gravel.n.mud

I have read on a different forum that in order for a shop to sell Specialized bikes, they have to stock a large range of their bikes, parts and accessories. This isn't great especially for the smaller shops as floor space is limited, and products in such quantities are difficult to sell. Small shops tend to have unfavorable opinions about them.

As far as the bikes themselves go, I know that until this year's Diverge models, they were essentially cheating shorter/smaller riders with their geometries (Sheldon Brown has a great article on how companies take engineering short-cuts and Specialized took them aplenty). Stack-reach ratios on the smaller frames were less than 1.4 while those on the larger ones were above 1.6, making them not really an 'endurance fit' for the vertically challenged. They seem to have gotten their act together on this year's geometries though.

jbandt

I try to stay away from the big brands; trek, specialized, Cannondale, giant, but truth is they have the best availability. Just picked up an AWOL Comp and it's been awesome so far. I also seem to have the better luck with their saddles and I love the sawtooth tire. Hate to admit it, but for me specialized just works.

cellery

This is all true. But most of the small shops around here (a large city with a major cycling presence) seem to do just fine. The target market and perhaps philosophy of both appear to be different. You'll see Trek, Specialized, Giant, C'dale and a couple others in some bike shops. And they do fine.

And then in other small shops who can't get access to, say, Specialized because they are 'too small' or whatever, they will sell brands like Canyon, All City, Surly, Yeti, Pivot, Kona etc etc a million other labels or whatever.

I guess my point is, there is no shortage of heavily lauded and fetishized smaller brands that small shops are happy to carry and charge a premium for. Blaming the big brands for the failure of small shops seems to be a popular trope, but honestly two of the most popular shops near me doesn't carry any of the big four - none of them. And they do extremely well. I think what it comes down to is business sense, knowing your target market, creating a robust supply chain to meet their demand.

Sorry if this went a bit off topic but I do tire of the near instantaneous criticisms laid at big bike brands on account of their own success. (note: this is not a criticism of the post I'm quoting above, just a general observation about the misdirected finger pointing I see a lot)

Nightdiver

They're popular because they have massive market presence and they make a wide variety of bikes, many of which are nothing short of brilliant. However, many object to the company itself due to external and internal issues. Whether that sort of thing matters to the end consumer is really down to the individual. I'll never purchase a Specialized because I care about which companies receive my money and with so many better companies available to patronize, there's no incentive for me to choose Specialized.

rgr555

Cliffnotes on the external/internal issues?
And in your opinion what are better companies to support?

Nightdiver

I don't really want to beat a dead horse with my personal issues with the company, but PM me if you really want to know and I'm happy to share. Pretty much everything has been discussed on various public forums (including BF) over the years.

For companies that are worth supporting, again such a personal thing, and of course depends on if they even have the product you're looking for. I'm a massive fan of Advocate bikes, and then many US builders like Gunnar/Waterford, DeSalvo, Co-Motion, etc. As for more established brands that produce overseas, I'd buy a Kona any day, and I'd take a good look at Niner and the QBP stable (Salsa, All-City, Surly, etc). The great thing about the bike market these days is that there is no shortage of choice!

KLiNCK

Regardless of the marketing hype, corporate philosophy and subsequent price point, Specialized really do, in my opinion, seem to "sweat the details" when it comes to how their products preform.
I think their constant attention to things like "contact point" improvements (seat posts, saddles, shoes, tires and frame suspension/comfort, etc) are second to none.
Through massive R&D they are one of the major players when it comes to trying to improve how bicycles, and the enjoyment of the cycling experience evolve... I think that is a good thing.
Personally, I have had nothing but positive results with their products.
Specialized = Yes please!
YRMV.

Ryder1

There's plenty of reasons not to like them (like this), but they've run their business better than most and consistently produce quality products. I personally try to avoid their products, but sometimes can't help it (e.g. their shoes feel custom made for my feet).

Andy_K 

"What do you mean, Doc? All the best stuff is made in Japan."
-Marty McFly

I love my 1982 Specialized Sequoia.



I also really like their saddles.

cellery

I want to know more about this bike. 650b conversion w/long reach calipers? Correct me if I'm wrong. That's really cool either way.

bikecrate

I dunno... I noticed the Specialized concept store closed in our city. Of course it could be for a number of reason.

Andy_K 

Thanks! You are correct. It's got 650x38 Panaracer Pari Moto tires, Tektro R559 brakes, Gevenalle shifters, Campagnolo Racing T cranks, and a Shimano Deore rear derailleur. A previous owner of the frame had mid blade rack mounts brazed on to the fork, so it's got a custom front rack in its future.

The R559 brakes had enough reach in the front, but they didn't quite make it in the rear so I've had to improvise there. In the picture above I'm using a makeshift drop bolt, but I've since switched to BDop offset brake pad holders. Another Sequoia owner says she handled the brake problem just by mounting the caliper on the inside of the seat stays, which frankly may be a cleaner solution.

