Specialized release the 2021 Status, an affordable but hard hitting 160mm trail charger
(Image credit: Specialized)
Possibly the worst kept secret in mountain biking, after months of hashtag hints and teasing, Specialized has finally released the 2021 Status mountain bike.
While Enduro racing has had the limelight in recent years there has been a notable rise in non-competitive riding and the return of freeriding. The new Status, designed to maximise fun on jumps and drops, comes equipped with 160mm of travel, a mullet setup of 29er front and 27.5in rear-wheel, and some pretty progressive geometry numbers.
Back from a five-year hiatus, Specialized has revived and updated the Status from its budget downhill bike format when last seen in 2015 into a forgiving bike that caters for riders who are more about tearing up their local woods than racing against the clock.
For the full lowdown on the new bike, head over to the full Specialized Status review from our sister site Bike Perfect.
The new Status is built from Specialized's durable but affordable M5 Alloy and uses an FSR suspension system similar to the Stumpjumper range to actuate the 160mm of travel. Based around a mullet wheelset, the 29in front wheel will offer better rolling characteristics while the 27.5in rear-wheel mean that chainstays can be kept short for better agility on technical terrain. The Status uses a standard threaded bottom bracket for easier home maintenance, sealed cartridge bearing pivots and 12x148mm dropouts.
Geometry is fairly radical and features a 63.2-degree head angle, 17.5mm bottom bracket drop, 462mm reach and 426mm chainstays in the middle S3 size. Although climbing ability was unlikely to be on the list of priorities the Status has a 76-degree seat angle to help put you in a good position to work your way back to the top of the trail - aided nicely by the 10-50 cassette on offer. The bike also a high geometry position, raising the bottom bracket and steepening the head angle slightly.
Specialized is only offering a single build that looks to balance trail capability with an affordable price point. Featuring suspension from Fox with a FLOAT 36 Rhythm fork and a Float DPX2 Performance RX Trail tune shock. SRAM takes care of both acceleration and deacceleration with an NX Eagle 12sp drivetrain and Code R brakes paired with 200mm rotors.
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Specialized take care of the cockpit (40mm stem and 800mm handlebar) and provide the Roval Traverse wheelset and Butcher Grid 2.3" tyres. An X-Fusion dropper post raises and drops a Specialized Body Geometry saddle by 150mm on the two smaller sizes and 170mm on the rest.
Specialized is offering the Status in its full S1 – S5 sizing and will be available to buy from retailers today. The Status will be available in two different colourways, satin maroon or satin charcoal, and comes in at just £2,399.
Graham has been part of the Cyclingnews team since January 2020. He has mountain biking at his core and can mostly be found bikepacking around Scotland or exploring the steep trails around the Tweed Valley. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has gained a reputation for riding fixed gear bikes both too far and often in inappropriate places.
