Specialized Pitch - Project almost complete.

Zaskar20

Purchased on the cycle to work scheme for a grand - couldn't spend a penny more!
I would have liked to put around another grand to get a 6" freeride for around £2,000, but this was not possible. Also, I had to buy a complete bike, so a frame (with components purchased separately) was out of the question.

I had previously read an MBR review of the Pitch Pro (10 out of 10) that stated the frame was only scratching the surface of what was possible in terms of ride, and suggested it was being held back by the components. So I decided to check out the Pitch Comp, safe in the knowledge that I could upgrade the components around a pretty decent frame.

The Fox forks and rear shock were the first items obtained after the bike - probably the most important upgrades - bought to give the plushest ride possible.

Frame: Specialized Pitch - small
Forks: Fox Float RLC 140mm ,15mm QR
Bars: Truvativ Holzfeller 700
Stem: Truvativ AKA 70mm 15 deg rise
Headset: FSA Orbit XL II
Grips: Da Bomb Holy Sh*t
Bar Ends: Yeah right!!!!

Front Brake Lever assy: Hope Tech
Front Caliper: Hope M4
Front disc: Hope Floating Rotor 203mm
Rear Brake Lever assy: Hope Tech
Rear Caliper: Hope M4
Rear Disc: Hope Floating Rotor 183mm
Hoses: Hope Braided

Shifters: SRAM X5
Cables: SRAM
Front Mech: SRAM X7
Rear Mech: SRAM X7
Chain Device: N/A

Seat: Specialized Alias 143mm
Seat Post: Standard Specialized
Seat Post Clamp: Hope QR

Cranks: RaceFace Evolve
Chainring(s): RaceFace
Chain: KMC X9 93 silver
Cassette: Shimano XT
Pedals: DMR V12 Mg
Bottom Bracket: RaceFace

Front Wheel: Custom Build
Rim: Sunn Equalizer 27mm
Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution
Hub: Hope Pro II
Tube: Michelin Aircomp Latex
Tire: Maxxis High Roller DH

Back Wheel: Custom Build
Rim: Sunn Equalizer 27mm
Spokes: DT Swiss Revolution
Hub: Hope Pro II
Tube: Michelin Aircomp Latex
Tire: Maxxis High Roller DH

Weight: 29.5 lbs

The next items are probably going to be SRAM X9 shifters with Hope shifter brackets to attach them to the brake levers.
Very happy with the bike and how it rides the trails.
The Specialized back end is Gert Lush!

Airienteer

I might be going out on a limb here, but I reckon that's nicer than the all orange Trek.

Zaskar20

Airienteer wrote:

I might be going out on a limb here, but I reckon that's nicer than the all orange Trek.

I have already given that Trek the title of 'officially the coolest bike on the forum' and i still stand by that. It looks a very special bike. Those Crank Bros Iodine wheels propel It to a different league IMHO.

Interestingly if I could have spent £2,000 (£1,000 C2W + £1,000 cash) on a bike it probably would have been a Trek Remedy.

Thanks for your kind comment

EDIT: Also the Pitch would be far too heavy to get up a tree!

xtreem

I think you need blue grips instead of white.

But a fantastic looking bike.

Zaskar20

Xtreem wrote:

I think you need blue grips instead of white.

But a fantastic looking bike.

Thanks I'm glad you like it.

I will have a look at blue grips - I've already thought about blue lock on collars. The reason I've kept the white collars is because they have 'HOLY SH*T' etched on them which I find kinda amusing. (childish I know).
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=16098

Da Mighty Chicken

Luuurrrvvvly bike 8)

Where did you get those Hope M4's with the blue pots? Do they also come in red?

Zaskar20

Da Mighty Chicken wrote:

Luuurrrvvvly bike 8)

Where did you get those Hope M4's with the blue pots? Do they also come in red?

Thanks

The bore caps are aftermarket only and not standard.M4 issue.They come in all Hope's colours - so yes they do red. Cost 8 quid each and 6 for the tool to take the standard black caps out and place the coloured ones in. All bike shops that sell Hope should be able to order them.

Took me about an hour to re-bleed the brakes though, as introducing air during the process is inevitable.

Da Mighty Chicken

Zaskar20 wrote:

Da Mighty Chicken wrote:

Luuurrrvvvly bike 8)

Where did you get those Hope M4's with the blue pots? Do they also come in red?

