Today Specialized unveils the all-new Stumpjumper, a key trail bike in the company’s mountain bike range, and the big news is that it grows to a family of three bikes, each aimed at covering the increasingly diverse requirements of riding styles that stretch right from XC/trail to nudging on the door of enduro riding.
The core Stumpjumper is joined by the new Stumpjumper ST (short travel), a bike which replaces the Camber, and there’s the return of the Stumpjumper Evo, which is intended to meet the growing appetite for very long and very slack bikes. Each bike is offered with 29” and 27.5” wheels with clearance for up to 3” tyres, with 2.6” tyres specced on the regular Stumpjumper and the Evo, the Stumpjumper ST rolls on 2.3” tyres. Specialized has dropped its previous focus on separate plus, or Fattie in Specialized language, bikes from the new range. You can go plus if you want, but Specialized isn't offering that option.
Frame RedesignThe three new bikes essentially share the same frame design, albeit with a slight front triangle difference between the different wheel sizes. The Stumpjumper and Stumpjumper ST simply use different shock hardware and a fork to achieve the different suspension travel and geometry numbers, while the Evo stands out by only being offered, currently, in aluminum.
| We pulled out all the stops to lighten and stiffen up the frame, and what we arrived at was a vastly more efficient structure with a new sidearm design. The sidearm design directly connects all three mounting points of the rear-end and shock to the frame, and this creates a significant increase in both stiffness and performance over bumps. More explicitly, frame flex has been minimized when the rear suspension is active. In CAD, we were able to put the new 3D shape against the last iteration of the Stumpjumper, and with Finite Element Analysis (FEA), we were able to prove that the new layout was 20% more efficient. At the end of all of this, we’ve ended up with one of the lightest trail frames on the market.— Specialized |
The frame has a radical new design, but it still manages to echo the outline of the old model. The key new feature is the sidearm top tube that increases frame stiffness, with a new shock linkage and compatibility with standard metric shocks. There’s space for a coil shock and water bottle in the front triangle, and the SWAT storage has been refined and volume has increased. A significant change is the 1x focus - all bikes are specced with 1x drivetrains and there's no way of fitting a front mech.
The swingarm has been revised with a claimed 8% improvement in the stiffness and a whopping 100g weight saving. There’s an all-new bottom bracket shell that sheds substantial weight, and press-fit has been replaced by an externally threaded bottom bracket. The seat tubes are shorter allowing for longer dropper posts, with Specialized speccing 160mm posts on the larger frame sizes.
Other key details include a full internal channel guiding the rear brake hose through the down tube, bottom bracket and main pivot and into the chainstay, leading to much shorter build times and less swearing. Producing a quieter ride has also been a focus, with a new ridged rubber chainstay protector that is aimed at precisely matching where the chain impacts the frame, based on the company’s in-house testing.
Stumpjumper STReplacing the Camber, a bike that was popular with people that wanted a lightweight trail bike, the new Stumpjumper ST is intended to be a more trail capable with less suspension travel and steeper geometry than the full-fat Stumpjumper.
It combines a 130mm fork with 120mm rear travel on 29” wheels and 130mm front and rear on 27.5” wheels. The frame is the same as the longer travel Stumpjumper, so you could conceivable ‘upgrade’ to the longer travel bike, with the main differences being in the shorter stroke shock and fork.
| We love the fast and planted feeling of the new Stumpjumper, but not everyone needs 150mm of travel. And if you're in the market for a trail bike that’s more nimble and snappy in hard accelerations and long climbs, the S-Works Stumpjumper ST 29 should be your first choice.— Specialized |
The equipment reflects the differences between the two bikes. There are eight models in the range, two aluminum and six carbon, with prices ranging from $1,800 USD to $9,500. The range-topping S-Works bike gets SRAM XO1 Eagle with Fox Float 34 Factory fork and Float DPS Factory shock, with Purgatory/Butcher 2.3” tyres on Roval Traverse carbon wheels.
StumpjumperThe standard Stumpjumper has 150mm front and 140mm rear travel with 29” wheels, and 150mm both ends with 27.5” wheels.
There are ten models on offer, starting with the Comp Alloy at $3,000 USD, rising through the Comp Carbon ($4,200) with carbon front and rear triangles, and topping out with the S-Works for $9,500. You can also buy the S-Works frameset for $3,200 if you want to build your own bike from scratch.
A look at the spec sheet on the top-end bike reveals a Fox 36 fork up front and a Float DPX2 shock out back, 2.6” Purgatory and Butcher Grid tyres on carbon Roval wheels, a 160mm Command Post dropper, SRAM X01 Eagle and Guide RSC brakes and a 780mm Specialized carbon handlebar.
As well as the eight men’s bikes there are two women’s bikes, the Stumpjumper Comp Alloy 27.5 and Stumpjumper Comp Carbon 27.5, with the size range dropping down to an XS, going up to a Large. The equipment is the same on both bikes, focused around a Shimano SLX drivetrain and brakes, with 2.6” Purgatory and Butcher Grid tyres on Roval aluminum wheels and suspension duties take care off by a Fox Float Rhythm 34 fork and Float DPS Performance shock.
