The Dudes of Hazzard main man’s bike is a steed of painstakingly fettled perfection and one of the lightest rigs in the Enduro World Series pits
WHO IS JOE BARNES?
If the dawning of the enduro age came at the perfect moment for anyone, it was Joe. The Fort Bill native spent his formative years riding the national and international DH race circuit, but off the big bikes he’d forged a name for himself as the king of trail bike riding. He’s now one of the few Brits capable of challenging for an Enduro World Series title and is perhaps best known for his part in the Dudes of Hazzard web series.
WHY IS THIS A SUPERBIKE?
- This pre-production frame was used to hone the final geometry of the Canyon Spectral CF that’s now available to us, the bike riding public
- Ultra-honed cockpit set-up
- Full complement of titanium bolts and obsessive attention to detail to keep weight low
“I genuinely don’t know how he’s done it,” says photographer Andy McCandlish, shaking his head in disbelief. Using nothing more than a small stick, Joe Barnes has managed to balance his carbon Canyon Spectral on the lip of a particularly battered tabletop jump in the midst of a Scottish gale. The rain is pelting in sideways but somehow the bike sits perfectly still while its owner looks on, hands in pockets, as casual as you like.
Remember those dogs that look like their owners in competitions at village fetes? Well, if there was a contest for bikes that resemble their riders then Joe and his Canyon would walk away with the diminutive tin hardware. The young Scot is quiet but very funny, and there’s a lot more going on behind those dark eyes than first impressions might have you believe, and it’s the same with his Spectral. It’s a sleeper sled that would go virtually unnoticed in a trail centre car park, but take a closer look and just about every detail has been picked over and finely honed.
New addition to the arsenal
“I did a lot of testing for this model before it was released,” Joe says. “This frame is actually the final pre-production model, when we were finalising the carbon fibre lay-up. That’s why there aren’t any graphics on there.” The frame’s prototype status is proven by the gnat-thin clearance between the 34-tooth SRAM X-SYNC chainring and the driveside chainstay. If there’s a single millimetre between the two then it’s a generous one.
Unlike a lot of the other Enduro World Series pros, Joe swaps bikes frequently throughout a season. Whereas the longertravel Strive CF (135/160mm via Canyon’s ShapeShifter system) is best suited to the rock-hewn hills surrounding Finale Ligure, Joe prefers the slightly subtler 140mm charms of the Spectral on his home trails in Fort William. It’s the model he’ll be putting his faith in to deliver when it comes to what he deems to be his best hope of a win this year, in Wicklow, Ireland.
Amid the cyclonic conditions we rode in with Joe, it was striking how quietly the Canyon went about its work – something you often find with bikes lucky enough to have a full-time mechanic to care for them. The only aural blemish was the odd honk from Joe’s SRAM Guide RSC brakes. “I run metallic pads during the winter,” he says. “They feel slightly harsher but they heat up a lot quicker and can handle the grit and slop a bit better.” The standard Centerline rotors (as opposed to the Guide Ultimate’s Centerline X numbers) help with this too. Judging by how worn the black anodised finish is on Joe’s levers, we’re guessing this wasn’t their first day out in the mud either. He’s been experimenting with the lever reach too, and its effect on arm pump. When we shot his bike, both levers were wound right in to the grips.
From the hardware binding the 50mm Renthal Apex stem to the four rotor bolts per wheel, Joe’s bike is bedecked in titanium. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t run [Ti bolts] if you had the option. They save you a decent bit of weight, it all adds up.” His inner weight weenie has also seen him opt for Renthal’s skimpy Fatbar Lite Carbon handlebar. Joe’s on the shorter side so he can get away with the narrower-than-most 740mm width in order to enjoy the 180g weight. His perch is a prototype saddle that he’s developing with Ergon. “It’s based on their lightest model but is a bit stubbier to give me as much room as possible to move around a bit when it’s dropped,” he explains.
By his own high standards, Joe had a reasonably quiet 2015 as far as results were concerned, but we’ve got a sneaking suspicion that this year could prove a turnaround and this sorted Spectral may have a lot to do with it.
KEEP ROLLIN’
Joe runs Mavic’s Crossmax XL Pro WTS wheels, which offer more than enough strength to bat away the smoother (everything is relative) trails of the EWS he’ll run the Spectral for. He’s a big fan of the same brand’s tyres too, rating their various semi-slick rear designs even in the slop of a Highland winter.
EMERGENCY STOPS
Brakes have to be just right. Joe has recently started experimenting with running his lever blades right into the bar in an attempt to limit arm fatigue. He also runs different brake pads depending on conditions and reduces unsprung mass by only having four rotor bolts on each wheel. We don’t recommend trying this at home!
PRECIOUS METALS
Joe has always been a big believer in power-to-weight being key and swears by titanium bolts. His mechanic has gone to town on the Spectral, with the stem, brake and seatpost bolts all being made from the ultra-light metal. It’s pricy but then this is a race machine.
BOUNCY, BOUNCY
The top-of-therange Spectral CF 9.0 LTD has Fox suspension, but the EWS factory team run RockShox. Joe rates the Pike fork as plenty stiff enough for his requirements, while the rear squidge comes courtesy of a Monarch Plus RC3 shock. Joe says he runs standard internals with just a couple of air spring volume spacers.
PRICE: 5770$ (production Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 LTD, including packing and shipping)
