A Life-Changing Ride

WHAT: Specialized Demo 9 HOW MUCH: $4,880 WHERE: www.specialized.com

It is not often a piece of gear changes your life. Inanimate amalgamations of parts very rarely make your own existence better. But the Specialized Demo 9 is so excitingly crafted, so finely tuned, it is such an object. After a full season of riding and hucking a 2004 model in bike parks and down burly singletrack, I couldn’t help being reborn.

When you first lay eyes on the Demo 9, you’re immediately drawn to the complexities of the rear suspension—a maze of 14 separately forged aluminum pieces. Resembling post-modern art more than a bike, the Demo 9 uses a version of Specialized’s renowned FSR four-bar suspension system.

However, the Demo 9 uses nearly twice the linkage of a traditional bike and it looks like designers crammed a smaller rear triangle inside a larger triangle. Everything works together, but the upper seatstays essentially create a nearly vertical wheel path for plush, big-hit absorption.

The lower seatstays allow the shock to be placed lower and further forward for a better center of gravity, lower standover height and leave enough room for Specialized to use a full-length seatpost. The frame also features a long, comfortable 23-inch top-tube (on our medium-size test bike) and a massive, oversized headtube for maximum durability.

The bike’s “trapezoidal link” (a large plate that acts like a traditional rocker arm), combined with the complex linkage, makes the rear triangle super-stiff laterally. Specialized used cartridge bearings on every pivot and joint, which adds to its stiffness, while ensuring consistent performance under high loads.

One of the Demo’s most prominent features is its 16.7-inch chainstays, which Specialized claims are the shortest among all long-travel-bikes. The short stays and low bottom bracket give the Demo shark-like agility despite its longish 47.25-inch wheelbase. At high speeds, however, it still tracks like a full-on downhill machine.

Even though it weighs nearly 50-pounds, the Demo 9 is, according to Specialized, a “freeride” bike. Thanks to an extra-wide 150-millimeter rear hub and 128-millimeter bottom bracket, it is one of the first 9-inch-travel bikes able to accept a front derailleur and triple chainrings. And while riding this baby uphill may not be fun, the beautiful fact is, for that ripper high up in the forest, or for the spin back home, at least you can do so in relative comfort.

But the Demo 9 does have some minor drawbacks. While it didn’t happen on our test bike and the problem has been solved on ’05 models, some ’04 Demo 9s developed small cracks at the rear shock mount. Nothing catastrophic, merely a mistake in one CNC’d part that’s easily replaced.

As far as performance is concerned, because the bottom bracket is so low, especially when the shock is fully compressed, it was fairly common to snag a pedal, especially when sidehilling. The only other complaint, aside from the hefty price tag and 50-pound beef, is after months of riding the rear linkage started creaking. And while that’s fairly common on big bikes, the complexity of the Demo means there are more moving parts that could potentially make noise, and ultimately, wear out.

But for shear riding confidence, with nothing holding you back from confronting your maker, the Demo 9 is worth every penny. A bike so good it may just change your life.