Submitted by
Sam Kann
a Cross Country Rider
from Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2003
Strengths: I love this bike for road riding, its so smooth. Its great off road too, its so light I can hop small roots and such easily without even using clips.
Weaknesses: I find that the gears are a little rough on the shifting, this could be that the previous owner was rather...rough! :) I can't really think of anything bad to say, so far this bike has met my needs for what I do.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike! Its great for what I do, its freaking fast, even when I just started riding. The only problem I had was uphills, being used to a heavier bike, I used to tip back rather frequently! Other then that I haven't had a good spill yet but this bike is great, I bought it after 2 seasons for 800 bucks Canadian and its been one of my best purchases ever!
Purchased At: Privately in 2002 (price in CANADIAN)
Similar Products Used: Well...for four years I rode a 93 Peugot Dune! Its a great bike to.........
Bike Setup: I've put Specialized Team Control Tires on. The brake levers have also been replaced, the old ones got schmucked, smaller ones are on it now. . I put a somewhat softer seat on to.
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Submitted by
Brad Allen
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt lake City, Utah, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2002
Strengths: Light weight, great fork, XTR/XT components
Weaknesses: Clicking noise from rear hub, bottom bracket, seat is damn hard.
Bottom Line:
Bike is just fun to ride, easy to throw over your shoulder in the really rough stuff. Climb where others dare not go!I still see some for sale at the Specialized dealers in Salt Lake for about $1200 now. If you get one at that price you stole it. Great bike to upgrade and improve, great value for the money. I had one of the best summers of my life last year riding this bike all over the Wasatch.
Bike Setup: Stock except for flat pedals and XTR seatpost
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Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Kelowna BC
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2002
Strengths: Nimble, light great brakes
Weaknesses: Stout Hubs bearings went 1 month after warrenty, rear quick release kept dropping the tire, saddle is hard on the ass, paint can chip easily
Bottom Line:
Great bike for climbing and can fly downhills, just a few problems to work out but it rides well and has never let me stranded
Bike Setup: Rear XT hub, time pedals, new comfortable saddle
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Submitted by
Sam Crouse
a Cross Country Rider
from Tallmadge, Ohio, USA
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2002
Strengths: Light, Great components, great handling, so good feeling it was easy to get used to.
Weaknesses: seat, cranks, and weird noise from rear hub
Bottom Line:
Great bike, especially for $800, love riding for any distance now. bike handles weird terrain better than a Sugar 2+. Can't wait to ride. Need new seat and cranks but when i get money that will be solved. Great racing bike
Similar Products Used: test rode nearly every gary fisher, used to ride a Hard rock with Judy XC
Bike Setup: stock except IRC tires
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Submitted by
Jason Smith
a Cross Country Rider
from Indianapolis, IN, USA
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2002
Strengths: Very Light out of the Box, Climbs great, very nimble, for the money good product specs
Weaknesses: Tires Sucks very bad in mub, Stong Arm cranks and rings are not very good, it does scratch easy but I don't really care, after all I do wreck, the seat will kill you, on a bunch of quick small bumps it is rough, I compensated with Suspension Seat Post a Ti post would really help as well. I do get a creek from bottom bracket it has been replaced once but was warrantied, I don't think the headset it that great
Bottom Line:
It is a geat bike. Does anyone know of a great Mud Tire. I would change the cranks to race face or higher grade Shimano and change bottom bracket. With a few upgrades you have one fast light bike. Would find a tire that can run well on a lower tire pressure not convinced about tubeless yet.
Bike Setup: Right Now Stock except changed seat post and went to Sella Italla seat very nice
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Submitted by
Jan
a Cross Country Rider
from Berlin
Date Reviewed: December 26, 2001
Strengths: go-cart geometry, cool design, metal matrix, especially nice chainstays
Weaknesses: would like to read stumpjumper on the down tube :-)
Bottom Line:
I have ridden a 95' Stumpjumper M2 (grey-for those who know)for 5 years, then the right chainstay broke after lots of riding. I got the M2 Pro frame as a replacement and put the old stuff on. Meanwhile I love this bike - it handles so cool and I dont even miss the suspension fork (I ride a rigid Rockkopper on it). I feel very well positioned and the bike finds a way even in difficult terrain.
