Specialized Status 2

MikeyGordon

Hi there,

Attached are images of my Specialized Status 2 Downhill bike. New to downhill biking and I know that some aspects of the bike aren't the best (like the front forks) but these will soon be replaced! Upgraded the handlebars to chrommags, new Lizard Skin Peaty Grips and a Nukeproof saddle. Brakes have also been upgraded to hopes with Hope 203mm Saw rotor in red on the front and the same but 185mm to the rear (not pictured yet!). Like I said forks will be replaced soonish and looking at a new pair of rims. Let me know what you think

MikeyGordon

P.s. Not sure why the pictures have been displayed sideways, they were the correct way around in image shack :S strange. Also when I come to get my new forks, how much realistically could i ask for my Rockshox domains? Obviously not after the earth but they are unmarked and only have the rebound adjustment

Cannondale12345

Killer bike there! :shock:

The rockshox domains retail at about £575 so I would suggest selling them in between about £335-£420, but that's just my opinion at the end of the day, hope this helps.

MikeyGordon

Many thanks mate! Have a few plans for her but i'm in no rush, main priority is a fork change. I would be happy with 300 pounds for my forks just to get them out the way and add funds to my new ones(looking on ebay to see if i could pick up a second hand bargain!)

ilovedirt

nice bike there mate
As for the forks, i'd say a couple of hundred maybe? (they retail for a lot more, but seeing as they're a very basic fork, not a lot of people want them, unfortunately) Get some boxxers for it if you can!
I'd reccommend some new pedals as well, superstar nanos or something, those v8s or v8 copies or whatever they are aren't the grippiest, and platform size isn't great either. And get some five tens if you can. Decent pedals + five tens = amazing!

MikeyGordon

Cheers mate!

I know the forks are pretty basic, I'd be happy with a couple of hundred just to get them out of the way and to contribute to the new ones! Was looking at the Boxxers, what would you say is the best year? Dont mind opting for second hand ones.

Agree with the DMRS, also think the red is a bit too vibrant. WIll look into the superstars!

Many thaks for your advice, quite new to the downhill world as such, spent around 10 years bmxing but fancied a change as i found it was time to grow up!

Will post some pics later of my new hope brakes/rotors

ilovedirt

I'd say any year '05 or newer is good, though the '05-'09 ones are a little flexy. If you can afford some '10/'11 ones they would be prime! Some older 888s would be good as well, '07 or older, the ones made in italy. If you can get some in good nick, they're great forks!

I used to run v8's with vans shoes, and blew my feet off the pedals all the time. Honestly, decent shoes and pedals will make a huge difference to your ride!

angry_bird

Nice bike, but good luck getting more than £250ish for the forks, very much doubt you'll get over £300 unless some fuckwit can't use google. CRC currently have new DC Domain RC's, the model up with the decent internals, 2 year warranty etc. for £320... other places have them going at around or a little over that price too.

What are you planning on doing with the rims, replacing just the rims or complete new wheels?

MikeyGordon

Thanks Ilovedirt, will look at ebay tonight see if their are any decent ones listed! Would prefer a recently serviced second hand pair, can't really justify brand new ones at this moment of time...bit pricey, especially when I'm just starting out! I know what you mean regarding the DMRS, they have destroyed two pairs of DCs! Cant really find any of the superstar pedals mate, is there any specific websites?

Angrybird...thanks mate, like I said i'm not expecting a huge amount, just anything that will help contribute to a new pair of forks. I would be more than happy with 200 pound.

Regarding rims, I was planning on building up a new rear wheel with Halo SAS rim in purple, with a Halo Supadrive hub. ANd for the front, using the existing hub but with new rim/spokes etc as I think the hubs fitted as standard are pretty bomb proof, judging by various reviews etc. Correct me if im wrong, I am new to all this

ilovedirt

Surprised you've not heard of superstar before. Here's a link to their website. They're uber cheap because they sell direct. Their wheelsets might be worth a look at too, I have their DH595 rims on their switch hubs and they're great.

MikeyGordon

Oops...couldnt find it due to a stupid mispelling! Website looks familiar...thanks alot, will have a look now!

angry_bird

Superstar Nanos are a popular pedal that seem to be rated quite highly on the forums here. I like them, use them for DH myself and they're bang on.

Wheels sound like they'll be quite nice. I wouldn't worry about the strength of the front hub, it'll be up to the job? Are you planning on building them yourself or getting someone else to do it for you?

