There’s a new family of bikes coming out of the Specialized stable – the Status 2.
It’s not a new name, with the previous generation of Status bikes being pocket-friendly rippers for those looking for an aggressive ride. And, in many ways, this new breed of Status follows that formula.
However, rather than there being one Status, there are now three – occupying a broad range of intentions, all built with M5 alloy frames.
At one end, is the Status 2 140 – a trail bike built for those who prioritise durability and snappy handling over weight and a feature-full chassis. Those riders might want the new Stumpjumper instead.
At the other end, there’s the Status 2 170 DH. If it’s not too obvious from the name, it’s a 170mm-travel bike with a 180mm DH fork, built for wannabe downhill racers and park rats.
Then there’s the middle model, the Status 2 170 – a burly enduro bike with 170mm travel.
This 170mm version will be sold as a frameset in the USA for $2,000.
Even if you’re not interested in tearing up the woods, Specialized says the Status 2 is great for hitting up a few stair steps on the way back from the corner shop.
The bikes are built with durability in mind, while specs are focused on suspension and braking performance, rather than time being spent on hitting specific performance metrics. These are designed to be no-nonsense MTBs for those who just want to jump on a bike and ride.
Alloy mullet wheels are fitted to all the bikes, along with basic but effective drivetrains and finishing kit.
In addition to the new bikes, Specialized is introducing a new S0 size to the Status 2 range, designed for riders under 5ft. Rather than the ‘regular’ mullet setup, these S0 models get a 27.5in front wheel with a 26in rear.
Specialized Status 2 140
The Status 140 2 is a rough-and-tough trail, jib, or short-travel enduro bike, with 140mm Marzocchi Z1 forks and a Marzocchi Bomber piggyback air shock offering up ‘normal squish’.
TRP’s Trail EVO brakes provide the stopping power, while a Shimano Deore groupset gives the drive.
In keeping with the intentions of the bike, the geometry is suitably dialled.
In the Low setting, there’s a 64-degree head angle and a 77-degree seat angle, while the BB drops 38mm below the axles for a relatively slammed ride.
Reaches and stacks range from 415mm to 515mm and 605mm to 636mm respectively across the S1-S5 size range, while chainstays are a snappy 427mm in the S1-S3 and 432mm in the S4 and S5.
A flip chip raises the BB by 8mm and steepens angles by half a degree, if you want a slightly taller ride – it’s worth noting that the bikes will ship in this setup.
- $3,500
Specialized Status 2 140 ZERO
The S0 version of the bike comes with a similar build, although it has a SRAM NX drivetrain and SRAM Code R brakes.
The suspension has been tuned for lighter riders.
This includes a more progressive leverage rate to give those running lower spring pressures the necessary mid-stroke support, while there’s still tunability late in the stroke with volume spacers possible.
This setup is also said to help overcome the friction inherent in air suspension units – something lighter riders are more likely to feel.
The same angles are present, although the reach is down to 390mm and the stack is 377mm. You still get the flip chip though.
Lower standovers, narrower bars and shorter cranks are also specced.
- $3,000
Specialized Status 2 170
‘Lots of squish’ is provided by the longer-travel Status 2 170 .
There’s 170mm of travel at either end, doled out by Fox’s 38 Rhythm fork and a Performance-level DHX Coil shock.
The bike shares the same TRP brakes and Deore groupset, although while the 140 gets Grid Trail Butcher tyres at both ends, the longer-travel 170 receives a stouter Grid Gravity rear tyre.
Reaches range from 420mm to 520mm and stacks 620mm to 652mm. The head angle (Low) is 64 degrees, while the seat angle is 77 degrees.
- £3,000 / $3,500 / €3,700
Specialized Status 2 170 ZERO
Available in the S0 size only, the build of the Status 2 170 ZERO is similar to the Status 2 140 ZERO, although there’s a 170mm Fox 36 Rhythm fork and a Fox air shock to aid tunability.
The NX drivetrain and Code brakes remain.
There’s a 597mm stack and a 390mm reach, along with 432mm chainstays.
- $3,000 / €3,700
Specialized Status 2 170 DH
This model has a descending focus.
At the front, there’s a RockShox Boxxer Select fork, paired with a Super Deluxe Select coil shock.
SRAM’s new Maven brakes are on stopping duty, while you get a 7-speed GX DH groupset – this is one for those happy pushing up the hills or getting on an uplift.
Grid Gravity-cased tyres feature on the front and rear.
The head angle is raked out to 63.5 degrees, thanks to that longer fork, while reaches in the S2 to S5 size range are spread between 445mm and 520mm.
There’s no ZERO-sized model in the 170 DH flavour bike.
- £3,500 / $4,500 / €4,200