Bike Setup: rigid fork! XT/XTR, Huegi, Syncros, Specialized Thermobar, Flite
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Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Norfolk, VA, US
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2001
Strengths: Thrashes its way up hills, I'm no pro but this is where I almost hang.
Weaknesses: Had to replace creeky bottom bracket, specialized cranks weren't impressive, rear tire sucked, seat's midevil, handlebars will soon be replaced.
Bottom Line:
Feel confident this bike will do the job, lightweight and sturdy. The bike is sweet after a few upgrades. Bike is good for all who might want to push it every once in a while.
Weaknesses: Rear Wheel bearing died.... explains that funny noise so many people have referred to. Tires - just replace them! Pedals - sometimes feel like I'm not quite clipped in when I really am, and vice versa.
Bottom Line:
I started MTB riding when I purchased this bike 5 months ago. In the last two months I rode Banff, Mammoth, Tahoe, Durango, Grand Canyon, Fruita, Moab and continue to love this bike. The Wildgripper Lite I put on the rear wheel stood up really well and didn't wear down at all at Slickrock while every other rider on the trail finished with self-made slicks! I replaced the rear hub bearings (under warranty) after they gave in and haven't had any problems since. Tuned the rear derailer once and tightened a loose screw in a pedal... but that's about it. This bike rocks and I must say, looks quite eyecatching with the yellow frame, red fork and green tyres... always important! I suppose as an ignorant novice buyer, appearance meant a lot and the price was great and I have never looked back. Oh, and it's fast too... got me past a grizzly in Banff without mishap and up all the wicked climbs at Slickrock while guys pushing their bikes looked on. I love that! Maybe I'm not a novice anymore.
Similar Products Used: None - this is my first (and probably last) MTB purchase. I don't need anything more than what I have right now.
Bike Setup: Threw on a chick's seat (Terry Butterfly), a set of riser bars, and a set of green Wildgripper Comp S (front) and Wildgripper Lite (back).
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Submitted by
mattman587
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbus, OH
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2001
Strengths: The bike is fast, aggressive, and climbs like a champ. It seemed very responsive and held it's own in any races that I've participated in. The bike is superlight and was a great deal for a semi-begginer in mountain biking, especially when considering the component configuration that comes stock with the bike. The fork, sid xc, that comes with the bike is oh so plush!
Weaknesses: Personally I've had a lot of problems with the avid mag brakes. The tiny tension screw stripped out through the course of riding on me like 3 times. Each and every time I sent the brake back to Avid which is a major inconvenience. I recently upgraded to XTR's and they seemed to do the job. Another problem is the junky seat that comes stock with the bike, can it be anymore uncomfortable? Moving on, I bent the 2nd largest cog on the rear cassette something that I'm reading more and more about and seems that it happens more than it should. The paint seems to chip rather easily, and what the hell is the noise coming out of the rear hub? One last note, I've had a hard time keeping the rims true, they seemed to come untrue a little too often requiring extra maintinence.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line, it may of seemed as if I was really trashing the bike, I wasn't! I love my stumpy and wouldn't get a different hardtail if I had the same room, money, to work with. I am very critical of my rig and give it a lot of extra care and affection mainly b/c I am a demanding rider. I would recomend this bike to anyone, especially since it is a sweet deal.
Similar Products Used: Cannondale F1000, Trek 8XXX, Fisher Mt. Tam
Bike Setup: Stock except for Time atacs alium, XTR V-brakes, and XT rear cassette.
