Thanks to Mtbr member “Ska” for this photo submission!

How often have you been out riding by yourself and thought, “Man…this would be an awesome shot, too bad I don’t have someone who can snap a photo of me riding with this great scenery!” Well, if you have the patience and time, using the self-timer feature on your camera can produce some amazing shots!

We have several great examples of what can come out of a camera with a self-timer. Sure, having a tripod helps but most of us don’t ride with one, so you may have to get creative with the shot setup. Getting the timing down takes patience and practice, some of the shots shown below and in the discussion thread took a dozen times are more to get right.

For more examples, tips and pointers on how to capture self-timer shots, check out the “Self timer passion! Post ‘em up!” discussion thread in our Mountain Bike Passion forum. Check out more cool photos and if you have some yourself, join our forum and share!

Or view (or upload) more ride photos, bike photos, trail photos in the Mtbr Photo Gallery!

The Giant Glory 0

World Championship Performance

The Giant Glory downhill race bike was thrown into the limelight last fall when team rider Danny Hart annihilated the field at the Downhill World Championship. At an event that is usually won by thousandths of a second, Danny and his Glory decimated the field by putting a demoralizing 11.6-second gap on the second-place finisher. Could the production version of the Giant Glory deliver the same performance and confidence that Danny’s bike possessed? There was only one way to find out, so we loaded the Giant Glory into Big Red and headed to Northstar-at-Tahoe for a downhill thrashing.

WHO IS IT MADE FOR?

The Giant Glory 0 is for downhill racing. It could be pressed into service as a bike-park bike, because it does not have the super-slack geometry of many downhill racers. But don’t be misled; this is not a bike that you will ever pedal up a mountain or take for a casual trail ride. It is a serious downhill race weapon.

WHAT IS IT MADE FROM?

The frame is constructed from Giant’s Aluxx-SL aluminum alloy and is a perfect example of modern metal work and tube manipulation. There are no welded gussets or, for that matter, straight tubes. All of the tubes are hydroformed to maximize strength and stiffness while cutting down on weight. The tube diameters are massive, giving the bike a mean, burly look. Giant’s dual-link Maestro suspension design delivers 8 inches of rear-wheel travel.

WHICH COMPONENTS STAND OUT?

The full-Shimano Saint group always provides performance eye candy. We were stoked to see a 7-inch brake rotor spec’ed on the rear. It saves a b

Whether you are a World Cup downhill racer or a novice, the Glory is an absolutely incredible machine. It does have a steep price tag, but that price turns out to be an incredible value compared with trying to build a similarly equipped downhill racer from the frame up. Regardless of your skill level, the Glory is ready out of the box to inspire confidence and take you to the next level. Just ask Danny Hart.









Reprinted from the January 2012 issue. Like us on Facebook

For 2012, Avid has replaced the Elixir CR brake and it its place is the Avid Elixir 9. There are a variety of changes with these new brakes that are sure to please many riders. Details inside.

Available in Storm Grey Ano or Black Ano

MSRP: $226.00

To start, the Elixir 9 features an updated TaperBore system, carbon brake levers, a new two-piece caliper, as well as new HS1 rotors.  There are a variety of other updates as well that are detailed below.  Designed to work in multiple cycling categories, the Elixir 9 is intended for XC, Trail AM, and DH use.

The Caliper:

Two piston, two piece caliper, and top loading pads.

The adjustable banjo bolt to lets you reorient the brake cable coming out of the caliper.

Elixir 9 comes loaded with sintered brake pads out of the box as well.  This is a nice thing to see as I prefer sintered pads for my riding. They provide better heat dissipation and power in general but might not initially feel as powerful as organic pads. On the shop floor or in the parking lot, an organic pad can make a brake feel strong and potentially mislead a consumer to think the brakes are strong. However, once you get up to speed with the pads bedded in properly , the benefits of a sintered pad quickly show their dominance. Glad to see them on the Elixir 9′s out of the box.

Weight

• The Elixir 9 has a claimed weight of 358 grams (front, post mount,  160mm rotor) and 400g for a 180mm setup.
• We weighed our front Elixir 9 with 180mm rotor and post mount adapter at 402.4g
• Be sure to check our our dedicated weight section to see individual weights behind the Elixir 9 and more.

