Submitted by
Don
a Weekend Warrior
from Williamston,Mi
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2002
Strengths: Sweet ride. Just enough and not too much.
Weaknesses: None for the price
Bottom Line:
With a decent retail and a few mods I have a bike that I really don't need to replace. I usually like to get a new bike every year or so but I am still having a great time on this bike.
Similar Products Used: Super V,LTS, just about all others owned or demoed
Bike Setup: XTR,WTB Speed V saddle(sweet)Thomson,Vanilla R
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Submitted by
Kevin
a Cross Country Rider
from Peoria, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002
Strengths: Tracks well Stiff, latterally Fast Light Awesome climber
Weaknesses: Not enough travel in the rear Shock bushings wear out fast
Bottom Line:
This bike blows my old Pro Flex away. This bike tracks well and with the Bomber can take the big hits as well as the small bumps. The PF had some nasty bob up hill. The Horst link eleminates the dreaded bob. I can't say enough about this bike. I have had it since 1999 and will not trade it for any other rig. It is fast, down hill or up. This is the bike to have. The Horst link is the greatist invention ever. After all, Titus and Intense use it, it must be good. If you love t oclimb and bomb down hill this is the bike for you. If you like the down hill thing, there is the FSR Enduro, same bike, heavy duty parts. See ya on the trail.
Bike Setup: 99 Stumpjumper FSR XC, Race Face Turbine, XTR brakes and levers, Sram 9.0 drive train, Easton Monkey Carbon Riser, Fox Float R (Soon to add a BETD link) Profile stem, Easton EA50 seat post, XT Casette, Zocchi Z2 Atom 80,
Strengths: I bought this frame 2nd hand for £225 a couple of months ago, and built it up my self. I ride mostly in the Lake District and this bike is ideally suited to rocky terrain. It climbs better than a hardtail as well as decending better and there is very little bob on flat terrain/ road.
Weaknesses: Rear shock has no rebound damping! stock bushings have loads of stiction (possibly to get round this) but when replaced with BETD bearings the shock needs rebound control! Apparently stock cranks and tires are nothing to write home about, but I bought the frame only.
Bottom Line:
Include a BETD link and bearings in the price if you buy one of these! The ride is great as standard but is fantastic with BETD kit.
Bike Setup: 1998 90mm Pace RC36's, Hope/Mavic/XT/XTR/Deore.
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Submitted by
Jim Hopkinson
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA
Date Reviewed: May 13, 2001
Strengths: Climbs great, decends awesome. Virtually no maintenance. Looks great. Full suspension is worth every penny.
Bottom Line:
** This is an update from my original posting on 9/16/99 **
I always liked it when bike/car magazines do an article where they go back and review a product after using it for some time. Because lets face it, ANY bike should be a dream to ride right off the showroom floor. How does it perform in the real world 18 months later?
Well, after riding it for over a year and a half I can't tell you how much I love this bike. It has performed flawlessly. I know a lot of it is because I've been riding more, but I am 10 times the rider I was before I got the full suspension. And that's the key... it's a viscious cycle. You get a new bike, so you want to ride. When you ride a nicer bike with full suspension, you get more confidence. As you gain confidence, the ride becomes more fun. As riding becomes more fun, you want to ride more. The more you ride, the better you get. You get the picture.
After a particularly treacherous downhill, I can't help but feel pity for the hardtailers in the group. I can soak up just about anything. All I know is that every time I hear that 'whoosh' of the rear shock, I know that there's a pounding that my butt/back isn't taking.
If you were like me, you might be stuggling with the price question. Let me say that 1) moving up to the full suspension was worth every penny 2) I haven't put a dime into this bike since I've bought it
I have friends that ride REALLY hard, and I've seen them break chains, taco rims, blow out hubs, crack bar ends, get flat tires, replace shocks and even damage frames. Maybe it's my riding style or I'm just damn lucky, but I just throw some lube on the chain and go. (The front shock that I wrote was sticky to start - it just needed a few weeks to break in).
Lastly, I've seen many complaints about hard seats, bad tires, crappy pedals and so forth. Let me say this. For some reason I'm not bothered by any of this. Some people will do (and spend) anything to shave a few grams off their bike, while others ride on the sidewalk. I'm somewhere in the middle. I've done three races, tackle some hard trails, and consider myself a decent rider. I'm sure I could spend another $1000 to get better tires, a fancy seat and 100% XTR components, but right now I don't think the difference would overwhelm me. Maybe I'm like a Honda Accord owner who has never driven a Porsche so doesn't know what he's missing.
Bottom line? I ride for the fun, the exercise, the scenery, the comraderie and the thrill of riding - and this bike has made all of the above enjoyable.
