S-Works FSR xc - A peak performer with a price to match
Written: Oct 20 '00 (Updated Oct 20 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A no-excuse cross country racer whose limits are only determined by its rider
Cons: Its steep price is steeper than any hill it can climb
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| sweeper's Full Review: |
There are "peak" moments in life when you feel the most alive. These are the rare and precious times when everything is in sync, motion becomes effortless and grace in action becomes natural. Many of these moments have come to me while riding a bicycle. My most recent peak moment occurred more than a thousand feet above Lake Tahoe on the famous Flume Trail cruising the single track on my S-Works FSR xc.
Lake Tahoe has been the site of many peak moments for me. Skiing, hiking, shooting pictures and road and mountain biking has been a source of heightened pleasure literally and figuratively around this alpine lake more than a mile high in the Sierra Nevada range. Good equipment has always been part of the equation. My latest mountain bike ride during the autumn in the high country was rewarding in many ways. My Specialized full suspension bike made much of it possible.
After retiring a number of our older mountain bikes, I had convinced my wife that this year would be the one where we would buy full-on bikes we could have and hold for a while. As a "roadie" who was not familiar with the newest trends in the mountain bike arena, I had begun a near yearlong search for the right bike. My search was limited to those brands carried by my three local bike shops. But first I had to make the hardest decision. Would I buy a hard tail (front-suspended only) or a fully suspended bike?
My initial thoughts were limited to a hard tail because for the same money they had better frames, were lighter, had better components and were more reliable. I found that the highest quality fully suspended frames were priced stratospherically high but they were designed and built well. I test rode hard tails such as Schwinn's Homegrown, a Specialized Stumpjumper M2, Trek's 8000 and others. All of these were sweet riding bikes. During this time, several of my road buddies were buying mountain bikes as well. These guys are fairly hard core. Many of them are tri-athletes and ultra-distance cyclists. They don't bother pulling on spandex unless they ride at least 70 miles or climb at least 5000 feet. Their vision of off-road rides was similar.
Since they were planning to spend top dollar and they wanted high performance rigs for the long haul, they were opting for fully suspended cross-country type bikes. Their picks were highly influencing my own and I knew I'd be riding with them as well. When in Rome…
The bikes I examined that were carried in my shops included the Klein Mantra Race and Mantra Pro, Trek VRX 400 and STP 200, Santa Cruz Heckler and Super Light, and various Specialized models based on its patented FSR design. While the Treks looked trick, I found I wasn't a good fit. The VRX did not feel as nimble as I wanted. The STP, although feather light, did not have the trail soaking suspension as I thought I needed. The Klein models were beautiful to behold and their single high pivot seemed to be part of a reliable design. As a Klein road bike owner, I was already partial to the company. Indeed, a regular riding buddy who also rides two Klein road models had earlier purchased a Klein Mantra Pro mountain bike and has been singing its praises ever since. While as breathtakingly expensive as pretty to look at, I kept the Kleins in mind.
I did find the Santa Cruz models especially appealing in style, ride, and price. I thought they delivered a lot for the money and had the benefit of allowing me to "customize" its final configuration. For example, I could simply go to its web site and select a frame, color, suspension type, and components. The Santa Cruz models were highly respected in the magazines and were built for the same mountains where I expected to spend a lot of trail time. Its unified rear triangle, URT, made use of a single pivot. Again, I was attracted to the simplicity in design and the subsequent reliability implications.
Upon my first ride on a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR xc, I was immediately fond of its ride, handling and fit. This particular model led me to ride other bikes in the series including the Comp and Pro models which share the same frame but differ in componentry. I found Specialized FSR design to be highly compliant on the trail without excessive "bobbing" on pedal mashing efforts. Hard braking on downhills did not affect the suspension as it does on some other designs. I was impressed enough to buy a Stumpjumper for my wife.
After a rare coup where I convinced Norma to allow me to spend a "little more" for a bike, I went all out and selected the S-Works FSR xc, Specialized ready to race out of the box cross country model.
The S-Works model includes a similar design to the Stumpjumper series but is built with the Specialized proprietary "manipulated" M4 tubing. This alloy has the benefit of being extremely light while having a tensile strength much higher than normal 6000 or 7000 series aluminum. This allows it to be formed into shapes that further enhance the final frame configuration. An examination of the frame reveals tubes that are bent and shaped into structural members that just look strong and business-like. My medium sized frame includes substantial gussets at the juncture of the top, head and down tubes as well as between the down and head tubes. The chain stays are particularly beefy. Although I'm no fan of unfinished TIG welds, I found the beads to be well spaced and professionally done.
