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Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08) | $2700
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Specialized Pitch Pro - clean and simple, high-performance, 150mm macine

BikeRadar verdict

45 out of 5 stars

"Specialized's experience shines through in the Pitch Pro. Few bikes can match its stable descending and easy pedalling, though we'd definitely prefer to see an air-sprung fork"

By Seb Rogers

The new-for-08 Pitch is Specialized's aluminium version of the ground-breaking Enduro SL. It delivers the same performance bang for a lot fewer bucks.

A couple of years ago Specialized redesigned their popular Enduro all-mountain machine from the ground up. The result - the Enduro SL - redefined the 150mm travel bike in terms of stiffness, weight and all-round useability. Trouble was, it was out of reach of most riders, hence the Pitch - a simpler, stripped-out, bare bones machine based on the same proven geometry. Is this really the poor man's Enduro SL?

Ride: climbs like a short-travel bike, descends like a demon

Specialized has spent well over a decade building variations on its FSR four-bar suspension design. From race winning cross-country speed machines to gravity-fuelled, boulder munching freeride sleds, they've had plenty of experience of getting the most out of the four-bar linkage and Horst chainstay pivot. The Pitch has a lot to live up to.

Making a whole 150mm (5.9in) of rear wheel travel behave itself on a bike that's designed to be ridden all day isn't as easy as it looks, but the combination of Fox's ProPedal damping platform and Specialized's long experience has paid off.

Despite the lack of its Enduro cousin's cunning compression damping system, the Pitch pedals up hills more like a 100mm (3.9in) bike with a bit of excess weight around the middle than a 150mm (5.9in) descending demon.

There's never any sense of excess sag or wallow. The rear wheel patters over everything from small roots to large, square-edged rocks, leaving the rider to concentrate on keeping the power down. It's an impressive feat.

But it's when you point this bike downhill, of course, that it really comes into its own.

Accurate, stable steering and seemingly limitless quantities of progressive rear wheel travel help keep the wheels planted on terra firma regardless of the provocation. Pick the rough line and ride it faster than the smooth line, because at the end of the day that's the point of this bike.

It may lack the ultimate poise, low weight and smooth lines of its Enduro cousin, but it's a 150mm bargain.

Chassis: the Enduro SL on an aluminium budget

Much of the Enduro SL's impressive weight and stiffness gains came from careful use of carbon fibre for its main frame. The bad news is there's no room in the budget to give the Pitch Pro a sexy Formula One chassis.

The good news is that it doesn't matter too much unless you're a wealthy weight weenie. Although it won't win any slimmer-of-the-year awards, the Specialized's all-up heft is right on the money for a mid-travel machine at this price.

The frame design mimics much of the Enduro SL's swoopy curviness in aluminium form, with a backbone made from a curved-at-each-end down tube and a radically dropped top tube with a braced seatmast. There's only room for one bottle mount, but that's one more than on some full suspension bikes.

At the rear it's business as usual with Specialized's proven FSR suspension set-up. Asymmetric chainstays pivot roughly in line with the middle chainring - just behind the bottom bracket. The neat direct mount front mech pivots as the chainstays move, removing the need for a seat tube mount and eliminating swingarm/derailleur clearance issues.

Prominent pivots at the classic Horst location connect the chainstays to the seatstays, while the Fox Float RP2 shock is driven via a tidy forged linkage. It's well finished and, surprisingly for a bike at the long end of the mid-travel class, manages to look quite elegant.

Steering and frontline rock-swallowing duties are handled by 140mm (5.5in) of RockShox Pike travel. All the adjustable niceties are here, from compression and rebound damping to a lockout switch, so knob twiddlers and the bob-obsessed are well catered for, although the coil spring isn't as easily to tune for rider weight as an air spring would be.

The U-turn travel adjust feature is also a welcome feature on a bike with this much travel, but the stiff feel and hard edges of the dial mean that only the determined rider is likely to use it regularly.

Components: SRAM with one great swap

It seems that SRAM's ubiquitous X-9 transmission set rules the roost at this price, and the Pitch Pro doesn't buck the trend. Specialized has seen fit to substitute a pukka Shimano Deore chainset though, which translates into the best front shifting this side of, well, XTR.