This bike climbs well for a FS. Even after putting the big 4.75" travel Manitous on it. bike sticks like glue in the single track. Suggest upgrading to full MSP bearing kit for the rear. This will reduce the climbing ability as you get more peddle input but will improve the overall feel of the bike. No more sevice to the linkage. The bike is a little small on the top tube. Something they have changed on the new 2001 bikes. For the price I paid I could not have gotten a better bike.
Bike Setup: Arch supreme. Manitou Xvert DC. WTB Motoraptor 26x2.4
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Submitted by
james
a Cross Country Rider
from ottawa,ont,can
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2000
Strengths: light, resonably stiff, good xc, xtr rear
Weaknesses: nervous dh-longer forks better? oem granny ring sucks-wear and availability an issue. waited over a month for new ring due to bolt pattern and lack of stock from any dealers. think I prefer feel of oil shock for front. tires are poor for wet and roots.
Bottom Line:
would buy again, but would be wary of specialized parts and would try to upgrade as part of deal. good bike for xc rider who wants to take edge off terain-used to ride Trek 8000 hard tail w. oil shock and back would be dead after rough rides (39 yr riding with 20-30 yr hammer heads). good hill climbing, good weight.
Similar Products Used: giant, trek, cannondale, pro flex
Bike Setup: stock setup+747 pedals. went stiffer in air shock for weight as I like a stiffer ride for hills
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Submitted by
Darrell
a Cross Country Rider
from San Juan island WA
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2000
Strengths: Weight, performance, price
Weaknesses: cranks, pedals, rear shock (no rebound control)
Bottom Line:
Besides getting rid of the junk cranks and pedals which everyone else has mentioned already, the best change I made was the Risse rear shock and 4" travel link. While dealing with Risse was an experience that seems to be all to common in this market the end result is worth it. A much smoother and plusher travel that soaks up the big bumps far better than the old Fox shock. Now if I can upgrade the Manitou SX to something that can match up to the Risse I will really be ready to rock.
Bike Setup: XT Crank with REAL rings, Time ATAC, Risse Astro 5 with GP Link, Bontrager Jones tires, SWorks 130MM stem.
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Submitted by
Glen M
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa Ont. Can.
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2000
Strengths: Frame- geometry, Shimano guts, price.
Weaknesses: This is a follow up review. I have had time to thrash this bike a bit, and I swore I would be objective after some riding. Here is my story. I ride 3-5 times a week if lucky. Hilly, rocky, rooty, terrain. It has been stupidly wet this season, and I tend to ride bikes hard. I have also competed in a 24hr race that was cancelled due to rain, not any type of rain, torrential, gail force poop. So maybe therein lies some problems. As mentioned by many here on mtb, the specialized components break. So far I replaced middle chain ring, (skipped 2nd week in to riding). Rear hub, seized. It is on warranty and has been away for 1.5 months ( I bought a mavic 519 with lx hub as a backup, thank god). Rear suspension pivots were toast after 2 weeks. Steering tube bottom bearing seized after 4 months. This is a very high maintenance bike. The 9 speed works well only if you keep it clean!!!!! I guess 'cause it's my first susp bike that this is normal, and that the rain we've had is really messing things up. Specialized warranty work takes months to get organized. If I was down all that time without back up stuff from my shop, I'd loose it. But that ride! The steering! Climbing! Very sweet! I like that stuff lot's! Makes all the hard work worth it!
Bottom Line:
Great for what I paid. And I am getting to know this bike well with all the work I put into it. It is fast and comfortable. But specialized, please don't crap out on the compnents. That middle chain ring and hub is a farce!
Bike Setup: Riser bar, lizard skin on the rear shock, rear rim Mavic 519- Lx hub. Xt middle chain ring. Bontrager stem. Will replace more after I beat it up some and needs replacing. Probably stay with Shimano, no problems here!
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Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Shrewsbury
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2000
Strengths: Great overall bike...espicially for the $$$
Weaknesses: Bike said it came with a SX-R...but it really had only a SX
Bottom Line:
Great Bike...this thing is really fast. My last bike was a hardtail rockhopper A1 FS and now this bike in comparrison seems like a dream. Great suspension , great look, great everything. You cant go wrong with Specialized ...This bike Rocks!!!
Bike Setup: Stock everything plus I put on Easton Monkey Bars
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Submitted by
David Broome
a Cross Country Rider
from Marin County, California
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2000
Strengths: Good climber, good single-tracker, good downhiller, 1,400 mtb miles and still going. Bought in Dec. 99.
