Aaron Gwin took the win at last weekend’s Sea Otter Classic in the downhill race, which came as little surprise following his domination of the 2012 World Cup DH, but more interestingly he raced on a 29er Enduro…

Here’s a run down the course with Anneke Beerten:

We’re only just getting this going for 2013 so if you are a shop owner and have a demo day, send it in and we’ll feature it here.

Event: Dalby Bike Barn Scott demo day

Brands: Scott (including 650b bikes!)

Date: Saturday, April 6th 2013
Venue: Dalby Forest Courtyard, Low Dalby, Thornton Le Dale, North Yorkshire, YO18 7LT
Phone: 01751 460049
Website:  Dalby Bike Barn

Details: 

Scott are masters at breaking new ground with their designs and bluring the lines drawn between one class of bike and another, and this is your invite to come along and try their fantastic range for yourself at Dalby Bike Barns mega SCOTT DEMO DAY, Saturday 6 April. Scott will be bringing along a bunch of 2013 models including the brilliant 29er full sus’ Spark 920: S, M, L, XL & Spark 940; L. Of course no Scott demo would be the same without the mold breaking 150mm travel 27.5in wheeled Genius and we have three versions available; Genius 730: M, Genius 720: M, L, Genius 740; M plus the 135mm travel 29er Genius 920: M, L; Also check out the lightweight Scale 930: S, M, L and the beautiful ladies Spark Contessa 900 RC : S, M. Demos start at 10am and run through to 4pm. We’ll be offering special on the day deals and much more. Don’t forget to bring your I.D and pedals.

See you there.

Event: Dales bike Centre demo day

Brands: Orange, Cotic, Trek

Date: Saturday, April 6th 2013 and Sunday 7th April 2013
Venue: Parks Barn, Fremington, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL11 6AW
Phone: 01748 884908
Website:  Dales Bike Centre

Details:

Three guided rides each day, over 30 bikes fantastic mountain bikes to choose from.
There is no cost but you’ll need to reserve the size/model of bike you want to ride and which time you’d like to ride.
Weekend deals to make it well worth ordering your new bike from Dales Bike Centre
Ride Times: 10am, 12 noon, 2pm

Contact us on: enquiries@dalesbikecentre.co.uk

A good fit and excellent fabric make it ideal through winter and spring and into summer.

It’s available in five sizes from small to XL, so getting a good fit isn’t a problem. It definitely comes up small – I tested a medium – compared to other clothing brands, so it might be worth going up a size if you’re not sure.

That tight fit means the polyester fabric wraps the skin and can wick sweat quickly away. There’s a dose of spandex in the material which provides a reasonable degree of stretch. It’s comfortable next to the skin, and the seams have been cleverly placed around the back to avoid irritation.

Everyone needs a good base layer and the Specialized is just that, at a very good price too.

It’s a good deal warmer and more comfortable on the bike than the Mavic Echelon base layer I recently reviewed. The high stretch of the fabric and the snugness ensures it doesn’t move around on your body, and the upshot of the fit is the fabric is best disposed to wick sweat away from your skin. It’s not the warmest of base layer for this cold snap, but with a couple of layers over the top you’ll be just fine.

As we approach spring and summer, this base layer will be a top choice. Making it a good year-round option.

Verdict

Well-priced and very versatile base layer good for year-round use.

Price: £24.99

What specialized says:

The Specialized 1st Layer Short Sleeve Base layer uses a smart blend of stretchable, hydrophobic yarns to enhance the performance and comfortable cycling top.

www.specialized.com

This edit shows him training for the 2013 Aussie National Champs and he clearly hasn’t lost any speed or style. Expect big things this year as he is joined by American Aaron Gwin on Specialized bikes.

Specialized’s second generation Command Post is one of the most reliable mechanical dropper posts I’ve tested.

