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Official Specialized Camber Thread

1M views 5K replies 748 participants last post by  aznmode 
#1 · (Edited)
well, the first thread seemed to have a lot of speculation and questions...
now that the camber is beginning to trickle into shops and hit the trails, i figure we'd get a new thread going with some real life experiences and pics...from us who are really riding them (not just getting them for free to test ride).
here's my 2011 camber elite..size medium..






here's what i've changed:
-sram x.7 drivetrain
-truvativ stylo crankset
-pg990 cassette
-pc991 chain
-phenom saddle
-sunline v1 am wheelset
-maxxis advantage front / maxxis larsen tt rear tires (set up tubeless)
-esi chunky grips
-crank bros egg beater sl pedals
-truvativ stylo race 100mm stem
-truvativ stylo race seatpost

weighs in at 27lb 10oz...which for a 5" travel trail bike is pretty good imo.
 
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#1,427 ·
Carbon does offer a bit of dampening that is hard to explain. It is sort of like steel. Aluminum is a very rigid metal that doesn't give much in a forgiving nature... and carbon (not cheap Chinese type carbon) is usually laid up to be compliant in the direction of a hit. My old ride was a carbon softtail and even with the rear shock aired WAY up, the bike always felt "alive" and I never felt beat up by riding it.

As for stiffness, I am not so sold on the carbon bike being much more laterally stiffer than the aluminum given the redesign of the aluminum chassis. Now, if Specialized takes the simplified linkage and swing arm of the '13 aluminum chassis and puts it on the carbon, then you will be talking about a good difference once again. (And I won't mention that I am hoping they do this so I can have shock upgrade options if my Monarch doesn't keep me happy).

I am not completely sold on the dampening effects on a carbon bike vs aluminum when we are talking about full suspension since the suspension provides more than the carbon ever will. Much of the benefit of carbon with a FS is in the lighter material. Prior to 2013, there was something like a 2 pound difference between carbon and aluminum versions of the Camber.... now that has dropped to 0.5lb with the switch to M5 aluminum and the simplified swing arm.

I think much of the "feel" difference between the FSR, Camber carbon and Camber aluminum come more down to the swing arm and linkage designs than the material itself. All three bikes have very different designs and it makes a HUGE difference in ride. The FSR was like a pogo stick to me with WAY too "plush" of a back end for what I like. The Camber aluminum was less plush, but it felt solid and didn't feel like there was a rear end to the bike. The Camber carbon was even less plush and would have been a perfect step over to FS for me from my softtail, but when compared apples-to-apples to the aluminum model, there was no way to justify the cost difference.

That is my person take on the bikes and nothing more. It is my opinion and should be taken as such. It is hard to explain the differences between all the bikes without riding them back-to-back for yourself. On my day of test riding I rode the Camber comp carbon, Camber comp aluminum, Stumpy FSR compaluminum, Epic comp aluminum, Trek Superfly100 Elite and Trek Rumblefish Elite. The ONLY reason I didn't buy the carbon Camber was because of the $1K and that I thought $1K was better spent on a few select upgrades. I am a clydesdale rider, so thinks like good/strong wheels mean a lot to me.
 
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#1,432 ·
Makes sense, I didn't have the opportunity to test aluminum camber at all. All gone when I started to look. I am light enough and didn't brake anything on my last bike. The stock wheels are my only concern. I contemplated the price difference after I paid for the bike.
 
#1,433 ·
My LBS has an aluminum comp model "sneak" in earlier than anyone else.... so much of a sneak that when I asked when they would get them in, I was told "late December" only to find they had one on the shelf no one really knew about. All of my testing was done on large frames because no one stocks XL.... after all the fussing around, we order an XL for me to buy.
 