The Levers:

The TaperBore system has been revised and they have developed a new bladder material, simplified / moved the bleed port, and put a new air trap feature to help make the Elixir 9 easy to bleed.

Out of the box, we decided to bleed the Elixir 9′s and the revision’s they’ve done make bleeding the Elixir’s an easier air-free affair. These are much faster to bleed properly than previous Elixir’s in my experience as the air seem to be much easier to get out with this system.

The Elixir 9 gets a tool free reach adjuster as well. The previous Elixir CR brake had the reach adjuster on top of the lever that was easier to reach, but wasn’t as easy to turn in my experience as the Elixir 9 design.

The Elixir 9 also has an adjustable pad contact adjuster that lets you quickly adjust the point in the lever stroke for the pads to contact the rotor.  This helps you ensure that both brake levers engage at the same point with ease.

The hose interface to the brake lever often can cause binding on most disc brakes as once the hose is tightened to the lever it can twist the brake line.  Not so with the Elixir’s, as the brake line is free to pivot once attached so brake cables won’t kink up or twist at the lever. The hose is free to re-orient which enables twist-free lines.

The Elixir 9 is Matchmaker-X compatible so you can purchase a MMX adapter and run your brake and shifter off of one clamp.

If you’ve got a RockShox Reverb seat post, there is an option to integrate that as well should you choose.  The Matchmaker system helps clean up the bar quite a bit.  It helps you get all your controls in places that are hard with multiple clamps competing for bar space.

Avid has new Heat Shredding (HS) rotors and disc brake adapters for 2012.  They feature cross-drilled technology and Avid says these lightweight HS series rotors say cooler when heated and offer enhanced we-weather performance.

One key thing to note is that there is now a 20mm increment, new adapter brackets, and a revised brake track for 2012.  If you’ve got older Avid rotors or adapters these new brakes are different.  The 20mm step model mean they follow a 140, 160, 180, and 200mm disc option whereas  previous Avid’s used a 165mm / 185mm / 203mm rotor.

Learn more about the Elixir lineup and more SRAM goodies SRAM.com
The 2012 Elixir 9 brakeset has a lot to offer consumers and at a decent price. Avid has packed a lot of features and power in the Elixir 9.  Not to mention at a very good weight.

One of the leading producers of Mountain Bikes has announced some new models for 2012. Trek Bikes has unveiled its 2012 collection of trail-ripping full suspension bikes to the media at its Ride Camp in Mayrhofen, Austria.

Included in this year’s line are two completely new models; the Trek Carbon Session 9.9 and a bike that Trek are putting into a new category, which they are calling Technical Trail Bikes, the new Trek Slash Mountain Bike. New technologies abound as Trek’s Fuel EX, Remedy, and Rumblefish bikes will now be equipped with DRCV Fox Forks, a new fork breakthrough spawned from Trek’s Southern California-based suspension lab’s development work with Fox Racing Shox.

Trek Session 9.9

As you know, Trek have been developing carbon fibre (no, not fiber, that’s how the yanks spell it) frames for some 20 years or so. However, the Trek Session 9.9 will be their first carbon downhill bike.

This new Trek promises to be hot, damn hot I tell you. The 9.9 breaks new ground in lightweight DH race bikes, but yet still maintains the reputation the Session has built as the most agile and precise race frame available.

The Trek Session is the current choice of World Cup superstar, Aaron Gwin – see video below. The 2012 bike features a new redesigned frame and an increase in suspension travel to a race-thumping 210mm from the Fox DRCV Fork. One advantage of moving to a carbon frame on the Session 9.9, is that it allows for internal cable routing, or if run externally, virtually indestructible (patent-pending) MicroTruss that eliminates riveted cable housing guides.