The Command Post offers 125mm of drop with air sprung internals and a mechanical remote lever. You can either slam the saddle, or drop it just 35mm. More limiting than a post with infinite adjustment, but in use that 35mm drop proves very useful for a lot riding. For instance, those trails that don’t need the full 125mm drop, but you want the saddle a little out of the way, it’s in these situations that it is very useful.

Weight is 550g, which puts it in the same ballpark as other mechanical dropper posts. It uses an expanding collet design to lock the post into position, and the cable is attached to the activation arm at the front of the seat clamp. Two bushes are located inside and it has proved well sealed from the elements. It’s been ridden through horrific mud and jet washed repeatedly, yet it’s still sliding up and down very smoothly.

The remote lever for the dropper post – it’s fitted to the grip collar to save bar space

There’s no hint of saddle play even after all the abuse it’s received. The low pressure of the air spring means it’s easy to drop the saddle down when needed, you’re not fighting much force. Some may prefer an unlimited drop option, like the Crank Brothers Kronolog or RockShox Reverb, but you get used to the three positions options quickly.l I have to admit to really favouring the middle option for a lot of my local trails.

Up top is a neat single-bolt saddle clamp. It’s easy to use and only takes a few minutes to get the saddle in and set up correctly. The remote lever is reasonably ergonomic but it’s not as nice to use as the Kronolog’s lever, plus there’s no split clamp so you need to remove the grips to slide it into place first. An in-line barrel adjuster makes it easy to remove any slack in the cable as it stretches.

It’s available in 30.9mm and 31.6mm sizes, and you can choose from three drop options; 125mm, 100mm, and 75mm.

At £250 it’s the same price as the Crank Brothers Kronolog, and every bit as good in terms of performance. It’s worth shopping around though, I’ve seen it for around £200. Both are still cheaper than the market leader, the RockShox Reverb. The latter’s hydraulic remote push button is still a clear performance benefit though.

Verdict

One of the most reliable mechanical dropper posts currently available.

More information: Specialized Command Post BlackLite
Price: £249.99

What Specialized says:

All-new Specialized Command Post BlackLite uses 3 remote-actuated saddle height position to maximise climbing and descending performance. Modern cross-country riders realise the benefit of the perfect riding position achieved by utilising the on-the-fly saddle height adjustment for a more fun, safer and hassle-free riding experience.

• 2nd generation
• Bonded head for a lighter and more secure fitting on seatpost
• Two versions of drop-adjustability for bike and rider size: 125mm & 100mm
• Quick-release engagement cable on the post head makes setup and removal simple
• Diameter: 30.9mm

Specialized Camber Expert 29er.

Okay, so £3,500 is a load of money, but you do get a full carbon fibre frame that produces an all-up weight comfortably under 28lbs. It’s thoughtfully specced with equipment that you won’t need to change when you roll it out of the shop, including a wide handlebar/short stem combo, quality tyres, a decent dropper post, 2×10 drivetrain and Fox’s latest CTD fork and AutoSag shock.

The carbon fibre frame is where a lot of the £3,500 goes. The Camber range does start at a more affordable £1,500 though and aside from the material switch to aluminium, it’s virtually the same bike. The Expert here is the top of a four model range.

Full carbon frame and internal cable routing for the dropper post. Tapered head tube up front.

Specialized really know how to do carbon these days and it certainly shows on the Camber Expert; this is one well designed and constructed frame. Their own FACT 9m carbon fibre is used and has a tapered head tube, PressFit 30mm bottom bracket, direct mount front mech and internal dropper cable routing. Move further back and there’s an M5 aluminium swingarm with a 142mm bolt-thru axle, post disc mounts and replaceable mech hanger. Chainstays are reasonably short at 447mm, with a 1147mm wheelbase.

Clearance around the back wheel is a tad limited, a result of cramming the big wheels into a frame with 110mm travel and short-ish chainstays. Having said that, I had no problems with clogging through the winter months though with the supplied tyres.

