FIRST LOOK: Rocky Mountain Maiden WC and Specialized Demo 8 Alloy

We don’t always get to play with full-noise downhill bikes at AMB, but when we do we make sure we put the bikes under the right people. Most recently that has been Lachlan McKillop. He’s raced at World Cup level, and been a mechanic for the same team too. He’s got the experience on the bikes and on the tools to know what works, and what doesn’t, for a downhill bike.

So we sent Lachlan out with two downhill bikes for our coming issue. He’s tested them at Thredbo, and on local trails on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. While one bike is half the price of the other, Lachlan’s been testing each on its own merits.

The Demo 8 Alloy from Specialized is stonkingly good value, matching the geometry and design of the carbon S-Works model, but with an alloy frame and more subdued build kit.

The Rocky Mountain Maiden WC has been produced as a World Cup performer. It’s long, stable, plush – and within the realm of downhill bikes – it’s light thanks to the full carbon frame.

With a few weekends of shuttling runs and plenty of time in the workshop looking over the bikes, Lachlan will have his reviews in our next Issue, Issue 154, out in June.