Specialized 2014 Trail and Long-Travel - First look

[redplanet]

Specialized 2014 Trail and Long-Travel - First look

par redplanet » Lun Juil 15, 2013 9:22 am

The changes to 2014 trail and all-mountain lines are evolutionary, rather than revolutionary: subtle design refinements to the Camber trail bike, an expanded women’s Rumor line and the development of a new shock for gravity bikes highlight the 2014 range. While the redesigned Epic is the biggest story, the biggest addition — at least in terms of mass — to the company's 2014 mountain bike line is the Fat Boy, the Specialized's first .

Expanded Camber and Rumor lines

First introduced in 2010, the Camber fills the gap between the race-bred Epic and the longer-travel Stumpjumper FSR. This jack-of-all-trades 29er trail bike has 110mm of front and rear travel and is the model that Specialzied feels meets the needs of the vast majority of mountain bikers.

For 2014 the Camber gets the S-Works treatment. The new model has a full carbon frame and uses Specialized’s premium FACT M11 carbon construction. The S-Works Camber has a premium parts package, including SRAM’s drivetrain with S-Works cranks, a Kashima-coated Fox Float 29 fork along with a custom Float CTD shock with Auto Sag, Formula T1 brakes and Roval Control Trail SL carbon wheels. As one might expect, this build comes with a high price tag of £7,000. (US pricing TBD.)

[img:500:375]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373855234810-1idskr68884i-500-70.jpg[/img]The S-Works camber has a SRAM XX1 drivetrain; a size large tips the scales at 24.34lb (11kg)

The S-Works Camber will be offered as frame with Fox CTD shock and the new internally-routed Command Post IR. (Price TBD.)

There are now two version of the burlier Camber EVO. The Camber Expert EVO has a carbon front triangle mated to an aluminum rear end, while the more affordable Camber EVO sports a full aluminum chassis. Both EVO models have slacker geometry and 120mm of front and rear travel.

Other changes to the 2014 Camber include a revised rear suspension linkage that uses a shorter upper link with a clevis link driving the shock — an arrangement similar to the suspension layout of the Stumpjumper FSR and Enduro.

[img:500:333]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373855234848-guhfgdnwxi4p-500-70.jpg[/img]The 2014 Camber's rear linkage gets a few small tweaks

The Rumor, a 110mm-travel 29er trail bike that can be thought of as the women’s version of the Camber, was introduced earlier this year at the Expert and Comp level. Specialized is adding a third, entry-level Rumor to the line for 2014. The Rumor is spec’d with a Suntour fork, X-Fusion RL shock, Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and a 9-speed Shimano drivetrain. (Pricing TBD.)

Specialized enters the fat bike fray

The “Fat Boy” moniker has been in the Specialized line for more than two decades, gracing BMX race bikes and tires. It’s back for 2014 and is an apt title for Specialized’s first fat bike.

[img:500:374]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373856156755-1ft1lhepa6ajs-500-70.jpg[/img]A size small Fat Boy weighs 30.8lb (14kg) with pedals

It appears the California-based company did their homework in creating this beast. The Fat Boy has an aluminum frame with clearance for 4.8in tires. The frame uses a 100mm-wide PF30 bottom bracket. Front dropout spacing is 135mm, while the rear dropouts are set at 190mm.

The tapered carbon fork is loosely based on the Chisel fork found on several of Specialized’s ridged 29ers, including the Crave 29 SL singlespeed and the Stumpjumper Expert Carbon WC.

One of the most interesting components on the Fat Boy are its rims, which feature a trusswork design that keeps the rims stiff and quite light by fat bike standards. The 90mm-wide rims have a claimed weight of 795g per rim and feature a hookless bead design first used on the company’s carbon Roval wheelsets.

[img:500:750]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373856156756-n5n323nhrnvc-500-70.jpg[/img]

While the Fat Boy shown here is shod in Surly tires, Specialized plans to produce its own 26x4.8in tires with a tread pattern based on the popular tire

The Fat Boy will be offered in two build kits. Both with come equipped with SRAM Grip Shifters (which are easier to operate when wearing thick gloves or mittens) and hydraulic disc brakes. (Pricing TBD.)

Stumpjumper and Enduro stay the course

These stalwarts in Specialized’s trail and all-mountain lines see minor cosmetic and component changes for 2014. The S-Works versions of both models use SRAM XX1, while the Expert level bikes get the new SRAM X01 drivetrains.

[img:500:376]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373855708948-1csb3jo3xrioe-500-70.jpg[/img]A size large Stumpjumper FSR Expert EVO weighs 27.54lb (12.5kg)

RockShox’s extremely capable fork graces many of the new models, including the murdered-out Stumpjumper Expert EVO Carbon, available in 26in and 29in wheels. What about the 650b (27.5in) wheels that are all the rage this year? It’s not in the 2014 line, but that does not mean they won’t be at some point in the future.

“We’ve been prototyping 650b bikes. Is the industry completely ready for it? We don’t think so. We’ll let you know if and when we bring out a 650b,” said Specialized’s mountain bike product marketing manager Sam Benedict.

New shock technology for gravity fiends

Specialized partnered with Swedish suspension company Öhlins to develop a shock for the Demo 8 downhill bike and the 180mm-travel S-Works Enduro Expert EVO. The idea was to create a highly capable shock with a narrower range of adjustment, made possible by the fact that it was customer tuned for these specific models. Read more about the development of this new shock here.

[img:500:333]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373856268522-gpjlb6y2wsjl-500-70.jpg[/img]The new Öhlins rear shocks were built specifically for the Enduro EVO and Demo 8

SWAT for trail bikes

Specialized has developed a version of its SWAT system for its trail and all-mountain bikes (which come with, or are compatible with aftermarket versions of) the SWAT system. With the chaintool hidden in the headset’s topcap, and a multi-tool stowed in a container integrated into the water bottle cage.

[img:500:333]http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2013/07/13/1373856363152-t0xp1h277hfx-500-70.jpg[/img]In addition to coming standard on some complete bikes, SWAT cages will also be available aftermarket
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