# Is this Specialized Demo 7 right for 1st downhill bike



## kendrab (Dec 30, 2011)

I am ready to purchase my first downhill bike. I want to start riding at the local bike park, and might eventually take it to Whistler. The goal is to have a fun bike at a reasonable price, not to race it competitively. I am looking at a 2010 Specialized Demo 7 I, and it was upgraded by the bike shop to a 2012 Rock Shox BoXXer R2C2 fork.

This is a 7" travel bike, but with the upgraded fork, the front will have 8" of travel. Do you think this will cause any problems with handling?

Note that this bike has a 1.5" integrated headset, and the shop used spacers to fit the BoXXer and its has a 1 1/8" steerer tube. Should I be concerned there?

I am a fairly big person at 225 lbs. The stock spring on the BoXXer fork is rated for 160-180 lb range, so I will order the appropriate black spring (X-Firm).

The standard shock is a Fox DHX 4.0, and spring rate is 500#. SHould I order the heavier 550# spring, as used in large bike size, or should I order an aftermarket titanium spring?

Finally, will the built in compression of DHX 4.0 shock work properly with my weight, or should I: 
1) order the upgraded Fox DHX RC4, which came standard on the Demo 7 II of the same year and has both high and low speed compression adjustability?
2) get a professional tune done on DHX 4.0?


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## kendrab (Dec 30, 2011)

I did some research, and the frame is rated to use a fork of up to 200 mm, so that part is okay.


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## retrofred (Jan 19, 2004)

the boxxer is a perfect choice for that frame. what you can do is change the headset to a flush type to bring the front end down a little. you have nothing to worry about with a 1.5 head tube. i say ride the boxxer with the medium spring. i have felt that boxxers are a little over sprung. i weigh 235 and have always used a medium spring. as for the rear shock goes. ride it and see if it feels good, if it doesn't, get the shock rebuilt. it'll be cheaper then buying a new shock and companies like push or avalanche do some great rebuild/upgrade work on rear shocks. it sounds like the bike is pretty well set up, so dumping a bunch of money may not be needed. as play bikes go, you can't go wrong with a demo 7


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## Demodude (Jan 27, 2007)

Contrary to popular belief, the Demo 7 gets 7.75" inches of travel, not 7". I think the bike would be a blast with a 200mm fork up front.


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## eltazar (Nov 1, 2006)

Yeah, just take out the spacer - it sits behind the bottom out bumper. No adverse effects, it's even described in the manual.


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## kendrab (Dec 30, 2011)

I used the Fox Racing Spring Calculator to determine the proper spring rate for the DHX 4.0 shock. At a 235 lb riding weight, the recommendation is a 650 lbs/inch spring rate. I had hoped the 550 lbs/inch spring that comes on the large sized bike would work, but apparently not (that falls into a rider weight range of 190 lbs).

I know from my days as a motorcycle mechanic that adjustable compression dampening can make a big difference. Does anyone have insight into whether upgrading to the Fox DHX RC4 version from the Demo 7 II is a good move for the money, or should I go straight to something from the aftermarket?


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## Moosey (May 18, 2010)

dude, you're putting way to much math into this. I'm 145lbs, i ride a medium spring (or whatever stock spring is) in my 40. Its technically to much for me, but i love it. The math isn't there, but i wouldn't change that 1 bit. And on a shock i had, i rode the mathematically recommended spring, but that made it feel like a wet noodle. I went up a spring and it felt way better.

I know people who run a spring lower than recommended too. Its part of the game. Just buy the damn bike. its a perfect bike, You will love it. After riding for a few months or weeks, if you dont like the feel of something (sping) then order a new one. if you dont like the stock shock with a new spring, then get a new shock. dont feel the need to go with some sort of fox either. Look at vivids and ccdbs if you want upgrades.

buy the bike, and stop all the math, please.


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## kendrab (Dec 30, 2011)

*I bought the bike*

Just wanted to let everyone know I bought the bike. I appreciate all the input. It was a brand new 2010 model with new 2012 BoXXer R2C2. It cost me $3360 with tax... in Canadian dollars and I think that is a pretty stellar price.

Anyway, I will continue gathering info on suspension settings. I won't have it home for a month or two, but that's ok. there is snow where I live so can't ride it yet anyway.

The Demo 8 for that year uses a 8.5" x 2.5" shock, the Demo 7 uses a 8.5" x 2.375" shock. Does removing the spacer behind the bottom out bumper cause any issues with the shorter stroke?


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