Weaknesses: Specialized parts substandard (Deore-level)- cranks flex w/ hard to find non-shimano chainrings, both hubs blew-up, Manitou fork blew, front deraileur blew, Rear swing arm cracked @ main pivot @ 1,100 miles, on third bushing kit, sealed bearing pivot next to go. Rear lateral flex when bushings start to go. Not a good foul weather FS bike due to shock and bushing positioning.
Bottom Line:
Mixed. Perfomance is very good. Great all-around FS XC bike for long days on rough trails. Very plush and fairly light. Outstanding on rough climbs and decents. Still wins the light/cheap value equation in the FS XC market. However, the Specialized parts were a big disappointment.
Also, the Specialized warranty has incentives that might cause your local shop to think twice about replacing broken parts. Ask 'em.
Still waiting for a sub-25 lb. FS-XC w/ disk- brakes for under $2,000.
Similar Products Used: S-Works hard-tail, Santa Cruz Superlight
Bike Setup: Now, all XTR. Marzocchi Atom Bomb, Stratos XC Pro rear shock. Roughly 26.5 lbs. w/ Michelin 1.9 Wildgrippers. It's a $3,000+ bike after you replace all the blown parts.
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Submitted by
Mark Crawford
a Cross Country Rider
from King's Park,NY USA
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2000
Strengths: When everything is working on this bike, it rocks! It is truly light, the suspension is efficient, and it handles well.
Weaknesses: Chainrings and crank, cassettes, three frame breaks, blown front and rear shocks,bad tires,no shock pump,etc.
Bottom Line:
This bike was a huge improvement over the Trek Y frame. It climbs better and doesn't steer off a corner if you hit the brakes halfway through. It is light, efficient, and predictable. The rear shock can pack up and hop over stutter bumps, but this is really a minor problem. The major problem has been the three subframes I've broken in less than a year. The warranty covers this but doesn't help me when I'm trudging miles down the trail bleeding. Within a month of getting the bike, I had to replace the middle chainring, the front fork, the rear swingarm, and the tires which were useless on anything but hardpack. The chainrings and crank are junk and Specialized should be ashamed to put them on a bike in this price range. The small ring quickly wore out, causing suck, and can't be replaced with a Shimano becase the bolt pattern is wrong.The 9 speed cassettes bent while climbing and I had to replace them twice. Finally I called Shimano and they sent me an XTR cassette that stays straight. The rear shock needed to be rebuilt, and the front leaked the first day I rode. The rear wheel developed a spoke breakage problem; the spokes were breaking off the nipple ends, and Specialized replaced the whole wheel. I have since replaced the whole wheelset. I replaced the crankset and bottom bracket with the new XT Hollowtech atthe same time as the wheels, and along with the lighter tires and tubes, the bike was hugely improved. I ride about five times a week and I can break things, but I have to say that the Trek full suspension and 8 speed gear NEVER broke. I guess that Shimano, Manitiu, and Fox all get some blame, too. But there is no excusing that Specialized crankset and the three broken swingarms. The bottom line is a real love-hate relationship. I wish there was something out there that worked as well as the Specialized but didn't break. It will be a week before I get my new swing arm. In the last year, I have missed at least a month of riding time due to breakage. But I have probably made that up by riding more often and longer when the bike is working. Don't even think about buying a used FSR; you will definitely need the warranty. Two turds for reliability, averaged with five for performance, gives arating of three and a half turds.
Bike Setup: Manitou SX Carbon, XT Hollowtech crankset, Speedplay Frogs, Sun Zeo Degree Lights on XT Hubs,XTR cassette, Bontrager Jones or Revolt XT's, Specialized ultralight tubes.
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Submitted by
C. W. Rubright
a Cross Country Rider
from Charlotte, NC. USA
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2000
Strengths: Light & quick singletrack racer. Lot of fun for the money.
Weaknesses: Pretty much all of the in house componets. BB, hubs, crankset and the Manitou SX fork rebound damping knob froze up, even after being rebuilt.
Bottom Line:
I would still buy the bike again all problems aside. For such a good frame and suspension design, everything else can slowly be changed. Specialized has been good about standing behind the bike such as with the new wheelset. However, even though I like the ride quality of the Manitou SX, it had to be rebuilt due to bottoming out on jumps as well as for the rebound damping knob that has froze up twice now. Not impressed overall with Manitou. As far as the bike, it has done everything I have asked of it and highly recommend it for anyone from weekend warrior to racer.
Bike Setup: CT-2 Flat bar,XTR tapered BB, XT brake calipers, PanaracerXC Pro tires, Thompson Elite seatpost, Flite TI Gel Saddle, 2000 upgraded wheelset from S factory due to junk hubs from factory. Control tech stubby bar-ends, Salsa grips and Salsa QR seat collar/lever.
