New 2025 Specialized Status 2 downhill bike on test – It’s freeride, baby!

A status symbol for those who don’t need status symbols. A robust aluminium frame, powerful brakes, plenty of travel – and no frills. That’s what Specialized’s new Status 2 170 DH has to offer. But how much fun and Specialized genes does the 2025 Status 2 downhill variant really have?

Specialized are known for high-end bikes with high-end prices – usually. However, in 2012, they introduced the Status, a no-frills, gravity-oriented full-susser that focuses on fun and durability – and all of this at an affordable price. With its robust aluminium frame, solid components, and strong downhill genes, it soon became the affordable alternative to the Demo, Specialized’s quintessential downhill bike. After a six-year silence, the Status made a comeback in 2020, but with a new direction: the 2020 Status was unveiled as an affordable enduro bike. This year sees a new edition and a return to its roots, with a focus on downhill: please all welcome the Status 2 170 DH! It comes equipped with a dual-crown fork and generates 180/170 mm of front travel, combining an aluminium frame and mullet setup with a 29″ wheel at the front and a 27.5″ at the rear. Retailing at € 4,200, the Status 2 170 DH tips the scales at 17.1 kg. But is it worth it, and is it more than a (anti) status symbol? Find out in our review!

The new 2025 Specialized Status 2 170 downhill bike in detail

Specialized know how to do understatement – the Status 2 is proof of this, straight out of the box. The usual, massive Specialized decal on the downtube was replaced with a plain “Status” logo on the top tube, along with a small “S” symbol on the head tube. Moreover, the weld seams aren’t smoothed out or polished, which ensures a rugged look that also conveys a sense of eternal durability. When you’re bombing down a hill at 60 km/h, no one’s looking at the weld seams anyway – you’re more likely to have tears in your eyes!

In the cockpit area of the Specialized Status, everything’s neatly arranged. The cables are routed internally and disappear into the frame behind the headset, ensuring a tidy look and quiet ride. The bolts for the internal routing clamps are visible from the outside – a detail that underlines the rough aesthetics. Thanks to the Matchmaker system, the shifter integrates seamlessly into the cockpit.

The bottle cage beneath the shock reveals the Status’ true DNA – originally developed as an enduro machine, there’s still a hint of enduro character lingering – and that’s despite the serious downhill vibes.

The chainstay protector works effectively, shielding the frame from scratches and keeping the bike quiet on the trail. There’s also a second rubber guard behind the seat tube, which offers extra protection against stray rocks – nice touch!

The spec of our 2025 Specialized Status 2 170 downhill bike

The Specialized Status downhill bike comes equipped with a RockShox BoXXer Base fork, which generates 180 mm of travel and relies on a Charger 3 RC damper, which only features externally adjustable low-speed compression and low-speed rebound settings. While this might be disappointing for riders who like to dial in their suspension, the damper can be upgraded with the superior RC2 variant for € 399, which offers more adjustment options and improves the fork’s performance. The shock is paired with a 170 mm RockShox Super Deluxe Select shock, which only allows you to change the rebound and spring preload – a bit of a letdown! This suspension setup is only available on complete bikes and not available for the aftermarket .

Tuning-tip: Get the RockShox BoXXer RC2 upgrade kit

By the way, when buying the Status, your local Specialized dealer will fit a spring that matches your weight and riding style. However, if you order the bike online, every frame size comes with a pre-determined spring rate. S2: 400 lb/in, S3: 450 lb/in, S4: 500 lb/in, S5: 550 lb/in.

A 7-speed SRAM GX DH drivetrain ensures reliable, precise shifting. Only 7 gears? Yes, but you’re not pedalling this beast uphill – for its intended use – in bike parks with lift access – the gearing is spot on!

The Status comes standard with an MRP chain guide with bash guard, which protects the chainring from hard impacts and reliably keeps the chain in check, even on the wildest descents. There’s also a skid plate to protect the frame from stray rock and debris.

SRAM MAVEN Bronze brakes do stopping duties. While the Bronze series forgoes the titanium and carbon parts of the Ultimate version, as well as the contact point adjustment found on the Silver version, it makes no compromises when it comes to braking power. The levers feature SRAM’s proprietary SwingLink technology, which is designed to minimise deadband and optimise braking performance. Otherwise, the brakes are stripped down to the essentials – tough, powerful, and, paired with a 220 mm rotor at the front and a 200 mm disc at the rear, they stop like a dog outside a butcher’s store – so modulate with care!

The 2025 Status 2 170 DH comes equipped with Specialized’s in-house Roval aluminium downhill wheels and Butcher tires with the robust GRID GRAVITY casing and soft T9 rubber compound. This combination provides excellent puncture protection and tons of traction. Our 2025 Specialized Status test bike in size S3 tips the scales at 17.1 kg and retails at € 4,200. For comparison’s sake, the RAAW YALLA! weighs 17 kg but comes with a hefty price tag of € 7,500.

Alongside the thoroughbred downhill version, Specialized also released an enduro variant of the Status 2 170. This version features a 170 mm FOX FLOAT Rhythm fork and FOX DHX Performance shock, which controls 170 mm of travel at the rear. TRP Trail EVO brakes with 200 mm rotors do stopping duties, while shifting is taken care of by a 12-speed Shimano DEORE drivetrain. X-Fusion supply a basic dropper post, which offers 170 mm of travel in frame size S3. The Status 2 170 in its enduro configuration costs €3,700 and weighs 15.56 kg, according to the manufacturer.