The Session 9.9 also sees the first time that downhill riding has a material usage innovation at Trekplication of InTension, which is a material that is lighter than carbon composite and leverages Trek’s Honeycomb patent. A Trek spokeman said; “The objective was to make the Session dramatically lighter without compromising the previous bike’s incredible performance,” Trek Senior Composite Manufacturing Engineer James Colegrove went on to say, “The 2 years of R&D we invested allowed our Advanced Concepts Group to create significant new technologies, like the use of a new material called InTension that acts like the center section of an i-beam; transferring shear loads between the two faces of carbon. The R&D time also produced a patent-pending cable tie system called MicroTruss that eliminates the need for riveted cable guides. Our development team is very pleased that the Session 9.9 will introduce such significant new carbon technology to the world.”

The new carbon frame is about 800 grams lighter than the 2011 aluminum frame to boot, which results in the complete production version of the Session 9.9 projected to weigh in at around 35 pounds.

Find Best Price on Trek Session 9.9 Mountain Bike

Trek Session 9.9 Video with Aaron Gwin

Video Source: pinkbike.com

Giant Bicycles are to bring the new OverDrive 2 front end, introduced at their road product launch last month, to mountain bikes for 2012, as well. The off-road version uses the same tapered head tube found on their current current mountain bikes, but with a new oversized, tapered steerer tube designed to work with 1¼in top and 1½in bottom bearing sizes.

The company say the bigger steerer tube gives up to 30 percent more torsional steering stiffness than the original 1⅛-1½in OverDrive system, resulting in sharper handling and improved cornering capabilities. Giant will offer a full range of new 1¼in stems to work with the OverDrive 2 design.

Giant's 6.7in-travel Reign X 0 outfitted with SRAM's X0 group

It's been developed as an open standard – meaning any company is free to use it – in conjunction with major suspension manufacturers including Fox Racing Shox, Marzocchi and RockShox. OverDrive 2 is included on a number of Giant’s 2012 cross-country, trail and all-mountain bikes. It can be adapted to fit current Giant models with tapered head tubes, but this involves swapping out the top bearing, headset cup, spacers, stem and fork.

Giant's 5in Trance X 1 with Shimano's new M780 XT group

“We were able to really boost front-end stiffness without adding weight,” said Kevin Dana, Giant's global mountain bike category manager. “The best part is it allowed us to noticeably improve handling in a variety of bikes made for different types of terrain. From the most weight-conscious cross-country racers to aggressive all-mountain, everyo

everyone benefits from a bike that corners better and tracks truer through rough terrain.”

Giant Reign SX; the 6.7in-travel model splits the difference between the standard Reign and the Faith freeride line

OverDrive 2 is said to add roughly 5g compared to the current OverDrive system. It'll be limited to alloy steerer tubes from the mentioned manufacturers; there are no plans to offer Fox’s titanium or RockShox’s carbon steerers in the new 1¼in to 1½in taper. The system will be found on select 2012 models from the following ranges: XtC Composite, Anthem X 29er, Anthem X Advanced SL, Anthem X Advanced, Anthem X, Trance X Advanced SL, Trance X Advanced, Trance X, Reign X, Reign and Faith.

Giant Faith 0

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The new 2012 Look 920 seems to have a polarizing effect due to nothing more than the head tube/stem assembly, but there’s so much more going on with the bike.

There are two frame variants based on size, plus a carbon upgrade kit that gives it a 50g lighter full carbon rocker, carbon seat post and carbon fiber DT Swiss rear shock. The frames differ near the seat tube/top tube junction. The XS and Small sizes have straight tubes meeting as you’d expect. The Medium and Large sizes have a molded, shapely top tube that flows upward into the seat tube much more gracefully, accentuated by the matte paint/carbon finish.

UPDATED: Corrected info about the frame variations at the top/seat tube junction above and other additions throughout the post…

Suspension is set at 120mm front and rear using a fixed rear triangle with no pivot near the axle, instead relying on carbon fiber’s ability to flex and recover to keep maintenance and weight at a minimum.

Up front, the Look 920 has a short, tapered headtube. One of the benefits of the design is the elimination of spacers. Height and reach are adjusted by using different A-Stems, which offer a range of 40mm length and 30mm rise. All finish at the frame the same, keeping the streamlined, integrated ce.

The top cap doubles as an aesthetic joint between the headset and the A-Stem. Internal cables would be a nice touch to really make this bike totally smooth, but they seem well placed.

