Originally Posted by
max power
well considering your tone of argument it's a lot easier to believe the guy from the industry over your ranting
really though what's Specialized technical claim to fame these days? The SL4 that dissapeared in the tour de france or the -latetothegame- aero road bike that was optimized by a company across the pond?
Using a specialist partner to optimize the carbon layup for a particularly high end of a model isn't the same as building a "catalog bike".
And I appreciate stealthhammer's tidbit about the Roubaix having its genesis in a geometry from a custom bike that someone had built by Seven. That doesn't make the Roubaix a "catalog" bike either.
There is information aplenty that supports the characterization of Specialized as a bicycle design and engineering (and marketing) company, from their heavy involvement in sponsoring pro cycling teams to the unique shapes and features of their frames. A "catalog" bike company is somebody like Bikes Direct or Planet X who is just sourcing frames from an OEM like they would stems or seatposts.