2018 Specialized S-Works Demo Dream Build 2

Ride update (comparing to my previous 2014 S-Works Demo)

Positives:

Still blown away by the suspension every time I jump on the bike. It seems no matter how hard I have pushed it so far, the forks in particular have taken everything in their stride with ease. The sag keeps it beautifully supple through the initial stroke, the mid-range support is surprisingly smooth and the ramp up feels like perfection (Side note; I did get my bro to ride it and tune suspension for a week and the result of that spot on). Seems suspension has come a long way in the time that I've been riding. Generally, I've never felt a bike more planted, or with such responsive when pushing, yet able to absolute breeze through the big hits! !

The ramp up link in the rear is much better and gives a much more stable rear end and definitely holds up a lot better under low speed compression impacts. As does the overall change from 26" to 27.5",subsequent chain stay and wheelbase lengths.

The KCNC Titor rotors perform much better than I expected. I essentially bought them to get the overall bike weight under 16kg (I'd already done everything else) and had some concerns that with much less surface they may be either down on power or feel a little bit uneven with braking force being applied. Neither of those problems have arisen at all, they power is more than ample (I'm not over heavy anyway) and they have a very smooth braking curve.

Negatives:

The bike is still a little twitchy or unsettled on some corners and after talking with NS Dynamics about it, I am fitting a 46mm crown offset (previously 50mm) which should address this issue and bring it back in line with the 45mm stem on the bike. Given it feels much better than my previous bike already, I'm looking forward to addressing that specific problem.

The Tubolito tubes feel well balanced and extremely responsive, however after running them for some time, I have noticed they don't hold air between rides as well as a standard Freeride tube. They are extremely sensitive in the fitting process, very easy to puncture/damage. Benefits however are massively outweighing the drawbacks, I don't mind checking/adjusting tire pressure before a ride and when fitted correctly they are holding up just fine on the trail, no punctures on that front and none expected.

I have noticed pedalling is much more a fine art and picking where and when to pedal is much more important as it's sitting much lower to the ground than my previous bike. Something that undoubtedly will resolve itself with a little bit more time on the bike!

Overall Verdict:

Some minor drawbacks that pale into insignificance with the amount of positives I've had riding this weapon. I still look at it with a gleam in my eye (anyone not looking at their bike like that needs to get another bike) and I am continuously blown away by it's performance! The only room for improvement that comes to mind would be Ohlins getting their fork and shock weight down a little. That said, Theres no other suspension I'd rather be on, and overall bike performance is a solid 11/10