19 Spesh Before you pass judgment...

[Al Boneta]

I understand that some of you are excited by new bikes and tech. New stuff is always fun to look at, cars, phones etc.
I understand that some want to see new stuff before anyone else. It’s fun to be the first to see a new product or share it with others.
Some if you don’t understand why a big company like Specialized doesn’t want anyone to know before they launch a new product or platform.
It’s for the very reason that happened on this forum. When little pieces leak out, speculation can happen.
Speculation can create an opinion without any real knowledge or basis for the reality of that product. A picture of an on off button doesn’t give you a clear picture or tell the correct story.
The prices that have leaked out have only gone further to color people’s judgment of products that haven’t even seen yet.
That’s why these launches are so critical for a big company to plan and execute properly. So the actual facts are explained correctly. Why a product has a specific feature or a part specification. Why a product is priced the way it is and what added value comes with the additional cost.
Without the full story, speculation can hurt a company’s reputation and profitability.
When you consider how much money Spesh spent last year developing the Carbon Levos and for them to decide to scrap that design after only one year on the market, it’s not hard to figure out why costs went up.
So maybe wait and see on the 18th before you make your mind up.
Because it is what it is and it’s not what you think

 

[ccrdave]

You are absolutely right but if they allowed their customers to be part of the process there never would be any speculation

 

[outerlimits]

So what is it,. Smoke or mirrors, or both ?

It’s all fiction, till it becomes fact. It’s only a week away, or is it ?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

I wonder if Spesh could have done a public AND trade reveal earlier (a bit like Haibike did with the FLYON) in advance of the bike being launched, to stop the leaks and rumours.

I know that this would have cannibalised some existing sales, but the Levo has been almost sold out in Europe across many of the models. So may have been minimal.

What Haibike did was reveal everything to both trade and public at the same time, so literally nothing leaked. That gave them the ability to do the big reveal to everyone at Eurobike and allowed them to tell their own narrative.

At the moment select people are being shown the bike and specs and that's where these pics / leaks are coming from.

Also, Its only a love for EMTB's and Specialized that is causing this... I don't think anyone is trying to do anything maliciously

 

[R120]

Correct me if i am wrong, but from a marketing perspective Specialized would appear to have played a blinder, building a lot of hype and no doubt a lot of deposits down on the new bike.

Personally i don't get he hysteria over the new Levo, is it really a Game changer? Several others manufacturers bringing out Brose motored bikes with bigger batteries, plenty of manufacturers bringing out bikes with other motors and bigger batteries, and again others with lighter motors and smaller batteries.

Its going to be a great bike, but i am really excited about lots of the new bikes coming out next year.


The Haibike Flyon thread has lots of similar assumptions being made, with people slating the bike before anyone has even thrown a leg over it!

I think some people are just Big S fan boys and getting carried away on here.

Reminds me of my time in Snowboarding when everyone would go nuts for the new seasons gear when spy shots start coming in of pros using it etc etc.

 

[James_MTB]

I hope they've sorted the stock issues out.

 

[R120]

What if found was that the stock issues where related to certain shops ordering loads of them, leaving other with not much stock.

I know, for example, that last year Freeborn Bikes ordered a ridiculous amount of Levos and Kenvos as they new they where going to be selling like hot cakes, and i am sure some other dealers did the same. This meant that some other shops where not able to get in the stock that they wanted.

 

[Dusty]

Correct me if i am wrong, but from a marketing perspective Specialized would appear to have played a blinder, building a lot of hype and no doubt a lot of deposits down on the new bike.

Personally i don't get he hysteria over the new Levo, is it really a Game changer? Several others manufacturers bringing out Brose motored bikes with bigger batteries, plenty of manufacturers bringing out bikes with other motors and bigger batteries, and again others with lighter motors and smaller batteries.

Its going to be a great bike, but i am really excited about lots of the new bikes coming out next year.


The Haibike Flyon thread has lots of similar assumptions being made, with people slating the bike before anyone has even thrown a leg over it!

I think some people are just Big S fan boys and getting carried away on here.

Reminds me of my time in Snowboarding when everyone would go nuts for the new seasons gear when spy shots start coming in of pros using it etc etc.

Agreed...there's manufacturers already doing the large battery so nothing new in that regards.
I think specialized in particular have it sewn up because most folk in uk at least have access to a LBS spesh shop and customer service is very important also.
I carnt See myself buying a new levo it's just a shame most other brands I am interested in are online only sales or 4 hour drive away.
But there is alot of spesh owners about and probably because of what I've mentioned above and of course the bike is still a good bike

 

[Norange]

You are absolutely right but if they allowed their customers to be part of the process there never would be any speculation

I get what you mean, but Specialized customers are technically their dealers. I don't really see it as unfair if people who's livelihood is dependent on Spesh get a heads up first. I'd imagine that privately many will be speaking to their customers.

 

[Al Boneta]

You are absolutely right but if they allowed their customers to be part of the process there never would be any speculation

They are rider focused first, but you can’t have that many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to development. You also can’t give your competitors any knowledge of where you are in the development process so no one beats you to the punch.