Thanks

The bore caps are aftermarket only and not standard.M4 issue.They come in all Hope's colours - so yes they do red. Cost 8 quid each and 6 for the tool to take the standard black caps out and place the coloured ones in. All bike shops that sell Hope should be able to order them.

Took me about an hour to re-bleed the brakes though, as introducing air during the process is inevitable.

Thanks for the info

They do look the biz and just the kinda thing i'm looking for on my new bike to be.

Can you remember what make the bore caps are, or if not what bike shop you used to buy them from, I only ask just incase my LBS cant source them.

Thanks again

Da Mighty Chicken

PS. Forgot to ask what do you think of the Hope M4's, do they have good modulation & stopping power?

Zaskar20

Da Mighty Chicken wrote:

PS. Forgot to ask what do you think of the Hope M4's, do they have good modulation & stopping power?

They feel really good - just dial in preferred feel/reach. I can't really judge them yet as I haven't taken them on a 'proper' downhill. But if they're anything like my mates they should be the dog's danglies.

BTW the bore caps are Hope - any Hope dealer should do.
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/hopeborecapm6small.aspx?&id=10573

Da Mighty Chicken

Zaskar20 wrote:

Da Mighty Chicken wrote:

PS. Forgot to ask what do you think of the Hope M4's, do they have good modulation & stopping power?

They feel really good - just dial in preferred feel/reach. I can't really judge them yet as I haven't taken them on a 'proper' downhill. But if they're anything like my mates they should be the dog's danglies.

BTW the bore caps are Hope - any Hope dealer should do.
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/hopeborecapm6small.aspx?&id=10573

Cool, thanks mate

Whytepeak

Those tyres 2.35s? thanks

Chaz.Harding

A white seat post is defo needed. ASAP!

Bloody nice.

Admins, can we get a 'Sexiest bike compilation' thread, that is locked, and only the very best bikes get to go on? Like this, the Orange Trek, and his mate's Yeti?

VERRRRY nice.

Even my missus would ride a MTB if it looked like that!

k2rider

well im going to sound a bit contraversial here but.......lose the white bars, get some carbon low risers and carbon seatpost and it will look a whole lot better, white bars will go the same way as purple anodising, from the front it looks like a big chunk of white coming at you with no contrast, are people on here trying to turn bikes into corsas with all the colour coded stuff. apart from that its a lovely looking bike.

Duffer

i think it could do with a little red somewhere to compliment the rocker... it looks a little isolated on it's own. and all that white will turn brown after a few minutes in the hills!

great looking bike

Zaskar20

Whytepeak wrote:

Those tyres 2.35s? thanks

Hi Whytepeak. Yeah the tyres are 2.35s, but they don't look that wide!

Zaskar20

bigchazrocks wrote:

A white seat post is defo needed. ASAP!

Bloody nice.

VERRRRY nice.

Even my missus would ride a MTB if it looked like that!

Thanks for your comments.

I have given the seatpost some thought, but I don't mind it the way it is. The colour of the post sort of matches the slider tubes on the forks - and from the side profile, they more or less are at the same angle.

I wouldn't have chosen blue as a colour, given the choice. My 3 previous bikes have all been red.
My mates in work don't like what I've done - they call it a girls bike!!! Guess my next upgrade could be a basket for the handlebars!!!

Zaskar20

k2rider wrote:

well im going to sound a bit contraversial here but.......lose the white bars, get some carbon low risers and carbon seatpost and it will look a whole lot better, white bars will go the same way as purple anodising, from the front it looks like a big chunk of white coming at you with no contrast, are people on here trying to turn bikes into corsas with all the colour coded stuff. apart from that its a lovely looking bike.

Thanks for the comments.

I'm really not trying to follow a fad of any type with the white - just trying to work with the colour of the forks a little. Main thing is that most stock handlebars come in black - customising (and what I'm trying to achieve) is to end up with something that is different from the rest and given that Specialized have sold out of their UK stock, there must be a fair few out on the trails.
Also I like the idea of It appearing one colour from the front and another from the side.

Zaskar20

Duffer wrote:

i think it could do with a little red somewhere to compliment the rocker... it looks a little isolated on it's own. and all that white will turn brown after a few minutes in the hills!

great looking bike

Thanks.

