It's no secret we're fans of Teravail's adventure gravel lineup. Sparwood, Rutland and Updraft have quickly earned their turns as our go-to drop bar standards. So we were naturally excited when QBP's off-road rubber brand unveiled the Camrock XC as part of their wider Dirt Your Way collection. This new mountain-specific suite includes a modular ecosystem of wheel, tire, rim and valve components designed to allow riders to mix, match and dial in preferred ridefeel.
The full slate centers on three new tire designs (Camrock, Drawpoint and Clifty) paired with Teravail's proprietary 30mm internal Fluent carbon rims and complete wheelsets. Intrigued? So are we; however, our focus here is on the Camrock and Drawpoint models, which are positioned at the light end of the spectrum in the 2.4” XC racing and progressive downcountry camps.
But first, a bit of context. Two of my preferred MTB tire setups are the Maxxis Rekon Race and the Specialized Butcher/Eliminator T9 combo - within their respective disciplines, of course, cross-country and trail riding. Unrelated tires, I know, but hear me out.
For me, the Rekon Race and Specialized trail models represent extreme ends of a spectrum where I have struggled to dial in the perfect middle ground. For example, I don't race but do appreciate the peppy, lightweight versatility of the Rekon Race in most dry XC situations. I come from an adventure background after all. Yet I often feel like I want slightly more traction and tooth, particularly up front. For whatever reason, within the Maxxis orbit, I haven't found the sweet spot with the standard Rekon or Forekaster, which feel oddly sluggy in my experience. Conversely, I absolutely love the ridefeel and footprint of super-grippy trail/enduro tires like the T9 or Minions on my short-travel Ibis Ripley. But—and there's always a but—all that premium grip and control comes at a price. With 2.6 Butchers (and comparable Minion DHF) weighing in around 1050g a pop, that's a lot of burdensome rubber to push around the backcountry on long days.
First Impressions
The Camrocks stake out an appealing middle ground with most of the XC boxes tidily checked: robust 2.4” volume, low-profile ramped centerline and transition knobs, moderately toothy corner lugs, dense, linear tread alignment, slightly rounded profile, fast-rolling compound, supple sidewalls and light weight, yet enough meat for actual riding and not just racing. At first glance, they seem to land somewhere between a Rekon Race and Vittoria's Barzo, the tread pattern not unlike a plumped-up Rene Herse knobby. This, to my mind, indicates the Camrock may find traction with the crossover bikepacking adventure crowd.
One potential drawback is that they are only offered in a 29 x 2.4. If the cultish popularity of Vittoria's Mezcal and Barzo is any indication, 2.25-2.35 options may serve to bridge this disciplinary gap … just a hunch.
I couldn't help but notice the tread has a curious texture to the center and corner lugs, which I will assume is what they're calling the siping noted in the specs. For reference, siping refers to the vertical or horizontal slits commonly found on tire lugs, which allow them to flex, grip and conform to terrain. The only problem is these (very) faintly scored lines don't seem deep enough to be effective, so I would vote to more thoroughly sipe the shoulder lugs and leave it at that. I set up the Camrocks as a matched set on my Ibis Ripley (carbon 130/120) for testing. Like other Teravails I run, the tubeless setup was effortless. One and done. As I've mentioned before, I do swap out tires often, so I tend to run my tape jobs more robustly than most for a nice, snug fit. Once set up, they measured out to the claimed 2.4” on the nose. So far, so great.
The Ridefeel
To put the Camrocks through their initial paces, I chose a longtime PNW standard, the Old Man Pass to Falls Creek loop in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which threads together a spirited mix of backcountry singletrack, gravel and rocky, rutty forest roads, and classic XC terrain. Once rolling, I was a bit surprised—shocked even—at how lively the bike felt. I was coming straight off of two seasons on a super grippy (and heavy) Butcher/Eliminator T9 trail combo. Tons of control but significant weight penalty, so while I expected to cross disciplines, I wasn't quite prepared for the Camrocks to shave almost 650g. Nor did I understand what that actually feels like. I'm not gonna lie. It feels good.
One benefit of the carbon Ripley is that it shifts easily between beefy trail and nimble XC mode simply by swapping tires. Granted, this is not an apples-to-apples comparison, but I know fast when I feel it, and there is no denying these tires are FAST. Straight line speed on gravel and hardpack is absolutely blazing. They just want to GO! As a matched set, the Camrocks spin up really fast, amplifying momentum through corners and whoops with minimal input. This translates to a free speed effect through flats and rolling climbs as opposed to bulkier, grippier tires, which need extra legwork to hold their speed. Even paved sections feel brisk and, most surprisingly, silent.