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#1,516 ·
New 2012 Camber Comp 26

I had a chance to pick up a new 2012 Camber Comp 26' for $1200. My LBS had ordered 70+ units on close out. I got the yellow, red and black. I got the L size. I am 60 years old and been riding Mtn Bikes since the early 80s. I have had an FSR XC, but lately I had been riding my Salsa Fargo 29er. I decided to get an all rounder XC bike with full squish. I recently lost my left lower leg and I am a bit tentative about getting too adventurous offroad, but I am going to try an XC race in April.
Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel
 
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#1,623 ·
Love the White/Red! Picked mine up yesterday and it even got the attention of the LBS workers. I've got 2 rides in already and I can't say enough good things about this bike. It definitely has taken my riding to the next level. Need a few more rides in preparation for a 32 mile epic at Mt. Ida and the Womble in two weeks.
 

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#1,644 · (Edited)
2012 Camber Expert Carbon Evo R

Hello, newbie here. Here's my (new today) Camber 29er in XXL - bought as a run out special for a good price - can't wait to get some air under it tomorrow morning - its been raining here so the trails will be fast (sand and 'pea' gravel).
PS. 26.7 lbs at the mo' - probably should be able to crack 26 with a bit of work - not bad for XXL methinks
 

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#1,686 ·
Well gentlemen, it is done. I ended up selling my 2012 Base Model camber for $1400. And then bought the 2013 Camber Comp. Just riding around the streets, man I can tell a difference. The shift speed in my 12' were decent but these are just a little faster. The major difference is in the front fork. I never really knew what people were talking about when they said it was "plush" until now. Very impressive. The back with the auto sag is a nice touch. My buddy is trying to convince me to go tubeless. I just cant see messing with brand new tires. What do you guys think? The bike was just purchased today.

I will try and go out for my first ride tomorrow. I will let you guy know how it goes.
 
#1,785 ·
Made 3 good upgrades to my 2011 Camber Elite 29er

Three upgrades to my 2011 Camber Elite 29er that have been worth every penny:

1. SLX Brakes - Early last year I gave up fighting with the stock Elixir 3 brakes, trying to keep them quiet and properly adjusted. I found the SLX set on sale and haven't had to tweak the brakes at all since I put them on. They're also quiet as can be.

2. Stan's Arch EX wheels - the stock Alex wheels weren't terrible, but I wanted to go tubeless reliably and shed some rotating weight. Found a set on sale locally lte last year. Made going tubeless super easy and I noticed an immediate improvement in handling.

3. Manitou Tower Pro 29 100mm QR15 fork - I was never that impressed with the performance of the Recon Gold, even after a rebuild. I got to ride a demo Niner bike last year that had a Tower Pro on it and liked it (the fork) a lot. One of the big online dealers had a discount sale recently and I picked up a Tower Pro with QR15. I rode my favorite trail with the Recon Gold a few days ago, installed the Manitou fork the next day and got to ride it today. I'm very pleased. Even though it's not broken in yet, the Tower rode noticeably better on everything from small bumps to moderate drops and I never used more than 3/4 of the travel. I don't know whether it's the QR15 thru axle or just the fork in general, but I noticed a marked improvement in handling too. The bike went exactly where I intended without any surprises and it wasn't until I changed to a better fork that I realized how sketchy the handling was on some parts of the trail with the Recon.
The only downside to the Tower Pro is that it's only available in white, but I don't notice it when I'm on the bike so it's NBD. The other drawback is that it makes me want to upgrade the rear suspension now!
 
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#2,251 ·
I should have posted sooner, but I destroyed my rear cassette on my Camber two weeks ago. I haven't ridden since because last week was spent on Maui and this week it is nasty.



I didn't do anything wrong, I just over torqued the pedals and it folded over. I have a Shimano SLX to replace it...
 
#2,414 ·
Just curious, is the medium and the large bikes you tried for the same year. I went to a 2014 after spending a couple of years on a 2012 and the geometry change that they made in 2014 make the bike feel smaller and more nimble. Personally I would go bigger and just put a shorter stem on if I wanted a smaller feel.
 
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