First Look: Specialized 2014 Trail Bikes
Sitting at the heart of Specialized's range are their trail bikes. As we said when we tested the Stumpjumper FSR 29 recently, they are the bikes we'd tend to drop into the niche marked "mountain bikes." There are four factors that Specialized say they look at when designing these bikes: Control, fun, speed and options. First and foremost they believe riders want a bike that is easy to live with, so control is vital. Fun and speed are self-explanatory (but we like that they put fun first), then options is about offering a range big enough to suit your riding style and budget. That is why within these two models there are five distinct styles of bikes to choose from. We attended their launch at the Specialized office in Charmes, France, to put the bikes through their paces and have a close look at the entire range.
Camber S-Works
Most of the attention this year has gone on the 110-millimeter-travel Camber 29er, with a complete re-design of the frame. Sitting at the top of the range, is the drop-dead gorgeous carbon S-Works version. The tube profile is completely new and far more elegant than anything we have seen in their trail range before. The frame looks thin in places, and when we pushed Specialized about how strong it was, they refused to reveal precise numbers. They did, however, admit that the Camber doesn't give up much strength in comparison to the Stumpjumper, as their carbon know-how has progressed in the last three years.
At this shorter-travel end of their range, Specialized engineers were able to simplify the Camber’s suspension linkage by using a single, concentric pivot to mate the shock to the chainstays. In the previous version, the linkage was attached to the shock and the stays separately. What you can't see from the outside is that the metal inserts that Specialized once used for the headset and bottom bracket are no more and those areas are molded carbon inside. To keep things clean and tidy, they also added internal cable and seatpost routing. What hasn't changed is the geometry. Specialized stated that they experimented with different options, but decided the numbers of last year’s Camber were already where they wanted it.
Working down the range; there is the $3,800 regular carbon Camber, which loses the carbon rear-end of the S-Works model, and if you keep going you reach the base model, which will retail at less than $2,000. With the exception of that base model they will all have 15mm through-axles on the fork, Formula brakes down to the Comp-level and, the best news of all, carbon wheels have made it down to the Expert-level bikes this year. All bikes in the Camber range will be available in sizes from small up to X Large and, as before, there is no 26"-wheeled version of the Camber.
Camber EVO
For us, this was the most exciting bike Specialized showed us in Charmes. Here at Pinkbike we like Specialized’s Evo bikes a lot, they don't always make sense in conventional terms, but they are always a lot of fun. The Camber Evo Expert takes the standard carbon Camber frame (without the S-Works carbon rear end, in other words) and adds in the Evo link, which slackens the head angle, lowers the bottom bracket and boosts the travel up to 120mm. To go with the more aggressive geometry is a burlier build kit; out front is a 35mm-stanchioned Rock Shox Pike, the wheels are the tougher, wider Roval Traverse carbon rims and the bar and stem are wider and shorter.
With the tweaks, the Camber Evo feels very close to the new Stumpjumper geometry-wise, so if you're asking "what's the point of this bike?" the answer goes back to the first two of the factors Specialized considered when designing these bikes: control and fun. If you are an active rider who likes to play with both the bike and the trail and would take a livelier bike over extra suspension, then this is the ticket for you. We'd have to admit that at the launch this was the bike we made a bee-line for as often as possible...
If the carbon version is out of your budget, there will also be a more affordable base-level Camber Evo with an M5 aluminium frame, Rockshox Reba fork and a mixture of SRAM's X7 and X9 drivetrain components to keep it moving.
Stumpjumper FSR
The headline for the Stumpjumper FSR for 2014 is no more 26" wheels, except in the Evo version. While we were surprised to hear the news, once we started to dig deeper we had to admit it simply makes sense. Last year the Stumpjumper FSR 29 outsold the Stumpjumper FSR 26 at a rate of seven to one. You can talk about big-wheeled bandwagons, fashions and propaganda all day, but in the end, it was their customers who made the decision for them. As the attention for development has been focused on the Camber, the updates to the Stumpjumper are subtle. Internal routing for a dropper post has been added and the linkage hardware has been slightly revised to keep it quieter.
In our recent test of the S-Works version we were wondering how the bike would be with a larger fork like a 34 out front. It seems like Specialized were thinking along the same lines and all of the upper-end bikes now come with the larger Fox 34 instead of the 32 they came with for previous years. For the models that come with Specialized’s proprietary Brain inertia-valve shock system, it has had a few updates. The size of the reservoir has been decreased to save some weight, the adjustment range has been simplified and there is a new trail tune for riders who prefer less input from the system. Like with the Camber, carbon wheels have now trickled down to Expert-level bikes.
