the Giro Xen and a nice-looking carbon full face lid), new gloves, and other assorted soft goods. […]