After months of hashtag hints and teases that may have been the best kept secret in the mountain biking world, Specialized has finally announced its 2021 status mountain bike.

While enduro racing has been in the limelight in recent years, there has been a noticeable resurgence in non-competitive riding and freeriding. Designed for maximum jumps and drops, the new Status features a mullet setup with 160mm travel, 29er front and 27.5in rear wheels, and fairly progressive geometry.

Returning from a five-year hiatus, Specialized has revived the Status from its budget downhill bike format when it last appeared in 2015, updating it into a forgiving bike for riders more concerned with tearing up the local woods than racing against the clock.

For more on the new bike, see our sister site Bike Perfect's Specialized Status review (opens in new tab).

The new Status is built with Specialized's durable yet affordable M5 alloy and uses the same FSR suspension system as the Stumpjumper series to operate 160mm of travel. Based on the Mallet wheelset, the 29-inch front wheel offers better rolling characteristics, while the 27.5-inch rear wheel allows the chainstays to be kept short for improved agility in technical terrain. Status features a standard threaded bottom bracket for easy maintenance at home, sealed cartridge bearing pivots, and 12 x 148mm dropouts.

Geometry is fairly radical, featuring a 63.2 degree head angle, 17.5mm bottom bracket drop, 462mm reach, and 426mm chainstays. Climbing performance is unlikely to be a priority, but Status has a 76-degree seat angle that puts you in a good position to get back to the top of the trail. The geometry position is also high, with a raised bottom bracket and a slightly steeper head angle.

Specialized offers only a single build to balance trail performance and affordability. Suspension is provided by FOX's Float 36 Rhythm fork and Float DPX2 Performance RX Trail-tuned shocks, while SRAM has paired the NX Eagle 12sp drivetrain with 200mm rotors and Code R brakes for both acceleration and deceleration both acceleration and deceleration.

Specialized handles the cockpit (40mm stem and 800mm handlebars) and provides the Roval Traverse wheelset and Butcher Grid 2.3-inch tires. Body Geometry saddle, which raises and lowers the saddle by 150mm on the two smaller sizes and 170mm on the others.

Specialized offers the Status in full S1-S5 sizing and is available at retailers starting today; the Status comes in Satin Maroon and Satin Charcoal and costs just £2,399.

If you're looking for a bike to get you out on the trail, check out Bike Perfect's review of Specialized's new Status.