2015 Specialized S-Works Demo

“I've been on the bike for about a month now," says Gwin about the completely redesigned World Cup bike he and teammate Troy Brosnan will be debuting at Mont Sainte Anne this weekend. "We got on it right after the National Champs because we wanted to get on it right away for comparison to the old bike on the same track."

"The thing I noticed right away was just how fast it was," says Gwin. "It’s a really playful bike, but it’s a race bike through and through." Gwin believes this bike "reacts quicker than any bike he's ridden before."

"It accelerates fast because of the [lack of] weight and the stiffness." Gwin says. "You can plant it and change directions really quick because of how your feet sit on the bike... there are not a lot of pivots so when you put force into the bike it reacts straight away."

One of the interesting points Gwin makes about the new Demo is how the single-sided seat tube allows for easy in-and-out access to the rear shock.

"The switch was really easy and setting up suspension was easy," says Gwin."It's something non-racers might not have to deal with very often. But anyone who races seriously knows how often you need to service, set up and remove your shocks. The access on the Demo makes it so easy, plus I just think it looks rad."