Current and prospective owners of the S-Works need not worry about the FSR frame being overshadowed by the monocoque chassis reportedly being explored at Specialized. The Morgan Hill, California, based company recently discontinued development of this sexy looking frame after deciding it would be heavier and harder to produce than the "conventional" FSR cross-country design.
Component mix on this Specialized flag ship mountain bike is a source of wonder if not concern. At this bike's price point, many buyers are used to seeing a full-on complement of Shimano's high-end parts. Prospective buyers seeing a $3500 price tag on a mountain bike normally can expect all XTR components. What the buyer gets with his or her money on the S-Works are a mix of XTR and XT parts in the drive train and brakes. The rest are Specialized homegrown parts. The jury is still out on whether the Specialized parts are up to par in maintainability and durability since I've had this bike but four months. However, component performance has been more than satisfactory and the weight is surprising. At just over 23 pounds for this entire bike, it's a pleasure on the long and windy road and trail.
I have been more than pleased in the bike's ride and handling. I find the handlebars a bit too wide which elicits the word "wheelbarrow" from at least one riding buddy. They make single track rides along rock walls hazardous as one can catch a bar end. Trailside foliage often snags on the bar. I plan on cutting the bar to a more manageable length. Still, a wide bar provides a greater sense of control in tight singletrack at the expense of thigh bang. It also gives the rider an extra space to rest hands just alongside the stem.
The steep geometry at the front end makes it a superb performer in switchbacks and slow speed maneuvering. Along with the bike's light weight, hill climbs on hard pack are a cinch. On trails with looser surfaces, riders should use more aggressive rear tires than the supplied Specialized Team Mt. Baldies which is a mildly nubbed semi-slick. I found myself bogging down in steep sandy and snow covered trails when my rear spun uselessly. During high speed descents, I also found my rear end wandering as I sped over sand and snow. However, this tire is reportedly a fine performer on harder cross country trails and is a tire of choice on rock such as Moab's Slickrock trail.
During the first month, I was uneasy with the performance of the pedals. After a break-in period, however, they have become consistently reliable. The Specialized Team pedals are SPD compatible. They continue to engage and release even when my cleat is covered with sand and mud. I've not experienced any premature release since the break-in period.
The suspension on the bike works superbly. Specialized has licensed its FSR technology to other bike makers who have discovered its benefits. The four bar pivoting design and distinctive Horst link give a supple ride without surprises. I question the durability and maintainability of the bushing based pivots. I'm considering ordering a set of bearings from Macbike to replace the bushings whose design is less than ideal in mucky conditions. Only with a complete disassembly can one properly service the stock bushings. Both front and rear shocks are highly tunable for pre-load and rebound. The fork is Manitou's top of the line Mars CL model which is stiff and light at 3.8 pounds. Its 76mm of travel is perfect for cross-country applications. It includes bosses for a disk. The rear shock is Fox's Float RC. Both shocks can be locked out instantly to totally eliminate bobbing and increase efficiency when suspension is not wanted or needed.
Some gripes include the rear brake cable that protrudes outward and can rub against the rider's left calf. This common complaint can be cured by a cautious home or shop mechanic who must judiciously put a tighter radius on the stainless steel cable guide without crimping it. Restacking the brake washers by moving them from the left to right brake arms allows enough clearance between the cable and calf. However, during times when the rear suspension is active, the rider will have to put up with the jutting cable. Because of the frame geometry, seat height adjustability is limited to about an inch. I am used to dropping the seat from four to five inches on long and steep descents to lower my center of gravity and allow me to easily shift weight to the rear. I'm having to get used to dropping my butt over the rear wheel instead. With this limited adjustability, the seat post quick release, as nice as it is, seems unnecessary and introduces the risk of the seat being stolen.
And maybe that wouldn't be bad. My only complaint with the saddle is not its unyielding padding as others have complained about but its shape. I prefer a saddle with a greater flare and a turn upward at the rear. This gives me something against which I can brace on intense pedaling efforts while seated.
At this price, the bike is best suited for those who are serious about riding and knows how to best upgrade when the time comes. Stock parts work competently but racers might want to switch to race course proven components. I have no doubt this frame will remain worthy of service for years to come. I can imagine peak moments riding this bike years from now.
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: David Burckhard
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