Review: 2021 Specialized S-Works Epic

[DJuice]

Marathons ... easy

 

Haile Gebrselassie

http://www.19thofjune.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Haile-Gebrselassie.jpg

Kipchoge?

[Hairy]

Kipchoge?

He is faster "now" ... but who has the most wins?

[Hairy]

And I prefer it that way as Scott doesn't come with that acidic taste of a large corporate bully. 

 

Would be great to see smaller teams with more interesting bikes getting some race wins in the XCO WC series. Like Pivot perhaps. Rooting for Chloe to get a XCO win in to match her Short track win.

Would be great to see Intense back in the XCO field.

Where's Niner, anyone seen Niner lately?

Mondraker were doing rather well under a certain Aussie Lady in 2019

[nathrix]

How many times must Oom Lance keep reminding you girls on here bikehub; "It's not about the bike....". 

[CAAD4]

Of course. People hate Spesh riders because they're bell ends.

Hahahaha hahahaha hahahaha!

[sirmoun10goat]

Spesh lost a lot of fans and grew a ton of haters with their sue sue SUE culture. Their "Goliath smash David" attempt to get Roubaix Cycles to change their name must have set them back a few million fans alone. Not to mention action against ex employees, wheel manufacturers, bag manufacturers etc. They're legal bullies who know smaller shops/companies can't afford to defend themselves.

 

That and the jealousy culture of course.

 

Saffers should have a good emotional connection to them thanks to Burry and The Cavemen but I reckon tall poppy culture in SA is stronger than memories.

 

Edit: https://www.velonews.com/gear/specializeds-disastrous-trademark-case-is-unnecessary-to-defend-the-brand/

 

Many people are not even aware of the lawsuits. And I have never heard anyone say "I hate Specialized because they sued..."

[Eldron]

Many people are not even aware of the lawsuits. And I have never heard anyone say "I hate Specialized because they sued..."

You need a better set of cycling mates if that's the case!

[Eldron]

This will gain them a few more fans for sure :-)

 

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/specialized-issues-stop-ride-for-sirrus-models-amid-safety-concerns/

[CAAD4]

Many people are not even aware of the lawsuits. And I have never heard anyone say "I hate Specialized because they sued..."

I dont hate them, they make good products, but I do hate corporate or any other bullies. Roubaix cycles was a new low point.

[sirmoun10goat]

Mercedes has done the same. Many years ago when Mercedes was under the Cargo Holdings distribution, my father used to have his car serviced at a mechanic (everyone called him Josie), with his business registered as Daimler Benz (he was located in the JHB CBD, near Marshall/Main Street). He was a specialist in Merc gearboxes. When Mercedes took over the distribution, he was forced to change his name. Think in the end he changed his name to Terarro Motors.

 

And I hear rumors of Orange launching (relaunching in SA - they had a presence of sorts before). They threatened many companies who had orange logos, forcing them to change.

 

These things have and will happen again.

 

Specialized is not the only bully. It's not the brand who sues, it's some box sitting in a position of power. These people come and go - holding the brand accountable for these actions is a bit short sighted.

Edited June 29, 2020 by sirmoun10goat

[Eldron]

Mercedes has done the same. Many years ago when Mercedes was under the Cargo Holdings distribution, my father used to have his car serviced at a mechanic (everyone called him Josie), with his business registered as Daimler Benz (he was located in the JHB CBD, near Marshall/Main Street). He was a specialist in Merc gearboxes. When Mercedes took over the distribution, he was forced to change his name. Think in the end he changed his name to Terarro Motors.

 

And I hear rumors of Orange launching (relaunching in SA - they had a presence of sorts before). They threatened many companies who had orange logos, forcing them to change.

 

These things have and will happen again.

 

Specialized is not the only bully. It's not the brand who sues, it's some box sitting in a position of power. These people come and go - holding the brand accountable for these actions is a bit short sighted.

You're comparing apples and oranges. Your mate stole a trademarked name. He happily used an existing company's name to punt his product. Roubaix named their shop after a classic town where a rather famous bicycle race finishes.

 

Spesh dont own the word Roubaix (although it would appear in US law they might very well!). I'm no history buff but I'm relatively sure Roubaix is older than Spesh.

[sirmoun10goat]

You're comparing apples and oranges. Your mate stole a trademarked name. He happily used an existing company's name to punt his product. Roubaix named their shop after a classic town where a rather famous bicycle race finishes.

 

Spesh dont own the word Roubaix (although it would appear in US law they might very well!). I'm no history buff but I'm relatively sure Roubaix is older than Spesh.