The seatstays flatten out to create a flex zone that eliminates the need for a rear pivot. Look put metal guards behind the chainrings and on the bottom of the downtube to protect the frame. This model has the Carbon Kit, which drops the weight of the rocker from 160g for the alloy down to about 110g in full carbon.

120mm of travel has been the provenance of trail bikes until lately. While the Look is decidedly a race-ready weapon, Rocky Mountain’s new Element is damn quick and light, too, with 120mm front and rear travel for the 26″ version. We’re betting several other major manufacturers start offering a 120mm race bike before too long.

The rear chainstays are asymmetrical with a fairly stout looking cross bar in front of the rear wheel. This angle also shows the width of the seatstays where they flatten out to flex.

The top end model with Carbon Kit and full SRAM XX comes in at 10.26kg (22.62lbs).

A smaller 920 with color-matched X0 and SID fork.

Shown here in the glossy red paint option, this shows the alloy rocker and straight top tube that comes on the XS and Small frame sizes. The Medium and Large frame sizes use the shaped gusset to maintain a lower overall standover height on the larger frames. The pic on the right doesn’t do it justice, but the downtube is fairly massive and squared off.

You can check out Look’s MTB product manager’s personal XTERRA race bike over on Triathlonrumor.com, and sponsored rider Marion Lorblanchet took second in the women’s Pro field at the XTERRA World Championships this past weekend in HI.

2012 LOOK 986 RACE HARDTAIL

The 986 hardtail shares the same deep, short headtube and A-Stem deign and does come in two diffame options. Above is the standard model with regular seatpost and gloss paint scheme.

Up close, the lines really do look fantastic.

The top level 986 gets an integrated seatmast model for the racer…which is pretty much anyone still riding a 26″ hardtail these days.

We’ve got word directly from the Look reps working their Interbike booth that 29er versions for both aren’t far behind. If they can pull off the 920′s pivotless rear end with the big wheels and the sleek headtube, it’ll be a sight to behold.

At the core of most of the changes sits the expansion of their established Dual Rate Control Valve (DRCV) rear shock technology to Fox forks on their top trail bike models. Oddly for such an important development, it’s not a visible change, but it's one that's opened the gates to a raft of significant changes across their 120- and 150mm-travel bikes.

The brainchild of Jose Gonzales, Trek’s California-based suspension guru, the DRCV system incorporates a second, smaller-volume air chamber to balance bigger hits and allow full travel. In its new application, this secondary chamber is housed within the fork's compression rod, overcoming space restraints.

Twin-chamber DRCV technology can now be found in the Fox forks fitted to some Trek bikes, as well as the rear shocks

The result is a fork that genuinely manages small and big hits without losing performance at any point throughout its travel, thus balancing the established performance of the DRCV rear shock. This now sports a three-position RP3 platform damping switch, bringing a welcome new mid-point setting between the previously offered ProPedal 'on' and 'off' settings.

Trek Remedy

With the increased control of DRCV technology front and rear, Trek felt it was logical to slacken the geometries of the two bikes we got to test at the launch, the 150mm-travel Remedy and the 120mm Fuel EX. Both have lost a degree from their head angles, and use new tubesets throughout.

The 2012 Remedy (main image), available in three OCLV carbon models and three Alpha Platinum aluminium models, has been slimmed down in appearance to help distinguish its true all-day ride potential, while shedding 100g from the carbon and 70g from the Aluminium frame weights. 

Trek's top-end 2012 bikes sport the new RP3 DRCV shock, designed in collaboration with Fox Racing Shox

The slacker geometry makes for a more confident feel on the steep alpine trails we rode, and is user-tunable via a small flippable plate, called the Mino Link, positioned at the seatstay/Evo link pivot. By undoing the bolt in each side of the Mino Link and flipping it 180 degrees, the head angle can be switched between 67° and 67.5°, with a corresponding bottom bracket height change of 10mm.

The switch takes only a minute to do, representing true trailside tweak potential, according to the terrain or your preference. Further enhancements to the Remedy include internal cable routing for both front mech and aRockshox Reverb Stealth dropper post (specced on the 9.9 and 9.8), ISCG tabs as standard and switchable ABP convert rear axles, allowing use of either 142x12 Maxle through-axles or quick-release skewers.

