Gionnirocket
Well-Known Unidentified Member
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- USA
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- Y. O.
So then you agree that it's at least accurate to the online comments we've seen here... That's good enough for me.
Sounds to me then that the brand isn't so
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Weird Specialized discovery....
- Thread starter sc00ter
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mschwett
Well-Known Member
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- USA
So then you agree that it's at least accurate to the online comments we've seen here... That's good enough for me.
Sounds to me then that the brand isn't sospecialand more proof that their long established reputation that I referred to is just a case of user delusion and pretension.
they generally make nice bikes. i like some of them a lot, others not so much, that’s about it for me. why (beyond some deep seated insecurity) it’s so important to anyone to think the brand is amazing- or horrible - is beyond me.
jabberwocky
Well-Known Member
I'm always amazed when bike shops have crappy service. In the age of good DTC bike brands, the entire value proposition of a local shop is service and being able to inspect/ride before purchasing. If you can't treat customers well what the hell are you doing?
Globe is not Specialized
Sure it is. Its a sub brand, but they are owned and sold by Specialized and Globe bikes are literally on the Specialized website. The brand was launched by Specialized in 2010 specifically to market to commuters and non-enthusiast cyclists. The fact that Spec brands and sells certain bikes Globe/Spec in different markets is purely a marketing decision. If nothing else, Specialized has an excellent marketing department so presumably they know what they are doing.
Spec makes fine bikes. My only criticism of their bikes is they make fine bikes and spend massively on marketing to convince people they are amazing bikes. Their value proposition is variable across their line, but generally IME at the higher end you are paying more than you would be from most other brands, and they aren't actually noticeably better. But that varies depending on exactly what you're looking for. Their high end ebikes are very good, for sure. Their super high end (S-Works) are terrible values, but thats true of pretty much every brand that has that sort of super high end model.
Its genuinely weird when people (like Stefan) do Specs marketing for them by fanboying on forums. Like, trust me, theres no reason to do that. Their massive highly paid marketing department and numerous sponsored riders got that.
I feel that Spesh new 'ground breaking' models have been thin on the ground for last couple of years due to the industry collapse post covid. Been a while since anything ebike related had a big launch, with exception of the Levo 4, which seemed to be rushed out in a life or death struggle with the Avignon/Dji bikes.
Used be they'd fly all the YouTubers and bike biz journos to California or somewhere like Spain to come ride the new bike and get wined and dined. I still remember the great Court himself riding I think, a yellow Vado SL on it's launch back in 2020.
Last launch that seemed big & fancy was the Creo 2 Launch and that was Sept 2023, well over 2 years ago. The Vado SL 2 release was very subdued. I guess they've all been riding out the storm.
Used be they'd fly all the YouTubers and bike biz journos to California or somewhere like Spain to come ride the new bike and get wined and dined. I still remember the great Court himself riding I think, a yellow Vado SL on it's launch back in 2020.
Last launch that seemed big & fancy was the Creo 2 Launch and that was Sept 2023, well over 2 years ago. The Vado SL 2 release was very subdued. I guess they've all been riding out the storm.
Gionnirocket
Well-Known Unidentified Member
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- USA
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- Y. O.
I concur...
The first nice day we had in months a few weeks ago everyone was out riding. Ran into a nice young gentleman with an S_Works at one small section of the mup that still had ice/snow on it and everyone had to dismount. Super nice guy and bike. He was young and very fit and I can tell he had little interest in my bike but he still asked about it's climbing ability. We talked for about 10 minutes on a variety of topics.