Stumpjumper EVO
The Stumpjumper Evo bikes have, of course, benefited from the updates to the regular Stumpjumper. After that there is little to report other than the sexy, silver paintjobs on the Expert versions and that here they are keeping 26" wheels as an option. This is a clear message that Specialized see the value of smaller wheels for riders who are more focused on bike handling and tackling technical terrain. Although we would have to admit that after a few days riding only 29-inch-wheeled bikes, we found that the smaller-wheeled Stumpjumper Evo looked a bit, well, weird by comparison.
![SJ 26 Geo.]()
www.specialized.com
Camber S-Works
Most of the attention this year has gone on the 110-millimeter-travel Camber 29er, with a complete re-design of the frame. Sitting at the top of the range, is the drop-dead gorgeous carbon S-Works version. The tube profile is completely new and far more elegant than anything we have seen in their trail range before. The frame looks thin in places, and when we pushed Specialized about how strong it was, they refused to reveal precise numbers. They did, however, admit that the Camber doesn't give up much strength in comparison to the Stumpjumper, as their carbon know-how has progressed in the last three years.
 |
 The S-Works Carbon Camber, $9,250. |
At this shorter-travel end of their range, Specialized engineers were able to simplify the Camber’s suspension linkage by using a single, concentric pivot to mate the shock to the chainstays. In the previous version, the linkage was attached to the shock and the stays separately. What you can't see from the outside is that the metal inserts that Specialized once used for the headset and bottom bracket are no more and those areas are molded carbon inside. To keep things clean and tidy, they also added internal cable and seatpost routing. What hasn't changed is the geometry. Specialized stated that they experimented with different options, but decided the numbers of last year’s Camber were already where they wanted it.
 |
| The carbon Camber Comp, $3,800. |
 |
| The entry-level Camber, $1,850. |
Working down the range; there is the $3,800 regular carbon Camber, which loses the carbon rear-end of the S-Works model, and if you keep going you reach the base model, which will retail at less than $2,000. With the exception of that base model they will all have 15mm through-axles on the fork, Formula brakes down to the Comp-level and, the best news of all, carbon wheels have made it down to the Expert-level bikes this year. All bikes in the Camber range will be available in sizes from small up to X Large and, as before, there is no 26"-wheeled version of the Camber.
Camber EVO
For us, this was the most exciting bike Specialized showed us in Charmes. Here at Pinkbike we like Specialized’s Evo bikes a lot, they don't always make sense in conventional terms, but they are always a lot of fun. The Camber Evo Expert takes the standard carbon Camber frame (without the S-Works carbon rear end, in other words) and adds in the Evo link, which slackens the head angle, lowers the bottom bracket and boosts the travel up to 120mm. To go with the more aggressive geometry is a burlier build kit; out front is a 35mm-stanchioned Rock Shox Pike, the wheels are the tougher, wider Roval Traverse carbon rims and the bar and stem are wider and shorter.
 |
| The Camber Expert Carbon Evo, $6,000. |
With the tweaks, the Camber Evo feels very close to the new Stumpjumper geometry-wise, so if you're asking "what's the point of this bike?" the answer goes back to the first two of the factors Specialized considered when designing these bikes: control and fun. If you are an active rider who likes to play with both the bike and the trail and would take a livelier bike over extra suspension, then this is the ticket for you. We'd have to admit that at the launch this was the bike we made a bee-line for as often as possible...
If the carbon version is out of your budget, there will also be a more affordable base-level Camber Evo with an M5 aluminium frame, Rockshox Reba fork and a mixture of SRAM's X7 and X9 drivetrain components to keep it moving.
 |
Stumpjumper FSR
The headline for the Stumpjumper FSR for 2014 is no more 26" wheels, except in the Evo version. While we were surprised to hear the news, once we started to dig deeper we had to admit it simply makes sense. Last year the Stumpjumper FSR 29 outsold the Stumpjumper FSR 26 at a rate of seven to one. You can talk about big-wheeled bandwagons, fashions and propaganda all day, but in the end, it was their customers who made the decision for them. As the attention for development has been focused on the Camber, the updates to the Stumpjumper are subtle. Internal routing for a dropper post has been added and the linkage hardware has been slightly revised to keep it quieter.
 |
| The carbon S-Works Stumpjumper. $9,500. |
In our recent test of the S-Works version we were wondering how the bike would be with a larger fork like a 34 out front. It seems like Specialized were thinking along the same lines and all of the upper-end bikes now come with the larger Fox 34 instead of the 32 they came with for previous years. For the models that come with Specialized’s proprietary Brain inertia-valve shock system, it has had a few updates. The size of the reservoir has been decreased to save some weight, the adjustment range has been simplified and there is a new trail tune for riders who prefer less input from the system. Like with the Camber, carbon wheels have now trickled down to Expert-level bikes.
