Specialized Demo 8.1 Alloy

The Specialized Demo 8.1 Alloy looks just as good as its carbon counterpart, but costs 50 per cent less. So what’s the catch?

- Alan Muldoon

When I first set eyes on the aluminium Demo 8 I had to squint to narrow my focus, just to be sure that it wasn’t actually made from carbon. It could be that, at the ripe old age of 46, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, but a more likely explanation for the initial double-take is Specialized’s cutting-edge production techniques; smooth, double-pass welds and swathes of complex hydro formed aluminium give the latest Demo 8 a distinctly organic look — a process that’s complicated further by the single-sided seat mast, which makes removing the shock that much easier.