Professional rally driver and YouTube sensation Ken Block has access to some serious toys, and his latest is one that'll appeal to more than just petrolheads.
The latest addition to a garage that includes a 650hp Ford Fiesta ST and a crazy track-equipped snow expedition truck is actually a Specialized S-Works Demo 8 downhill bike.
Anyone who's familiar with Ken Block will know that his machines are never subtle and that's certainly the case for his new downhill rig. The bike was produced after Block and Specialized struck a relationship earlier this year. Check out our gallery for a closer look at this one off machine.
Specialized's Sean Estes explained to BikeRadar a little more about the bike:
'As far as some info on the bike and the relationship, we connected with Ken earlier this year based on a shared love of mountain bikes and general desire for adventure and challenge. We began working on his S-Works Demo 8 project right away and actually have a few other projects for him that are still in process (more on that soon…). To take advantage of Ken's summer riding season in Utah, we also sent out an Enduro EVO with a custom Fox 36 for him to use while we dialed in the Demo 8. We knew we would need a few months because we really wanted to go all-out and do something on the level of Ken's other "toys". Based loosely on the livery of his race cars, we bounced design concepts back and forth until we finally took to the paint booth here in our headquarters in Morgan Hill, California. While the paint work was being completed we linked up with Fox, ENVE, Shimano, and e.13 to get the rest of the build dialed in. We kept the status updates to Ken pretty low-key so we could surprise him with the final product. The bike was delivered just over a week ago and as soon as he got it he strapped it down in the bed of his matte black Ford Raptor and went straight up to Park City to test it out and get some photos. The end result has been pretty cool. Stay tuned to see what's next…'
- Frame: 2014 S-Works Demo 8 Carbon, size L
- Fork: 2015 Fox 40 AIR
- Rear Shock: Custom Ohlins TTX
- Wheels: ENVE DH hoops on DT Hubs
- Drivetrain/Brakes: Shimano Saint/Zee
- Pedals: Specialized Bennies
- Handlebars: S-Works DH Carbon
- Stem: Specialized Direct-Mount
- Tires: Specialized Butcher DH 2.5
- Saddle: Specialized Henge Expert
- Grips: Specialized Sip Grip
- Seatpost: Thomson Elite
- Chainguide: e.13 LG1
And in case you're not familiar with Ken Block, here's something from a couple of years ago...
Ken block