Stumpjumper EVOThere were a lot of people sad to see the retirement of the Evo in the last Stumpjumper release, but after a few years on the bench, it’s back, longer and slacker than ever before. While some might accuse Specialized of being conservative with the geometry of the regular Stumpjumper, the new Stumpjumper Evo allows them the freedom to go much more progressive without alienating the many.
| Let's get something clear—the Stumpjumper EVO Comp Alloy 29 isn't a ‘normal’ trail bike. It's built to get gnarly, and there's no real way around that. It has a slacked-out front-end and a longer top tube, so the EVO has heavier steering, exceptional front-end traction, and it begs you to boost every lip and do cutties as often as possible. And with all the speed that 29ers are known for, you're going to be able to bomb down trails that you thought you couldn't touch without a full-blown DH rig. When the goin' gets rowdy, the rowdy get goin’.— Specialized |
So the new Stumpjumper Evo has the same suspension travel as the standard Stumpjumper, 150mm front and rear with 27.5” wheels and 150mm front and 140mm rear with 29” wheels, but the real difference is in the geometry and build kit. The build, which at $3,600 is clearly targeted at hitting a certain price point of accessibility, centers around the new Fox Float 36 Rhythm fork with a Float DPX2 Performance shock, Butcher Grid 2.6” tyres, alloy Roval wheels and an X-Fusion Manic 150mm dropper post.
Just two sizes in each wheel size will be offered, but Specialized has moved away from the conventional sizing nomenclature, with new S2 and S3 designations to describe the two sizes it is offering.
The S3 sized 27.5” wheeled model has a 490mm reach, 63.5-degree head angle, 440mm chainstays, 1258mm wheelbase and 75.6-degree seat angle. The S3 sized 29” wheeled bike has a 475mm reach, 63.5-degree head angle, 443mm chainstays, 1253mm wheelbase and 75.6-degree seat angle.
Read our first ride report on the new Stumpjumper
here. More at
www.specialized.com/stumpjumper
Indeed. Rode an HD4 over the weekend with a 65 (64.9) hta and thought it climbed well but still a little floppy. Sick bike tho and can't fault the climbing for a burly trail bike. That HD4 is 1.5 slacker than my current rig and evo is 1.5 slacker than the HD4. In-san-ity.
I appreciate the big S going all crazy with it tho as an experiment. Seems like they did it just to spite Transition. "Hey, wouldn't it be funny to build a couple test mules that're slacker than the Sentinel and see if we can rush a new evo stumpy to market just to mess with the transvestites up in washington?" "How much would it cost?" "I dunno, about the same as that video we're making." "Do it."
You probably shouldn't call people stupid when you're wrong, btw.
EVO (S3 of course) for people on the internet who think Leo from Pole should get the Nobel Peace Prize and think that anything with less than 620mm of reach and a head angle of more than 61 degrees is obsolete junk ridden by noobs and other people who suck at riding.
Looks like the whole 6-Fattie trend is officially dead. The S-Works SJ 650 was the official bike of people with VP in their job title who can’t ride bikes worth a damn.
No more Ohlins?
Graves still has it on his race bike.
Specialized fanboi - guilty as charged
Jesus if you had told people in the "NORBA geometry" era that we'd be riding 63.5 HA on a trail bike....
Why isn't this spec more competitive with competitors and how is there nothing in between these two models?
That's weird, because I run FEA all the time and none of the results it outputs are efficiency. Maybe have a qualified employee read through your press releases before you spew your bullshit all over the uninformed.
-MMTasty
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15810268
No more proprietary BS.
Finally. Now all they need to do is apologize to the rest of the bike world for holdinga death grip on the copyright on the Horst Link (expired now) and all will be well with the world.
Marketing vid is gold!!
Recommended shock pressures are around 20-40 psi above body weight depending on the shock model - you won't be running 300 psi unless you weigh upwards of 260 lb, and in that case, yes, your shock will probably get pretty hot.
I hear you zede. I think Mike's off on his numbers. But isn't it only an issue if you're using a small air can shock w/ no reservoir?
I'm about 215 lbs and run 280-290 psi in my DVO Topaz on my stumpy29 with a 47.6mm stroke. That gives me a hair under 30% sag. I've also run a 50mm monarch+ on the stumpy and had to go to ~300psi to not sag like a mofo.
Even on the 57mm stroke DPX2 i rode over the weekend on an HD4 I had to go a little over 300psi to get 30% sag.
I guess those shocks can handle the psi though.
I think a 260 lb rider would be close to the 350psi limit on a DPX2 for this bike.
Orbea rallon (which everyone is comparing this bike to) has 60mm stroke for 150mm travel. But no matter how I bring facts, specialized fanboys will keep bringing the neg props, and I will keep riding a bike with nice shock setup.
I think it's safe to assume that most stumpy owners will not be outriding the small air can shock and that riders that are will upgrade to a reservoir shock.
I'd love a podcast tho on shock stroke and little shock performance on trail bikes that are being ridden harder these days.
It's good they've sorted things, but amazing it takes so long. I can't have been the only rider with these persistent maintenance problems. I felt at times like a bike that was this expensive to keep running in a wet country shouldn't ever have been sold in a wet country, and have gone back to riding a hard tail with the build kit of my choice!
On the other hand the bike was lovely to ride even then, and was actually a bit ahead of it's time for a "mid range" trail bike. It felt like a lot cooler brands out there took a while to warm to the idea for a 29er trail bike that you could rag about
access4bikes.com/giveaway
SJ FSR 29 EVO S3 with its 475mm reach and 635mm ETT is what is usually labeled as size large. C'mon Specialized bring out that S4 with a 500mm reach and 660mm ETT! A1277mm wheelbase is nothing to be afraid of.
All in all very good bikes, but there is nothing niche or "special" about them.
That colour fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down.
It doesn't cost anymore to paint a bike so it looks twice as expensive, as evidenced by the other two fantastic looking models.
Matte black is getting a little dated.
Raw aluminum, white, or silver painted bikes almost always look classy, timeless, and show off the lines of a bike. Neon or fluorescent? Not so much.
But why is that seattube higher than Snoop Dog?
Evo looks pretty fun, though not sure why the 27.5 geo is much longer than the 29er geo (even wheelbase).