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I need help choosing my new 120mm full suss trail bike. I have it narrowed down to 2 - Specialized Camber FSR Expert (2011 model) and the Canyon Nerve XC 7. Both come in at roughly the same price. MBR raves about the Camber and its reviews are almost flawless, however the drivetrain and suspension on the Nerve are superior with Fox suspension front and rear and XT cranks with an XT shadow rear derailleur.
The Specialized has a good pedigree and I can't help worrying that the Canyons are all hype because of the price and value of the components but I can find very few reviews and I don't know how good the frames are or how good the ride quality is.
Can anybody help me out? 😀
still got time to edit - Camber vs Nerve
FWIW my mate has a Canyon and up close it is a very nice, well finished frame and a killer component set for the price. And I don't think you can buy a bad bike these days (within reason of course)
I bought a Canyon Nerve XC 9 last year and overall I think it is a really good bike, particularly for the money.
As you say, good spec for the price, and I think the frame is very nice too. Seems to ride well to me (although was my first full sus bike so I don't have a lot to compare it too!).
The down sides of a Canyon for me were not being able to test ride and not getting the greatest customer service...
I used their on-line frame size calculator which recommended a medium, but it feels a bit on the large side to me. It might just be the frame style (feels quite long), but it would have been good to try first.
When I ordered it there was a three week lead time, which was ok, but it eventually took seven weeks to turn up, which wasn't great! Maybe I was just unlucky...
As you can see from the pic I,m a owner of a canyon nerve 7.0 owned it since last August and its been faultless.Grips,saddle and another set of wheels added nothing wrong with the old set(now spare) I just like noisy hope hubs!Reverb added as well as it is a must for around here(Lakes).It is quite lardy compared to other bikes but I,m sure you could lose plenty of grams here and there changing cables is a apain in the ass because of the internal routing.Always get plenty of interest off other riders/bike snobs and the look of the bike is a bit marmite!
For the money it was a bargin but will see when I need t0 change any pivots/bearings.
5ft 10in and I have a medium.
[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7199/6818981818_c66461d76a.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/nzrich/6818981818/ ]Only ****s smile all the time (Noel Gallagher)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/nzrich/ ]Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr
D'oh.still got time to edit - Camber vs Nerve
Thanks for the info. I'm living in Ireland and would be buying the Camber from the UK so the LBS is not an option for either model. I am edging towards the Nerve at the moment.
alternatively, buy my turner flux in the classifieds... job done!
120mm on the front with 20mm maxle and 105mm on the back... perfect for fast trail riding!