The Camber sits in Specialized’s ‘trail’ range of bikes, and this plays out when you check out the geometry chart for this bike. It has a 71° head angle (on the medium tested) which keeps the steering nimble and involving. We might have expected a slightly slacker head angle, but any concerns soon vanished out on the trail. This bike handles well.

Specialized bikes usually sit in the ‘long and low’ category of bike shapes, and the Camber followed this design rule. The geometry certainly bears this out. The seat angle is quite steep at 71°, and the overall result is a relatively long front centre. It didn’t feel like a long bike to ride though, and it’s stable at speed and planted through the corners, thanks to the low centre of gravity that the low bottom bracket creates.

Setting the suspension up couldn’t be any easier. The new Fox shock has the latest Autosag technology. It’s really simple to use, simply load up the shock with 300psi, remove shock pump, sit on the bike (best done with your riding gear on) and then release the excess air via the red Autosag valve. I found the resulting pressure spot on for my weight and riding style. There’s nothing to stop you adding or releasing a bit of air if you need in the usual way.

FSR’s excellent four bar suspension design, compact and efficient.

The shock and the Fox Float Performance Series 29 fork feature the new-for-2013 CTD damping control dials. These letters stand for Climb, Trail, Descend, and replace the old numbering system. With this new system it’s certainly easier to dial the suspension in than it used to be, and gives a good range of adjustable low-speed compression damping. I found my favourite setting to be leaving the fork in descend mode the whole time and alternating the shock between trail and descend, for typical trail rides with plenty of climbing and descending.

The rear suspension is Specialized’s long-running FSR. It’s changed appearance a fair bit over the years, but it’s still a four-bar design at heart. And it’s one of the best suspension designs out there, with a fabulous feel no matter what terrain you take it over, or how hard you treat it. It’s lively and responsive, doesn’t bog down under pedalling nor does it bob excessively, even with the lowest level of damping.

On paper 110mm of travel at both ends may sound a bit short, but bombing around local trails and a few trips to Wales and other places in between, it showed no shortcomings. There was the odd occasion on longer rocky/steppy descent that I found the limits of the fork, but rarely did I long for more travel. The bigger wheels go some way to compensating for the small lack of travel compared to an equivalent 120mm 26in-wheeled bike.

I was impressed with how stiff the fork proved to be at the same time, though you can certainly detect a hint of vagueness when really giving it some beans. It would be nice if Specialized just adopted the 15mm thru-axle standard that most other manufacturers are doing these days, for the added security and stiffness.

The groupset is a mix of SRAM X7 and X9, with a custom carbon SRAM S-2200 crankset, complete with a neat carbon bash-guard and 36/22 chainrings. Brakes are Formula T1 S with MatchMaker mounts (which saves space on the bars) and 180/160mm rotors. Aside from the rear brake pads vanishing into dust after the first couple of rides, the brakes were flawless, with loads of modulated power. The rear mech is a Type 2 with a roller bearing clutch to eliminate the chain slapping about over rough terrain. It really makes a difference, and keeps the chain from derailing even when the going gets rough.

SRAM XO Type-2 rear mech stops the chain flapping in the wind.

Finishing kit all carries the Specialized logo. Nice to see a 720mm wide handlebar and 75mm stem to give a short and wide cockpit. The stem length is size specific, so there’s a 60mm stem on the small Camber and a 105mm on the XL and XXL. Saddle is a Body Geometry Henge Comp and is as comfortable as saddles get.

You get a Specialized Command Post Blacklite dropper post on this Expert model. It has 125mm drop and perhaps its best feature is three-step drop. Dropping it down just halfway is incredibly useful a lot of the time, on the trails that don’t demand the saddle be slammed to allow you to hang off the back of the bike. It’s operated by a cable actuated remote handlebar lever.

The performance and reliability has impressed a lot, and it’s been one of the most dependable mechanical dropper posts I’ve tried in the past couple of months. You can buy it separately for £250 and I’d recommend it if you’re in the market for a dropper post.

