In the market for a new bike, I’ve provisionally sold my Camber Expert 26er and have narrowed the bike choice down to 2.

New Camber 650b, 130mm travel SRAM Gx kit? need to find out a bit about those, price £2k which is my max budget.

Canyon Nerve 8.0 sale price is £1664 but will probably wait until the new one is out, current spec 120mm travel but I know it will take a 140mm pike if needed later on, pretty much XT groupset, slx brakes.

I have no issue dealing with canyon as ive had 3 bikes from them in the past, my road one, current HT and the OH’s bike was the first canyon we got and its been great.

Any thoughts on the bikes? or any othersaround the price mark, I have considered and tried to source a Camber Evo 2015 but none around in small frame.

My riding is generally Cannock chase, with days out BPW, CYB and the annual trip to Scotland, this year Glentress, next year Laggan and Fort William, no WC downhill but probably the red!

I had a pretty similar dilemma late last year in the dead of winter, albeit with the 29ers. Ended up with a 2014 Trek Fuel EX as it was on sale – love it.

What might be more useful though is my wife’s experience from getting a new bike this year: 2015 Rumor Elite (the women’s sibling to the Camber) 29 vs. 2016 Rumor 650B vs. 2015 Nerve 650B. She (and I) rode them all, but she ended up going for the 2015 Rumor Elite because our LBS offered us a great deal and she still prefers 29ers for now.

The Rumor 650B is a great bike, but the 2016 pricing wasn’t great value for money in comparison to the 2015 model. The Canyon (oh I should add, we live in Germany and made a side trip to Koblenz) was just very XC in it’s handling and feel – it felt a lot more like a confident marathon bike as opposed to trail machine. Very solid bike though, but seeing how my wife’s been progressing on the bike, a more Trail/All Mountain feel was what I recommended she get.

Sounds like you’re in a pretty similar place. I reckon that if you can, go for the 2016 Camber if you want a short-mid travel trail bike with modern geometry, knowing that you’ll might want to upgrade the wheels/brakes at some point down the road. the 2016’s look like great all-rounder bikes.

I’m not sure if Canyon will update the Nerve, Eurobike has come and gone. But in it’s current form, and from the few spins I’ve taken on the 650B and 29er models, get it if you’re a better technical descender, but need more help getting up the hills. If you’re the opposite, the new 140mm 650B Spectrals look like a steal too.

Was looking at the spectrals as well, I need something to help build confidence descending, always hitting the brakes over the bars etc… just never had a bike with 140mm travel before. Climbing no issue, I’m slow and will always will be lol!

It will be my one and only bike, I do have a Canyon Grand Canyon as my winter bike 29er and get on with that great, its going once I decided and have ordered my new bike.

Canyon Nerve 8.0 sale price is £1664 but will probably wait until the new one is out

Check the availability, the new strives aren’t available until January.

I can wait, no issue I have a winter hardtail that will help the itch through those cold winter months, and tbh during the winter I tend to stick to Cannock.

Just trying to figure out what bike to get, normally I’m happy to have 2 bikes kicking around but in the position I need the space back and I want to get something that will keep the next 2-3 years.

EBC had small 2014 29r Camber Evos in at the weekend down from £2200 to £1350. A steal at that price

I have a 2014 nerve 29er. Its geometry makes it pretty much a marathon/XC bike only and it isn’t a particularly capable descender (albeit mine is set up purely for XC – e.g no dropper).

I am looking at adding another bike to be more trail orientated – although I still want XC capability so the compromise geometry of the new camber is definite draw. I just don’t like the spec and not sure whether a carbon frame-only option will be available.

IMO canyon have a gap in their range between the Lux and the Spectral. The nerve (whilst a great bike) does not fill this as it is too close to the lux in its capability.

TBH the more I look at them the spectral seems to be the one to go for, tempted to get the base model, get some XT brakes from merlin, then just ride it!

Will say that my Grand Canyon is a fun bike to ride, amazing at the downhill and climbs for a 29er HT.