Avid's Juicy Three SL brakes with big rotors haul the whole lot reliably to a halt, chunky tyres with wide-spaced knobs offer great gobs of grip with plenty of cushioning, and Specialized's own brand finishing kit is all good-looking and well finished - no complaints.

User Reviews

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  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    Finally the review is here! :D

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    possible the "sleeper" hit bike of the year??

    awesome ride, awesome package, awesome value.....

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    why cant u get it in the yellow? its so sweet compared to the brown and blue.

    s'all good apart from the col

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    I was one of the very few lucky people to get one of these about 2 weeks after they launched because specalized were supid and did not manufacture enough. I absoulutley love it the only thing is that they have skimped on the rims and tires (they are not very good).

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    Hi guys

    I picked my new pitch pro up today, everything looked good , went out for a quick blast on it and I am really pleased .

    I am no expert by any means But I put my bike through a bit of abuse my last bike was a kona coiler , this bike is much lighter than that, I did notice the the weight is balanced , where as some other bikes I have ridden seem to be tail heavy.

    I love the forks with adjustable height, and is also able to be locked out same with the rear fox shock.

    The bike came with spd's but I changed them for flats but that is just my prefrence...

    I will post a longer review in a few weeks after I have had chance to do a bit..

    All in all I would say it is looking good , looks like it will take more of a beating than the stumpjumper but is more ridable than a big hit or the enduro..

    I like the col too it hides the mud...lol..

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    I have had my pitch for a few weeks and can't ride it enough! Its great! I switched the forks to 454 air pikes as soon as I got it and put my old brakes(Avid Juicy 5s). The result is great. Its a bit of a slog up hills but coming back down is very awesome! In my eyes the bike of the year so far...

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    Superb ride, great value, gorgeous looking, but... shockingly bad saddle!

    Picked mine up from a LBS back in February and have loved every minute in the (replacement) saddle.

    First off, the bike looks far better in the metal than pics suggest. It's understated in a closet hooligan way and in this rider's opinion is far better than the eye-watering acid bile version our chums over the pond have to stomach. Stem, seatpost and full-length cable sleeves are all picked to support the overall visual package, and while looks are highly subjective, I'd recommend visiting a Spesh dealer to see one before crossing it off your list.

    KIT

    Spec is bang on for the cash. SRAM back-end and shifters do a solid job although would've preferred X9 shifters as the stock X5s are a little vague. The Deore front-end doesn't miss a trick so I'll go with MBUK's reviewer on that choice. Avid Juicy 3s are powerful if a bit grabby, and more than adequate for now. The stock Spesh stem and bars were also good light-weight items but have since been replaced with Truvativ 'Hussefelt' 50mm riser bars and an oversize DMR 'Headstock' stem to bring the cockpit in a bit.

    The RP2 shock soaks up the hits well (Spesh's link playing a large part) and with pro-pedal on even a 16.5 stone lump (moi) doesn't get any bob. Up front the Pikes are fantastic and super stiff. I've really clouted them on some crap lines and not gone over the front yet! Some may prefer the lighter air-sprung version but the stock coil units are smoother and offer a better (if heavier) ride for considerably less cash.

    Tyres work well on a combination of loose gritty surfaces and rocky rooty stuff. They even do okay in the nasty clay slime here in West Sussex, clearing fairly well and not squirming too much under power. As for the pedals, I had the shop swap 'em out for some V8s so can't comment. Grips were adequate own-brand hairspray jobs; since replaced with Spesh's own Roca lock-ons for a bit more comfort.

    However, despite all the solid kit choices above, one single item nearly trashes it all - the saddle! Half way through the 3m ride home from the shop my backside felt like it'd been beaten with a shovel! This is the most horrifically uncomfortable saddle I've ever used, which for a bike designed to be ridden all day, is a pretty poor show. I know saddles are a personal choice but even friends commented on how bad it was after just five minutes. Having swapped it for a WTB Pure V, life is now significantly more comfortable.

    SIZING

    I'm 6ft and long in the body. Trying the medium first, it felt flickable and quick but still reasonably stable under power. It did feel a bit too short up top though, and while shifting the saddle rearwards and a longer stem could've helped it would've trashed the overall handling. I went with a large, which gave me more room to shift about in the cockpit but retained the quick handling. Adding higher bars and a shorter stem sorted the handling completely.