It wasn’t trademarked in SA at the time. Mercedes had no right to it at the time as Mercedes did not operate in SA at the point in time. So I don’t think it’s entirely different.

 

And what about Orange (the cellphone provider) coming in and pushing companies to not use orange in their logos?

Or Woolworths and the Frankie Softdrinks and Ubuntu Baba sagas.

 

Point is, many big corporations bully small entities. And as I also mentioned, it’s not the organization’s doing the bullying, it’s the one or two boxes managing the organization that instigates this. These boxes then move on, and the brand must continue to be held accountable? Did Steinhoff steal people’s money, or was it Jooste? Steinhoff was just the vehicle through which Jooste was able to steal people’s money

[DJuice]

He is faster "now" ... but who has the most wins?

Not sure, will need to google.

Remember Haile more as a 5 000m and 10 000m athlete than marathon runner.

 

Both are humble and leaving behind a legacy.

[Eldron]

It wasn’t trademarked in SA at the time. Mercedes had no right to it at the time as Mercedes did not operate in SA at the point in time. So I don’t think it’s entirely different.

 

And what about Orange (the cellphone provider) coming in and pushing companies to not use orange in their logos?

Or Woolworths and the Frankie Softdrinks and Ubuntu Baba sagas.

 

Point is, many big corporations bully small entities. And as I also mentioned, it’s not the organization’s doing the bullying, it’s the one or two boxes managing the organization that instigates this. These boxes then move on, and the brand must continue to be held accountable? Did Steinhoff steal people’s money, or was it Jooste? Steinhoff was just the vehicle through which Jooste was able to steal people’s money

 

If Roubaix had called themselves Trek or Basso or Bianchi then I'd agree with you.

 

Your mate made money by using a brand name that already existed. Mercedes developed that name - they should be entitled to it. Kinda like Chinarellos.

 

If this was an isolated case Iød agree with your second point but it wasn't Spesh have consistently sued anyone who uses names like Roubaix and Epic. The boxes may have changed but the corporate culture has been to consistently sue anyone who uses words that Spesh have no real claim to.

 

I really hope you don't own a Spesh because your "the big guy smashes the little guy - that is the way of the world" attitude kinda reinforces the stereotype around Spesh owners...

[sirmoun10goat]

If Roubaix had called themselves Trek or Basso or Bianchi then I'd agree with you.

 

Your mate made money by using a brand name that already existed. Mercedes developed that name - they should be entitled to it. Kinda like Chinarellos.

 

If this was an isolated case Iød agree with your second point but it wasn't Spesh have consistently sued anyone who uses names like Roubaix and Epic. The boxes may have changed but the corporate culture has been to consistently sue anyone who uses words that Spesh have no real claim to.

 

I really hope you don't own a Spesh because your "the big guy smashes the little guy - that is the way of the world" attitude kinda reinforces the stereotype around Spesh owners...

All my bikes are Specialized, but that’s not out of loyalty, more a matter of finding good deals.

 

I was out a work meet an greet and we started talking cycling. The usual question ‘what bike do you ride’ came up. So I tried to pass on that I ride a Specialized, without drawing too much attention to it, as so often mentioning that name results in some snide comment. Too my surprise, the response was very different, I heard ‘fantastic bikes, good service and support’. And the more I look around Canada, the more Specialized bikes I see.

 

Maybe it’s just South Africans that love to hate Specialized. There is a lot less hate for the brand when you leave the confines of SA

[Jewbacca]

All my bikes are Specialized, but that’s not out of loyalty, more a matter of finding good deals.

 

I was out a work meet an greet and we started talking cycling. The usual question ‘what bike do you ride’ came up. So I tried to pass on that I ride a Specialized, without drawing too much attention to it, as so often mentioning that name results in some snide comment. Too my surprise, the response was very different, I heard ‘fantastic bikes, good service and support’. And the more I look around Canada, the more Specialized bikes I see.

 

Maybe it’s just South Africans that love to hate Specialized. There is a lot less hate for the brand when you leave the confines of SA

This is true, but the demographic and bike types change a lot too.

 

I think most people hate on Spez because at one stage it had cornered the market with all the wannabe pro's with bat attitudes wearing specialized everything prancing around like they owned the place.

 

Outside of SA the Epic isn't popular and the fun bikes are ridden by a different breed.

 

I'm not sure if it's still the case now, but it's the same as people who rode the 2014 brain hating on the 2021 version. The stigma stuck so the perception will be incredibly difficult to shift.