Last week, we published the highlights from Specialized’s 2013 GPL (Global Product Launch). About 160 other journalists from around the world shuffled through various presentations to see the key new models. For mountain bikes, that was the Enduro primarily, with a call out to the new Cambers and the fact that they’re 29er only. Check the original post for tech details on those bikes.
After the formal intros, I spoke with product managers and engineers to get the rest of the story. Turns out, there’s plenty more new stuff. And, per usual, we gave our bike scale (and the PM’s shoulders!) a workout weighing just about every model in the lineup.
One quick note on all men’s mountain bikes: All full suspension models now have an Autosag shock from either Fox or Rockshox, and both models work well and provide additional benefits (particularly for the Epic) beyond just ease of setup. Also, The Roval alloy wheels drop 35g to 50g per rim by using a revised internal extrusion shape requiring less material…for the rest of the news on road and MTB wheels, click here.
Lots of pics below, showing the whole bike on the scale so you can see the basic spec and color, plus a few detail photos here and there…
2013 STUMPJUMPER FSR
At top and above is the complete 2013 Stumpjumper FSR collection. The Stumpjumper FSR is now the only full suspension line that includes both 26″ and 29er. No, Specialized has no announced plans to do a 650B bike at this time, something reiterated by several folks across both the mens and womens bike lines.
Changes for 2013: Stumpjumper FSR gets new XO Trail brake on some models, and the S-Works model goes full XTR rather than XX. The only frame change is the new Expert Carbon EVO 29er. It has the same carbon front triangle as the standard Stumpy FSR, but with the original EVO’s alloy rear triangle. No changes to the alloy frames.
Stumpjumper FSR S-Works 29er – 25lbs 15oz
Stumpjumper FSR S-Works 26″ – 25lbs 2oz
Stumpjumper FSR Expert EVO carbon 29er – 28lbs 8oz
Stumpjumper FSR Comp EVO alloy 29er – 29lbs 10oz
Stumpjumper FSR Expert EVO carbon 26″ – 27lbs 4oz
Stumpjumper FSR Comp EVO alloy 26″ – 28lbs 10oz
Stumpjumper FSR Comp alloy 26″ – 27lbs 15oz
Stumpjumper FSR Comp alloy 29er – 29lbs 10oz
Stumpjumper FSR Carbon 29er frame – 5lbs 15oz. This is with shock, ISCG tab, rear thru axle, seat collar and BRAIN.
…and some detail shots of the EVO models for good measure:
2013 EPIC
Epic Changes for 2013: All Epic bikes get the new Rockshox Solo Air forks and Autosag shocks. Joe Buckley, MTB Product Manager, says the Autosag shocks help the BRAIN platform system feel much better. When we rode the Epics two years ago, there was a noticeable-if-slight harshness to the first bump, generally with an audible “knock” as the system began working. Before, the two air chambers in BRAIN shocks did not have the check valve that all normal Fox and Rockshox shocks have, so there was no way to change the negative from factory settings. This meant a one-size-fits-all (but likely not ideal for most) setting.
With the Autosag shocks, there’s a check valve to both set sag and equalize the positive and negative pressure, just like in a Solo Air fork. With both air chambers equalized during set up and constantly balanced while riding, Buckley says suspension works better and smoother than before. Technically, this affects any bike with Autosag, but the Epic sees the most noticeable improvement in feel because it didn’t have Autosag before. All Epics now have XTR or Magura brakes, no more Avid brakes in the model range.
The new Marathon Epic bridges the gap between S-Works and Expert. It drops 200g from Expert frame by using a carbon seatstay, but keeps the alloy chainstays. It gets the new Control SL carbon wheelset, one of only two non-S-works mountain bikes to get the carbon wheels. The other is the Stumpjumper HT Marathon. It’s also the only XC bike in the line that gets the new Grip Shift.
2013 Epic Marathon – 23lbs 15oz
2013 Epic Comp Alloy – 27lbs 2oz
2013 Epic Comp Carbon – 26lbs 4oz
2013 Epic Expert EVO – 23lbs 12oz
2013 Epic S-Works – 23lbs
2013 Epic Carbon Frame – 2280g
2013 STUMPJUMPER HARDTAILS
The Stumpy HT’s get the same changes (forks, brakes, new alloy Roval wheels depending on model) as the Epics. The new Expert EVO R is a fully rigid offering with 1×10 drivetrain.
Stumpjumper HT Comp Alloy- 24lbs 4oz
Stumpjumper HT S-Works – 20lbs 6oz
Stumpjumper HT EVO – 19lbs 10oz
Stumpjumper HT Singlespeed frame – 1490g – Note the difference in weight between it and the geared version below, all of the additional weight comes from the sliding dropouts:
Stumpjumper HT frame – 1180g
2013 CAMBER
The Cambers, which are now 29er only, are covered in detail here. They’re 110mm travel, which is only 10mm more than the Epics, but have a slacker, more trail-oriented geometry. Buckley says the Epic is for the racer that doesn’t mind a twitchy, quick handling bike, but for general riding, the Camber’s going to feel more capable on a broader range of trails. And, it doesn’t have the BRAIN suspension, so it’ll feel a little more plush.
Camber Comp Carbon – 27lbs 14oz
Camber Pro Carbon – 26lbs 8oz
Camber Comp Alloy 28lbs 5oz
2013 STATUS
The Status 1 is basically the same, but the Status 2 gets the Benny pedals and Descendant cranks and upgrades to a Boxxer from the dual crown Domain.
Status 1 – 37lbs 5oz
Status 2 – 38lbs 11oz
2013 DEMO 8
The Demo 8 Carbon is the big news for this (next) year, and they were covered in detail when they launched earlier this year.
Demo 8 Alloy – 37lbs 13oz
Demo 8 Carbon 1 – 37lbs 5oz
Demo 8 Carbon TE – 35lbs 1oz
Demo 8 Alloy frame – 10lbs 13oz
Demo 8 Carbon frame – 10lbs 1oz
2013 ENDURO
During the formal presentation, all the attention was given to the regular Enduro models with only a passing mention of the longer travel EVO version and the SX-replacing 100mm version aimed at the short course gravity set. The former, shown above in a spy shot found on MTB-News, will be a 180mm travel, slacker version to bridge the gap between the Enduro proper and the Demo 8. The standalone SX will be gone for 2013, replaced by the 100mm Enduro SX. We’re thinking both are set for an official debut at Crankworx Whistler, and we’ll be there to cover it.
Enduro S-Works – 26lbs 5oz
Enduro Expert – 27lbs 14oz
Enduro Comp – 29lbs 9oz
Look for a complete run down of road and women’s bikes later in the week!