As it should be... I've alway thought them to be an above average brand but not the pinnacle of perfection and a bit overpriced. Most things have their pros/cons and the Globe as well as the other brands mentioned in this thread have features others may prefer. Since I don't have to ride it, I really could care less what others prioritize.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
What about Levo 4
mschwett
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
given the state of the industry, i'm actually surprised they've come out with as many new models as they have. you could see the creo 2 as a bit of capitulation to a shrinking market - while other brands have both road and gravel e-bikes, specialized only has one. i was very surprised to see an aethos 2, and it's now close enough to the roubaix in target demographic that i have to wonder why they bothered. they don't even have an aero/tt road bike any more!
on the marketing thing, i think it's just a fact of late-stage capitalism that 10 to 20% of everything a big company spends is on marketing. you can't really just stop doing it because it's a waste, because everyone else is doing it. i don't see a meaningful difference between the kind of marketing that specialized, trek, pinarello, cervelo, etc do. they run ads, they talk up their innovations, they sponsor pro teams. it seems proportionate to their size and target market. a top-tier-groupset tarmac sl8 costs $13k, a similar trek (madone) costs 13-16k, a cervelo r5 is 14k, a pinarello dogma is 15k. a giant TCR advanced SL is 13.5k. outside of the big brands and top tier road/race bikes, a comparable frameset from an "indie" brand like open is $5k+, again basically the same as an s-works frame. there's really nothing unusually expensive or inexpensive about specialized, they pretty much line up with what most bikes of comparable spec from major manufacturers cost. of course there are much cheaper brands, particularly DTC like canyon (10.5k vs 13-16k for top tier) and no-name or more budget oriented brands.
the value spot with all these brands is the step below the s-works frames and the step below the top (dura ace etc) groupsets, where an ultegra version is more like 7k than 14k. 95% of the bike for 50% of the cost. nobody spends the extra 7k (and i did happily lol) for any practical reason other than just enjoying it, and those who are spending it probably don't care that $700 of the $7000 premium went to subtly convince them to spend it in the first place
given the state of the industry, i'm actually surprised they've come out with as many new models as they have. you could see the creo 2 as a bit of capitulation to a shrinking market - while other brands have both road and gravel e-bikes, specialized only has one. i was very surprised to see an aethos 2, and it's now close enough to the roubaix in target demographic that i have to wonder why they bothered. they don't even have an aero/tt road bike any more!
I think you've hit else something there - the state of the industry means top brass are hesitating on what particular bikes to launch and when, and how to put marketing weight behind new models, because for now, certainties are gone, they have no idea what will sell anymore and people are not buying as much and the pool of rival brands is widening. And as in any cost of living situation, we're just hanging onto our bikes longer than we would when times were good.
As a general thought, not Spesh per say, industry periodicals like Bicycle Retailer have been analysing the slowdown since covid and a question they ask is what has happened to the warehouses full of 2021 models that were ordered at height of covid boom but have been unsold and sitting there since? Industry insiders expected massive sales but these didn't materialise by and large. Yamaha was the only massive fire sale I noticed. One article I remember reading said for some big bike brands actually destroying stock might make more sense then flooding the market and keeping this cycle of too many bikes out there going indefinitely, reducing new sales. I often wonder what companies did do/are doing.
I think you've hit else something there - the state of the industry means top brass are hesitating on what particular bikes to launch and when, and how to put marketing weight behind new models, because for now, certainties are gone, they have no idea what will sell anymore and people are not buying as much and the pool of rival brands is widening. And as in any cost of living situation, we're just hanging onto our bikes longer than we would when times were good.
As a general thought, not Spesh per say, industry periodicals like Bicycle Retailer have been analysing the slowdown since covid and a question they ask is what has happened to the warehouses full of 2021 models that were ordered at height of covid boom but have been unsold and sitting there since? Industry insiders expected massive sales but these didn't materialise by and large. Yamaha was the only massive fire sale I noticed. One article I remember reading said for some big bike brands actually destroying stock might make more sense then flooding the market and keeping this cycle of too many bikes out there going indefinitely, reducing new sales. I often wonder what companies did do/are doing.
jabberwocky
Well-Known Member
Creo 2 has very average general purpose geometry, where it would be reasonably competent at a variety of road/gravel type riding. Its not really dedicated gravel geometry, its not full on road either. You can dress it up and market it a lot of different ways. Smart, as you said, from a marketing and production perspective.