As I pointed out, Camrock appears to take certain design cues from Rene Herse's dense linear knob layout and supple sidewalls. This provides a highly supported, quiet and compliant ride. High marks in the all-rounder category when so many mountain bike tires feel (and sound) like sluggish monster trucks when you hit the tarmac.
Dropping In: Camrock x Camrock
Pushing a little deeper into backcountry trails, I found the matched set of Camrocks fast, nimble and downright frisky. The supple 120 TPI ridefeel pairs well with the Pacific Northwest's signature brand of moist, piney, chocolatey duff, conforming to terrain and hooking up with control to spare despite the minimal tread. Leaning into corners at speed, one does begin to explore that edge where grip becomes slip, but isn't controlled chaos half the fun of riding mountain bikes? The Camrock handles loamers and mildly technical rock gardens with an uncanny stability. It is not going to be as precise or tactile as a trail tire, but certainly not lacking in braking traction or handling chops.
That is, until things get blown out, dry, dusty and loose.
Obviously, every tire design is a compromise, where gains in one area come at the expense of another. Camrock is built for speed and agility, which means you give up a certain degree of deep-end control. But because my motto is optimize for fun, occasionally breaking traction isn't the end of the world.
Truth of the matter is, the terrain where I was pushing the Camrock's comfort zone on steep, loose, dry, rocky, exposed ridgeline trails like Kachess Ridge or Xanadu-Tres Hombres in the Washington Cascades is squarely above category for an XC race tire, or XC bike for that matter. As things get steeper and deeper, however, I would prefer a bit more traction and tooth up front.
Mix n' Match: Drawpoint x Camrock
This is where the Drawpoint comes in, positioned as their progressive downcountry tire, offering a slightly bigger bite of everything. Grippier tread. More aggressive knobs. Tackier compound. Deeper siping. Taller shoulder lugs and a more stable, squared-off profile. Swapping out my front Camrock for a Drawpoint (Light Trail casing), I immediately noticed a more planted, connected ridefeel. Overall Drawpoint pushes the ride into more spirited territory, elevating control, engagement and cornering grip - in this case, up front where it matters most. It's like a trail tire that rolls like an XC, weighing in at a very reasonable 825g.
As an unapologetic tire nerd, I appreciate the subtle shift from Camrock to Drawpoint. The uptick in tactile grip inspires a nuanced rowdiness the same way stronger braking unlocks faster riding. Drawpoint compels one to lean in, rail the corners and get a bit loose—the traction is there when you need it. Like I say, it rides more like a trail tire. I'll credit both the grippier compound and taller, more flexible lugs for that extra nudge. The combo plays really well together: predictable front-end bite with a fast-rolling rear open to getting drifty through tight corners.
Overall, I prefer the Drawpoint/Camrock combo to the matched set, as I tend to prioritize ridefeel and control over flat-out speed. I am very impressed by the slight inflection between the different Teravail strata. There is still Clifty to be considered, but moving between the XC and downcountry tiers, ride character and tread design feel thoughtfully considered and well executed. The combo feels spot-on for short-travel backcountry riding. One thing I will say is that I almost want a little more volume to support Drawpoint's more spirited handling. Maybe there is a 2.5 version in the next rollout?
The Verdict
As with most Teravail tires, Camrock offers a lot of bite for your buck: a fast-rolling, lightweight (710g) banger of an XC tire that is tough enough for big days and modest trail duty—all at a rather enticing price point ($80 USD). I found that even in the Light Trail casing, I was able to push a matched set of Camrocks pretty deep into the red without concern. Taking things to the next level, the Drawpoint (front) x Camrock (rear) combo nails the short-travel sweet spot with plenty of meat on the bone to get rowdy, rocky and rooty yet spry enough for long backcountry epics.
Pros
- Camrock: Fast-rolling and holds speed effortlessly
- Camrock: Lightweight at 710g in the Light Trail casing
- Drawpoint: Grippy handling with toothier tread for more control
- Drawpoint: Cornering traction feels more like a trail tire with beefier shoulder lugs
Cons
- Camrock: Could use more bite in loose-over-hard conditions
- Camrock: A 2.25-2.35” option would better suit XC crossover riders
- Drawpoint: A 2.5” option would be nice for a bigger footprint up front