Stumpjumper EVO
The Stumpjumper Evo bikes have, of course, benefited from the updates to the regular Stumpjumper. After that there is little to report other than the sexy, silver paintjobs on the Expert versions and that here they are keeping 26" wheels as an option. This is a clear message that Specialized see the value of smaller wheels for riders who are more focused on bike handling and tackling technical terrain. Although we would have to admit that after a few days riding only 29-inch-wheeled bikes, we found that the smaller-wheeled Stumpjumper Evo looked a bit, well, weird by comparison.
 |
| The carbon S-Works Stumpjumper Evo, $9,000. |
 |
| The 26 inch-wheeled version of the carbon S-Works Stumpjumper Evo, $9,000. |
 |
www.specialized.com
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Ride it ( the carbon ) how it's supposed to be ridden and it might last 3 years at best
People are just retarded if they spend 10 grand on a bike
I do feel stupid for my brake flub though
Want good value? Buy a frame you like from reputable company and all the kit online and build it. For bikes above midrange it is a better value and exactly the kit you want.
You have to understand Pinkbike is funded by the companies that you see in the sidebar, this is because those companies want their bikes reviewed and launches covered and seen by the masses. Chances are, those companies want the market to see their carbon pinner trail bikes, new bike offerings (hence the extensive 650B coverage) and high end products. You probably won't see a review for a Specialized crosstrail anytime soon, or even a Hardrock, because they want the market to buy higher-end bikes and purchase the next best thing. Everything, especially marketing, which pinkbike is a major player in, is based on increasing sales.
"They're great for certain things. Like pedaling uphill".... yes but that is the ONLY thing they are good at. I live for big backcountry rides, but I don't want my bike to be my limiting factor when it comes to ripping a good downhill. I sold my full suspension 29er because I had to ride slower on the downhills, and it sucked for jumping."
m.pinkbike.com/news/Curtis-Keene-Shreds-BCs-Best-MTB-Trails-video-2013.html
These bikes are so awesome and if you don't like them its because you are probably from France or worse French Canadia. God gave us 29ers so we didn't have to ride 26 inch wheels like the homosexuals and hipsters. 29 inch wheels are so strong you can do huge airs like bunny hops and wheelies. They are so awesome I cant believe people don't like them. Do you think I'm crazy? I just don't know why you people cant just get over 650b. Sadam Hussein invented them to draw us apart. If you ride 650b the terrorists win. Is that what you want? I would rather you ride a 26er like the homosexuals and the hipsters than ride something that comes from a godless crazy terrorist.
When I look at the bikes above a few things come to mind. Eagles, fireworks, daisy duke shorts on a red head with a Daddy issue, big fake breasts, and of course the before mentioned fired chicken and waffles. Not any of those Belgian waffles. Them really skinny ones you get at Waffle House that might as well be pancakes. The only difference is they have all the pockets to hold syrup. We need to have unity. We can all agree that 650b is terrorist non-sense. UNITY B*TCH*ES.
And trialstar, Your CAPS LOCK button is obviously engaged. You better watch your tone girl and use your inside voice, before we kick that puppy dog ass outside. Does spell check not exist in communist Canadia?
m.youtube.com/watch?v=fYt6IqaHk_Q&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DfYt6IqaHk_Q
www.konaworld.com/operator.cfm
www.pinkbike.com/news/Kona-Entourage-Tested-2012.html
I had a Dawg and my brother had a coiler at one point and a stinky six at another. I know a kid who loves his coiler. In all cases these bikes have held up fine to the light FR they put them through, but if one in a thousand has a major fail then one in a thousand riders could get seriously mangled, and a headtube snap it pretty major.
Broken Santa Cruz: i1.mtbx.com.ar/foto/o/13/07/1307544003_P1300092.JPG
Broken Giant: is.pinkbike.com/p5pb4879910/p5pb4879910.jpg
Broken Cannondale: www.railmaster.net/cracked1.jpg
Broken Intense: ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb7875475/p4pb7875475.jpg
Broken Evil: lp1.pinkbike.org/p4pb6632702/p4pb6632702.jpg
The point: shit breaks dude, get over it.
