THE ULTIMATE TRAIL BIKE?

The new Stumpjumper range developed in response to an ambitious brief to create the ultimate trail bike – one that was a pleasure to use for a variety of riders in a whole range of conditions. While too much marketing talk can make even the most passionate riders groan, it’s important to appreciate some of the innovations incorporated in this sleekly designed frame. The new frame, with its asymmetrical sidearm, was engineered with the shock in mind from the very beginning. Research and development were pushed further by experimenting with “crazy geos to see what would happen if we took it too far,” said Specialized’s Mountain Bike Product Manager, Steve Saletnik. “It was cool because we learned a lot from that,” he added, sharing his passion for the job and his desire to look past the current trends. Autosag has disappeared from the shock to make more space to optimise the internals and the reworked ‘RX’ suspension tune is smoother and more supple. Riders purchasing the women’s specced models will be particularly pleased to know that the off-the-shop-floor women’s trail tune is the best I’ve experienced. The difference between the short and long travel Stumpies comes down to the fork, the shock and the shock extension. They both share the same frame. Optimised for climbing as much as descending, the package as a whole aims to get you to the top of a descent feeling fresh enough to really enjoy it, rather than feeling so pasted you end up holding on to the bars like a passenger. While this is a claim made of many trail bikes at the moment, it’s a ride characteristic that not only stood out but surpassed expectations while riding in the Spanish Pyrenees. Rather than choosing your ride experience for you, this is a range that’s very much about letting riders select the experience that’s most right for them. The reactivehandling 27.5” models encouraged me to really throw the bike around underneath my body and to be a lot more dynamic in how I moved above it. The 29” models encouraged a riding style that was more about pushing the limits of traction. If I ever started to feel out of control on the bigger wheels, I just dug in more. All bikes feature a ‘flip-chip’ to change the bottom bracket by 6mm and the head angle by half a degree for further customisation. Other new features are aimed at lifting the experience of riding in ways that extend far beyond the handling of the bike. An unusual looking chain guard cleverly eliminates noise by making chain slap a thing of the past. The result is a bike that is almost silent on the trails, save for the important sound of the tyres on the dirt. The reintroduction of a threaded bottom bracket and incredibly elegant, internal cable routing make the bike much more serviceable. 20% extra storage behind the SWAT door in the down tube is one of those features you’ll use so much you’ll miss it on other bikes. On the trails, the most discernible differences compared to the previous model are a united sense of trail feedback from the front and the rear of the bike when descending (hello one-ness!) and a noticeable increase in pedalling efficiency. The previous model Stumpjumper was already an efficient climber, but the new frame design is said to be 19% stiffer for the same amount of carbon. The rear end loses 100gms across all models, with the $5,600 Carbon Comp model claimed to be 550gms lighter overall. While it’s a given that the top of the range S-Works models ($12,250) will always be impressive to ride, it was the Carbon Comp model bikes, which share the exact same frame as the S-Works, that had Specialized staff most excited. This was good to hear as this is the price point that appeals to most riders. So, did they nail the brief? Where the new Stumpjumpers excel is allowing riders to play with a host of well thought-out features and really make the bike, and their experience on board, their own. So yes, Specialized can be really proud of this one as that’s really what the ultimate ride is all about.