Instead of high-tech, unusual design language and loving workmanship, this model pursues a different goal: great riding fun at a low price. The focus is particularly on downhill riding. The extremely flat steering angle (62.4 degrees), the low bottom bracket and the long reach give the Status 160 perfect directional stability. The bike still masters fast cornering with ease. In order to elicit a high degree of playfulness from the enduro bike despite its length, Specialized relies on a wheel mix of 29 inch on the front wheel and 27.5 inch on the rear wheel. As a result, the chainstays also shrink to a short 428 millimetres. Manuals are therefore the showpiece discipline of the Specialized Status.
The suspension with 160 millimetres of travel at the rear and front responds well. Thanks to the generous progression, the MTB is also easy to pull into flight mode. However, when the going gets tough in rock gardens, the Specialized Status reaches its limits. The Fox 36 seems undersized compared to the 38 mm models of most other enduro bikes. The rear suspension works great as long as the hits don't come too fast. Status riders have to plan a lot of time for climbs. The bike weighs more than 16 kilos with pedals. That's where the uphill fun ends. The front only stays on the ground on steep ramps with a lot of physical effort. At slow speeds, the flat front tends to tip the steering.
Conclusion from Tobias Ziganek, BIKE tester:
"The Specialized Status offers a lot of downhill fun for good money. Due to the poor uphill performance, the range of use is limited to shredding in the bike park. Since the price increase of 500 euros, the equipment seems a bit meagre."
Technical data and grades of the Specialised Status 160
General information
- Price: 3700 Euro
- Available from specialised dealers
- Frame material: aluminium
- Frame size: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5 (tested in size S4 / 44 cm)
Measured values
- Front / rear suspension travel: 160 / 167 mm
- Weight without pedals: 16.22 kg
- Frame weight: 3488 g
- Weight of wheels: 5956 g
- Acceleration of running wheels: 4479 kg x cm²
- Handlebar width: 780 mm
- Frame rigidity (absolute): 42 N/mm
Equipment
- Wheels: Specialised Roval Traverse
- Tyres: Specialized Butcher / Eliminator 29 / 27.5 x 2.30
- Fork: Fox 36 Float Rhythm Fit Grip
- Shock: Fox Float DPX2
- Brakes: Sram Code R / 200 mm / 200 mm
- Gear system: Sram NX Eagle 1 x 12
- Gear ratio / bandwidth: 32; 11-50 / 454 %
- Telescopic support/Ø: Manic 150 mm /34.9 mm
Valuation
- Driving behaviour uphill: 13 from 20
- Chassis efficiency: 13 out of 20
- Rolling resistance: 7.5 out of 10
- Weight: 1.5 from 15
- Inertia impellers: 3 out of 10
- Bottle cage: 2.5 out of 5
- Driving behaviour downhill: 34 from 40
- Front suspension: 21.25 of 25
- Rear suspension: 21.25 out of 25
- Saddle retractability: 10 out of 10
- Brakes: 13.5 out of 15
- Tyre grip: 13.5 out of 15
- Driving stability: 3 out of 10
- TOTAL UPHILL: 40.5 OUT OF 80
- TOTAL DOWNHILL: 116.5 OUT OF 140
- Other: 16.25 out of 30
- Ease of maintenance: weak
Bike test rating*: good - 173.3 out of 250
* The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measured values (BIKE laboratory measurement) and the subjective impression of the test riders. The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.).
¹ Price may be subject to additional costs for packaging, dispatch and coordination.
² The BIKE judgement reflects the laboratory measurements (BIKE laboratory measurement) and the subjective impression of the test riders.
The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super (250-205 P.), very good (204.75-180 P.), good (179.75-155 P.), satisfactory (154.75-130 P.), with weaknesses (129.75-105 P.), unsatisfactory (104.75-0 P.).
Max Fuchs
Editor