Of course, you still need to buy a different fork, wheels, and shock - but such is the price of chasing the latest and greatest...
the bulk of the MTB market (riders riding off-road) are actually riding XC / Trail bikes, that is where the money is to be made for company like Specialized
in fact the bulk of their sales is road bikes, which completely outsell their MTBs!
a very small minority is riding DH and FR.....
So you live on the mountains? Good for you, we in cities envy you... Even if we live 2h drive from mountains we have less than 2h for riding in total, so we prefer to spend it in the saddle. most of us drop dreams of riding DH bikes after less than 5 years of being into riding, and buy trail bike... So bike companies like us a bit more... So sorry they don't care for you
I am a dirt-roadie for sure
this morning before work? I rode my mountain bike about 20 miles around the trails in my local woods in NW London
ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb7388491/p4pb7388491.jpg
this evening? I rode my road bike about 40 miles on the roads above where I live in NW London
ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb9840996/p4pb9840996.jpg
no complaints from me? its all bikes and both bikes are made by specialized (Stumpjumper Expert Carbon 29'er and Tarmac Comp)
Oh well, next year/spring 2014 we'll see the same enduro stuff get on the camber, and it'll be HOOJ NOOZ.
When specialized does change their mind and change these bikes, it'll be front page news.
And I own 2 spesh bikes! They want to get there arses away from trail centres / big open US trails once in a while Specialized and look around If I tried riding these on some trails I'd end up wrapped round the trees FFS
Ever ridden the PNW lol?
I know guys who ride trails I'm terrified of on 29ers
www.pinkbike.com/photo/9716800
A nice wide smooth trail, kind of like the mythical bike parks over here
Correlation does not imply causation. More people buying something doesn't make that thing better and it doesn't make the people who buy the other stuff retarded as you seem to be implying.
I wasn't too fond of the anti-29er conspiracy theories and more on the "let people decide what they want to buy" bandwagon as I really don't give a f*ck about what people ride, at all. The thing is the spesh shop here only sells 29'ers now and it's like that in most shops. Where the f*ck is the choice in that? And then you get the PR people feeding the circlejerk making inane statements about how many 29ers people buy compared to 26ers. No shit sherlock, you can't even buy a 26er if you wanted! That's dishonest at best... I was skeptical when people said they were phasing out 26ers on purpose but I guess they were right.
Around here, you see all the 29ers fans on the perfectly manicured trails with zero rocks and zero roots that can't ride any sort of slightly technical terrain to save their life. That's ok, there's nothing bad about being a casual rider. Then you go to places with moderately technical terrain and it's MASSIVE 26er domination.
People mostly buy 29ers because they want to stay on the easy side of things and they got no need for a burly bike. I got no problems with that but don't say they're better bikes because they're not.
I don't care if people prefere 29ers, more power to all of you but too many things just don't add up.
So if I understand you correctly, to counter a decline in mountain bicycle sales, the industry decided to orient production towards 29ers around 2008 instead of 2011, back when I bet most riders never even heard of 29ers.
This argument does not play in your favor.
You might have read every bit of information released on 29ers for years but what you see in magazines is not what happens in in real life. I've been seeing carbon frames being reviewed all the time for years now and I have seen so few AM/DH carbon frames on the trails that I can count them on my fingers.
I know of at least one Ottawa dealer who at the time swore blind that the market for ANY higher end mountain bikes was dead altogether (like over $1500 retail) especially XC bikes, and until we who worked there FINALLY convinced him to start ordering some Elements in, he would have kept on believing that except we sold 7 elements in one year when the year before he sold none at all (because he didn't stock any). If dealers run their businesses badly and don't stock what people want, people will shop elsewhere to get what they want.
You live in Onterible where the biking is flat with small rolling hills so yes in your small little world 29ers rule on those boring trails. In BC and places that have real mountains the 26er is the weapon of choice. Please get off your high horse.
As for the freeride gods, they are paid to ride what ever bike their sponsor tells them.
Yes and the freeride gods all rode their 29ers at the rampage. Cam zink did his 80ft backflip huck on a 29er. Those farm dudes jumping the 100ft jump are also riding 29ers. Macaskill swears by his 29er and so does Chris Akrigg while Bender also hucks 50feet to flat on his 29er. Don't forget all those hard chargers in PODs/VODs on 29ers. You're deluded.
