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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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#130 ·
Sid Nitzerglobin said:
Not at all. I would be all over a Stumpy FSR EVO myself if it had 20mm less travel.

As it is I'm about 50/50 on whether to do the SJ and spacer down the fork and shock or order a Camber Pro and slap an RP23, X.0 RD, X9 shifters, and some new wheels on it.
What's the difference between the triad 3 thst is on the pro and the rp 23? Looks like they both have the 3 position pro pedal and the adjustable rebound..
 
#131 · (Edited)
RP23 has an additional 3 positions worth of tweaking for the Pro Pedal setting. Triad seemed fine to me however in my 2 days w/ a Camber Expert test bike, so the shock would be more of a want vs. need thing.

I think I'd definitely want to swap shifters (and RD as a result) right off the bat as I was unable to get the brake levers setup inboard of the shifters w/o having the down shift triggers constantly digging into my thumbs.

Wheels I'm mostly just concerned about long term durability on. I run about 210 lbs w/ a 3/4 full Camelbak and a bottle and while I don't get huge amounts of air, I do like to get air under my tires as often as possible. If they had the Roval Control Trails from the Stumpy in blue, I'd probably see if I could get the LBS to do a swap for them.
 
#132 ·
Sid Nitzerglobin said:
RP23 has an additional 3 positions worth of tweaking for the Pro Pedal setting. Triad seemed fine to me however in my 2 days w/ a Camber Expert test bike, so the shock would be more of a want vs. need thing.
I was originally buying the elite, but after going home and looking at the pro I really liked the component upgrades but wasn't looking to drop 3k on a new bike. Went back the next day and he gave me a great deal on the pro 29er for only $500 more than what I was getting the elite for...I think for the shock upgrades, carbon cranks, 2x10 drive, and a couple other touches it was well worth it...
 
#136 ·
It is an Expert model. It is actually the "test bike" color but Specialized had it up for two weeks as an American color choice by mistake. When I had my LBS order one, they sent the black and red instead. Thinking they had made a mistake, we got in touch. Long story short I was able to get them to send a test bike color. The red and black is called "Red and Black." The test bike is called "Red and Black Test Bike." So the names through everyone off. Anyway, I was glad the get the one I was after. It is about 28 pounds according to my very non-scientific scale with the test pedals. Might be less with my Xt's.
 
#137 ·
Awesome. Not only is it a cool color scheme, but fairly unique among US riders.

I saw a different color scheme for the Elite on Spesh's site, briefly. I like the white/red fine (I actually like the Comp's scheme the best), but would have preferred the alternatives color scheme if it were available. I don't see the non-white Elite model on their site any more. Was that a mistake for US customers, too?

For that matter, why do they -- a US company -- offer different color schemes only outside the US?
 
#138 ·
Good question. It seems like they would save money by having a standard color set for everything. I guess they research focus groups to see what people want. The one funny thing is that on my bike there were no stickers on the fork whatsoever. Not a big deal, but nothing indicated what kind of for it is other than the little "powered by SRAM" sticker on the back of one of the legs. Maybe being a test bike they don't put those on? Seems to be the right fork, just no stickers.
 
#139 ·
Ride report

I took it out today once I got home. I goofed with the seat post height until I got it set right, then ran a few out and backs on a trail. At first, the rear felt like I had a flat tire or was peddling through mud. I couldn't figure out why. With the shock locked out, everything was fine. This is my first FS bike and I'm sure it takes some getting used to, but it felt weird. I rode back home and checked the pressure. It was low for my weight (198). I ran it up to what the manual said and it rode much much better. As for the seating, it is way upright compared to my M2 hard tail. Kind of nice on the back, but I may get a longer stem to get back to a familiar position, more over the front tire. I felt like I was "behind" the front tire instead of on top of it. I think sliding the seat forward and getting a longer stem will get me there. The bike rides great and weighs about 28 pounds. I can't wait to take it out on a long ride. This bike also is about 2 inches longer than my M2. I have a short bed with a bed rail form clamp. The rear tire hits the tailgate now where my old bike had plenty of room behind it. This will probably mean a more stable ride hopefully not at the expense of being "flickable". Overall I am very happy with it. I rode a few bikes that cost a lot more and this one feels really great comparatively. I never rode an EPIC, but I assume it would be more "racey" in geometry than I need. The Stumpy was more expensive and had a lot of travel. This bike seems to hit a sweet spot for me. I occasionally race but mostly just ride trails and like to be out there getting a good workout while taking in the scenery. I would recommend this bike if you are on the fence. If you are mostly a racer, take a look at the EPICs. If you hit hard drops and like the jumps, maybe the Stumpy FSR. But for me, the Camber is it. More reviews after I get a real ride in.
 
