SPECIALIZED S–WORKS DEMO 8 CARBON TEAM REPLICA – Visually charmed the pants off us before nonchalantly striding through the carnage to the beach

The Demo can be configured in a variety of settings. Lets just say we went low on everything. Just like all the bikes. In terms of angles, and hell I’ve managed to avoid them on most bikes, the Demo is longer up front and shorter on the rear than all of the bikes. The standover is one of the lowest, the cockpit the most roomy, if not a tad high when pedalling around on the flat (don’t be fooled), cable routing is OK, not internal, but does have neat holders in the shock area. The gloss paintwork did its job on most of us. It has a 135mm back end for heel clearance, a padded carbon downtube protector which absorbs impacts better than simple one–skin affairs…and it simply looks AMAZING. 

All–round the Demo shades it as the best on test. The Specialized boasts individuality, exclusiveness – simply the only one that really shouts of being special. The seven speed gearing is perfect for the business of downhill, the bar/stem combination adjustable, Avid brakes with Code calipers are a mighty fine product for riding/racing giving a smooth and delicate touch delivering the right amount of power at the right time. Operationally they are the best brake in the business, they just need refining a touch. The only bike with carbon cranks, the Demo’s microdrive system allows for a small chainring setting up front for improved ground clearance, however the seven speed gears are not clutch compatible which added to noise issues on track producing too much clatter.

Like the Trek the DT wheelset certainly aided speed and at no point did we feel them to be lesser than the Enve shod V10. If there was one defect in component terms it was the chunky grips which tore my hands apart. Rainbow stripes seat with mud riding grip made us smile.

Where shall I start? The nurse in the Demo advert? The 135mm rear end, the compact–drive gearing, custom wheelset, custom fork with Black Gold stanchions? Or simply that of all the bikes on test this is the one that wins everyone over visually. That in itself has a value. The red rims with matching red and black fork, the rainbow stripes seat, yes its more detail, but ultimately it is simply the only real team replica bike on test – or at least the closest to by a mile. More than this it has that almost intangible extra.

To many the Cane Creek Double Barrel is too complicated and up front the RockShox BoXXer World Cup lacks sensitivity at higher air pressures, but at least it was better than that on the poor Devinci. Out on the trail we needed the proper Cane Creek tool to access the adjusters but feel the middle settings to be a workable option. Overall the Demo does not feel like it did with the original Vivid and I’d go so far as to say it slightly disappoints on the rear. I cannot help but feel the fault here lies in the individual damper not Cane Creek or the design. The shock we had fitted felt under par compared to what we have ridden from this great company, lacking the push through/oil displacement familiar with this shock. We had the same experience on the Devinci out here in Italy.

Up front the fork as mentioned was marginally better than the stock World Cup on the Devinci, however it still lacks the initial sensitivity of the Fox forks we had out here (well for about five days at least before the Fox’s need loving). What they did have was excellent progressivity and nearly everywhere the Demo can be thrown into pretty horrible sections without much fear. On a variety of terrain I’d still opt for these BoXXers over the Fox.

On the whole however I’m left feeling the damper units front and rear can be improved slightly, but I would not want them to become the weak compression units that we see on so many bikes these days.

You cannot put a price on fatigue. Well you can, its $10,000 and it doesn’t feature on the Specialized S–Works Demo. After riding the Demo the outcome of the test became perceptibly clear, “lets go to the beach” was heard from many riders on many a post–Demo ride experience.

Incredibly stable – the only bike that I really felt like I could charge on – the Demo rolls through, and is weighted correctly for downhill. Yes applying the correct pressure ‘body language’ to the front tyre can be an issue if you are not aware of it and does take management, but unlike the other bikes when you drop into a section you do not feel like there are forces going into your upper body (possibly because of size inadequacies or weak damping). On the whole, and nearly everywhere. the body weight is centred correctly for DH use. This simply did not happen on the other bikes for 5’10” plus riders.

It has been said that the Demo is lacking the zip out of corners if not tackled correctly. Well, flat ones maybe (the others are more balanced in this respect), but certainly not downhill corners. It’s also been said that the Demo is “too downhill specific” – abso ‘f–kin’ lutely to that you shandy sipping minnows. Get your sorry arses into some real territory not the lame facade that downhill racing frequently suffers from.

How much value do you put on a bike that fully inspires? Ha, a fair bit! Yet I’m left wondering why? Is it simply the low centre of gravity? It leaves me thinking of the contradictions between all these bikes – the truly great damping on the Trek, the forceful V10 and….the Demo’s more balanced ride to any other downhill bike here in San Romolo. And if the work of the damping is helped by the body how come the Specialized feels so effortless physically? You sense the damping but there is no tangible pain on the body when riding this bike.

You could, I suppose (if you had time), ride each bike with the exact componentry, you could paint them all the same, you could dissect and measure every part that goes into every bike and work out the optimum of each. Yet with so many key and interrelated variables ultimately you have to take it as it is. It is what it is. And it’s the best.

More than anything the Demo demonstrates the value of size, and so out of tune the other bikes are in this respect. Without size you have nothing. It’s closet to team replica, it’s the one everyone wants. It charges, it rolls through, it’s stable, it’s fun, it’s sexy. It fits. It is without question the best bike of the four on test for riding the relevant terrain. Its accuracy however only applies on hills of at least ‘1 in 4’.

The Demo was the bike that I kept going back to time after time. Maybe it was the paintwork, the exclusive components, the nurse in the advert, the powers of persuasion. Maybe it was none of that, but simply the orchestra of angles, the force of simple dynamics transferring to speed, poise and power. The Demo is built to rock and roll. And it knows it.