Fuel EX

The big-selling Fuel EX range shares the trend for confidence-inspiring, slacker geometry, sporting a 68° head angle and new tube shapes for 2012. Front mech internal cable routing and 3x10 gearing are incorporated throughout the eight-model range (except for the EX 9.9, which has 2x10). The entire EX 9 line-up gets the RP3 shock, and the DRCV forks are specced down to the EX 8.

As with the Remedy, the Fuel EX is slightly slacker for 2012 and has new tube shapes

Lush

The 120mm platform has also been the focus for development of Trek’s Women Specific Designs, with a completely new take on the WSD Fuel EX rae for 2012. Gone are simple tweaks to male-orientated geometries, to be replaced by a reworked frame and shock in the form of the all-new Lush.

At the heart of the four-model Lush range sits the idea that women riders generally appreciate a more confidence-inspiring bike, which for 2012 is delivered by way of a massively dropped, hydroformed top tube backed up by a lighter-riding suspension setup. Rather than merely soften suspension settings, Trek’s team have redesigned the rear triangle and rocker to rework the leverage ratio.

Meanwhile, a dropped top tube and lowered centre of gravity (while retaining bottom bracket height) add to the feeling of balance and confidence. The Lush Carbon and top-end Aluminium Lush SL both benefit from the new RP3 rear shock and DRCV fork.

Instead of a women's version of the Fuel EX, there's now the female-specific Lush

Session 9.9

Gravity seekers haven’t been left out in the cold either for 2012, with two new bikes revealed in Austria this week. The race-winning Session will now be available in a full-carbon, 210mm-travel version, the Session 9.9, as ridden to victory on the World Cup circuit by Trek World Racing's Aaron Gwinn.

The new frame sheds 2lb to yield a sub-35lb/16kg overall bike weight and employs I-beam like material layup and honeycomb composites to boast the highest stiffness-to-weight ratio ever achieved by Trek. The Session range incorporates the same Mino Link switchable geometry seen on the new Remedy, and uses Cane Creek's Angleset E2 to offer maximum rider-customisation.

The 9.9’s 210mm of travel is achieved by a new leverage ratio, necessitating a retuned Fox DHX ock to do it justice. Up front, Trek’s engineers have developed the Hybrid Air fork, employing an adjustable air chamber to fine-tune its ride characteristics, and making redundant spring changes for different weight riders.

Trek's new sub-35lb Session 9.9 downhill bike has a carbon fibre frame and new Hybrid Air fork

Slash

Catering for the increase in Megavalanche/Downieville style enduro downhill riding Trek are releasing an all-new Slash model to replace the 2010 Scratch Air. The Slash addresses the need for an easier pedaling, lighter bike that's more capable of going head-to-head on demanding descents.

Pitched at the 60 percent downhill/40 percent uphill rider, it fits the need for a more butch Remedy, coming with a 66° head angle and 160mm of travel delivered by a Fox 36 TALAS or RockShox Lyrik fork up front and a Fox RP2 rear shock (RP3 on the Slash 9). Internal cable routing, ISCG tabs and Mino Link come as standard.

The Slash replaces the Scratch Air in Trek's line-up and is aimed at gravity riders who still plan to do a bit of pedalling

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Let’s start with the Claymore. Cannondale first showed off this long-travel all-mountain rig more than a year ago, but various complications have meant it's been slow reaching UK shops. The delays are set to end though, and anyone who has the 2012 model on their Christmas wishlist shouldn’t be disappointed. Key to its design is the proprietary dual-mode Fox Dyad RT2 dual shock, which allows an instant switch from a bike that eats up the downhills into one better suited to cross-country riding and climbing.

A handlebar lever allows you to change from the 'flow' setting – a 180mm-travel, high-volume shock for descents – to the 'elevate' mode – a 110mm-travel, lower volume shock, for pretty much everything else. Cannondale claim it’s “like being able to change from trail to downhill at the flip of a switch”. The model pictured – the jet black aluminium Claymore 1 – costs £4,799.99. For that you get a Fox TALAS fork, Shimano XT front derailleur and shifters, and Avid Elixir 9 brakes. The £3,999.99 Claymore 2 takes a different route, with SRAM X9/X7 and a Fox Van coil fork.