Wheels are Roval Control Trail 29 and they’re fitted with the excellent Ground Control 2Bliss tyres: a 2.3in up front and 2.1in out back. These proved seriously capable tyres. Even in the brunt of the winter they managed to hook up well in the mud and they offer a predictable and easily tameable slide when the limit of traction is breached. You get all the valves and bits you need to go tubeless as well, should you wish. Specialized really do think about the details.

I didn’t feel compelled to change anything on the bike, but I did switch to a 50mm stem (that’s just my personal preference, even for trail bikes leaning towards cross-country).

So, the important part of this review, how does it ride? Very well is the simple and honest answer. What I’ve really taken away from riding the Camber is just how much fun it has been. It’s a fantastically capable all-round trail bike, as happy on all-day epics as it is hitting up your favourite singletrack and cruising back up to the top.

It’s light enough, and the suspension is so well balanced, that you can easily aim it towards any marathons or other epic rides you have planned. But if it’s just a bike for thrashing around your local trails that you’re looking for, the Camber is happy doing that too. Don’t be mistaken into thinking it’s a cross-country bike, it’s right up there with the best trail bikes.

The Camber just feels good too. The length of the bike, the geometry and the low bottom bracket give it predictable handling, and it sits down well through corners when pushed hard. Throwing it through the turns reveals it has a neutral and balanced handling. It may have big wheels, but this is no barge. It’s easy to pick the line you want, and to hold onto it as the tyres scrabble for traction. Specialized really have nailed the 29er geometry.

The big wheels give the Camber great stability at speed, it feels comfortable launching off drops and over jumps. And it makes a mockery of rooty and rocky climbs too, it just scrambles up and over them with no fuss. The composed suspension certainly helps in these situations.

I had fun every single time I’ve ridden the Camber. It’s a complete package that ticks every single box a trail/all-mountain bike should.

Verdict

Fun, fast, agile, light, capable; the Camber is a seriously impressive bit of kit. If you’re in the market for short travel 29er, give the Camber some consideration.

Pros

Fun
Fast
Light
Well equipped

Cons

Pricey

Web: Specialized Camber Expert 29er
Price: £3,500
Weight: 26.5lbs

Geometry (medium size tested)

• Head: 70°
• Seat: 71°
• Chainstays: 447mm
• Wheelbase: 1147mm
• Bottom Bracket Height: 336mm
• Stack: 601mm
• Reach: 418mm

Well Specialized’s Matt Hunter went there last year to ride the famous Tour du Mont Blanc walking route and this edit shows just what an incredible journey the route takes you on. Isn’t it fabulous that the space on one single mountain can take you through three different countries, see you riding in forest and through open valleys and can dish out baking sunshine on one face, torturous rain and low temperatures on another?

Who’s going to join us to ride this in summer 2013 then?!

The reason for Aaron Gwin’s jump from Trek to Specialized has been much speculated, but Ali Todd’s wondering how this will affect our sport in the long run.
Photo ©Cameron Baird/Red Bull Content Pool

Ali’s wondering what brought this move about, why the golden-boy of mountain biking should breach his recently signed ‘letter of intent’ and what this means for our sport. In other sports things like this happen all the time, right? So do we need to worry or even take any notice at all? Perhaps we really should care – our sport is supposed to be friendly, laid-back and not tarred by scandal, surely?

Ali has gathered some of his thoughts together and would like to hear your opinions below.

Contract ballet

Words: Ali Todd

I don’t know how many of you are up to date with the chaos and carnage in the world of downhill racing at the moment, but it’s quite amusing.

Here’s the story in condensed form: Aaron Gwin, the fastest man on the downhill scene at the moment, has been riding for Trek World Racing for the last three years. His contract with them was up in the summer, but Trek wanted him back, and sent him a “letter of intent”, which he signed and returned. However, two days ago, word leaked out that he had transferred to Specialized in an impromptu move. Trek knew absolutely nothing about this, it seemed – the day before the leak we got wind of it and sent Martin Whitely (23 Degrees; the team manager) an email, to which he replied “Aaron Gwin signed a 3 year commitment with us, and we will be filing his name along with other team members with the UCI next week as part of our team registration process.”

