# 2007 Demo 7 and Demo 8



## yoonior (Jan 26, 2004)

Spotted on NSMB.com

https://blogs.nsmb.com/team/archives/2006/04/3-days-of-specialized-fun/


_The Specialized gang, Brandon Sloan (Product Manager), Jason Chamberlain (Suspension Design Engineer) and Buck (Assistant Product Manager) showed up in North Vancouver to test out next years Demos. Jeff Bryson and myself had the pleasure to play tourguide for 3 days. The boys were testing the Demo 7 and the Demo 8 for late '06 release. See below for some pics.

Inside Info&#8230;. Brandon's Demo8 was 37lbs with no carbon fiber. Specialized is switching to Aluminum M5 to shed weight while maintaining its strength (around 1lb lighter for frame). Looks and suspension design are different from previous Demo's. Shorter stays and 1.5″ steerer tube for the Demo7. The Demo8 is going to be the race bike of choice and the Demo7 for the freeride crowd. Unfortunately I was too busy riding to take pics, but the bikes look and perform like never before._​









Nice


----------



## Sombrio69 (Apr 21, 2005)

saweeeeeet! the Demo 7 is gonna be so sick. i think i just found my next bike


----------



## bikenweed (Dec 22, 2005)

Cool bikey, I guess that's a "slopestyle" ride. 

Hope it won't break on the first side-impact like the Demo's from '05.


----------



## preppie (Jan 14, 2005)

Strange I thought the SX trail was the little Demo.

I guess this DEMO7 is more for slopestyle freehuck gnarcore stuff ??


----------



## Nagaredama (Aug 2, 2004)

What kind of fork in on that thing? The new 1.5 Rock Shox?


----------



## intheways (Apr 19, 2004)

I better start saving now.


----------



## X-Vert (Jan 22, 2004)

*New Demos =*

possible me being able to afford an 06'


----------



## erol/frost (Jan 3, 2004)

X-Vert said:


> possible me being able to afford an 06'


Haha, i`m thinking the same thing...


----------



## tgreathead (Mar 8, 2004)

Nagaredama said:


> What kind of fork in on that thing? The new 1.5 Rock Shox?


Looks like it. Its definitely a RS fork, same arch detailing as my Pike. Can't tell teh headtube size but those stanctions look pretty big.


----------



## themarsvolta55 (Dec 23, 2004)

god bless mountain bikes
seriously
that is to freakin cool


----------



## #1 Hucker (Jan 3, 2006)

the fork is probably th RS totem thats supposed to come out in 07


----------



## hardcore newbie (Nov 6, 2004)

me likey


----------



## austinb89 (Nov 6, 2004)

looks nice, no tto crazy about the paintjob though


----------



## Fillmoe Slim (Oct 23, 2005)

Demo of any size seems on the big (overkill) side for slopestyle events. Not saying that no one will rock em but it seems like the new breed of bikes like the BottleRocket are what's gonna own slopestyle contests. That being said I think the Demo 7 will be an ultra sick freeride bike although I have to say I think the previous models look better. The bent down tube is a little fugly IMO, but in the end it aint so much how it looks.


----------



## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Looks pretty sweet.


----------



## scabrider (Oct 3, 2004)

gross...


----------



## misctwo (Oct 24, 2004)

scabrider said:


> gross...


i would never ride that bow-legged piece of rotten chicken


----------



## #1 Hucker (Jan 3, 2006)

does the new demo 8 look like the 7, and is there gonna still be a demo 9?
IMO the old demos look better


----------



## mothahucker (Feb 6, 2006)

Holy hell! That is the sweetest new bike concept that i've seen since the demo itself came out! IwantoneIwantoneIwantoneIwantoneIwantoneIwantoneIwantone


----------



## mudpuppy (Feb 7, 2004)

#1 Hucker said:


> the fork is probably th RS totem thats supposed to come out in 07


That it is! 

I am not a fan of the paint...but this is a preproduction model, looking to be released late 06....from what I have read.