My 2020 era Giant Revolt-E has an identical frame to the Road-E from the same year. They just put different parts on it and painted it a different color. Again, they chose a nice middle of the road geometry so it could be specced different ways.
Well, the conventional wisdom is that advertising is most worth doing when your product is very comparable to the competition. Which is why coke and pepsi spend a bajillion dollars doing it. If your product is obviously superior you generally don't need to spend huge advertising money to sell it.
The reality is that most bikes from the big brands are really, really good these days. Even lower tier parts have gotten excellent; gone are the days where lower tier drivetrains shifted like crap and cheap brakes didn't work well. I'm an enthusiast who has spent 10s of thousands over the years on bikes to indulge my hobby (as are many of us here) but rationally its really not necessary to do that to enjoy cycling.
the value spot with all these brands is the step below the s-works frames and the step below the top (dura ace etc) groupsets, where an ultegra version is more like 7k than 14k. 95% of the bike for 50% of the cost. nobody spends the extra 7k (and i did happily lol) for any practical reason other than just enjoying it, and those who are spending it probably don't care that $700 of the $7000 premium went to subtly convince them to spend it in the first place
I honestly think the value spot is the low end enthusiast bike. Like, a Spec Diverge alloy is a $1600 gravel bike and I would have a hard time arguing that most people would really notice much difference between that and an $8k Diverge 4 Pro. The pro is obviously nicer, but its not 5 times nicer. You hit diminishing returns really fast with cycling gear once you're out of the bottom tier of equipment.
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Cannondale blew out a ton of System 2 bikes at 50% off. They were all sold.
Merida has a huge financial stake in Specialized. They make frames for other brands as well. I expect further dilution down the road.
I ride S-Works road shoes and an S-Works helmet, because they fit me and are good quality. There is nothing special about them. I'm not riding road anymore, so I expect to replace both items with other brands.
Merida has a huge financial stake in Specialized. They make frames for other brands as well. I expect further dilution down the road.
I ride S-Works road shoes and an S-Works helmet, because they fit me and are good quality. There is nothing special about them. I'm not riding road anymore, so I expect to replace both items with other brands.
Jeremy McCreary
Bought it anyway
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- USA
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- Carlsbad, CA
Assuming that just means that you aren't riding pure road bikes anymore. In which case, I have an honest question:
Q. What do you miss about road riding that your lightweight flat-bar Pinarello ebike can't deliver?
mschwett
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
yes, agreed! personally i do think that there's a big improvement to the ride experience with electronic shifting. carbon frame and wheels too, but perhaps that's a "if you don't know what you're missing thing," no doubt the CUES alloy diverge at $2100 (US) is more than most people need, very nice bike. it's certainly odd that the jump to carbon and electronic is so big for most of the big brands.
specialized has done a few very smart things over the years i think, ones that do add real value for their riders. the standardization on just a couple types of mid-drives, which were very thoughtfully co-engineered with the existing leaders in the field has created a lot of stability and similarity of experience. offering a wide range of trims in most models creates a lot of choice and the big ecosystem of accessories and helmets seems more robust than most other brands. there are a couple categories in which i've repeatedly found the specialized options to be the best for me, to the point that i've bought three sets of these shoes, including the most recent one a couple years after they were discontinued!
as one example, i absolutely LOVE these shoes - one boa dial, on top. incredibly lightweight (each shoe weighs about 6 OUNCES), well ventilated, and so comfortable for me that honestly you don't even feel like you're wearing shoes. my first pair lasted around 10,000 miles and before they wore out i bought a matching black pair and started alternating. i didn't realize they were discontinued until too late, so i have been hunting for my size since then and when this pair popped up a few weeks ago in white+black i had to have them.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Has it ever occurred to you some people might genuinely enjoy a brand? I simply don't believe any other brand would first upgrade the e-bike electronics to the latest very expensive version and then totally rebuild the same e-bike to the latest version following the frame crack, all totally free. My 2017 Vado 5.0 bought in 2019 still works for me as a 2020 Vado 6.0. It's been over eight years since manufacturing and well over 6 years since the purchase.