What's your budget for replacement forks?

MikeyGordon

Just ordered the Superstar nanos, look to be an amazing pedal! Wasn't expecting them to be that cheap!

I'm getting my local bike shop to build them for me, they would do the complete build. Was looking at the rims on the Superstar website and notice they only do 32 hole. My existing rims/hubs are 36 hole. Shame as the DH595 rims look decent! Might be a case of changing both hubs.,,are the Halo SAS rims any good?

Regarding forks, budget would be between 400-600, if this doesnt prove to be enough for a decent set then I would look to up it

ilovedirt

Haha fair play, wish i could just drop money like that! :P

Halo SAS rims are meant to be decent, fair amount of people use them, though a little heavy i think. But on your build, it's probably not an issue.

£400-£600 on forks is plenty! You could get some brand new boxxers for that! I'll dig up a link
EDIT: check this and this out

Or, you could get some second hand fox 40's, boxxer world cups or marzocchi 888 RC3 evos for that money quite easily

MikeyGordon

Haha...just sold my standard bars so added a bit more money to the bike upgrading fund!

Yeah I heard the weight was an issue for some people, think the way around that was using the Halo Chaos rim on the front which was a bit lighter. Then again, as you said its really not an issue for me.

Wow, I really thought they were alot more than that! I must have been looking at the World Cups! Many thanks mate, may have to invest in a set when it comes to payday!

ilovedirt

Haha yeah, I'm not sure what the damping is like on those though, CRC says it has mission control, and then says motion control on the same page. Get one with mission control if you can, it's nice to be able to tune your fork to specific tracks. Something like this would be good.

MikeyGordon

Thanks for the advice and links mate! WIll do some research tonight, I think the boxxers are the desired option

jay12

nice! these status bikes are killer value. god choice on the chromag bars I love mine

i would definintly go with 10-11 boxxers as they feel awesome and will be a fair bit lighter than the domains.also go with the best one you can get as you get more adjustments. so the team or the world cups

personally i would keep on riding the wheels until you start breaking them. you won't get much for them so you better off using them for a while first. the specialized hubs are pretty good actually, cartridge bearings as standard and they are pretty strong too. so when you do want to get new rims i would probably go with some 36 spoked mavix ex721 rims as they are very strong and pretty light for dh rims. the sas rims are very heavy but very strong!

or even just get a superstar wheelset as it would end up being just a bit more expennsive or maybe even cheaper as it does cost a fair bit to get wheels rebuilt and you could need new spokes

also after a while you might think about upgrading your drivetrain, the shifter in particular

MikeyGordon

The chromags are brilliant arent they? People seemed to rave on about the standard bars but since installing these, you do notice a difference. Glad I got the red ones, had the chrome ones on order but backed off at the last minute.

Think thats what I might do, wait until they start getting tatty or when I decide to get a bad buckle! A bit off topic, but do you know of any rims that are a lime green in colour? preferably anodized. Similar colour to what Danny Mackaskil has on his orange inspired trial bike.

What do you recommend being a good shifter mate? I also have an e thirteen bashguard to install, i assume that my top chainguide will need to come off?

jay12

MikeyGordon wrote:

The chromags are brilliant arent they? People seemed to rave on about the standard bars but since installing these, you do notice a difference. Glad I got the red ones, had the chrome ones on order but backed off at the last minute.

Think thats what I might do, wait until they start getting tatty or when I decide to get a bad buckle! A bit off topic, but do you know of any rims that are a lime green in colour? preferably anodized. Similar colour to what Danny Mackaskil has on his orange inspired trial bike.

What do you recommend being a good shifter mate? I also have an e thirteen bashguard to install, i assume that my top chainguide will need to come off?

superstar do some lime green ones and atomlab(the same make danny has on his bike). why lime green though? i would stick to red or white for that bike.ahaha

unfortunatly it doesn't look like the guide is compatible with a bash ring. i geniuanly hate running chainguides with bash rings as mud get clogged up and my mates cranks seize when that happens. i would reccomentd getting a guide that has a "taco". a small bash guard located at the bottom of the guide.like this:


shifter wise, if you plan on using sram then the sram x9. the shifter makes all the difference IMO. if you want to get shimano gears i would get saint rear mech and xt or xtr shifter. but remember you can't mix shimano with sram!

hope that helps

MikeyGordon

Thanks mate! I'm thinking maybe my bike will be consisting of too much red and white! Maybe being coordinated isnt a bad thing but was thinking of adding another colour in...maybe it will look silly coming to think of it? mmm haha.

