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You might remember that, awhile back, I applied to get on the Specialized Trail Crew. I guess Specialized already picked the crew, and now they are trying to figure out how to evolve the Trail Crew for its next incarnation. I have some ideas, some of which might seem bare-knuckled. Check ‘em out.
1. I know this might seem like blasphemy since the chance to ride a $6,000-plus wonder bike was part of the draw. But I think Specialized should equip the Trail Crew with more “everyday rider” sorts of bikes. That’ll cut the cost down, and give a more realistic idea of what their products can do. Also, they need to make the Trail Crew bikes visually different. I’m seeing a special color scheme along with a full Shimano SLX group – I’d suggest a choice between a Stumpjumper HT (29 or 26) and the Epic. Promote the notion that you can have well-maintained, workaday bikes and still enjoy riding to its fullest. It’s the experience, not the bike. I would love to see what Shimano SLX on a quality frame can do.
2. Figure out which members will get the word out. The current Trail Crew has been weak on spreading the word. I’ve searched Google Blogs to see what the lucky few posted about being selected – barely anything. One guy posted about the arrival of his bike. I haven’t seen any substantive posts since. Specialized needs to figure out which bloggers are syndicated, which ones have real readership, which ones hustle for those readers [...]