So what’s going on? Well, Martin Whitely has hit the roof and is apparently considering legal action against Gwin, as he says a Letter of Intent is legally binding. Here in the UK it’s not (in itself), but things are different in the US, where it’s very unclear. Gwin, well known as an All-American dream boy (and a devout Christian), is facing a lot of criticism for this, but it seems the whole story isn’t out yet.

This kind of deal is practically unheard of in mountain biking, which is why the story is so huge. We’re blessed with having a very small, not excessively over-developed sport, where it’s not dog-eat-dog, and gentleman’s agreements are the substance of life. It’s young and cosy, and I like it that way.

If this were any other sport, however, would anyone have taken the blindest bit of notice of one nearly-contract being escaped? Are we going to see our sport turn into another of these super-sports? Is the money pumped in by huge companies like Trek, Specialized, Red Bull etc. going to change things?

Let’s have a quick look to some other sports to help us think about this:

Formula 1

F1 is probably one of the biggest sports in terms of contracts and money, and there’s always a bit of “contract ballet” as I like to call it (flitting gracefully between people, occasionally being forcibly thrown). Sebastian Vettel, for instance, is rumoured to move from Red Bull to Ferrari before his contract is up in 2014, but Red Bull is insisting there are no get out clauses he can use. Minor drama.

Football

In football, it’s constant: players swapping between teams for the money is seen as no more mercenary than someone asking for a refund for a dysfunctional TV. Money is big, but no one’s really bothered. Money (and money alone) decides where players go. It’s just clever business, right? There’s no team loyalty in most players, and it’s accepted happily.

Road

In road cycling, there’s the huge drama over Armstrong being “ready to admit to doping”, and the damage that he could do to the other racers and the companies involved. I know it’s not contract switching, but it’s to do with teams, contracts, and the media coverage – the media was responsible for holding back the information over the mass doping, whereas in the Gwin case, maybe we’ve released it too early, before we knew the whole story.

The managers

The flipside of team members switching: there’s also the drama of the managers being pushed. If we saw managers being fired by the teams because they weren’t performing well enough, it would be a whole different game. This happens in football all the time and is never seen as a big deal. Should team managers be so harshly judged in mountain bikes? Maybe we’re too gentlemanly? It comes down to the mindset in mountain bikes, and (I suppose) not being able to pass the blame on in a never-ending circle of responsibility.

My conclusion

Some of the time these letters of intent are signed by the athlete as they’re looking forward to another season, while the managers have no intention of actually finishing with a contract, but are just covering themselves with a backup option while trying to sign someone else. It works all ways, and anywhere but here it’s taken without the blindest bit of notice.

Our sport isn’t incredibly professional… If you look at all these examples, mountain biking is barely a sport in comparison. It’s a pastime. Scandal isn’t well known in mountain bikes like it is in road, though it may be on its way.

Working at the other end of this, the journalism in our sport isn’t searching for scandal, paying people off and dirtying people’s names. The worst we could be accused of is printing without presenting/knowing the whole story, because the internet’s instant nature demands the information before you’ve even seen it.

Bikes, however, are simultaneously huge, with one in five households now having mountain bikes, and quiet, with a very part-time attitude to racing World Cups and signing contracts. I love it like that.

Is it just me?

Well, is it? This makes sense in my mind, but I suppose there are benefits of the sport growing. Is it inevitable? I don’t know. Help me figure this out please!

New stuff has been landing thick and fast in the top secret Bikemagic underground lair. Here’s just some of the pile threatening to engulf the office.

Shimano Accu 3D Unzen 10 litre drinking pack

Shimano’s new 10-litre drinking pack looks like a solid entry into the mountain biking bag fray.

We previewed Shimano’s hydration packs when they were first revealed back in February. This 10 litre bag is the first to land here at Bikemagic HQ, and it manages to pack a lot of well-thought-out detail into a lightweight package. With no water in its three-litre bladder the empty pack weighs just 660g.