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Submitted by
Zuck
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: August 7, 2001
Strengths: See my review below. I'm back to review it again
Weaknesses: Finally found some! It took 6 months but two minor problems: the rear wheel likes to slide out of the drops and the cable routing could be better
Bottom Line:
The problems: the rear wheel slipped out of the drops on rough descents. Solution: crank the skewer down. Change your skewer if need be. I got El Cheapo from my LBS and it fixed everything (it doesn't even have a brand on it!) This problem put an end to my stock rear tire. oh well. The cable routing isn't the greatest either. My rear derailleur cable has been GUNKED bad. I had the cables changed and two weeks later they were needing a change again. Two solutions: get a Thingamig (they're like $2) and get Gore cables if you're gonna do a lot of riding. Or else pay your LBS $12 or whatever everyother couple weeks to replace them. Still a kick a** bike! Just want to educate people who are looking at buying this unit. It's great: lightweight, great components, climbs like a mountain goat on crack, descends like criminal running fromthe cops. It handles like nobody's business. It's very laterally rigid. Still gets 5 flamin' logs o' poop on value and overall!
Bike Setup: cross max tubles wheels with comp s tires. full Xtr, easton carbon handlebar, thomson seat post with a SLR sadlle.
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Submitted by
Nick Daniw
a Racer
from Thunder Bay Ontario
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2001
Strengths: very light, fast, good components that come stock on the bike for the $$. Kick @ss bike.
Weaknesses: Crank squeeks, the frame flexes to much, tires aren't made for loos terrain.
Bottom Line:
This is an awesome bike for someone who enjoys fast, hard racing. This is a very fast bike and if u dont know what your doing with it the whipepouts can be pretty painfull. This bike is cross-country use only, I wouldn't recommend using it as a endure or city bike. The frame tends to flex alot there for your gonna get some nice scratches from your chainring. If you ride in rough, loos rocky terrain i suggest that you change your tires to something more aggressive. the tires are made for hard packed trails. Another thing is the rear wheel falls off of the axel...maybe it's just my bike ??? i dunno... well i hope by reading this revue you undestand a little bit more about the stumppy.
Strengths: climbs like a goat; stock set-up tough to beat for the $; mavics holding together nicely for spokey
Weaknesses: cranks squeak like a new pair of ski boots; yeah, what the hell is grinding in that rear hub?; seat if you wanna have kids anytime soon; paint chips easily but aluminum doesn't rust; factory wheel build(?) had me poppin spokes; uh, the seat!
Bottom Line:
I love this bike! I often catch myself smiling like a mental patient out on the trails. I ride about 4 days/week. I take it everywhere: sandy (ft. ord), mudddy (not on the single track please), hard pack (marin). 'My things' are: 1)long and technical climbs and 2)fast, less technical, descents - the ride is quite stiff and I've already chipped 1 tooth. I carry about 185# so maybe that's why my big ass hurts after sitting on that seat all day. The point is: 1)the bike climbs with ease and agility, like a goat - it's that obvious and 2) I'm not OCD over equipment weight, but this ride is light. Do upgrade to eliminate the aforementioned weaknesses (as VISA permits) so you have nothing to whine about. And yes, I still ride the rigid Stumpy too cuz it's fun to switch back and feel like a hero once in a while.
Bike Setup: stock, but for the bar ends and the Ritchey ZED bringing up the rear
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Submitted by
Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from San Rafael, CA
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001
Strengths: Very Light xt, xtr components SID XC forks
Weaknesses: Rear hub - sounds like it has pebbles in it. cranks - strongarm II suck and are very flexy. Ritchey seat post and specialized seat.
Bottom Line:
This bike is light and fast. I ride XC and some DH. I definitely think I am a little to heavy for the bike. I am pushing 240 lbs. It is an awesome climber with a stiff ride. This bike flys on the downhills as well. I am amazed at how much the ct2 bars eat up trail vibrations. The only thing that really bugs is the rear hub. When riding it sounds as if there are pebbles in the hub. My LBS said that it was nothing to worry about an just threw some grease on it. I am going to add the following parts which will make the bike perfect for me: Chris King hubs, Race Face Cranks, Easton stem, Easton seat post, time pedals, and a new seat. All in all this is a great bike for the value.
