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A Brand New Era

The Specialized S-Works Era 29er resets the bar for women's race bikes
By selene yeager

The S-Works Era features an ultralight carbon frame with women's geometry.

The Specialized Era occupies a special place in my heart. Four years ago, I rode the BC Bike Race and the ABSA Cape Epic on the 26-inch version and was wowed at every turn by what this bike could do. But in 2012 the Era slipped out of Specialized's line, forcing female racers to choose between the Fate, an ultralight women's hardtail 29er, and the Epic, the company's high-end, full-suspension men's race bike. In 2015, the Era returns to fill the void between the two. And it's even lighter, faster, and smoother than the original.

 

What You Need to Know

• Outfitted with the new, and still rare, inverted RockShox RS-1 fork

• Cross-country racer that can be tweaked into a fun, all-day trail machine

• One bottle cage 1×11 drivetrain—you might want a larger front ring depending on where you ride

• May be necessary to liquidate some assets to buy this bike

• Price: $11,000
• Weight: 22.8 lb. (S)

"It's challenging to make 29ers for women that fit and ride well—that's why many companies don't do it," says Specialized's women's product manager, Erin Sprague. "The Era combines a very low top tube [28.5-inch standover], which gives women the clearance they want; and 29-inch wheels, which we believe are the fastest for cross-country racing. We thought about how to avoid toe overlap, keep the standover clearance, fit a water bottle cage, and maintain the right geometry for great handling. And we wanted the bike to be the fastest, to win the World Cup." With Specialized athletes Lea Davison snatching third at the Cross-Country World Championships this summer, and Annika Langvad winning the Marathon World Championships—both on Eras—the bike is off to a good start.

The S-Works Era rides even faster than its stealth-bomber looks suggest. After tweaking a few things to make the bike handle better for me—I swapped out the stock 60mm stem on my size-small tester for a 90mm—I first raced the bike at the Leadville 100, where I appreciated the light (3.4 pounds), stiff FACT 11m carbon frame over the 11,200 feet of elevation gain during the race. I also got a taste of just how buttery smooth the new suspension system is, enabling me to hold my line almost effortlessly down the notoriously chattery, high-speed Columbine descent. My test bike had 90mm of travel, 10mm less than the larger models, and I didn't miss those 10mm as much as I typically would because the suspension worked so superbly. Once I got the bike back home to test on the technical and rocky trails of Pennsylvania, however, I got to see the Era really shine.

The Specialized S-Works Era 29 sports a comfortable new Myth saddle with a women's-specific V-groove cutout, Magura MT8 hydraulic disc brakes, and Specialized's hidden Top Cap Chain Tool.

I took it out on my usual 20-mile test ride, which includes several high-speed, rocky strips that usually demand 100 percent of my focus to hit and stay on the right lines. I fearlessly blazed through one after the other, taking each a little faster, at times feeling like I was floating. The bike didn't hesitate or flex, and it maintained forward momentum even through chunky rock gardens. The relatively tight wheelbase (42.4 inches on my test bike) and low bottom bracket (12.6 inches) also made it nimble through hairpins and easier to flick around tight turns, not a trait usually attributed to 29ers. The low BB height adds some stability and contributes to the lower standover height. And Specialized's new women's Myth mountain bike saddle was so comfortable that I forgot it was there—which is exactly how a saddle should feel.