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Submitted by
Simon Connell
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2000
Strengths: Where to start? i have had mine for 18 months now, and it still puts a smile on my face every time I ride it. It accelerates likea beast, climbs like a demon, and rails singletrack like nothing else. I was put in a position to replace it the other day, but even if it got stolen I would just buy a new one. It handles impeccably, and is a better bike than I will ever be a rider. Specialized customer service is a bit slow, but very good.
Weaknesses: Unfortunatley there are plenty (All fixable): Pedals: these use SBC pontoons which are incompatible with most shoes. Bars: What do they think they are doing fitting a flat bar to this bike? Fit a riser and watch it come alive! Forks: I am not the only one who has had the paint peeling off the forks, replaced under warranty though. Cranks: These are very flexy, no wonder they were replaced for y2k. The old ones were bad, 4-arm just made them worse. Wheels: These are fine until you come to upgrade, but when I fitted a new pair it made an amazing diffeence. Also, SBC are arrogant enough to fit hubs that are not designed to be serviced :-(
Bottom Line:
A great bike, which could do with a bit of fettling out of the box, fit risers and new pedals in the shop, then upgrade the wheels and cranks over time. This bike is versitile enough to be set up as anything from a slalom bike (I have seen it done) to a full-on XC racers bike. Buy one and learn why.
Similar Products Used: Plenty ridden when looking for a new bike, long term Rockhopper before that.
Bike Setup: Scott Octane Pro risers, XTR chainset/f.mech/BB, black lower legs on forks, Bontrager Racelight wheelset, Flite saddle, DMR V12 pedals, Salsa dual ply grips.
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Submitted by
Glen Marchand
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2000
Strengths: Frame. Component spec (shimano xt-xtr). Front suspension is sweet, Climbs like a rocket from the crypt. And of course price 1800$ Cdn. Nothing else was close in this respect.
Weaknesses: Stock pedals, (Which I changed for my venerable 535's). I thought my headset was out after 15hrs of riding, but found out on closer inspection that there was some play in the rear suspension bushing. After reading some reviews here, it turns out that it is a common occurance. Called my shop, they said they are going to warranty it (we'll see). Been a month now and still waiting. (Someone is dropping the ball when it comes to shipping parts, my shop or the big S) Also the price for them is around 50$ Cdn !?!?, they are bushings, not gold cock rings!! Also bent my Mavic 221's, but going to attribute that to settling in pains. Noticed ghost shifts on the chainrings, chain drops to granny from middle for no reason. Maybe a small adjustment needed?
Bottom Line:
All right. Like the bike! Climbs like stink. I wasn't a big fan of Specialized, but the price was right and I've only heard raves, with minor mods needed looked into. I am planning on racing XC, and weekend blow out's. I have only hammered on muddy trails, with technical goodies thrown in (wet roots & rocks) and not bad so far.I am looking to beating it up a fair bit at Bromont, and then we will see how it holds up. I am using my old steel hardtail (G.F.HooKoo) as a bench mark here. But I can say that dual suspension is where it's at. Easier on the body, easier to ride. The riser bars are a vast improvement over straights, and I like the 9 spd, (So far). Got a cover for the rear shock, to keep the slugde out. Covered the rear right swing arm with an old tube and some zip tie's to protect the chain. Going to change rings, bb, and cranks to Race Face when I blow these unit's up. All in all I am impresed. Who should buy: Person looking for the most bang for the buck. Go out and buy one, and with the money you save, buy beer!!!!!!! Yahoo!!
Similar Products Used: Had A Fisher HooKooEKoo (4 yrs- bullet proof). Tested Santa Cruz Superlight, Heckler, Older model Fsr's. Many more..
Bike Setup: Amoeba riser bar, Bontrager stem, 535 pedals replace specialized units, replaced seat post clamp, wanted one that you can change on the fly. More to come!! But so far so good.
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Submitted by
Edgardo Cruz
a Weekend Warrior
from Santiago, CHILE
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2000
Strengths: Very light and agile. Excellent for cross country, specilly when the trail has a lot of up's and down's. The best value for it's price. Good and reliable components..except for the cranks..too noisy. Front suspension (Manitou SX) is acceptable, even in the catalog the manufacturer specified a SXR model.
Weaknesses: Cranks The rear suspension link to the frame is loose and makes noise...needs improved linkage
Bottom Line:
I will change this bike, when similar type or model comes with disk brakes. By the time I am very happy with it's performance....and whenever I have to jump or lift the bike over a fence with the bike, as it is feather weight, compared to the ones I had before. People who loves to enjoy cross country, not being a Superman biker (I am 49 years old), will be very happy with the Stumpjumper.
I found this on craigslist....I don't know much about mountain biking so any help would be great...He says it has been on the trail once and is all XT components:
[url]http://lo Read More »