Features include an adjustable-length back; external and internal organiser pockets; zips on both sides to get into the main compartment; hip belt pockets; lockable bite valve and a clip built into the buckle to capture the hose.

However, the most eye-catching part of the design is the X-shaped shoulder straps, intended to pull away from your arms so the pack doesn’t limit your movement on the bike.

Price: £89.99
More information: Madison Cycles

Brand X X-90 Pressure washer

We call it ‘The pressure washer of the fallen leaves’

It’s definitely the frequent bike washing season, so we’re hoping this beast will make the job easier. Brand X’s X-90 pressure washer gets its power from your car’s power outlet (that thing in the dash where people used to put a cigarette lighter) and holds 13 litres of water, which should be enough to clean a couple of bikes, or one very, very dirty one. 

Price: £94.99
More information: Hotlines

Gaerne G.Etna shoes

Gaerne G Etna shoes with Vibram soles for grip off the bike.

Now and then you have no choice but to get off and walk. Talk to any serious walker and when they’ve recovered from the realisation that you’re a) a mountain biker b) being nice to them, and you’ll find a favourite among the booted set is Vibram, long renowned for their durable, grippy soles.

The Gaerne G Etna shoes have a Vibram SPD sole that’s intended to provide the best of both worlds: clip-in riding security and walking traction.

The upper is made from a combination of leather and mesh with a simple closure: good old laces, covered by a Velcro strap.

Price: £89.99
More information: Hotlines

Specialized Andorra women’s helmet

Specialized Andorra is a women’s ‘all-mountain’ helmet with a hint of pink and a pony-tail friendly design.

The main difference between this helmet and the men’s equivalent Tactic II is Specialized’s ponytail-friendly HairPort SL Fit System which, as the name suggests, leaves room for long hair. It’s also a more subdued colour than the Tactic II, but that’s in part because we asked for a screaming green helmet when we got the Tactic II we recently featured and not because Specialized has decided that all male riders must be decorated in lairy Kermit shades.

Like the Tactic II, the Andorra is billed as an all-mountain helmet, which means the shell extends a bit further down the back of your head to guard against off-the-back landings. That sounds like a good idea for all types of mountain biking, not just throwing yourself off stuff.

Price: £55
More information: Specialized

Airwave Motion mini pump

Airwave Motion pump folds out into an easy-to-use baby track pump.

Mini-pumps are great: easy to carry so they’re always ready when you need them. Unfortunately, mini-pumps are rubbish: they move so little air that by the time you’ve changed a tube your riding buddies have died of exposure or given up and left you.

The solution is a portable track pump like this one from Airwave. The fold-out foot gives you something to stand on to hold it steady and the extensible hose isolates the pump from the valve so you’re less likely to damage the valve as you pump.

It’s short enough to fit in a typical backpack, and comes with a mount to attach to bottle cage bosses or anywheer else on your bike with the included releasable zp ties.

Price: £15.99
More information: Hotlines

Muc-Off Dirty Work wipes – pack of 15

Dirty Work wipes: textured for more sensation, er, we mean better cleaning.

Textured for scrubbing your skin clean, and with a combination of citrus cleaners and lanolin, these wipes come 15 to a resealable pack so you can carry them around for easy hand-cleaning after on-the-trail fettling.

More information: Muc-Off
Price: £3.00

Muc-Off C3 Ceramic Bike Lube

Muc-Off’s ultimate wet lube includes ceramics for persistent protection.

The idea of ‘ceramic’ lubes like Muc-Off C3 is that tiny particles of boron nitride, combined with fluoropolymers (think of the teflon that stops eggs sticking to your frying pan in the morning) build up into a low-friction coating on the metal surfaces of your chain.

That makes C3 great for wet conditions, according to Muc-Off, and it comes in a handy pipette bottle so you can put ‘just enough’ on your chain.

