jerrytek

I've had a SRAM XO Transmission drivetrain on my bike for two years, and have a few months on a second bike with the same drivetrain. Both came on bikes I purchased, so the retail hit for the drivetrain wasn't relevant. After two years, I see four main benefits: -It's quiet, with a noticeable reduction in chain slap -It's very low maintenance. The system just works, and I've never had to adjust anything after initial setup. Initial setup isn't hard as long as you follow directions. Transmission requires far fewer tweaks and micro-adjustments to work properly compared to cable systems. -It shifts under load better than any other drivetrain I've used. The difference is really stark. It makes you realize how much we have to limit shifts on most drivetrains, with going back difficult. -It's durable. I've hit my derailleur hard a few times, with absolutely no issues. I haven't had to replace anything. I have a two-year old bike and a new bike with the exact same drivetrain, and the old one works as well as the newer one. If you do break something, the drivetrain in repairable with replacement parts available. Wireless transmissions aren't mandatory to have fun. The difference isn't as stark as good geometry or upgrades to brakes, suspension, or tires. But it works really damn well. When GX came out the cost of entry went way down. This will undoubtedly happen with XT/etc eventually too. It won't transform your riding (what does, really?). But it does work really well.

Yes, THIS Stumpjumper is heavy. It's an aluminum frame with solid but heavy components. It's also by far the cheapest bike in this test. The carbon SJ 15 is actually lighter than most of the other bikes in the test if you focus on frame weight or weights for complete bikes with comparable builds. I just got a SJ 15 Pro, and it weighs just under 31 pounds. That's a full pound lighter than the Hightower XO RSV and over two pounds lighter than the highest-end Sentinel (which is partly due to alu wheels). The Ripmo is about a pound heavier. I don't know how the alloy SJ compares with other aluminum bikes in this category in terms of frame weight. But the carbon frame is very light, especially for a bike with in-frame storage. It was a strange decision by Specialized to send a value build to this field test. But it's not accurate to say that the new Stumpjumper is heavy. It's actually one of the lightest bikes in this category.

I had the same reaction: the Specialized (and to a lesser degree the Devinci) are the low-end outliers here. The SJ Pro or Expert would have provided a much better basis for comparison with the other bikes in the test. Strange choice by Specialized to send the Comp Alloy. It’s a great build, but as a budget option. It’s just not a good comparison for carbon GX/XT bikes with high end suspension and brakes. The Comp Alloy is five pounds heavier than the relevant alternatives. I know that many discount the importance of weight, but for a trail/am bike that’s a huge difference. The Spot is also a bit of an outlier on the high end. But I don’t see this as such a problem for a field test. The gap between the top and second tier price points isn’t so massive. I’m interested to hear about how the alloy SJ does, but hope that the reviewers can discuss how a more comparable model would have fared.

The public generally doesn’t ask for things that do not exist. If consumer interest was a prerequisite for development of new products, we’d hardly ever see anything truly innovative.