Specialized

Roval, Specialized’s house brand in rolling stock, has been putting out quality wheels for some time now. The Traverse HD is a carbon wheel intended for “aggressive trail and enduro” riding, which in today’s world translates to “everything except a DH World Cup”, pretty much. We tested a pair of these rims/wheels last year , not long after their initial launch, and we were very impressed by their ride quality and dynamic handling characteristics on the trail. When Specialized announced a new version built with DT’s latest 240 DEG hub and Revolite spokes earlier this year, we thought it was a...

Nine years ago, Specialized whisked us off to the Austrian Alps without even telling us what we were going to be riding. It was of course the first-generation Turbo Levo, which launched to equal amounts of fanfare and handwringing at a time when the very concept of E-MTB was still a gimmick to many or seen as a threat to the sport of mountain biking in some parts of the world. Fast-forward to 2025, and E-MTB has conquered the mainstream, to the point that it makes up a larger portion of sales than conventional mountain bikes for many manufacturers today. Specialized is still trying to make...