My other Specialized e-bike is almost 5 years with me, and it has never required a major repair.
I've also found other brand products such as tyres, helmets, gloves or saddles high quality, so I use them, and these are even not S-Works.
As a Specialized user, I would feel bad to find a monstrosity such as the Globe Haul in a Specialized LBS.
One of the two Warsaw Specialized LBS
'Wanna a demo ride? You seem to have tested all our bikes, sir!'
No issue to get an e-bike or a bike for a shorter or a longer demo ride...
I was issued with the latest Epic 8 Expert (left) for a demo ride without asking. These guys know me well.
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Looks like Giant have entered the chat and raised the warranty stakes (for 2026 new bikes). Maybe this will start to force all other brands to switch to 5 year coverage.
5 year motor & battery is mandatory for all e bikes in Norway already and with an average of 36% of motor failures across the board, the industry needs to do things MUCH better:
www.giant-bicycles.com
5 year motor & battery is mandatory for all e bikes in Norway already and with an average of 36% of motor failures across the board, the industry needs to do things MUCH better:
Extended E-Bike Battery Warranty | Giant Bicycles Ireland
All the information you need to know regarding your Giant bicycles 5 year warranty.
www.giant-bicycles.com
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
I think what I miss the most is having four or five different hand and forearm positions that go with drop bars and aren't there with flat bars. I don't miss the pain. I'm having a procedure done at the end of next month that might help things, but I don't expect that it will fix everything.
Chargeride
Well-Known Member
My knees are hurting on road rides now and Im pretty convinced its the speed shut off that is doing it.
Constantly dropping in and out of assist loads up my legs when they arent ready for it.
I dont get a hint of pain on offroad rides only while Im exerting far more, but below the cut off threshold.
Just a theory, Im not going for peer review.
Its rather odd rolling slowly down a long shallow hill, but Im doing 18mph and theres no point in pedalling.
Constantly dropping in and out of assist loads up my legs when they arent ready for it.
I dont get a hint of pain on offroad rides only while Im exerting far more, but below the cut off threshold.
Just a theory, Im not going for peer review.
Its rather odd rolling slowly down a long shallow hill, but Im doing 18mph and theres no point in pedalling.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
Options:
A. Switch the motor off for the road, or
B. Derestrict (will use more battery charge unless you eventually connect your Levo to the Specialized app and derate the ECO assistance).
What assist mode do you use on road?
FYI: With a motor not that strong as yours (but still similarly strong) the correct ECO assistance to ride with average friends is only 25/50%.
Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
- Ergon GP2 grips
- Ergon GP2 bar-ends
- SQlab Innerbarends 411 (hoods)
- Drops
- Hoods
- Top bars.
Yeah but it's just not the same.Three different hand positions. On the drop bars you have:
- Ergon GP2 grips
- Ergon GP2 bar-ends
- SQlab Innerbarends 411 (hoods)
Five positions?
- Drops
- Hoods
- Top bars.
stompandgo
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Bends and drop ends. Multiple forearm options. Flat bars have nothing to rest on, unless you set up bar ends to do so.Three different hand positions. On the drop bars you have:
- Ergon GP2 grips
- Ergon GP2 bar-ends
- SQlab Innerbarends 411 (hoods)
Five positions?
- Drops
- Hoods
- Top bars.
No bar ends for me, I don't like the wide stance or increased reach. I cut my bars down to 670mm and even that is too wide. I would prefer more sweep, but the TICR internal routing of the Most bars is non-negotiable. I would have to have any replacement milled for the openings.
I think I will try the GP1 biocork grips.