Unfortunately, the 2025 Specialized Status 2 is not yet available as a frame-only option, meaning that you won’t be able to build a custom bike for the time being, which is a shame given that the frame platform holds great potential for awesome custom builds.

The geometry of the new 2025 Specialized Status 2 170 DH

The Status relies on Specialized’s proprietary S-Sizing system, but, unlike most other mountain bike models, is only available in five sizes, S2 to S5. With their special sizing, the Californian brand allows you to choose your frame size based on your desired reach. As stated before, the Specialized Status 2 170 DH isn’t available in the smallest S1 size, meaning that shorter riders will walk away empty handed.

With Specialized’s S-sizing system, you can downsize for nimbler handling and upsize for more composure. This is possible thanks to the short seat tube across all sizes. Our tested bike in size S3 combines 476 mm reach and a 420 mm seat tube, which provides excellent freedom of movement on the trail.

The 2025 Specialized Status 2 170 DH features a flip chip, which allows you to fine-tune nearly the entire geometry of the bike, altering above all the head angle, reach, and bottom bracket height. The flip chip changes the head angle from 64° to 63.5°, the reach from 476 mm to 470 mm, and the bottom bracket height from 350 mm to 342 mm, and also alters the chainstay length – on our test bike, from 432 mm in the low setting to 436 mm in the high setting. The Status comes standard in the high setting, which is how we rode the bike most of the time. Moreover, Specialized rely on just two chainstay lengths across all frame sizes: 436 mm in size S2 and S3, and 441 mm in S4 and S5.

Size	S2	S3	S4	S5
Top tube	595 mm	635 mm	676 mm	716 mm
Seat tube	440 mm	465 mm	400 mm	420 mm
Head tube	100 mm	110 mm	120 mm	130 mm
Head angle	64°	64°	64°	64°
Seat angle	77,6°	77,6°	77,6°	77,6°
Chainstay	436 mm	436 mm	441 mm	441 mm
BB Height	350 mm	350 mm	350 mm	350 mm
Wheelbase	1,221 mm	1,250 mm	1,285 mm	1,314 mm
Reach	451 mm	476 mm	501 mm	526 mm
Stack	620 mm	629 mm	638 mm	647 mm

The new 2025 Specialized Status 2 downhill bike on the trail

Uphill? No, thank you. The Status only makes sense if you’ve got a lift or shuttle truck at your doorstep. So, lift it up! Straight onto the blue flow line to warm up – with rollers and berms as far as the eye can see. The rear suspension is fairly progressive, preventing the 180 mm shock from sinking into its travel. As a result, the Status isn’t exactly the best choice for trail-couch potatoes who like to cruise down the hill on a memory foam matress. Instead, the progressive suspension makes it easy to build up speed by pumping through rollers and berms, though you’ll have got to put in some effort and push the bike actively into compressions. Moreover,the suspension provides enough support to bail you out with botched landings, while the smaller rear wheel makes it easy to change direction quickly and effortlessly. Overall, the Status isn’t just a straight-line speed demon, but more like a nimble hare that can quickly change direction, making for an incredibly fun ride.

So far, so good with warm-up laps, but now it’s time to hit more technical trails, with nasty roots, big drops, tight berms, and full-throttle sections. No matter how steep the trail gets, the 2025 Status 2 170 DH, the high front end prevents chilling OTB moments in tense technical sections, inspiring huge amounts of confidence in the process, and encouraging you to leave your finger off the brakes for just a few more seconds. When you need to slow down, the SRAM MAVEN brakes provide powerful, reliable deceleration, preventing arm pump even on long descents – perfect, so you won’t need two hands to hold your post-ride beer!

The RockShox BoXXer Base fork doesn’t absorb fast, consecutive hits as smoothly as its top-tier counterpart, the RockShox BoXXer Ultimate. Instead, it tends to stiffen up slightly, requiring more effort to control the front – unless you know the track well.

However, on flowy freeride lines, the Status feels right at home, remaining pleasantly composed in the air, thus leaving you craving even more airtime.

The Status is in its element on a mix of rough downhill tracks and freeride lines. It certainly helps if you’re familiar with the rougher trails or, at the very least, aren’t bombing down at Mach 10. The Status sits between a long-travel enduro and a full-on downhill bike, proving an excellent compromise for park rats.

Who should take a closer look at the 2025 Specialized Status 2?

The Status 2 170 downhill bike is ideal for beginners and downhill fans looking for a durable, budget-friendly N+1, or for those who don’t want to wreck their enduro bike at the bike park. Thanks to the mullet setup and the relatively conservative travel, the Status is great for pushing through berms and rollers, and sailing through the air. However, if you’re after a thoroughbred, straight-line speed machine, you might want to look elsewhere. Specialized designed the Status 2 170 DH for riders who are all about racking up bike park laps until their arms fall off – without having to remortgage the house.

Conclusions about the 2025 Specialized Status 2 170 DH

The Status 2 170 downhill bike is a truly fun trail machine at an affordable price. The balanced geometry inspires huge amounts of confidence in most situations. Aside from the brakes, the spec isn’t the most exciting out there, but then again, you can’t expect a lot more at this price. The Status 2 170 is an agile downhill bike with solid performance for riders who don’t just want to plough in a straight line. It’s not high-end, but it’s a tough, playful freeride bike, baby!

For more info, visit specialized.com.

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Words: Robin Ulbrich Photos: Peter Walker