First Laps: Specialized Status 2 170 DH Park and Freeride Bike

Status History

I have wanted a Specialized Status for a very long time. Way back when wheels were smaller, and I was busy trying to wheely drop out of the bed of my very first truck, the Status was Specialized’s affordable DH bike. Cheap, bomber, with a solid build. Buy one, thrash it, party on. As I got older, the Status went away, and then it came back as more of an alt Stumpjumper or Enduro. Not really park bikes, but affordable, simple, for folks who ride more than they think about what they’re riding.

I wrote about how I feel about the Status, and its riders here , but I didn’t really expect to throw a leg over one, because Specialized was (understandably) busy throwing their resources at promoting this bike to its core audience: huckers on a budget, not nerds like me. But, at Crankworx, I managed to snag Specialized’s Allan Cooke’s personal Status 2 170 DH for a an afternoon, so I’ve got some actual ride impressions and thoughts.

Putting the DH Back in the Status Line

High School Cy is really stoked that the DH Status exists again. It’s the new Status 170 frame, with a DH-specific build. 180 mm RockShox Boxxer, SRAM Maven brakes , DH casing tires, and a GX DH 7 speed cassette. No, it aint a DH bike, but it’s got all the parts that make DH bikes fun and durable.

Ride Impressions

In true Status style, I’m not going to go deep on geometry and kinematics. There are angles on this bike, they work for doing bike things. I rode the S3, and its 470 mm reach felt fun and playful for my 6’2” height. At no time did I ever want to bump up to the S4. Alan Cooke weighs about 30 lbs less than me, but had his bike set up stiff for Whip-Off last night. I hopped on it in the shop, gave it a few bounces, and pronounced it good. No fiddling, no waiting, my friends were lapping A-Line, and I was eager to join them.

The Status is (predictably) a hoot on jump trails. That’s sort of the point of 170 mm bikes with dual crown forks. It’s easy to get into the air, corners well, and generally does park rat stuff quite nicely. I’d be shocked if it didn’t. The limiting factor on jump trails is definitely me, not the Status.

But what was surprising was just how much fun the Status DH was on steeper, technical trails with bigger moves. We quickly migrated higher on the mountain to ride tech, and I was initially a little worried that I was going to be outclassed on this new-to-me bike. No worries though, the Status 2 DH is really fun when the going gets gnarly. I found myself rolling into committing moves blind with plenty of confidence, and stepping up to features that I haven’t hit in a while on my second lap on the bike.

I think the Status DH has two main target audiences: younger park rats who probably aren’t reading reviews like this one, but want an affordable bike park machine, and then older folks who have a spark of desire to try to justify a park-specific bike in their quiver. I know my audience, and I’m talking directly to you, 30+ year olds who have an enduro bike, but maybe want something more for bike park and shuttling.

The Status 2 would be a rad option as a second bike to thrash, ride hard, and put away dirty. It’s not a one-trick jib pony. It’s fun on all sorts of trails, and very confidence inspiring. Something about a dual crown under your hands just feels right. My personal rig, a Trek Slash with a 180 mn Zeb on the front, is really, really capable, but somehow, I found myself preferring the Status in some scenarios, even with very little time to get to know the bike. Dedicated freeride bikes are fun. Listen to that little voice in the back of your head that’s trying to justify having something with a dual crown in your garage!

Value Proposition

The Status 2 170 is available in two builds: The regular 170, with a single crown fork, dropper post, and 12 speed drivetrain for $3,499, or the DH build for $4,499. Yes, you pay a grand more to get less: Less dropper post, less gears, less pedalability. That creates an interesting conundrum. Buy the Status 2 170, and grab a dual crown (and maybe burlier brakes), or just jump straight to the DH version?

Personally, I’d be tempted to buy the regular version, put a 200 mm DH fork on the front, run a 27.5” front wheel, and go full freeride. $800 for a used 27.5” fork, $500 for a set of Maven Bronze brakes, and either sell the single crown it comes with, or keep it for pedaling. But that’s just me. This is a fun chassis to experiment with and tweak to your heart’s desire. I’ll also just say that when I see a 62.5 mm stroke shock specced, I get awfully tempted to dry fit a 65 mm stroke shock and see if anything interferes at bottom out.

For Now

I’m a sucker for the Status, and more importantly, the sort of people that ride the Status. They remind me of a time when mountain biking was simpler, and I recovered from injuries faster. If you want an affordable hit of that nostalgia, the new Status 2 170 DH delivers.