'Attitude Adjust', which features on both the Claymore and Jekyll, allows you to adjust the bike's geometry and shock for different types of terrain

The Jekyll is in a similar situation to the Claymore, having been unveiled a year ago but taking a long time to reach UK dealers. The 2012 model is due to arrive in shops in December.  As with the Claymore, the Jekyll offers switchable travel (150m/90mm) and gyad shock. Two carbon fibre models are available – the Jekyll Carbon 1 (£4,999.99) and 2 (£3,899.99). The alloy Jekyll 4 (£2,699.99) shown here comes with Avid Elixir brakes, SRAM X7 derailleurs and X5 shifters. Look out for a review of the 2011 Jekyll 3 on BikeRadar later this week.

The alloy Jekyll 4

Cannondale have boosted their 29er range for 2012, and it was the carbon and alloy Flash big-wheelers that caught our eye. The Flash Carbon 29er 3 (£2,499.99) claims to have one of the world’s lightest mountain bike frames at 950g (large). BallisTec carbon construction is said to result in a frame that’s lighter and stiffer than aluminium and pound-for-pound stronger than steel. The Carbon 3 comes fitted with SRAM X7/X9, a Lefty 29er PBR fork and SUNRinglé EQ25 rims. The alloy Flash 29er 2 (£1,799.99) is, geometrically speaking, a clone of the carbon model, but heavier at 1,450g (large) and comes with a similar spec.

Flash Carbon 29er 3

Specialized's latest redesign of the 30-year-old Stumpjumper is the biggest news for 2012, but they also have new carbon Camber and alloy Carve 29ers, as well as a new entry-level downhill rig, the Status, which is a replacement for the stalwart Big Hit model.

At their global mountain bike launch in Monterey, California the 'big S' also unveiled some key upgrades to the Epic full-suspension range and carbon Stumpjumper hardtails – the most significant change being a crown-mounted Fade adjuster for the SID Brain fork found on the S-Works, Expert and EVO R models.

Stumpjumper FSR

At its launch 30 years ago, the Stumpjumper was one of the first bikes ready to hit the trail right out of the box, at a time when many 'mountain bikes' were still cobbled together from 'clunker', road bike and motorcycle parts. Fast forward to the coming season, the 2012 model year, and Specialized are again making Stumpjumpers to fit many different riders and styles of riding right out of the box. There's an M5 alloy hardtail – more on that below – along with both alloy and carbon FSR full-suspension bikes. 

The new Stumpjumper FSR will undoubtedly be Specialized’s most versatile model. It’s built with their ‘trail geometry’,which is defined by a lower bottom bracket, slacker head angle and shorter chainstays than their cross-country race bikes, and available in carbon or M5 alloy, with 26in or 29in wheels. There are also heavier-duty Stumpjumper FSR EVO models in both wheel sizes and frame materials.

Sure to be a shop guy favorite, the Stumpjumper FSR EVO M5 alloy frameset with AutoSag Fox RP23 Adaptive Logic Kashima damper

With their latest redesign, Specialized are asking riders to think again about the Stumpjumper. The new t contemporary features including tapered head tubes, PressFit 30 bottom bracket shells with ISCG05 chain guide tabs, 142+ rear through-axles, sealed cartridge bearing pivots with captured hardware, internal dropper seatpost cable routing and direct post mount 160mm brake tabs.

All of the standard Stumpjumper FSR models will also come with a new chain retention device called the Dangler – a low-friction, 30g chainstay slide glide built using composite plastic technology borrowed from KTM motorcycles. While the Dangler looks low-tech, during our rides at the launch it did an admirable job keeping the chain on and goes unnoticed while riding; it’s quiet and doesn’t add any perceivable friction to the system.

The proprietary Dangler chain device is so quiet you don't notice it when riding

While there are 10 models in the new Stumpjumper FSR line we’ll look at two to give a frame of reference: a standard Stumpjumper FSR and an FSR EVO. 

