But your big boss attended all the annual or semi-annual sales/marketing meetings ("Corporate updates for the field") in exotic international locations and partied with my big boss. And each tried to out-do the other when the most senior execs & Board members had their examination of corporate performance (usually NOT in an exotic location). At Speciallized the quoted engineering person has picked up the marketing gobble-dee-goop of nonsense. Like, in the past, nobody was smart enough to measure a pro racer's aerodynamics with a rider on the bike! I think we will be in the same boat when someone discovers that, in the real world, 40mm tubeless tires (with sealant) at 50psi are not faster on paved roads than supple sidewall 28mm tubulars at 100psi, regardless of the 'engineering validated rolling resistance' measurements.

Dupe me once and I 'm duped. Dupe me every 3-5 years and I'm stooopid to the max.
Or maybe alternatively, I just enjoy throwing my money at every new cycling idea and sharing my wisdom online.


Maybe Specialized could have said - gravel bikes are selling fastest, so the understaffed engineering/design dept has moved that way and needs to simplify the road line as high-end bike sales decline. Nahhhh, Specialized would never say that.