OK, OK…the emulsion, the gloss of the nurse, the pull of Sam Hill or Aaron Gwin counts for something no doubt. But when you’re cock and balls into a dirty big pile of boulders with your life at stake all you want for in the world is one thing – control. Flawed the damping might be in sensitivity, yet the Demo commands, it has a supremacy in every circumstance of technical hard–charging terrain. This is what gives it that edge over the other bikes. In the psychological battle between doubt and certainty the Demo delivers belief.

DEVINCI WILSON CARBON SL – From straggler to star

Featuring a relatively high pivot position, superb low standover height and good proportions between front and rear, the size and balance of the Devinci felt best of all the bikes off track. The Wilson comes in two settings with regards angles and geometry, we had it low obviously, and although the aluminium bikes have XL sizing the carbon only comes in small, medium and this, the large. Weight wise it’s the heaviest on test. Tidy but not internal cable routing the Devinci was a favourite amongst many riders, especially those who had ridden the aluminium version. Many including myself had it pencilled–in as a very real contender for this test.

The least expensive of all the bikes on test, the Wilson appears to have a good build with a fair share of Easton products. Although some of these wheels have been a disappointment on other test bikes we had no issues this time around. Avid brakes are welcome, although not quite the same set up as the Demo featuring the lighter caliper rather than Code. Like the V10 a Truvativ Descendant crank and slightly ugly in the chainset, chain retention and chainring area, but not really taking away from the bike’s all–round warmth and punchiness visually.

This is Devinci’s first take on a carbon downhill bike and it’s a solid offering. However it’s up against some big hitters here that have had considerably more years of refinement. An off–set front triangle, whereby chainset weight is equalized with the bulk of the chassis to the non–pedal side of the bike, and a striking finish are stand–outs, along with pricing, which gives it a big space in which to fine tune componentry. 

The first point of contact is essential for any bike, unfortunately the Wilson had a poor start to this test. Deflecting, bouncing, rattling and generally being a handful, it took many days and much tinkering to get the Wilson anywhere near dialled. We tried wheel changes, tyre pressures, shocks and eventually came down to swapping out the RockShox BoXXer World Cup for a beautifully prepped Team version by Torben and Frank at SRAM/RockShox to give the bike a fair chance. Out of the box the Wilson was way under par.

As mentioned, the bike wanted to bounce around up front, which then transferred rearwards creating a ragged ride. Rattling from the rear, stiff in the middle the Devinci disappointed, which led riders to focus on the negatives given the luxury that was being offered up by the other contenders. It was not in any way the fault of the suspension design, for behind the noise it felt comfortable in the square edged rocks of San Remo. With the longest of shocks on test it was difficult to fully focus on the Cane Creek Double Barrel performance given the weaknesses elsewhere on the bike, but the middle settings appeared pretty balanced. Access, like the Demo, is difficult.

It’s a great suspension design, possibly one of Dave Weagle’s (Iron Horse Sunday, dw–Link, etc) best, for you can certainly feel the rearward axle path pushing back from the impacts, but its worth remembering that at the same time your weight is also moving relative to the bottom bracket.

Dropping into steep sections on the Devinci you feel weight shifting forwards, which needs counter balancing. This is the small size working against you, it’s easy to manage for the first minute or so of a run, and the back feels excellent through flatter rough territory, but size affects fatigue and we found our lower legs hurting the further we moved down the track. With the prepped BoXXer R2C2 up front the Wilson was charging by the end of the week and it simply didn’t need babysitting like the Fox forks did.

The chassis still felt a touch harsh however, still too much noise from the bike, and I still feel the Wilson gets involved far too much with harder faster impacts where others simply glance off and move on. Like I said, during longer runs fatigue came on pretty quickly compared to the other bikes, the swingarm also felt heavier than the others. The Devinci felt average amongst fast brakers and deep sandstone boulders, for when you climbed back onto one of the other three bikes you could return back to pace in an instant. The fresh BoXXer gave it a chance but the big Foxes gave some degree of protection and the Demo was long gone.

As carbon it is not lightest and we all felt out in Italy they’ve possibly overdone the stiffness. I no longer believe that to be the case and that the harshness lies somewhere within the rear suspension/damper at speed. However it still leaves us feeling that the Wilson carbon would be a frame only option with a BoXXer R2C2 rather than World Cup or go for an ali version if you’re 6’ or more. That said, it’s a better in size large than the V10 and Trek.

There’s a great bike inside that fiery paintwork, everyone knows it, but we simply didn’t get the magic from this bike that we’ve had on every single other ride on the aluminium Wilson. However that’s not quite the end of the story for we continued to ride the Devinci back in the same conditions we had ridden the aluminium breed….

Back in the UK the Wilson provided a dramatic turnaround of fortunes in this test. From straggler to star the mysterious harshness disappeared. Our feelings remain valid, but it kept us asking about the shock or suspension issue out in Italy? Why was the ride so harsh on faster hits in rocky territory? Not being a scientist I cannot answer that. It happened and was felt by everyone. In the more modest surroundings the Wilson was instantly up for it. In the timed runs that mixed flat root sections and pedalling, to dipping dirt arcs with steeper sections, the Devinci danced into a big lead. Its speed through flat root was incredible as long as the bike was weighted correctly, its cornering precise, the BoXXer R2C2 now fully working its magic. More than anything the Wilson had awoken a different, quieter beast, the rattle had gone, it had become more self–assured, rowdy even.

Price   £5099

www.devinci.com