S-Works Stumpjumper FSR Carbon

The S-Works Stumpjumper FSR Carbon is available with 26in wheels and 140mm of travel, or 29in wheels and 130mm. We took a ride on the 29er version. This top-of-the-line, break-the-bank bike rides as a machine nearing the US$10,000 mark should – extremely well. It's light, and the components have been well thought out – 720mm wide low-rise bar, Specialized Command Post BlackLite dropper seatpost, Fox Racing Shox Kashima suspension (with Brain inertia AutoSag damper for the rear) and new Roval Control Trail SL carbon wheels with 28mm OD rims.

This is all icing on the cake, as the bike’s well sorted geometry (69˚ head tube angle, 450mm chainstays, 338mm bottom bracket height/34mm drop) was the star of our brief test ride, during which it handled beautifully. While the S-Works bikgrabbing, there are few who can afford to drop that type of cash on a mountain bike, which is where the M5 alloy models come in – these start in the mid-$2,000 range. Carbon bikes with a decent but more subdued spec start at around $4,000.

The antitheses of the S-Works bikes are the EVO models. Specialized will offer three complete EVO bikes for 2012: one with 29in wheels and two with 26in wheels. The EVO trail bikes are defined by their slacker angles (for example the head angles are 67˚ versus 68˚ for the 26in bikes, and 68˚ versus 69˚ for the 29ers), additional travel (150mm front and rear for the 26in bike; 140mm front, 135mm rear for the 29er) and gravity focused suspension and build.

Stumpjumper FSR Comp EVO

The FSR Comp EVO is the most economical bike in the EVO line and will sell in the mid-$2,000 price range. It comes with a hydroformed M5 alloy frame, which has a claimed weight of 2,415g without the RP2 AutoSag damper. A RockShox Revelation fork with 20mm axle and Motion Control RL DNA damper complements the 150mm FSR rear suspension system. With a flick of the lockout levers the bike climbs respectably and it's a hoot on the descents; the extra 10mm of travel, bigger tires and slacker angles are immediately noticeable. The bike also sports a Command Post BlackLite dropper post – a real bonus considering the price.

Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp EVO

AutoSag rear shocks

All of the Stumpjumper FSR models use a new shock setup design that automatically adjusts the rider’s sag to 20 percent in four easy steps: open the compression adjustment; overfill the shock by 30-50psi; sit on the bike and press the auto sag button, emptying the negative chamber; cycle the shock to automatically refill the negative chamber and you’re ready t

AutoSag uses an existing transfer port found on the outer air can of Fox’s Float shocks but adds an additional ring type chamber with a second valve. This allows for the negative chamber to be bled, and under a rider's full weight the bleed sets a fixed sag – in this case 20 percent – based on its engineered location.

The AutoSag valve on the Fox-made FutureShock

Once sag is set and the shock is cycled the valve can be used to release air to fine-tune the shock, without fear of emptying the shock, as you would if you were bleeding from the main chamber without a pump. The AutoSag shock can also be set conventionally using a shock pump and O-ring. The point of the technology is to make sure all Stumpjumper FSR riders get the most from their bike’s suspension.

Stumpjumper hardtail

While the Stumpjumper carbon hardtail frame carries over from 2011, the M5 alloy model – aimed at performance-minded riders on a budget – has been completely redesigned. It's inherited many of the features found on the carbon bike: a tapered head tube, direct post mount 140mm brake tabs and PressFit30 bottom bracket shell, plus thin seatstays and a 27.2mm seatpost for a softer ride when seated. The Stumpjumper M5 will be offered in Comp 29 and EVO 29 trail dress, as well as a single Comp 26in model.

Specialized Stumpjumper M5 alloy EVO trail hardtail

Carve 29er

The all-new Carve takes the economical purpose of the M5 Stumpjumper yet a step further. There are three M4 alloy models in the line, all with 29in wheels, with prices ranging from $1,300 to $1,700. Designed to slot in between the Stumpjumper and Rockhopper ranges, thr tapered head tubes, tapered seat tubes and a bridgeless ‘vertical flex stay system’ paired with a 27.2mm seatpost to better their comfort.