----------



## tgreathead (Mar 8, 2004)

misctwo said:


> i would never ride that bow-legged piece of rotten chicken


Looks like the Demo mated with the Witch Doctor


----------



## Colodude (Oct 5, 2005)

Its looks ok, but I'm not diggin' the swoopy tubes. One of the coolest parts of the Demo is the whole forged lower frame. Curves are for women, not bikes.


----------



## Fooly_CoolyOo (Jan 25, 2005)

*My 2 Cents*

Deffinatly a sweet move on specializeds part. Something tells me their going to can the SX trail, and replace it with the 7. And if their smart they'll cann the 9 and replace it with the 8. As far as i'm concerned, anything with more than 8.5 inches of travel that cant pedal, and isn't designed for pure downhill racing is dumpster food. As far as a slopestyle rig, i'm thinking they might bring the normal SX into that role with slightly more travel and extra beef all around, i'm thinking 5 inches of travel with the sx-trails extra beefyness.


----------



## misctwo (Oct 24, 2004)

tgreathead said:


> Looks like the Demo mated with the Witch Doctor


word. they both look brokken, only the demo 7 will be close to $2K...


----------



## j6105 (Apr 10, 2004)

slopestyle is all about how the bike handles, not about travel inches......

That said, the new demo 7 will probly replace the SX trail and be stiffer, stronger, and handle better becuase the the demo design's inherent tight stays.

And that said, that thing is fugly loookin, but all preproduction bikes look horrible. 
A good paint job, so O.R.E. tube manipulation like on the current demo, and she will be ill.

Anyone have a pic of the new demo 8?


----------



## Master_Jako (Mar 27, 2004)

ugly...looks like they puked cafe on the blue prints.


----------



## j6105 (Apr 10, 2004)

yeah if anyone was a sea otter they saw some of the team riders bikes............. some were puke nasty, and i am a big specialized fan.....

If they put bikes out in those colors, i would honestly think about getting something else based on looks alone. We dont want the 70's back.

Powell's P.3 (im a assuming its a proto 07) had a nice durable and smooth anodized color on it, so hopefully they will do that, and in better colors than pooo brown.

The shock rate on that demo 7 looks like the typical firm linear rate that you see on slopestyle bikes and high and tight single pivots. You can visibly see those bikes go higher off of jumps, and they tend to be veryyy predictable and manuverable. ok, enough e-speculation, cant wait to see how that rides.

Pic of Kyle Straights pearl white finish === LUST.

Red ano finish on demo 9 2005 was bezerkly good lookin.


----------



## BJ- (Jan 28, 2004)

shorter chainstays, 1.5 headtube and lower weight...sweet!


----------



## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

personally, I hate it. I think that specialized have just completly ruined their bikes. because like, in 2004-2005 everything was perfict. the bighits were amazing, and priced right, the P. bikes were perfict and priced under everything else, and the Demo's were new and they definatly held their own. but then 06 came, the crap P. frames started being produced. the bighits went to 26" in the back and the demos are fine for this year. 

plus the whole thing about Specialized bullying Mountain Cycle, and the absolutly horrid paint jobs this year plus on top of that, all big S bikes are way over priced. I wont ever buy another specialized. if I do, it'll be a 2005 or older bike, thats been used or something. I dont want to support their buisness anymore 

end rant:


----------



## BJ- (Jan 28, 2004)

todd_freeride said:


> personally, I hate it. I think that specialized have just completly ruined their bikes. because like, in 2004-2005 everything was perfict. the bighits were amazing, and priced right, the P. bikes were perfict and priced under everything else, and the Demo's were new and they definatly held their own. but then 06 came, the crap P. frames started being produced. the bighits went to 26" in the back and the demos are fine for this year.
> 
> plus the whole thing about Specialized bullying Mountain Cycle, and the absolutly horrid paint jobs this year plus on top of that, all big S bikes are way over priced. I wont ever buy another specialized. if I do, it'll be a 2005 or older bike, thats been used or something. I dont want to support their buisness anymore
> 
> end rant:


your an idiot...