 

[Al Boneta]

I get what you mean, but Specialized customers are technically their dealers. I don't really see it as unfair if people who's livelihood is dependent on Spesh get a heads up first. I'd imagine that privately many will be speaking to their customers.

Specialized is dependent on their dealers. Their livelihood is dependent on all of their dealers communicating the correct story and correct facts to the riders that buy these things. Specialized is a global company and the story and correct facts have to be delivered to the dealers in person at dealer events. That way nothing leaks out in the various other forms of communication they could use. To do this that literally fly all of their dealers to dealer events all around the world. They put us up in hotels, feed us and explain everything about the new products in person, so we can ask questions in person. We can see colors in person, we can see how things ride in person. The cost of this is astronomical, but it shows their commitment to the dealers. That way they can have all of the dealers aligned and can launch a new product at the same time globally.

 

[ccrdave]

Of course you mean like the bulls bike which everyone has seen, brose mag motor 750wh battery or the 2019 stumpjumper with its redesigned frame which all have seen.
I will be very interested to see what they will reveal

 

[Al Boneta]

I hope they've sorted the stock issues out.

With any new product, it can be hard to forecast demand. Specialized wants bikes in shops when they launch a new platform. If some dealers get them before others, it’s because they didn’t order in time or didn’t order enough. Initial stock is never enough

 

[Al Boneta]

Correct me if i am wrong, but from a marketing perspective Specialized would appear to have played a blinder, building a lot of hype and no doubt a lot of deposits down on the new bike.

Personally i don't get he hysteria over the new Levo, is it really a Game changer? Several others manufacturers bringing out Brose motored bikes with bigger batteries, plenty of manufacturers bringing out bikes with other motors and bigger batteries, and again others with lighter motors and smaller batteries.

Its going to be a great bike, but i am really excited about lots of the new bikes coming out next year.


The Haibike Flyon thread has lots of similar assumptions being made, with people slating the bike before anyone has even thrown a leg over it!

I think some people are just Big S fan boys and getting carried away on here.

Reminds me of my time in Snowboarding when everyone would go nuts for the new seasons gear when spy shots start coming in of pros using it etc etc.

Played a blinder? They haven’t released anything to the public. Someone at their launch in Croatia leaked those photos online.

The Haibike flyon was unveiled at Eurobike, but they don’t have any bikes in stock to ship to the dealers. So everyone has to wait for it and when it does become available next spring, it won’t have near the amount of hype it stirred up at Eurobike.

Sure other manufacturers are going to have bigger batteries and use the Mag S motor. But none of them are going to have the technology Specialized has in store for the riders.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

But none of them are going to have the technology Specialized has in store for the riders.

This is what I'm really interested in. Bit like the iPhone. When the leaks happened, you saw just a piece of glass with a button. But the software is what really set it apart when it revolutionised phones back in 2007.

 

[Al Boneta]

I wonder if Spesh could have done a public AND trade reveal earlier (a bit like Haibike did with the FLYON) in advance of the bike being launched, to stop the leaks and rumours.

I know that this would have cannibalised some existing sales, but the Levo has been almost sold out in Europe across many of the models. So may have been minimal.

What Haibike did was reveal everything to both trade and public at the same time, so literally nothing leaked. That gave them the ability to do the big reveal to everyone at Eurobike and allowed them to tell their own narrative.

At the moment select people are being shown the bike and specs and that's where these pics / leaks are coming from.

Also, Its only a love for EMTB's and Specialized that is causing this... I don't think anyone is trying to do anything maliciously

They are never going to release a new product before they have it available. They are never going to release a new platform before they are ready. For example, Software on the first Levo took longer to develop than the bike did.

Maybe that works for Haibike, but the hype will definitely be much more tame by the time the flyon comes out. They showed it before Spesh and yet Spesh will release their new bike next week, having the full weight of the hype and excitement pushing sales the day it goes live.

No one is saying that it’s malicious. Trust me the people that made this thing are bursting at the seams to talk abou these bikes. I am too.
There was one feature I completely lost my mind over

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

Played a blinder? They haven’t released anything to the public. Someone at their launch in Croatia leaked those photos online.

The Haibike flyon was unveiled at Eurobike, but they don’t have any bikes in stock to ship to the dealers. So everyone has to wait for it and when it does become available next spring, it won’t have near the amount of hype it stirred up at Eurobike.

Sure other manufacturers are going to have bigger batteries and use the Mag S motor. But none of them are going to have the technology Specialized has in store for the riders.

Completely agree, the Haibike looks amazing and I am sure it will be amazing but will ‘early adopters’ like me be able to wait until March/April for it to be available when Specialized are going to start waving their actual new models under my nose with new technology on the 18th with the ability for you to buy it on the day or a week or two later? Even if the price of it is on the high side? Me personally, can I hold off? NO, Roll on the 18th ?

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Completely agree, the Haibike looks amazing and I am sure it will be amazing but will ‘early adopters’ like me be able to wait until March/April for it to be available when Specialized are going to start waving their actual new models under my nose with new technology on the 18th with the ability for you to by it on the day or a week or two later? Even if the price of it is on the high side? Me personally, can I hold off? NO, Roll on the 18th ?