I thought I would maybe have issues with the bashring, nevermind I got it on ebay for 13 pound so im sure i can make my money back on it. That looks like a better solution mind you, with the "taco".

Think I will keep with using sram and opt for the x9...many thanks mate!

jay12

you suggested purple before, i reckon it would look nice that way. again superstar do purple and so do Brave.

ilovedirt

I'm running an mrp g2 steel mini with a taco, really good guide. Guides with bash guards are a pain in the arse. If you wanted to use the bash guard, you would need a new guide, or new top and bottom plastics for your guide.

angry_bird

ilovedirt wrote:

Guides with bash guards are a pain in the ars*.

This. I've had to modify my guide to make sure I don't drop the chain, if I wasn't running a bash I could have a full guide at the top and it wouldn't be a problem.

jay12

only good thing about bash rings is that your iscg tabs don't take the force when you hit a rock or something, instead it's your cranks. but these days iscg tabs are stong enough and you are unlikely going to put on enough force to break them anyway.

as long as you set your guide up right, you'll never drop a chain

MikeyGordon

Thanks guys, I knew the bash ring would be more bother than what its worth! WIll put it up in the Classified adverts when it arrive, should make a tenner! WIll look into a chain guide with taco! Jeez, downhill is costing me a fortune! haha

Muttly1981

MikeyGordon wrote:

Thanks mate! I'm thinking maybe my bike will be consisting of too much red and white! Maybe being coordinated isnt a bad thing but was thinking of adding another colour in...maybe it will look silly coming to think of it? mmm haha.

I thought I would maybe have issues with the bashring, nevermind I got it on ebay for 13 pound so im sure i can make my money back on it. That looks like a better solution mind you, with the "taco".

Think I will keep with using sram and opt for the x9...many thanks mate!

I was chatting about rear mechs last week while sizing up a DH bike, the one i'm looking at is running an X7 and i sugested an upgrade. He just said with DH your already through all the gears within the first 150 yards so mech isn't the most important upgrade.
Was looking at the Status 1 as a possible new ride and although it felt pretty plush and light for a big hitter there was just something about it that didn't quite feel right for me.

tom_howard

MikeyGordon wrote:

Jeez, downhill is costing me a fortune! haha

Some say that there are 2 constants in life, death and taxes. I believe what you've just said to be the third! I've spent a five figure sum in the last 5 years on dh...

Nice bike, I love Spesh DH bikes, would still have one had it not been removed from my possession :-( will be ace with boxxers too!

ilovedirt

Downhill does tend to cost a lot... and the better you are it, the more it costs! Sad, but true!

jay12

Muttly1981 wrote:

MikeyGordon wrote:

Thanks mate! I'm thinking maybe my bike will be consisting of too much red and white! Maybe being coordinated isnt a bad thing but was thinking of adding another colour in...maybe it will look silly coming to think of it? mmm haha.

I thought I would maybe have issues with the bashring, nevermind I got it on ebay for 13 pound so im sure i can make my money back on it. That looks like a better solution mind you, with the "taco".

Think I will keep with using sram and opt for the x9...many thanks mate!

I was chatting about rear mechs last week while sizing up a DH bike, the one i'm looking at is running an X7 and i sugested an upgrade. He just said with DH your already through all the gears within the first 150 yards so mech isn't the most important upgrade.
quote]
i thin he meant the shifter... no point changing the x7 mech. they're great and if it breaks you won't feel so bad as breaking an x9 or x0. of course thats not the case with saint because they never break. true story.

anyway i would have to disagree with your seconds point too. depending on the track you might find your self changing gears a fair bit. e.g at farmer johns track i start off in gear 5(bear in mind i have a road cassette btw) and pretty much straight away drop down to gear 6. then once out of the first short section i change to 7 for the jump line. then to gear 8 for the gap jump which you have to pedal your a$$ off for. then straight after it i change back to 7 for the next jump line with berms. when i drop down into the woods i'll change to gear 6 and after a big berm i'll go to gear 4 or 3 as the next section is steep and technical and to get out of the corners fast you need to be in an easy gear but your not pedalling down the straights as it's rocky and rooty.

changing gears depends on the track and how long it is.

delcol

jay are you old enough to legally purchase chromag...
and why on earth would you buy that crap for.

nice bike,,,