Submitted by
Sem Gallegos
a Racer
from Austin, TX Date Reviewed: July 28, 2005
Favorite Trail:
The Greenbelt
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$2800.00
Purchased At:
CCRR
Strengths:
Stiffest aluminum hardtail I've tried, for a fast ride. Good XT Hydralic Disc Brakes. Terralogic F80x fork works great.
Weaknesses:
Stiffness can hurt.
Similar Products Used:
Yeti Flo Litespeed Tansai
Bike Setup:
Only stock products are: Fork: Fox Terralogic F80x Brakes: Shimano XT Hydralic Disc Brakes Seatpost: Thomoson Elite Setback black Sfiters/brake levers: Shimano XT Dual Control Rear Derailuer: XTR
Upgrades I have Done: Handlerbar: FSA Carbon K-Force FlatBar Stem: Thomson X4 Mountain Black Stem Headset: Chris King No-Threasset Blue Crankset: XTR Integrated Bottom Bracket Pedals: Shimano 959 pedals Front Derailuer: XTR bottom pull Cassette: XTR 4 titanium rings Saddle: Selle Italia SLR XP Hubs: Chris King Universal Disc Blue Rims: Dt Swiss 4.1d Black Skewers: Salsa Ti Blue Spokes: Dt Swiss Revolution Double Butted Black Tires: Maxxis Advantage 26 x 2.1 Chain: Sram PC-89R 9spd (Broke too many Shimano Chains, since I put on the Sram havent had any problems) Accessories: Polar Speed sensor Specialized bar Grips 2 Rav-X carbon fiber water bottle cages Carbon Fiber Headset Spacers
Bottom Line:
21" with all those upgrades comes in at 23lbs. flat, But no matter what upgrades I've done Its a fast and race ready bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eben Broadbent
a Cross Country Rider
from Palo Alto Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Corte de Madera
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$2750.00
Purchased At:
The Offramp
Strengths:
The hydraulic disc brakes are fabulous. Just started these after v-brakes and was very skeptical if they were worth the extra weight, but now go down 3 mile steep sections using on 1 finger to shift and brake and have no hand tiredness at the bottom. Really nice. The integrated brake shifter (xt) is also a great leap forward in design. I never lose control of gear selection and braking control on either steep ups or downs. The front shock is perfect, allowing for quick ascents with no bobbing to excellant absorbtion of small-large bumps on the descent with no adjustment in between.
Weaknesses:
The price is ridiculous. Previously I had a 1998 Stumpjumper Pro which I bought for $1650. The components were identical (as in xt, xtr, etc...) as the marathon and it weighed a bit less (~ 1 lb due prob. to having v-brakes). I don't see a reason why this bike values >1000$ more.
Similar Products Used:
98' Stumpjumper Pro
Bike Setup:
Stock, 120mm stem, lp composites team bar ends,
Bottom Line:
Great bike but overpriced. If you have the $ I would say you will not find a better hardtail out there. I have no problems so far with the bike or parts. The tracking, handling, climbing, overall are superior to the 98 pro I had before.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
joe Durling
a
from Redwood City,C.A, U.S. Date Reviewed: February 14, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
2800
Strengths:
This bike is just what I was looking for, I was unsure if I needed the S-works, but for $1500 cheaper and not only a pound heavier, it seemed worth it to me. It is very smooth, yet fast when you want it to be.
Weaknesses:
I havent found one yet
Similar Products Used:
Scott Carbon- to stiff Merlin Ti- to sluggish
Bike Setup:
As it came all XT with the F80 X- which once dialed in, its wonderful
Bottom Line:
I use this bike all time, I have done 3 races on it and loved it. I also have a FS bike when I do more serious riding. But really I have found that the bike improves your uphill speed but also descending, it seems that you become more aware of the lines to pick, you become a smarter, more effcient rider. It Is well worht the money. The Stumpjumper is a very good bike that Specialized has designed.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Clint
a Racer
from Gainesville, FL Date Reviewed: January 30, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Anything w/ lots of climbing
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Chain Reaction
Strengths:
Light, stiff, great components, Fox F80X fork is superb, great saddle, handles great, set up for racing right out of the box.
Weaknesses:
I prefer a low normal rear derailleur since I've used dual-control shifters for awhile w/ low normal. I swapped out the derailleur for an XTR low-normal.
Also, I would say derailleur cable routing, but on a hard tail, underneath cable routing isn't a big deal. The bike shifts really well.
Similar Products Used:
1998 Stumpjumper Pro
Bike Setup:
Stock except for a low-normal XTR rear derailleur.
Bottom Line:
For a top-quality hard tail, this is about as good as they get. Sure, an S-works would be nice, but I'm not going to pay an exta $1500 to have a bike that's probably less than a pound lighter. Mine weighs 23lbs. And actually, I prefer XT over XTR due to the fact that when the drive train wears out or if things break in a crash, I'm not having to pay so much to replace things.
This is my first time using an inertia valve fork. I'm hooked! I like out-of-the-saddle climbing, and this fork is perfect for that. It's not quite as smooth as the 2005 Talas on my other bike, but I didn't get the bike to be overly smooth. As far as handling, the 71 degree head angle and short wheel base makes this bike handle like a dream. We have pretty tight and turny (is that a word?) trails around here, and this bike does very well on them. And I love having disc brakes on a hard tail. I've used disc for 2 years now and can't go back to v-brakes.
I've been riding FS bikes for the past 2 years, and I got this bike as a 2nd bike. I'm adapting back to hard tail life pretty well. Sure, you get knocked around a bit more than on FS, but it makes you stronger and a better rider. It's nice to have a HT and FS for different conditions. For smoother trails and race courses and for fire roads, this bike rocks!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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