£1,399 Pitch Pro

£1,199 Pitch Comp

Pitched (ha!) as the long travel bike for people on a budget, the Pitch is the latest bike to join the immensely large Specialized range of bikes. It's a 150mm rear travel chassis with a strong visual resemblance to the Enduro, but the two Pitch bikes occupy less expensive price points. With the entry-level Enduro Comp coming in at £1,699, you can see Specialized's need for a slightly more wallet-friendly option.

Specialized has done this by designing a simplified, easier-to-manufacture version of the Enduro frame and making it from less exotic materials. The bottom half looks pretty much the same, with a curvy downtube and the same rear suspension layout. The eagle-eyed will notice that the rocker is slightly different, though, with the Pitch having a slightly more linear suspension action.

The Enduro's swoopy top tube and seat tube brace is replaced by a straight (but slightly squared-off) top tube and simpler three-sided brace. The whole thing is made from Specialized's M4 aluminium.

What you don't get is Specialized's own suspension components. Up front, both bikes are propped up by RockShox Pike forks (351 on the Pro, 327 on the Comp). The Pike's been around for years but suddenly seems to have had a boost in popularity amongst product managers. Out back, you get a Fox RP2 on the Pitch Pro and an X-Fusion on the Comp.