More information: Muc-Off
Price: £8.00

For 2013, however, they’ve chopped the 26in Camber from the range: sales of 26in short-travel bikes have been on the decline in the US for a good few years so it was only a matter of time.

Camber goes fully 29 in 2013

That leaves us with just the Camber 29, which becomes a four-bike range with two alloy and two carbon models. The Camber is best described as filling the slim gap between the Epic and Stumpjumper, and uses the same tried-and-tested FSR suspension design with 110mm of travel front and rear.

Setting the rear suspension up couldn’t be any easier. The clever AutoSag technology carries over from last year, and features on every bike in the Camber range. The procedure requires inflating the shock to 300psi, sitting on the bike and releasing the excess air by activating the red AutoSag valve. Bingo, perfect shock pressure.

The Camber range start at £1,500 and we have our hands on the priciest £3,500 Camber Expert Carbon. It gets a custom tuned Fox Float CTD Evolution shock and Fox Float Performance Series 29 fork; both have Fox’s new CTD (climb, trail, descend) compression damping settings which replace the old numerical system for easier suspension tuning.

AutoSag valve makes shock setup a simple process

The frame is constructed from Specialized’s own FACT 9m carbon fibre with all the modern touches, including a tapered headtube, PressFit 30mm bottom bracket, direct mount front mech and internal dropper cable routing. The M5 alloy rear triangle has a 142mm bolt-thru axle, post disc mounts and replaceable mech hanger.

The groupset is a mix of SRAM X7 and X9, with a custom carbon SRAM S-2200 crankset, complete with a neat carbon bashguard and 36/22 chainrings. Brakes are Formula T1 S with MatchMaker mounts saving space on the bars and 180/160mm rotors. The rear mech is a Type 2 with a roller bearing clutch to eliminate the chain slapping about over rough terrain.

Roval Contrail Trail 29 wheels with 32 spokes front and rear are wrapped in Ground Control 2Bliss tyres: a 2.3in up front and 2.1in out back. Specialized haven’t given the Camber a 15mm bolt-thru front hub, instead opting for a traditional 9mm quick release but with oversized 28mm end caps on the front help helping to stiffen up the interface between hub and fork.

Command Post dropper post with 125mm of drop

A dropper post is mandatory on this type of bike and a Specialized Command Post Blacklite is fitted. It’s operated by a cable actuated remote handlebar lever and offers three positions with 125mm of total drop available.

Finishing kit all carries the Specialized logo. A 720mm-wide handlebar with 10mm rise and 10 degree backsweep combines with a 75mm 3D forged alloy stem to give a short and wide cockpit. The stem length is size specific, so there’s a 60mm stem on the small Camber and a 105mm on the XL and XXL. Saddle is a BodyGeometry Henge Comp.

Geometry is leaning towards the slacker end of the spectrum compared to the likes of the Epic but a 70° head angle on our medium still sounds quite steep. The other important numbers are a 71° seat angle, 447mm chainstays, a 1147mm wheelbase and a 336mm bottom bracket.

First ride

The big wheels and supple suspension roll up and over roots and rocks with effortless ease, making even the trickiest climbs a veritable walk in the park. On paper the geometry data suggests a steep bike but once out on the trail it just feels good. Precise handling and noticeably stable at high speeds and over rough ground, the Camber is plain good fun to ride.

FACT 9m carbon front triangle. There are two carbon frames in the range

Traction and bump absorption belies the relatively short travel. Out on the trail it doesn’t feel short changed compared to traditional long travel trail bikes. Specialized have been championing 29ers for a few years now and they really have dialled in the geometry to near perfection. Mountain bikes don’t get much better than this.

The Camber appears to occupy a very small gap, travel-wise, between the excellent Epic and Stumpjumper, but based on our first ride it appears to be a very well sorted bike with fun at the fore of its offering. We’ll report back with a full review once we’ve really got under the skin of the Camber.

Price: £3,500
From: www.specialized.com