New Specialized Website

[KnottedYet]

Her pelvis is pointing at the sky, her thorax is more nearly horizontal, meaning her low back has to go into this exaggerated flexion to connect to the two. That shoves her abdominal contents up into her diaphragm and cuts down on her breathing efficiency and sets up her lumbar spine for some nice disc distortion and paraspinal muscle strain.

Either her core isn't strong enough to hold the rest of her lined up with her thorax (so she is tilting her pelvis up in an effort to control weight distribution and balance) or she isn't flexible enough (mostly hamstrings) to ride with the saddle/bar relationship on that bike.

Or maybe that saddle is so uncomfortable she just can't sit right...

[Starfish]

Her pelvis is pointing at the sky, her thorax is more nearly horizontal, meaning her low back has to go into this exaggerated flexion to connect to the two. That shoves her abdominal contents up into her diaphragm and cuts down on her breathing efficiency and sets up her lumbar spine for some nice disc distortion and paraspinal muscle strain.

Either her core isn't strong enough to hold the rest of her lined up with her thorax (so she is tilting her pelvis up in an effort to control weight distribution and balance) or she isn't flexible enough (mostly hamstrings) to ride with the saddle/bar relationship on that bike.

Or maybe that saddle is so uncomfortable she just can't sit right...

OK, maybe I'm being lazy...what is the thorax?

[VeloVT]

hmmmm... you can "change riders"... the other two have hips that rock wildly from side to side with each pedal stroke -- it doesn't look so much like the seats are way too high, more just awkward pedaling (if anything seats look on the low side, judging by leg extension... but I know nothing about mountain bikes). strange choice of models?

ETA: both of the mtbr's have sooo much upper body movement, look at the waist-ribcage swaying between hips and shoulders. it looks really tiring. and the second one -- again, I know nothing about mtbs so I could be totally off here -- but the bike looks too small. if she didn't lock her elbows, and got a little lower, she'd have to round out her back.

[KnottedYet]

Thorax is the rib-cage. I am looking at the angle of the ribcage/spine, like if you balanced a stick along her spine in her ribcage.

Yeah, that first MTB'er is seriously rocking! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

I noticed the second one looked like she had locked elbows, now I gotta go check out her rocking, too.

Obsessions take so much work!

[Starfish]

I am looking at the angle of the ribcage/spine, like if you balanced a stick along her spine in her ribcage.

Thank you!

[Running Mommy]

Giant has had a womens site for awhile now...

Personally I'm not a fan of Specialized. Their bikes are fine. In fact as a family we own a few from way back when. But as an LBS owner their business ethics leave something to be desired.
Sad that they can't (or choose not to) play nice with others...

[Kalidurga]

Personally I'm not a fan of Specialized. Their bikes are fine. In fact as a family we own a few from way back when. But as an LBS owner their business ethics leave something to be desired.
Sad that they can't (or choose not to) play nice with others...

Out of curiosity, what's the issue?

[Starfish]

Out of curiosity, what's the issue?

Yes, I admit I was curious, too.

[Flybye]

Giant has had a womens site for awhile now...

Personally I'm not a fan of Specialized. Their bikes are fine. In fact as a family we own a few from way back when. But as an LBS owner their business ethics leave something to be desired.
Sad that they can't (or choose not to) play nice with others...

I don't wanna know the issue - I ride a Specialized - ignorance is BLISS I prefer to believe that you just have cr@ppy reps - Yes, that's it!!

[SadieKate]

I don't wanna know the issue - I ride a Specialized - ignorance is BLISS I prefer to believe that you just have cr@ppy reps - Yes, that's it!!

It's not the product; it is the way the company does business with the shops and the reps are just the poor messengers. Forcing shops to devote far too great a percentage of their inventory to Specialized doesn't begin to recognize the demand consumers place on the LBS to provide diverse products - and that shops need diversity for economic reasons.

Think about the fact that nearly every LBS carries a ton of PI clothing and not much else. How frustrated do you get that you never get the opportunity to touch and feel the myriad other brands? And now that Shimano has bought PI? I only see it becoming worse.

Shimano actually ended up in court because they tried to force bike companies to spec entire groups on their bikes as OEM. They lost.

I see Specialized going the same route. And when you're talking the independent shops, it becomes an onerous sledgehammer approach to doing business. As a consumer, I buy the Bar Phat because I can't find an equal product. Other than that, I don't buy Specialized products any longer.

[Thorn]

Obsessions take so much work!

...and are so contagious. Y'all have taught me so much, I am now looking for fit problems everywhere. The other day I was watching the Spinervals Aero Base that was filled with 100+ riders from Fort Wayne, Indiana. I started checking out fit. What was most frightening, was that the bulk of the riders that seemed to have bad fit were women. Only one guy didn't fit, but he had really long legs and no upper body.

Oh, and I really think that Georgina Terry's videos are much better. I like the low key approach. She seems to be adding one every week or so.

[chickwhorips]

All this talk about fit makes me wonder if I'm not right on my new road bike.

[Running Mommy]

Heck, I'd love to go into it, but Specialized attorneys would prolly come after me.- Not kidding!
And no, it's not the reps.
Being in the biz now I see the behind the scene's stuff, and it's very cut throat.
Let's just say that I think of Specialized as the bike company equiv. of wal mart. Not the cheap goods/china thing, but the big fish trying to squash any and all competition at all costs. - Including the cost of their own dealers.

Currently it seems as if they are going after cannondale.I guess they see the acquisition by Dorel as a threat??

Of course Trek isn't innocent either. I just read an article in a trade rag about how upset some of the Austin Trek dealers are. Apparently Lance's new shop is going to be within 3 miles on either side of two different shops.

Bike shops work hard to fight for territory. Heck, I don't even HAVE competition and I had to go through a process with all my dealer agreements before I could carry their lines. And when you sign on the dotted line you agree to do a certain dollar figure a year with them. Imagine competing with LANCE??!! OY! My head spins just thinking about it.

BUt yeah, when we were opening up our shop I was determined that I wanted to be independant. I didn't want anyone to tell ME what to carry- or what NOT to carry. The two biggest fish are known in the industry to push their dealers around. If I decide I want to carry a certain brand I don't want to be worried that they will cancel my contract and demand payment in full immediately- or take me to court.

Yes, Specialized is a fine bike. Like I said, we have bought many over the years. I hear their saddle system is great. But for ME as a dealer, I'm just not going to drink their kool-aid.