Specialized Expedition Elite

Price Paid:  $400.00 at Helotes Bicycle

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Leon Creek greenbelt

Bike Setup:
Stock. (pedals on the way)

Summary:
My wife and I exchanged these at Christmas. She wanted a comfortable bike that she would want to ride. I wanted to be back on fat tires and to be able to pull a children's trailer comfortably. We both scored. Its really comfortable on the road. In wind I just tuck and rest my forearms on the bars. Getting out of the saddle to climb hills is a little weird without rigid front forks but by the same token for the most part you can just drop it into the granny-gears and stay in the saddle (unlike a road bike). Off road I have ridden some pretty technical wooded and rocky creek-bed single track and have made it through without any crashes or serious mis-steps. I don't intend to be jumping off of cliffs with this thing (and I don't think Specialized intended it for that either) and so for its intended purpose (roads and light-to-moderate off-road riding) it is bang-on. I can't wait to take it to the beach! I've had road and mountain bikes and I have to say that this really is a great compromise bike that can do it all within reason and do so comfortably.

Strengths:
Really comfortable and really adjustable. The seat post shock is comfortable and really functional and also not too technical. The forks make trail riding and curb hopping a dream. Easy shifting. Easy and very efficient braking. Easy to control.

Weaknesses:
The unusual top-tube design on these make bike carrier selection a bit of a challenge. I already have two carriers that use the bike's top-tube so I picked up an adapter from Thule to act in the place of the top tube so that I can rack my wife's bike. The women's model also has no braze-ons on the frame but the manufacturer supplied a bottle cage that bolts onto the handlebars. The men's frame has only one braze on. I use that for my light battery at night so its down to the Camelbak for water....but that's no big deal. Forks can dive a bit off road....watch the low-points in those drainages... but I also haven't played with the preload yet so I don't know how much that can be altered.