    RIDE

    After several all-day sessions and numerous 2-3 hour blasts I can confidently say you can ride this bike all day and enjoy all of it, even the climbs. It's never going to win king of the mountain but it does go uphill pretty swiftly; flick the pro-pedal on and spin your way to the top. I've not even needed to crank the forks down on the u-turn yet.

    So it climbs well, but it descends like a loony! The great blend of chuckability and stability inspire more confidence than I've felt in a long time. I've breezed sections that used to have me scrubbing or even stopping and it really does feel like you've more than 5.5" travel on board. Despite this, it never feels like its wallowing in the holes and always responds super fast when you put power down on the flats.

    You can indulge your inner hooligan or just go for a pootle with the family, you'll never feel like you're on the wrong bike though.

    Top ride, great value, crap saddle... 'nuff said.

    GOOD:

    - Price

    - Ride

    - Versatility

    - Spec

    BAD:

    - Grips

    - SADDLE!!!

    - Shifters could be better

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    superb bike quite light for uphills and great downhill as others have said the saddle is crap but thats cheap 2 sort out and the tyres are not great in the wet. However for the price u get a heck of alot it took me ages 2 chose a bike as i am on a low income and am very happy with my choice.

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    Please, what is the weight of Specialized Pitch Pro? thanks

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    Got the pitch pro in Feb and find it flawless. Brilliant bike and the saving in weight, shock and fork performance is definatly worth the extra £200 from the Pitch (although I prefer the blue and red/pink frame colour!!) So far have only replaced the saddle and pedals which is usually the norm for any bike. The ballance between stability and responsivness is amazing. The frame even comes with ISCG mounts which i am pondering using. Used this bike on trail centre black runs and freeride parks as well as long days in the pentlands. A brilliant all rounder, thumbs up.

    0.3
  • User review of Specialized Bicycles Pitch Pro (08)

    Hi

    I have had my Pitch Pro from the 1st day they went on sale last year. In that year i have coved 1000's of miles most of it trail and AM use with a bit of free riding too.

    The bike does have its falts but then what bike does not plus it is sub £1500 full sus.

    I did find that after a year of hard riding that there are afew parts that could be better.

    Wheels are poor, Head set, Sadle, tyers and the fork i thought were to soft if you are a heavy rider and like big drops.

    With these points in mind i have changed the parts that i thought were poor and could do with replacing. Now alot of poeple say they would love to see the bike come with an air front fork. I think this would save alot of wait and be a good idea if you wanted to tune your bike to what you ride ect....

    I have gone down the path of putting on a set of FOX VAN 36 R which has made the bike handle much better at highend speeds on fast trails and big drops. To solve the wheel problem i have put on a set of DA BOMB DA RIMS in gold camo which do look really nice with the brown frame. Only time will tell if the wheels are any good.

    As for the tyers im still trying to find some thing that work for me as where i live there are alot of flints that cut tyers to bits.

    I have also added a bash guard in white from Black Spire for when riding North shore.

    Will post up a pick when all the other parts turn up.

    Thanks for reading

    "sorry about the spelling"

    0.3

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Specification

Name:
Pitch Pro (08)
Built by:
Specialized Bicycles
Price:
$2700.00

Weight (kg):
14.5
Year:
2008

Frame & Fork:

 
Frame Material:
Alloy
Fork Brand:
Rockshox
Fork Model:
Pike 351
Rear Shock Brand:
Fox
Rear Shock Model:
RP23

Brakes:

 
Brakes Brand:
Avid
Brakes Model:
Juicy 3 Hydraulic Disc

Transmission:

 
Cranks Brand:
Shimano
Cranks Model:
Deore
Rear Derailleur Brand:
SRAM
Rear Derailleur Model:
X-9
Front Derailleur Brand:
Shimano Deore
Shifters Brand:
SRAM
Shifters Model:
X-9

Wheels:

 
Front Hub Brand:
Mavic
Rear Hub Brand:
Mavic
Tyres Brand:
Specialized
Front Tyre Size:
26x2.25
Rear Tyre Size:
26x2.25

Contact Points:

 
Saddle Brand:
Specialized
Saddle Model:
Body Geometry
Seatpost Model:
Alloy
Stem Brand:
Specialized
Handlebar Brand:
Specialized
Handlebar Model:
Riser

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