Conclusion
One thing that’s crystal clear from this test is that having adjustable geometry on a trail bike is really useful. In fact, we’d argue that it’s of most use on a trail bike, simply because trail riding means very different things to different people.
Love techy, rocky climbs and need lots of pedal clearance? Stick the BB height adjustment in the high position. Live for the descents and suffer fire road climbs just to get to the fun stuff? You’ll probably want the slackest head tube insert to stretch out the front centre and slacken the head angle for maximum stability at speed.
The independent head angle adjustment that the Trek Fuel Ex and Specialized Stumpjumper Evo both offer can also be used to change the weight distribution of the bike. If you are riding flatter, rolling terrain and need to load the front end more, switching to a steeper head angle will do just that. And it’s not even about the style of trails you ride, you can adapt both of these bikes to suit your unique riding style or body proportions too.
Best of all, if you take the time to play with all of the different configurations, you can actually learn how changing the geometry of your bike affects the handing. And how changing one thing has knock on effects elsewhere.
Getting your geometry and weight distribution just-so also affords you more freedom in how you set up the suspension, rather than settling on a set-up to tweak the dynamic geometry of the bike. Which is kinda what we did on the Trek Fuel EX. Running the fork harder for more support, even after fitting the -1° headset cup.
In terms of the suspension response, the Trek felt balanced front and rear, as both felt open and free. But that meant
Speed and composure or playful and nimble – the choice is yours
rapid changes in the pitch of the terrain or sudden direction changes caused the bike to seesaw a little too much. Which is why we ended up running the fork and shock harder than ideal. With more adjustable dampers, say Fox Performance Elite, we could have wound on low-speed compression damping and restored stability that way.
For maximum performance and tunability then, you need adjustable geometry and adjustable damping. And the Specialized Stumpy Evo Elite Alloy has both in spades. And even if you’re not into tweaking settings, geometry and weight distribution, the baseline settings on the Stumpy Evo will get you 90% of the way there.
For riders looking for that final 10% though, the Stumpy Evo Alloy won’t disappoint. Stretch it out for maximum speed and composure, or tighten up the angles and proportions to make it more playful and nimble, the choice is yours. Factor in all the adjustability of the Fox Factory suspension and it’s a tweaker’s paradise. Never before has this level of performance and adjustability been available at such a competitive price. Which makes the Specialized Stumpy Evo Elite Alloy the bike of choice for the discerning trail rider and the clear winner of this test.