I have to admit I haven't got it as brown as I'd like yet, but I'm working on it - guess I should've gone for the Pitch Pro instead!!

The anodized red rocker (ITS NOT PINK) is something I've just tried to ignore. I just can't understand what Specialized were thinking. Maybe I should think about spraying a different colour - and no it won't be white!!

xtreem

[b]Zaskar20[/b] wrote:

My mates in work don't like what I've done - they call it a girls bike!!!

Are they nuts? :shock:
This is one nicely looking bike. Don't listen to them, they are just jealous.

And good point about the front and side colour.

SDK2007

Nice looking bike
Have you thought about changing the rocker for a white one?

Zaskar20

Xtreem wrote:

[b]Zaskar20[/b] wrote:

My mates in work don't like what I've done - they call it a girls bike!!!

Are they nuts? :shock:
This is one nicely looking bike. Don't listen to them, they are just jealous.

Thanks again Xtreem - Don't worry it's just banter at work and all healthy, I give at least as good as i get. Besides, most of 'em don't mtb and wouldn't know their Hope from their Tektro!

Whytepeak

Hey, don't knock tektro, had a pair of their rim brakes for 5 years. They are rubbish mind... :roll:

Zaskar20

Whytepeak wrote:

Hey, don't knock tektro, had a pair of their rim brakes for 5 years. They are rubbish mind... :roll:

Hi Whytepeak.

Tektro were my first V Brakes around '96 - absolute sh*te, but all I could afford at the time.
As soon as was possible they were upgraded to XT - planets apart!

Whytepeak

Yeah, the difference between the tektro rims and the hayes discs I also use is staggering. When I use my old bike now, its as if the brake blocks are made of ice, and riding through a puddle makes things worse.

Zaskar20

SDK2007 wrote:

Nice looking bike
Have you thought about changing the rocker for a white one?

Many thanks

I am unaware the rockers are available in different colours - please tell me more?
If they are available I'm getting another ASAP!

Zaskar20

Whytepeak wrote:

Yeah, the difference between the tektro rims and the hayes discs I also use is staggering. When I use my old bike now, its as if the brake blocks are made of ice, and riding through a puddle makes things worse.

I know pads can be worn down in a days ride in certain conditions, but I can remember taking spare blocks on rides and having to change them too. Just shows how things have moved on. Although certain V's were great as long as conditions were bone dry- as in a drought!!!! .

Tim.s

Ahhhhhhhhh!!

Where did you get those bars from?

Ive been trying to get those exact bars for ages but no one seems to have them?

Are they World Cups?

Nice bike BTW.

Zaskar20

Tim.s wrote:

Ahhhhhhhhh!!

Where did you get those bars from?

Ive been trying to get those exact bars for ages but no one seems to have them?

Are they World Cups?

Nice bike BTW.

Thanks for your approval.

Heres a link for the bars http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/produc ... 8&id=10596 just choose white from the dropdown menu

Ordered them online and took about 2 weeks to arrive. Got the stem at the same time.
Not so sure about the World Cups bit.

I'm an exiled Bristolian - whereabouts do you ride there?

p.s. are you from the red or blue side of the fair city?

Tim.s

Thanks, gotta love Sram and their attempt at making the worlds most complex and misleading website :roll:

I think the world cups are the next ones up the range, not sure about the differences but they come in a 40mm rise which is the exact match to replace the Syncros bars on my Marin. Im sure the 30mm white Holzfellers will be fine, the sweep and width is pretty much the same. Ive got some Hussefelts on another bike but they are not as wide, cheers my search endeth

Im in Clifton, so my front door to the start of the Timberland trail in Ashton court is about 10 minutes at a brisk pace, which is nice. Often venture down to South Wales though, pretty much learned to ride at Cwmcarn.

Zaskar20 wrote:

p.s. are you from the red or blue side of the fair city?

Not sure what that means so im guessing its a football thing!!! Ill have to ask the father in law!

Zaskar20

Tim.s wrote:

cheers my search endeth

Not sure what that means so im guessing its a football thing!!! Ill have to ask the father in law!

Glad to be of help with the bars - and you did guess right with the football.

Can't wait to get miy bike down Cwmcarn. I'm also going to try out Leckhampton, Cheltenham as well.
The only place I've taken it so far is the Forest of Dean a few times, not forgetting the 10 miles each day to and from work.