Aaron Gwin

The Specialized Demo Tested – Chained vs Unchained Report

We took one production Specialized Demo and conducted timed runs on different tracks with several riders. Times were our primary interest but so to were the feelings that were recorded on different set ups.

– One of the first noticeable effects of riding the Demo chainless was the amount of free body movement of offer when switching from one side to another on the bike. Weight shifts certainly feel lighter and simpler without the chain and its not only side to side changes which are affected but forward and rearward weight shifting appears to be more sensitive. This can be put primarily down to the weightless/tension free drivetrain.

– Secondly, and something consistently felt amongst all the testers was that the Demo definitely feels faster with the chain mounted. This could be down to increased body movement through pedalling, leading to a more hectic ride and one where braking-pedalling becomes the instinctive rider characteristic. Muscle memory will have an effect here but what was noticeable was that some riders pedalled too hard in some sections leading to poor or unnecessary braking habits. Another possibility is there is more feedback through the feet and legs with the chain mounted giving a heightened sense of movement. Feeling faster yet having slower or similar times was something we got used to when testing different wheel sizes hence the need to be absolutely sure with the clock before making conclusions.

– Different gradients will effect different needs on the system as you move down the hill. On flatter, slower ground having some degree of tension in the suspension/drivetrain system does seem to offer more drive when pumping the terrain and on some occasions we found exit speeds slightly quicker on flatter tracks (yet not pedalling) with the chain mounted. Its totally dependent on the shape of the terrain however. On steeper terrain the suspension certainly works differently, and arguably better. There is improved sensitivity and damper performance which in turn leads to better grip. On faster steeper ground chainless seemed to offer the better suspension characteristics yet needed a change in settings.

– Damper settings needed changing because of the lack of chain and so a stronger compression setting was applied. We also compared and contrasted the Demo in different damper settings chained/unchained and it appeared that the firmer chained/unchained settings to be closer in time than the weaker set up comparisons. We’d like to investigate this further.

– Flow. Chainless seems to encourage a more considered and calculated corner entry speed. There seems to be more entry and mid corner control which must be a result of the aforementioned ease of body movement and also possibly traction and stability of the bike without the chain. There appears to be more control not only entering corners but through the turn too. Corners become softer and less grabby.

Of course all the above observations count for very little if a rider makes a mistake as there is no drive to get back to speed. Getting from A – B without a chain is very much a ball ache. And there is less room for making mistakes without a chain. But what did the times tell us?