Wow... it looks soooo different from the 2011, 2010 and 2009 STD!!! lol I rode this bike in vegas and man it was not a good experience... glad others have had better times on it but I found that it rode like S%^&. Just my 2c.

I love how you bring it back to WHY we do all this... It is for the sheer enjoyment of nature and being one with it! The pictures are great and really help set your mood throughout the season. Cant wait for another great year in 2012! Keep the Stoke Rich!

It has been a great year Rich! It may be coming closer to being over but there is still so much amazing riding to be had out here! Great write up and thanks for the Props (Sovereign Cycle).

Wow that was a very detailed and informative review! Great to see you are having so much fun on the Makulu Rich!

I just hate how Specialized feels the need to run proprietary rear shocks on their Enduros. It sucks because if you ever want to upgrade your rear suspension, to something like a monarch plus (or anything for that matter), you cant, because of the "Specialized linkage" that links the rear shock to the rest of the bike. This alone is a beef that I have had with their bikes for years.... they try to be different by running their own technology on their bikes, which no one else has access to, and it basically limits the consumer to riding the bike with the stock suspension. They did it before with their stupid forks and the 25mm front hub... if you wanted to change your fork you had to also buy a new wheel... Just seems backwards to me... While most of the other bike manufacturers are working to attain standards, specialized is working to make their bikes completely annoying.

Being in the market for that exact type of bike, I would not choose the Reign...The Tracer 2 will be lighter and has ISCG tabs and adjustable travel... Not a huge fan of the way the Giants ride either... I have owned 2 trances and have also owned a couple Sant Cruz bikes, which both were Virtual Pivot... Giant tried to copy the VPP but were unable to get it perfect due to patents... In my opinion the VPP bikes pedal much better and feel deeper when you are descending...just my 2cents though.