----------



## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

BJ- said:


> your an idiot...


how so ? look at the past P. bikes, the 2003 P.1 sold for like 400 bucks. then came 04, same bike as the 03, but a different color, 500 then 05 came, and they wanted 700 bucks, for the exact same bike from 2004. Specialized is a $hit company.


----------



## misctwo (Oct 24, 2004)

todd_freeride said:


> how so ? look at the past P. bikes, the 2003 P.1 sold for like 400 bucks. then came 04, same bike as the 03, but a different color, 500 then 05 came, and they wanted 700 bucks, for the exact same bike from 2004. Specialized is a $hit company.


you must hate OPEC too 

i somewhat agree, mass-produced Specialized frames are overpriced.


----------



## BJ- (Jan 28, 2004)

todd_freeride said:


> how so ? look at the past P. bikes, the 2003 P.1 sold for like 400 bucks. then came 04, same bike as the 03, but a different color, 500 then 05 came, and they wanted 700 bucks, for the exact same bike from 2004. Specialized is a $hit company.


you really are an idiot, pull your finger out mate....


----------



## acdcfan1283 (Mar 20, 2004)

hmmmm, me like it. looks like a new possibility for me to buy as a second all around bike. at that weight n travel i think it'd bep erfect. hopefulyl it doesnt come in that color tho, not diggin that


----------



## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

BJ- said:


> you really are an idiot, pull your finger out mate....


name calling, thats really mature.


----------



## COmtbiker12 (Jan 12, 2004)

todd_freeride said:


> how so ? look at the past P. bikes, the 2003 P.1 sold for like 400 bucks. then came 04, same bike as the 03, but a different color, 500 then 05 came, and they wanted 700 bucks, for the exact same bike from 2004. Specialized is a $hit company.


As much as I don't want to support rants about Specialized, because I <3 them,  I would have to agree that in my opinion the 2003 year was my favorite for specialized. I mean, $400 complete P1, $470 complete P2, $1600 complete bighit comp.  That was awesome.

As far as the new bikes I'm stoked to see them and would definitely consider picking up the Demo7 as a freeride/all mountain bike if the price was right. Like others have said though I think the paint is horrendous on those proto shots.


----------



## matt (Feb 2, 2004)

todd_freeride said:


> personally, I hate it. I think that specialized have just completly ruined their bikes. because like, in 2004-2005 everything was perfict. the bighits were amazing, and priced right, the P. bikes were perfict and priced under everything else, and the Demo's were new and they definatly held their own. but then 06 came, the crap P. frames started being produced. the bighits went to 26" in the back and the demos are fine for this year.
> 
> plus the whole thing about Specialized bullying Mountain Cycle, and the absolutly horrid paint jobs this year plus on top of that, all big S bikes are way over priced. I wont ever buy another specialized. if I do, it'll be a 2005 or older bike, thats been used or something. I dont want to support their buisness anymore
> 
> end rant:


How is the Bighit going to 26 bad? Its not.

How are the P frames crappier now, they're just more expensive.

I agree they're expensive, but thats about the only thing I've got against them.


----------



## todd_freeride (Aug 9, 2005)

matt said:


> How is the Bighit going to 26 bad? Its not.
> 
> How are the P frames crappier now, they're just more expensive.
> 
> I agree they're expensive, but thats about the only thing I've got against them.


the bighits just dont feel the same. the original bighits were some of my fav frames. now they just. .... dont feel right. the P. frames are crappier. I testrode a 06 P.2, and the frames geometry was completly changed from my P.2, the bike was a lot less stable in the air and just felt really awkward. I havent tryed the p.2 cr-mo but the P.1 is amazing. same bike as 2005, but now a higher price.


----------



## Master_Jako (Mar 27, 2004)

COmtbiker12 said:


> As much as I don't want to support rants about Specialized, because I <3 them,  I would have to agree that in my opinion the 2003 year was my favorite for specialized. I mean, $400 complete P1, $470 complete P2, $1600 complete bighit comp.  That was awesome.


2003 deff was the best year to buy a specialized. bought my bighit brand new for $1300


----------



## Guest (Apr 30, 2006)

Master_Jako said:


> 2003 deff was the best year to buy a specialized. bought my bighit brand new for $1300


Holy head angle!, nice bike though.


