First published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 134. It’s been a ‘special’ year, for sure, but the sun has continued to come up and bikes have still bee ...
By mark
Get the full story here:
https://singletrackworld.com/2021/01/editors-choice-awards-2020-marks-picks/
Been running an X-fusion Manic on my Hardtail all year, I think I prefer it to the Transfer on my other bike. Good kit.
Specialized have got form with the accessible suspension bike stuff too - remember the Specialized Pitch?
And even further - the original Big Hit - remember when that was launched and you could buy the frame only in brown, for about £650? They were everywhere!
This might be controversial, but I was reading the same article in my physical copy of ST mag this morning and guess what, I actually much prefer the pictures replicated online. The picture of Mark airborne in the mag doesn't appear to give the same depth of field, or something... (I'm not a photographer). I don't know what it is but the colours and vibrancy just do not look as good as the online pics above. There, I've said it..
Still love a physical magazine BTW, but now slightly miffed that the pics (to my eyes) are not as 'good'.
Specialized have had a good record of releasing a really good budget option. As said above there was the Big Hit (original and later version), the Pitch and the original Status.
If I was in the market for a park bike this would be right up there, especially as like most people I have a small collection of nice bars, stems, cranks and wheel set that I could easily swap over to save weight, etc.
Re. the photographs, print or on-line versions - it’s the difference between looking at a print or a projected transparency.
The print relies on the reflectivity of the paper that it’s printed on whereas the on-line version is, like a transparency, back-lit.