Specialized' Carve Pro 29er

Camber carbon 29er

Specialized launched the Camber full-suspension bike last year. The big news for 2012 is three new carbon 29er models. The seven-model Camber range splits the difference between the Stumpjumper and Epic lines in regards to both travel and geometry, with 110mm of travel and a 70˚ head angle for the 29in models and 120mm and 68.5˚ for the 26in bikes.

The Camber sports all of the features found on the Stumpjumper FSR, including a tapered head tube, internal dropper post cable routing, PressFit30 bottom bracket, 142+ rear through axle and direct post mount 160mm rear brake mount. M4 alloy Camber models will be available in both 29in and 26in wheeled models, starting at $1,700.

Specialized Camber Expert Carbon 29

Status DH

The Status is a replacement for the venerable Big Hit downhill/freeride bike, with an all-new, 200mm-travel M4 alloy frame built with geometry adopted (and adapted) from the Demo; it sports a lower bottom bracket and slacker head angle than the Big Hit. The FSR suspension is also newly modified, with a linear shock rate which, combined with the geometry, is said to make it a much more capable downhill race bike. The Status is aimed at new gravity riders, whether they're kids or senior riders and looking to race or just run laps in the bikepark.

It uses a 1-1/2in head tube and runsngs in all of its pivots (save for the forward shock mount). It'll be offered in two models: Status 2 and Status 1. The former runs just over $3,000 with a RockShox Domain dual crown fork and Fox DHX RC damper. The Status shares forgings with the SX Trail, and while both models come with a single ring and chainguide, it'll accept an E-Type front derailleur. Out back the bike has 135mm spacing with simple open quick-release dropouts, though both models come with bolt-on hubs.

Specialized Status II downhill bike

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Specialized was gracious enough to let us play with their Camber Pro for a good six months.  At least five different riders rode it in such varied terrain as Santa Cruz and Downieville in CA and Bend, Oregon.  The first thing to note is every rider had fun and walked away impressed with the bike.  The second thing to note is we cleaned the chain and oiled the chain. That’s all we did and the bike still performs like the day it was delivered to us.

That’s what sticks out about this bike. It’s very easy to live with. It complements the rider rather than get in the way of riding.  With all the decisions about 2×10 or 3x, tubeless or tubed, 120mm or 140mm, 26/29er  this bike just works.  We just left it alone and we took it everywhere.

At the end of it all, we just looked at it each other and said. “You know what? This is a solid bike.” Give it a task and it will do just fine.  That fact that it looks great and is under $3000 is just icing on the cake. It’s not a $7000 carbon trail bike or a 21 lb. 29er with full XTR. Rather what we have here is a carefully conceived and well-executed bike.  In my audiophile days, I gained more appreciation for the stereo systems that achieved music Nirvana at the $1000 price point instead of the $20,000 dream systems.  We have gained the same appreciation for the Camber Pro over the last few months

So let us explore why we liked this bike. It passed the first and most important test which is: Don’t let any bike or bike equipment detract from the riding experience.  But we know that such a zen state does not happen by accident. A lot of thought and engineering went in this bike to deliver such seamless performance.

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The Frame – The Camber is a new platform from Specialized for 2011 — sporting 120 mm of travel from an M4 aluminium frame with a similar suspension layout to its Stumpjumper and Enduro  lines. The old FSR XC has been dropped from the range  to make room for the Camber and give Specialized a legitimate shot at the 120 mm market. Front travel is matched at 120 mm as well.

The 2011 available configurations are:

Camber Pro 29er - $3000

Camber Pro - $2900

Camber Expert - $2400

Camber Elite 29er – $2150

Camber Elite - $2050

Camber Comp - $1750

2012 Configurations:

Camber Pro Carbon 29 -$8300

Camber Expert Carbon 29 -$5100

Camber Comp Carbon 29 – $3800

Camber Comp 29 – $2750

Camber Comp – $1850

Camber Elite – $2200

Camber 29 -$2200

Perhaps, there’s one too many but the consumer ends up the winner as they can really select what’s right for their style and budget.

Frame

The Camber Pro is the top model of the Camber line and is available in a 29er version as well. All  the Cambers feature the same hydroformed frame with the four-bar FSR suspension design Specialized is famous for. All Camber models get an integrated headset, cable routing for a dropper seatpost, together with replaceable sealed bearing pivots.

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