#140 ·
Scooper said:
Good question. It seems like they would save money by having a standard color set for everything. I guess they research focus groups to see what people want. The one funny thing is that on my bike there were no stickers on the fork whatsoever. Not a big deal, but nothing indicated what kind of for it is other than the little "powered by SRAM" sticker on the back of one of the legs. Maybe being a test bike they don't put those on? Seems to be the right fork, just no stickers.
I think that's probably because the Test Bikes would usually have the green stickered Reba from the silver/black color schemed Expert.



Kinda weird as the black/red scheme's fork would work perfectly w/ the Test Bike scheme. I was definitely puzzled as to why they would intentionally mismatch the colors, but apparrently all the Test Bikes are that way according to the LBS guys.
 
#141 ·
That IS weird. One other thing that didn't make sense: The Specialized website says it has a "single air" fork. But mine has a small sticker that says "dual air" on it. There are valves at the top and bottom of the left leg to attach a pump to with recommendations on how much to set each based on weight. Is the Specialized site wrong? Or do I have some mutant fork with dual air?
 
#142 ·
Scooper said:
That IS weird. One other thing that didn't make sense: The Specialized website says it has a "single air" fork. But mine has a small sticker that says "dual air" on it. There are valves at the top and bottom of the left leg to attach a pump to with recommendations on how much to set each based on weight. Is the Specialized site wrong? Or do I have some mutant fork with dual air?
Nope it's definitely a dual air. I don't think they make a Reba that isn't dual air (not sure about the Reba Brain actually).

Definitely a screw up on the Specialized site.
 
#147 ·
Sid Nitzerglobin said:
Not at all. I would be all over a Stumpy FSR EVO myself if it had 20mm less travel.

As it is I'm about 50/50 on whether to do the SJ and spacer down the fork and shock or order a Camber Pro and slap an RP23, X.0 RD, X9 shifters, and some new wheels on it.
The 2011 Epic has an EVO model with 120mm and it is one sweet looking bike! I am interested in this as well as the SJ models
 
#148 ·
Well, I took my son to the LBS "to pick up his (my old) bike which needed new tires". This was the day before his 15th birthday. While the old KHS is still Ok, it is now too small for him and I have been putting money down on a Camber since August. He did get a nice surprise and is very happy with it after one ride. I took it out myself and personally would reduce the shock and fork pressures, raise the saddle and alter his cleats to allow a sl more toe-out (neutral) position. It feels really good. A real bargain for the ride and frame quality. Sadly, now he may not just be bigger than me, but faster.

The DT wheels (same as the ones Sid Nitzerglobin has in his pic) have a strip of yellow rim tape. It looks like they are tubeless compatible. Is that true? He has already had his first flat.
 
#150 ·
Ridnparadise said:
Well, I took my son to the LBS "to pick up his (my old) bike which needed new tires". This was the day before his 15th birthday. While the old KHS is still Ok, it is now too small for him and I have been putting money down on a Camber since August. He did get a nice surprise and is very happy with it after one ride. I took it out myself and personally would reduce the shock and fork pressures, raise the saddle and alter his cleats to allow a sl more toe-out (neutral) position. It feels really good. A real bargain for the ride and frame quality. Sadly, now he may not just be bigger than me, but faster.

The DT wheels (same as the ones Sid Nitzerglobin has in his pic) have a strip of yellow rim tape. It looks like they are tubeless compatible. Is that true? He has already had his first flat.
Best. dad. ever.
 
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