Tubeless construction, titanium bolts on the brake discs, a short Syntace stem and a carbon saddle weighing just 153 grams were nevertheless allowed. Heavier than expected is the first impression after a test lift in the car park. The fact that tools, CO2 cartridges and tubes weighing almost 600 grams are hidden inconspicuously inside the frame puts the hasty conclusion into perspective. The SWAT kit (Storage-Water-Air-Tools) makes a small rucksack or a fully packed jersey pocket superfluous. The mini-tool is stored within easy reach under the top tube, the chain riveter in the steerer tube of the fork and the spare tube and cartridges in the down tube (detailed photo). Prepared like this, nothing can go wrong on the test lap. With only 115 millimetres of travel at the rear and 121 millimetres at the front, the Camber is one of the sportiest bikes in this comparison, which is reflected in the best uphill performance. It also accelerates superbly on flat, winding sections. Downhill, the Specialized is very direct thanks to the steep steering angle. However, fast and rough sections show the bike its limits, causing it to lose ground in comparison. To compensate for the high front end, it makes sense to rotate the stem. Although the rear tyre rolls excellently, it has little grip when it gets wet. Other details such as Autosag emphasise the approach of giving the rider real added value.
Tubeless tuning, titanium bolts, carbon saddle: With our S-Works line, we already have top tuned bikes ex works. It may sound a little unspectacular, but we are already operating at an extremely high level here, which the original equipment undoubtedly shows. Ultimately, it's about performance on the trail and not on the scales. (Sebastian Maag, Specialised)
