The original Stumpjumper, designed by Tim Neenan of Lighthouse Bikes, Santa Cruz, retailed for just $750 when it went on sale in 1981 – we’re betting it’s worth a little more these daysJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The lugless steel framed bike weighed in at a sturdy 29lbs, while the blue paint job was chosen as it was similar to the company’s Sequoia touring bikeJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The steel fork of the 1981 Stumpjumper is far removed than those of the present dayJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
No inner cabling on steel off-road bikes of the early 80sJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
Suntour’s Le Tech rear mech on the 1981 StumpjumperJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
This was Specialized’s first mountain bike-specific tread, the StumpjumperJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 1994 Stumpjumper FSR TeamJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 1994 Stumpjumper FSR Team had just 70mm of travel, a long way from the bikes of todayJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 1994 Stumpjumper FSR Team was used by late British mountain biker Jason McRoy when he rode for Specialized’s downhill teamJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The gigantic chainset will probably come as a shock to riders getting into modern downhill racing. This looks more like something you’d find on the Shiv!John Whitney/BikeRadar
Full suspension bikes were a little different in 1994. Only 18 years have passed, but the technology has made quantum leapsJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
1994 Stumpjumper FSR TeamJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The Stumpjumper has come a long way in 31 years. Here’s the newest version, the S-Works Stumpjumper FSRJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 1990 Specialized Allez EpicJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
Shimano 600 groupset was second to top Shimano groupset in the early 90s, equivalent to Ultegra of todayJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
Lugged carbon frames are a thing of the distant pastJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
1990 Specialized Allez EpicJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The S-Works McLaren Venge arrived in a whirl of hype almost 12 months ago, with the British motor company using their carbon fibre expertise to tweak the ‘standard’ Venge that Specialized brought to them. At £12,500, it won’t be for everyone. Just as well too, because not everyone is going to get one. Only around 40 frames have been built for the UK market and every last one has been snapped up (even the one shown here is reserved). Despite McLaren agreeing to a five-year partnership with the American firm, that’s it as far as the McLaren Venge is concerned. Future projects are in the pipeline though, such as the ‘Project Black’ Tarmac aiming to make improvements to the SL4John Whitney/BikeRadar
Such was the rush last March to get a built-up McLaren Venge ready to present to the media, Specialized admitted the choice of finishing kit was a little misjudged. For the finished product, they went for a no holds barred selection of premium parts, such as these lightweight eecycleworks brake callipers. Full Shimano Dura Ace Di2, Zipp 404 Firecrest tubular wheels, Zipp SL stem and bars and their own Toupe saddle complete the specJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 2012 Shiv was launched at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii last October, tearing up the strict UCI frame guidelines in the process. This is the non-UCI legal module (£4,500), but the alloy framed Elite A1 Apex version is permitted for use in UCI sanctioned racesJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The Shiv’s integrated drinks system, or ‘Fuelselage’ as Specialized dubs it, would have given the bods at UCI kittens. The internal bladder, which holds around one bottles worth, can be refilled via a port on the top tubeJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The huge head tube on the Shiv means it can’t be used in UCI competition, but for triathlon and Ironman there’s no problemJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 2012 Specialized S-Works Shiv loses the controversial nose cone from the previous version, outlawed by the UCI on the grounds of it solely serving as an aerodynamic aid, and not functional to the frame’s structure. The new model had exposed brake callipersJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
This is the bike Craig Alexander rode, and won on, at last year’s Ironman worlds in Hawaii. Having previously used the nose coned Shiv, he’d been given the new model a month before the event in a bid to get used to it. It seemed to do the trick too, shaving 13 minutes off the course cycle leg recordJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The 2007 Tarmac SL2 was the first time Specialized involved professional road teams directly in bike development. They used their sponsorship of the Gerolsteiner team to use feedback from riders to design the SL2John Whitney/BikeRadar
At £5,000 all-in, here’s the Demo 8 FSR II downhill bikeJohn Whitney/BikeRadar
The Demo 8 FSR II comes complete with SRAM XO groupset and Rockshox Boxxer forkJohn Whitney/BikeRadar