If you want to know even more details (and see more pictures), you can read about my initial build here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...0-mongrel.html

or my initial 650B conversion here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/19609480-post446.html

or the BDop pads here:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...nary-tale.html

sgtrobo

honest question, what is it here you're talking about. FU? Huh? *dopey aura*

I'd be wary of a Fargo if you're short, especially if you have short legs. The standover heights for the S and XS are VERY misleading. The standover height is taken DIRECTLY beneath the lip of the saddle. Unless you have, literally, no butt, that standover height will not be relevant. Because the newer Fargos are suspension-corrected, the top tube angles up at a VERY rakish angle, and you might get a bit of..."discomfort" in your crotch area.
I'm 5'9. I fit my Fargo perfectly. My wife was 5'3, and neither the S nor the XS fit her, standover-wise, but the S fit her frame-wise. It's just that the top tube is so oddly angled, she ended up getting violated anytime she tried to straddle the top tube of both the S and XS
For comparison sakes, she rides a 50cm Sequoia and a 51cm Ruby

As for why Specialized is popular, it's because they're huge, they are everywhere, and they make a concerted effort to put out a "male-oriented" and "female-oriented" version of darn near every single type of bike at almost every price point imaginable.

They have MTB models for downhill, enduro, all-mountain, trail, CX full suspension, CX hardtail, lower-end hardtails, then endurance road bikes, standard racing road bikes, aero road bikes, multiple mixed-surface type bikes, fat bikes, "semi-fat" bikes, and a whole host of hybrid bikes, at every price point starting at about $500 for a high quality entry-level bike, going all the way up to $11,000(ish) for their electronic drivetrain/supercarbon everything.

Basically, they have at least 1 or more models of EVERY kind of bike you might be interested in, and they don't suffer from supply-side issues like some of the smaller companies do (cough cough Salsa)

Now, do you get "ideal" value for your money at each price point? Not always. For $xxxx, you will probably find a better equipped bike with higher end components at many of the price points. For $4200 you can get a Crux with a nice wheelset and Force 1 drivetrain. For $800 more you can get a Cannondale SuperX with Di2 and carbon wheels (just an example)

ATPAH

One thing Specialized does do is take care of their dealers who can meet the inventory/sales requirements. Where QBP lets shops down the road from one another compete for the same product and also sells their products through big box retailers, Specialized restricts the number of dealers in a given area and severely restricts direct to consumer sales. That may not appear to suit the consumer, but they also leave enough of a margin for dealers that they can discount off retail if their operations costs will support that. My LBS (a small shop) deals QPB, Specialized, and other brands, but it's the Specialized bikes that they can move, due to pricing, availability, and quality that remain consistent across the lineup of offerings. Few can compete on those terms. My loyalty is to my LBS, who take good care of me, and Specialized provide them with a product line that show value at number of different price points.

GrandpaLawrence

A review of my year with a Crossroads 1.0. I had heard that Specialized was a good bicycle manufacturer so in May of 2019 I purchased a Crossroads 1.0. It was a little over $500.00 with tax. The first 4 months of ownership were uneventful. I had the bike in once for a tune-up at the store where it was purchased, Outspokin Bicycles in Clearwater Florida. I was injured near the middle of August and was unable to ride the bicycle for 3 months. Non bicycle related injury.



My next bicycle riding took place near the end of December of 2019. I was riding the Pinellas trail and was doing a slow u-turn on the trail, downshifting on the rear derailleur from 4th to 2nd.The rear derailleur broke loose and jammed into the spokes and tore 2 of them out. I was fortunate that I was going slow as this would have been disastrous at speed. I took it into the bike shop where I had purchased it and had them look at it to tell me why that happened and what they could do about it. I was informed that the bike was designed to do this and this was normal. I then had to pay $140.00 for the repair. Keep in mind that the bike only had 3 ½ months of use on it and less than 700 miles.



Everything seamed fine after that, no issues with the bike self destructing. I did not do any riding at all until the middle of March and then started riding 5 days a week for fitness. That did not last long as I then had to have the bike repaired and given a tune up. The rear cassette and chain were replaced along with the tune up. They were worn out. The tires and tubes were replaced also. $180.00 later the bike is running fine. Now, to the latest problem. The pedals broke. The plastic that the right pedal is made out of started splitting apart. $32.00 later, new pedals, metal and with toe cages and that is fixed.



I bought a Specialized Crossroads 1.0 for $500.00 dollars and have had to spend $350.00 to keep it on the road. Basically it cost me 70% of the cost of the bike to keep it on the road for a year. I would not recommend buying a Specialized bicycle. I have owned older Mongoose and Schwinn bikes and they were of much better quality and I did not have any where near as many problems with them over a 25 year period as I had in the first year with my Specialized.

Privolous

In 2001 Specialized teamed up with a Taiwan company and things started getting made there. The Holy Grail of Specialized Enduro mountain bikes is not the current $12,500 model. Find the 2001 Enduro FSR Pro with full bearing suspension and a Made in the USA frame. I've read of such a beast and been searching for it.

singapore/Asia takes their outdated Specialized Enduro's and converts them into urban assault street bikes..pieces of art. You can pick up early Specialized Enduro FSR's with full bearing suspension for nothing ($200-300). It's not a huffy, the chassis is super light and can be reborn into one light urban assault/Super Moto commute bike.

Go find one...

shelbyfv

Funny to see this silly old thread revived. So many posters who are no longer with us....