Specialized does not "yet" need 650B bikes

In contrast to many of its competitors, Specialized is deliberately taking a different approach. The Californians have not presented any 650B bikes for the 2013 model year and are clearly committed to big bikes for everyone. The Epic and the Camber are now only available with 29-inch wheels and the S-Works version of the Stumpjumper is also only available as a 29er bike.

Camber
While nothing has changed on the carbon frames, the aluminum frames come with a new suspension linkage. This shares a pivot point with the seat stay, which should make the rear triangle more sensitive, lighter and a good 10 percent stiffer. With the "Camber", however, the main focus has been on the specifications. All Camber models now have the "Autosag" function on the rear shock, which was first used on the Stumpjumper last year. The correct sag range for the respective weight can be set at the touch of a button using an additional valve. Furthermore, great care has been taken to ensure that each version has lightweight wheels and is otherwise highly component-optimized.

This meticulous specification optimization results in interesting weights:

Camber Pro (Custom Fox, Roval Carbon SL wheelset) 11.7 kilograms
Camber Expert Carbon (custom 110mm Fox fork, carbon crank) 12.0 kilograms
Camber Expert Carbon Evo R (carbon crank, SID suspension fork) 11.5 kilograms
Camber Comp Carbon (Shimano equipment) 12.6 kilograms
Camber Comp 12.8 kilograms
Camber Base 14.8 kilograms

Epic
The Epic now also has the Autosag function on all models. For the first time, the S-Works top model comes with the new Sram "XX1" with eleven gears. Due to Avid's braking problems, this model is specified with the Magura "MT 8" for the first time. A complete Shimano XTR specification (2x10 gears with in-house crankset) is also available. In order to save even more weight, the two S-Works models have been almost completely stripped of paint. The "Marathon" model is a new addition to the range, closing the large price gap between the S-Works and Expert models. Already standard on the "Epic S-Works", the "Marathon" and "Expert" now also feature a carbon seat stay. This alone saves a whopping 200 grams of weight.

Stumpjumper
There is little new with the original "Stumpjumper" trail bike. However, the bike, which was only launched for the current model year, has been given a new Evo sibling that has been tuned from the ground up. In addition to the "Expert Evo 29", there is now a "Comp Evo 29". The "Stumpjumper" is also clearly committed to large wheels. The top-of-the-range S-Works version is now only available as a 29er, but also as a frame kit.

www.specialized.com