----------



## j6105 (Apr 10, 2004)

all i know is that i had an 04 bighit with a super T. 

And those bighits had the worst geometry on earth. only thing they had going was handling, but that was shot by 24" shootout, horrible pedaling, horrible shock rate, horrible head angles, flexy as hell etc etc etc. 

the new bighit is a whole new cookie, some sponsored guys even choose it over demo 8.

New P bikes are much better than old versions. They are stiffer, lighter, supposedly stronger, and handle much better (manual well, super predictable in air, turning, etc.).

What u need to realize is that some stock stuff (hint hint marzocchi forks on P's and lower end bighits) can absolutely ruin a bike.

The new prices are worth it. sorry i just had to retaliate, i like specialized, and yes, the only thing you can truly say bad is the $$$ difference. bikes rock.


----------



## Demo-9 (Mar 24, 2006)

Well I have to agree on a lot of the topics brought up here. The shop I work at deals Specialized and we sell everything. We only bring in certain models that we know we can sell and anything over the SX Trail is simply not brought in unless it is a special order. Just too damn expensive.

That said, I don't think a Demo-9 fame going for $3,300 is too much to ask, now is it? LOL. In any case I have a 2005 Demo-9 which I only paid $1,000 brand new for. That is one advantage for working at a shop that deals the bike you want. I would not have that bike if I had to pay full price for it.

I will agree that I like the older p series frames as far as cosmetics. We have yet to get in the new ones so I can't comment on the geometry. The new Demo-7 frame design may not even look like that when they go to production.


----------



## DownHill 4 Life (Jan 25, 2005)

Well being a Demo 8 owner myself (I have a black 05') I REALLY hate the new design.

From an engineering and production cost standpoint I get it - just by looking at what they've done, but from an artistic viewpoint they look like crap. 

Forget about the paintjobs - there's no way that what you see here would ever make it to production - ... But the main thing on it that is completely awful is the downtube - and I know I'm not the first person to say this.

It's just too blown-out at the bottom and curved - it looks pregnant or something. Not very racy or badass like the frame lines on the older Demo 8's (05 & 06).


----------



## Fooly_CoolyOo (Jan 25, 2005)

*Ok WTF*

Ok i see everyone *****ing about the asthetics of the new demo. BUt did anyone step back and think why the downtube is so curvy like that? And thats an easy question to answer. Barspins with new style, oversized stanctioned forks. Look at the fork on the front of the bike, its rockshox new totem freeride fork, single crown with 40mm tubes. And it has plenty of clearence on the frame. Get used to change boys, thats what specialized does every year, not because they want to piss people off, but because they are making their bikes better.


----------



## tronspecial (Sep 17, 2004)

^^^word^^^


----------



## yoonior (Jan 26, 2004)

*Demo 8 and some more info*



j6105 said:


> Anyone have a pic of the new demo 8?












_no more Demo9 for next year.... The Demo7 is way more burly than the SX and the geometry is different so your getting a different kind of bike. The 07 Demo will have the same HA as the current 8. New 8 will be slacker_​
paint scheme in not production one by any means.

and some comment regarding shorter link plate

_the new suspension is designed to take square hits more efficiently, hence the change_​


----------



## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

yuck......................


----------



## DownHill 4 Life (Jan 25, 2005)

> BUt did anyone step back and think why the downtube is so curvy like that? And thats an easy question to answer. Barspins with new style, oversized stanctioned forks. Look at the fork on the front of the bike, its rockshox new totem freeride fork, single crown with 40mm tubes. And it has plenty of clearence on the frame.


...no,no - THAT'S totally fine - I wasn't referring to that part of the downtube - I was referring to the bottom of it where it meets the BB...

It looks like some kind of afterthought in the design: "O.K. we'll change the suspension geo so it can take square-edged bumps more efficiently so we'll just push out the bottom part of the down tube and bend it until the shock fits...."

You know what I mean?


----------



## Universe (Feb 4, 2004)

Yea thats a stupid idea to focus on performance. When will they learn.