You thinking of one Kiwi?! Or have you decided that you need one?!

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

You thinking of one Kiwi?! Or have you decided that you need one?!

Got the green light from my other half?. I just need to figure out which one..... ?
Her response to my request was, ‘Life is for living so get on with it and enjoy it before it passes you by’
Is she a star or what! ?

 

[Doomanic]

On paper the new Spesh sounds like the bike I wanted them to build to get me interested but I need to see, and ride, one first. I also need to find someone in need of a slightly abused kidney...

Got the green light from my other half?. I just need to figure out which one..... ?
Her response to my request was, ‘Life is for living so get on with it and enjoy it before it passes you by’
Is she a star or what! ?

I am more than a little envious of the folk who are able to spend that sort of money on a toy. If I'm honest, my wife would say the same and even sign on the dotted line for me, but like Gary, if I don't have the cash, I don't buy it.

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

On paper the new Spesh sounds like the bike I wanted them to build to get me interested but I need to see, and ride, one first. I also need to find someone in need of a slightly abused kidney...

I am more than a little envious of the folk who are able to spend that sort of money on a toy. If I'm honest, my wife would say the same and even sign on the dotted line for me, but like Gary, if I don't have the cash, I don't buy it.

It’s way more than a toy for me mate, it’s my passion, it’s what gets me up in the morning. It’s why I am a serial upgrader, it’s why I spent 4 weeks building one of the trails the EMTB team road on Sunday ?

Now........ once I sell one of my kidneys and a lung I should be good to go ?

 

[Kernow]

Agree with the sentiment here , enjoy it while you can , if you can afford it , I don’t get into debt unless it’s interest free on a good deal .
I always say no amount of money will buy back what you missed yesterday . Buying a nice bike has value to me , it lasts a long time and had a resale value. Much better value than an expensive holiday etc to me .

 

[Dusty]

Her response to my request was, ‘Life is for living so get on with it and enjoy it before it passes you by’
Is she a star or what! ?

She sure is a star .....she got any sisters ?

 

[ccrdave]

The decision

 

[R120]

There was one feature I completely lost my mind over

Yeah I lost my shit too when I saw the beer cooler integrated into the top tube - that’s actually what the new display is, the blue lights indicate how cold it’s getting in there

 

[Botts101]

Specialized is dependent on their dealers. Their livelihood is dependent on all of their dealers communicating the correct story and correct facts to the riders that buy these things. Specialized is a global company and the story and correct facts have to be delivered to the dealers in person at dealer events. That way nothing leaks out in the various other forms of communication they could use. To do this that literally fly all of their dealers to dealer events all around the world. They put us up in hotels, feed us and explain everything about the new products in person, so we can ask questions in person. We can see colors in person, we can see how things ride in person. The cost of this is astronomical, but it shows their commitment to the dealers. That way they can have all of the dealers aligned and can launch a new product at the same time globally.

I'll just say this......The dealers in my area are not as educated on these Specialized Ebikes. It's great to hear that they are in your area. Product knowledge varies drastically by zip code. I sure as he*%% don't goto my local dealer for an education or news on these bikes.

 

[Botts101]

The decision

View attachment 5009

LOL good one - this made me laugh

 

[Botts101]

Agree with the sentiment here , enjoy it while you can , if you can afford it , I don’t get into debt unless it’s interest free on a good deal .
I always say no amount of money will buy back what you missed yesterday . Buying a nice bike has value to me , it lasts a long time and had a resale value. Much better value than an expensive holiday etc to me .

Well said - This is pretty much my sentiment.

 

[outerlimits]

Yeah I lost my shit too when I saw the beer cooler integrated into the top tube - that’s actually what the new display is, the blue lights indicate how cold it’s getting in there

I get a lot of people that see the lights on the downtube and ask “ is that a ebike?”

My reply is always” what, those lights, narh that’s a water filtration unit”
People believe it too.

 

[Cho Cyril]

Specialized is dependent on their dealers. Their livelihood is dependent on all of their dealers communicating the correct story and correct facts to the riders that buy these things. Specialized is a global company and the story and correct facts have to be delivered to the dealers in person at dealer events. That way nothing leaks out in the various other forms of communication they could use. To do this that literally fly all of their dealers to dealer events all around the world. They put us up in hotels, feed us and explain everything about the new products in person, so we can ask questions in person. We can see colors in person, we can see how things ride in person. The cost of this is astronomical, but it shows their commitment to the dealers. That way they can have all of the dealers aligned and can launch a new product at the same time globally.

That's an important thing (maybe the most)
The knowledge of the product to give the best advice to the customer. The right bike for the right way of ride.

Regarding the prices, i think when people will get the explication about what has been added, they will understand the additionnal cost. (i hope )

Agree with the sentiment here , enjoy it while you can , if you can afford it , I don’t get into debt unless it’s interest free on a good deal .
I always say no amount of money will buy back what you missed yesterday . Buying a nice bike has value to me , it lasts a long time and had a resale value. Much better value than an expensive holiday etc to me .

Can't tell it better !