Specialized’s P.Series bikes have been much loved hardcore/ jump hybrid contenders for years and this 2014 nugget is no exception. If you’re after a really well priced and well sorted complete bike package for jump, street and even better-groomed trail centre action then the P.Street is outstanding. Its rock solid responsiveness and short-stroke fork make it seriously unforgiving on rougher trails though.
The frame
The P.Street 2 might be the cheapest bike here, but
you wouldn’t know it from the frame. It gets a full set of hydroformed tubes
that work to resist the various stresses the bike is under when you let rip
down the local woods.
The slightly bulged head tube is one part of the bike
that really takes a pounding on rougher landings or when the short travel fork
runs out of ability to suck up impacts. To help it stand the battering, it’s
backed up by a triangular profile down tube with a curved top end that’s
designed to align it with transmitted landing loads.
The triangular top tube slopes steeply for plenty of
foot clearance on step-through moves and the thick, tapered seatstays curve
around the front of the seat tube to further brace the whole area. If that
wasn’t enough, there’s a curved tube welded across the back of the junction to
lock it solid.
The rear brake uses a post mount attachment for easy
adjustment and there’s a reinforcing strut below it to stop braking torque
over-stressing the frame. Both gear cables and the rear brake hose are kept out
of the way under the top tube with ziptie clips. A neat dose of practicality is
provided by rack mounts built into the rear dropouts and the inside edge of the
seatstay tops. Here they’re out of the way of crashes but still usable if you want
a more fun way to ride to work than on a typical commuting hybrid. You even get
bottle cage bosses.
The equipment
The kit choice makes the P.Street’s hardcore intent
fairly clear. The super-short stem and P.Series bar are all about strength, not
supple feel, which helps hide flex from the skinny 30mm upper legs of the
Suntour XCM fork. While the front shifter still has three gear options in its
window, there are only two chainrings fitted, with a thick bashguard in place
of the outer ring. The broad-armed Suntour cranks sit on a chunky eight-ribbed
Octalink bottom bracket and the rear cassette gets more sophisticated ramps
than the cheapest cog sets here to help the chain climb between gears easily.
The Decipher disc brakes are disappointing though, with an extremely wooden and
uncommunicative feel.
The broad, rounded rims carry unashamedly ‘street’
tyres with a very low wraparound tread designed for groomed trails and urban
riding, not grotty, soggy natural trails. But even if you have to buy
chunkier-treaded tyres for off-piste action it’s still really well equipped for
the money.
The ride
The biggest surprise of the test was probably how much
we actually got away with on the Specialized tyres. We definitely had to give
any exposed and polished roots a wide berth and wet grass was an ice rink, but
on manmade trail surfaces they railed and drifted as well as the other rubber
on test. Their easy-rolling speed boosts the acceleration of the already
relatively light and explosive feeling P.Street, producing a bike that properly
bursts out of corners and never failed to dig enough launch speed out of the shortest
ramp run-ins.
Even with the skinny fork, the steep head angle means
handling is a lot sharper than on the other bikes here, so it slingshots
through berms and whips round corners with urgency. It pops and hops with easy
agility and crisp accuracy, making it a standout jump and stunt machine
compared to the broader-remit rides on test.
The super-wide 28mm rims and 36-spoke build mean that
the wheels feel rock solid, no matter how high you drop from. The big-tubed frame
is brutally rigid too, and while the fork has a bit of bounce off the top it
pretty much sets solid about 40mm into its travel. There’s no top-out clunk or
untamed rebound, but the forged alloy stem and chunky handlebar pass any
punishment straight into your palms and arms.
Combined with the fast handling and jackhammer
feedback through the pedals, this makes rocky trails a properly bruising experience
and you’ll know all about it if you hang up on a landing or plough into a
boulder you’re trying to pump over. The horrifically uncommunicative brakes
make technical (rather than flowing) descents really sketchy too.
SO GOOD
Impressively light yet strong and versatile frame Sharp
steering and immediate power response Bombproof wheels and cockpit at a really
good price
NO GOOD
Brutally stiff frame and cockpit Horrifically wooden braking
feel Street tyres need changing for off-road action
Wooden:
Blunt, on/off feel of some basic brakes that makes it
feel like you’re squeezing a piece of hard wood.
Hydroformed:
Metal that’s been shaped by pressing it into moulds
with high-pressure hydraulic oil.
WEIGHT 13.45kg (29.65lb)
FRAME Butted 6061 alloy
SIZES 12, 14*, 16, 18in
FORK SR Suntour XCM, 80mm (3.1in) travel
HEADSET Threadless
WHEELS
Hubs: Alloy QR
Rims: Specialized P.Disc
Spokes: 36 stainless
Wheel weight: 2.13kg F, 2.71kg R
TYRES Specialized Rhythm Lite Sport, 26x2.3in F, Specialized Compound Sport,
26x2.2in R
CRANKSET/BOTTOM BRACKET SR Suntour XCR 22/32t + bash/Shimano
DERAILLEURS
Shimano Altus F, SRAM X4 R
SHIFTERS SRAM X4, eight-speed
CASSETTE/CHAIN Sunrace,
11-32t/KMC X8
BRAKES Promax Decipher,
160/160mm
BAR/STEM/GRIPS Specialized P.Series, 720mm/alloy, 35mm/Specialized
P.Series
SADDLE/SEATPOST Specialized P.Series Dirt/alloy