----------



## Renegade (May 10, 2004)

tgreathead said:


> Looks like it. Its definitely a RS fork, same arch detailing as my Pike. Can't tell teh headtube size but those stanctions look pretty big.


Yup, it's the totem. 40mm stantions, 1.125 steertube, 170mm travel.


----------



## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

Damn, kudos to Brandon Sloan for ripping the wall ride on Salvation. That's some serious commitment there. Seriously, I like to know that the guys that build my bike are riding the same type of stuff I like to ride.....hence my Gran Mal! 

In all seriousness, the big S has really stepped it up the last few years and having guys like Barrecloth, Strait, Hunter, Romaniuk, etc. is helping them figure out what's possible on the shorter travel bikes.










Cheers,
EBX


----------



## Ridge Rider (Sep 21, 2005)

The reason that the downtube is curved like that is to move the front shock mount forward which allows a more linear rate for the shock, and moves the center of gravity a little more towards the middle of the bike. The upper link is also now a lot shorter because of the increased room which should save weight and improve stiffness. The shorter upper link will affect the way that the instant center of the linkage moves throughout the travel which may or may not be a good thing. 

If this frame was finished in a nice monochrome paint or anodizing I think there would be less negative reaction to the lines. I would like to see the whole bike (preferably in person) to judge the asthetics. The Demo's have allways been a busy design with function taking precedence over design. This is a marriage of the Enduro and Demo frames. If they get the handling of the Enduro and the rear stiffness of the Demo, and a linear rate linkage with enough travel - 7" - for most riding it could be a winner for Freeride.


----------



## DownHill 4 Life (Jan 25, 2005)

Universe:


> Yea thats a stupid idea to focus on performance. When will they learn.


...O.K. - maybe you missed one of my points when I was focusing on the argument for better aesthetics, but...

Yes - the Demo 8 would definitely benefit from the new modified suspension design. For racing it will make square edged hits a lot smoother, and thus you will have a faster bike. This is something I wish they had done from the beginning, but obviously wasn't possible because of tooling costs - don't forget that from 05 to 06 both the Demo 8 and 9 shared a lot of design characteristics.

What I'm saying is that with the caliber of creativity these guys are capable of, I was dissapointed with their aesthetic solution to improving the bikes rear suspension performance. It IS possible to have both - look at the Demo 9 - the modified FSR linkage design is pure creative ingenuity for freeriding/hucking AND, when mated to the frame, it looks killer. (focusing on the BB area here)

So it's a balance between form and function, and obviously function has the higher priority for a quality product. But I think that when it comes to bikes, for most people it becomes a personal thing - they want to customize their bike, and make it look unique. Look at all the stuff top DH racers do with their rigs, like Peaty's yellow and black "hazard sign" 224 from last year... So form is also important, but this comes into play for the marketability of a product.

I just think that the guys at Spesh are capable of designing a better looking downtube/BB joint on that frame when mated to their new version of the Demo's suspension, that's all.


----------



## Mongiafer (May 29, 2005)

*I like the new demo 7, but....*

looks like u will have to be a rich ass to ride those bikes. For the same money i will prefer to suppourt a little company as transition or something like that. Maybe cuz i hate big companies and about the p series prices I notice the same thing was going on with the gisnt stp in 2004 u was able to get one for 400 bucks and now the ss is 750 with a crappy dirt jam comp (mcu shizze)


----------



## ebxtreme (Jan 6, 2004)

DownHill 4 Life said:


> I just think that the guys at Spesh are capable of designing a better looking downtube/BB joint on that frame when mated to their new version of the Demo's suspension, that's all.


Worth noting is that these are proto's. These usually go through a round or 2 of design changes before heading to production. Personally, I don't think the BB area is that fugly, but I wouldn't be surprised if the production bikes aren't a bit more aesthetically pleasing.

Cheers,
EBX


----------



## DoubleDown (Sep 6, 2004)

Renegade said:


> Yup, it's the totem. 40mm stantions, 1.125 steertube, 170mm travel.


Actually, no. That's a 1.5 steerer. The fork has been stated to have 180mm of travel as well.


----------

