The Specialized Stumpjumper has taken many forms since it claimed the title of ‘first production mountain bike’ back in 1981, from XC hardtail to mid-travel full-sus. It’s now evolved once more, into what Specialized are touting as “the ultimate trail bike”.
Potential buyers are presented with a lot of different options – you can go for 29in wheels or 650b, a carbon fibre frame or aluminium, short or long travel, a unisex build or women’s-specific finishing kit. There’s even an Evo version for riders wanting something longer, slacker and overall more aggressive.
All share one important trait – enhanced stiffness to improve handling in rough terrain. This was Specialized’s primary goal when redesigning the Stumpy. Hence the asymmetrical reinforcing strut that connects the top tube and seat tube (a design first used on their Demo downhill bike). The carbon frames also have a new lay-up, resulting in a claimed eight per cent higher stiffness and 100g weight saving.
Every frame is now plus-tyre compatible, with Boost spacing and clearance for 3.0in rubber. Geometry varies with travel and wheel size, with the 150mmtravel, 650b-wheeled ‘Comp 27.5’ model pictured ($3750) having a 65.5-degree head angle, 455mm reach and 1,212mm wheelbase on the large size.
Swappable chips allow you to drop the bottom bracket and slacken the head angle slightly. Specialized have also shortened the seat tube across all sizes, allowing room for longer droppers and making it easier to ‘size up’ for more reach.
Pricing starts at $2550 for the short-travel Stumpjumper ST and rises to $12000 for the top-ofthe-line S-Works model.
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Travel tweaks
The regular Stumpy (150mm 650b, 140mm 29er) is now accompanied by a short-travel Stumpjumper ST (130mm 650b, 120mm 29er), which replaces the old Specialized Camber. Only the shock link and fork differ between the two, so savvy riders could convert a long-travel model to a shorttravel bike and vice versa.
Easy spannering
Specialized have attempted to make the bike as easy to live with as possible. It’s now built around a threaded (not press-fit) bottom bracket, while the cable routing is impressively simple, with internal sleeving making it easy to push gear outers and brake hoses all the way through the frame.
Class S.W.A.T.
All the carbon models feature Specialized’s signature SWAT box – a small storage unit moulded into the down tube. The latch of the ‘lid’ is now integrated into the frame and the old bezel is gone. The funky new cable routing has increased the volume of the SWAT box by a notable 20 per cent!
Enhanced stiffness to improve handling in rough terrain was specialized’s primary goal when redesigning the stumpy
Price $2550-$12000