Our only point is that 29ers do not fit everybody's trails or riding style (or height). Nobody said they're garbage and do not have their place. The 26er crowd is angry because when the 29ers came in, everyone who showed varying degrees of skepticism were told "Relax, it's not phasing out 26ers, everybody gets to ride whatever they want, it's only one more option and options are good, everybody wins" and as the years go by, 26ers ARE obviously getting phased out by multiple brands and some of the people who "asked for acceptance" of the 29ers are now being condescending (those who weren't already) to those who ride a "lesser" wheelsize. All that while completely dismissing the applications where 26ers are most likely best suited with half truths and bogus arguments. If that's not shoving it down our throats then I don't know what is.
No offense to you deeeight, I always admired your bike history knowledge and I always counted on you to retify bogus historical claims but when you say "stop being a complete prick to people who like to ride them please" maybe you should take your own advice in regard of people who prefere 26ers as you now embody exactly what people hate about pinkbike, except that you're the 29er version of it.
I'm out.
That's the thing, I assumed that most people cared about that stuff but the average joe probably doesn't really care about air stability/tricks/manuals/handling, as he probably doesn't even care about slower acceleration, increased weight, additional lateral frame flexibility and he probably doesn't even care about increased contact patch and angles of attack either. All that stuff probably hardly means anything to him, he just wants his ride to be as easy as possible. I'm not sure anymore the industry wants to kill the 26ers so people change their bike. I think it's possible they consider they know better than the consumer what most of them need so they might as well push the 650b/29er with the "it rolls over stuff better" as their main argument because, well, that's probably the only thing the average joe really cares about. "Same result with less effort, sign me up!" If he doesn't jump/drop/trick/manual the bike or need precision handling then there is no point in going for a 26er, is there?
I'm not trying to be condescending or anything. All I'm saying is that what keeps the 26ers fan on 26ers is probably mostly irrelevant for most people and bike brands are probably trying to capitalize on that, which is not a bad thing in itself but if that's really the future of biking, it makes me a little sad.
The bike looks weird, great, lots of good bikes look weird. I am interested in cornering and suspension feel first and foremost, and then looks. I want it, in order of importance....traction, braking,suspension feel. this is all about the design and i am not sure that this is the direction that bikes are headed. I am definitely on the destructive end of the bike part buyer continuum. I have tried to make parts lighter over the years but ultimately have decided that the latest greatest is always gonna break, just like the old parts. bigger wheels mean more leverage during cornering, smaller tires less volume, longer frame more flex. light parts don't work where I live, I have tried, and the parts have failed to the point that I am running saint on all my bikes, sick of failure. No 29 for me till it is tougher. Expensive sport that needs to obsess over weight less...Strong and light would be good...
Id say that short CS gives more fun due to easyness of popping the bike up into the air, than it takes from climbability and stability. It is like getting a short stem -1 from climbing +3 to fun! For racing, yes, longer stays might be better, but for fun, which should interest 99% of people here, short cs is the way to go!
- Aaaaand that means absolutely nothing.
I don't care if Specialized wants to push 29ers into the trail riding market, it doesn't affect me at all. But to get rid of the 26" Stumpjumper Evo Comp so I either have to buy a $9000 26" evo or a 29er, well thats pretty frustrating.
Overall bikes look awesome!!
Nice Alu frame AM bike with all that kashima and other blaa blaa blaa.... And the price is little over 3000€. Just paying for the brand here...
Load of bollocks.
get the cheap spec and do it up as of when.
I wonder how much the X fusion model weighs? What is the warranty?
I've owned several Specializeds in the past (on a Santa Cruz now) and I've always found the Comp price point to be huge bang for your buck compared to any other brand.
"we found that the smaller-wheeled Stumpjumper Evo looked a bit, well, weird by comparison."
So its not weird on that 29 Stumpy to come off the bb, do a 45 degree turn up, and then contort back to make a head tube, looking like a praying mantis claw in profile versus having some rational, flowing lines from front to back? They are trying to apply their 26" surface language to a 29" thing, and it doesn't work yet.
Seriously, look at the photos of those two silver bikes, and tell me honestly that the 29'er has better industrial design. It looks like a normal bike had cerebral palsy. If they could take a fresh look at their surface language it might help (e.g. rip off Niner).
I respect the hell out of Specialized I.D. in general, its what got me into the field in the first place, but they need to move on and move forward with the bike shapes.
Intense, Yeti, Ibis, Ventana, Knolly.. all looks heaps better.
bike names are under the pictures, the alivio cranks is on the 2k bike
I have a 26" Evo and that is probably the only change I would make going forward.
Don't hate because you had a bad experience with them because you probably didn't follow proper burn-in procedures, which about 96% of riders don't follow anyway. Amazing what happens when you RTFM.