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Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from Raleigh, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1100.00 | | Strengths: | Light, fast, good components, great frame, great fork. Eminently upgradeable. | | Weaknesses: | Except brake pads, none really. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Rockhopper Comp, Trek 4500, Univega Rover rigid. | | Bike Setup: | Stock 2006 Stumpjumper except SPD M540 pedals, Koolstop salmon pads, Kenda Nevegal 2.1 tires. | | Bottom Line: | Extremely pleased with this bike. It is smooth, fast and efficient - maybe 50% better & 4 lbs lighter than my old Rockhopper. The major difference is probably the fork, but it's just an all-over better quality bike. Stock Fast Trak tires are great in dry conditions and hook up pretty well at lower pressures, but I got Nevegals for better traction where trails can be muddy in spots or loose. I like the rim brakes with the Koolstop pads. A previous reviewer said the stock Avid pads sounded like two blocks of wood on your rims - very accurate. They are lightweight and simple, and provide plenty of stopping power for me. If you ride a lot in mud, maybe they aren't the best choice for you.
The Rockhopper was a great bike, but the Stumpy is that much better. Good for the enthusiast who has a little more cash to spend and wants a faster, more efficient bike than the usual weekend steed. Long top tube - I got one size down to compensate for my having slightly longer legs and shorter torso/arms. Consequently, it's not as well suited for fire roads and greenways, but if you want to blast along single track that's not too terribly rough or rooty, it's a good choice. All in all, highly recommended. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe B
a Weekend Warrior
from Wheaton, IL, USA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Castlewood, MO | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Little Ade's, Pekin, IL | | Strengths: | Super light, great adjustment on fox fork. Responsive and balanced. Also very upgradeable. External BB! | | Weaknesses: | V-brakes aren't great. Cheap seat post clamp. No tie wraps included if you were to change out v-brakes and attach cables. | | Similar Products Used: | Raleigh M60 | | Bike Setup: | Stock w/.eggbeaters or Primo tenderizer platforms | | Bottom Line: | Love it so far - its super fast! Shifts quick and is still easy to adjust. External BB is fantastic. The 2007 model is an excellent bike to start with and keep for a long time as well. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy Stephan
a Weekend Warrior
from O'Fallon, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Strip Mine Loop | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | Sunset Cylcery | | Strengths: | Light and Fast! The Fox shocks are great and the tires are decent too. | | Weaknesses: | I haven't found any. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Stock. I am in the process of upgrading to disc. | | Bottom Line: | This is the best purchase I have ever made. The bike climbs like crazy and it can handle my 200lb self with ease. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | bicycle sport shop | | Strengths: | Light weight, strong frame/components, confidence inpsiring geometry and handling. | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Bike Setup: | stock, except for upgraded seat post clamp and platform pedals. | | Bottom Line: | I absolutely love this bike. I'm pushing myself faster and making it through terrain like I never have before. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adam
a Cross Country Rider
from NC
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bicycle Chain | | Strengths: | fast, light, sweet fork, alright wheels, awesome dropping shimano and moving to SRAM, ok tires | | Weaknesses: | v-brakes blow so buy the discs or upgrade, tires are fine unless you do a lot of roots and rocks | | Similar Products Used: | 05 Rockhopper | | Bike Setup: | stock for now | | Bottom Line: | get this bike. it amazing and anyone that argues is way to particular. if your spending limit is $1400 this bike is sooo much better than anything else. its stiff, light, fast, and its actually one of the most comfortable rides ive been on yet. if you can spend more money than sure why not get better but for the money this is sweet | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adam
a Cross Country Rider
from NC
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | The Bicycle Chain | | Strengths: | fast, light, sweet fork, alright wheels, awesome dropping shimano and moving to SRAM, ok tires | | Weaknesses: | v-brakes blow so buy the discs or upgrade, tires are fine unless you do a lot of roots and rocks | | Similar Products Used: | 05 Rockhopper | | Bike Setup: | stock for now | | Bottom Line: | get this bike. it amazing and anyone that argues is way to particular. if your spending limit is $1400 this bike is sooo much better than anything else. its stiff, light, fast, and its actually one of the most comfortable rides ive been on yet. if you can spend more money than sure why not get better but for the money this is sweet | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chase
a Cross Country Rider
from Ashburn, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | Trail's End Cycling Co | | Strengths: | Weight, ride control, great quality | | Weaknesses: | V-brakes, chain, rear dérailleur, price | | Bike Setup: | Stock with hybrid tires | | Bottom Line: | Its a great bike, don't get me wrong, but its a pricey bike too. Mine was a gift, so I could care less about how much it cost. That being, you simply still get a damn nice bike if you spend only half as much. If you race, the extra quality is worth it. I don't race, and the vast majority of people don't either, so I'm going to rate it low. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RatKid
a Weekend Warrior
from SanBruno, CA
Date Reviewed: June 20, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Really nice bike, climbs pretty fast. Fork is pretty good, considering I had RockShox Judy T on my older bike. Drivetrain shifts fine. | | Weaknesses: | Wierd noise in the fork when it hits a bump. | | Similar Products Used: | 1995 Rockhopper Comp FS built as a singlespeed with XT cranks, LX V Brakes, and LX wheelset. | | Bike Setup: | Replaced Avid SD V Brakes with Avid BB7 Disc, Mavic Crossrock wheels, Easton Rizer bars, and WTB Speed V saddle | | Bottom Line: | I dunno if it was a good deal or a bad deal but I traded my De Rosa road bike with full 8 speed gruppo for this bike along with an extra pair of wheels, the v brakes it came stock with, and primo pedals. I've wanted a mountain bike for a while because I think my piece of sh*t Rockhopper kinda sucks and I have too many road bikes, I barely rode my De Rosa so I traded it. The Stumpy was in a really good condition, it looked like it barely saw any off-road action and it has disc brakes. When I got it, I put it through a quick local trail for runners (bikes aren't allowed there but its the closest trail I could find). Climbed a switchback uphill, which I usually cant finish without dismounting, without dismounting at all. It was a better bike than my really old Rockhopper, the fork actually works. IT climbs pretty good too. I think the gearing is kinda low, a 22t in the granny gear and the rear is kinda low too. But I'm more of a roadie, I can't pull too many comparisons against this Stumpy but its enough to get me into cross country riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MBRider
a
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Nice geometry, fox fork, stylo crankset, and nice wheelset for the money. | | Weaknesses: | The rear derailleur is terrible. It pops creaks and makes the chain jump. The Fox Fork is nice but I can get it to depress while its locked out if I do a simple bunny hop. No matter how hard I tourqed down the seat it still wanted to move. One of the biggest problems is Special paint jobs. | | Similar Products Used: | Felt HT, 05' Stumpy HT | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Durable frame and very nice wheelset. I am a 235 lbs guy and the wheelset is very tough. I THINK SPECIALIZED'S PAINT SUCKS AND LACKS ANY TYPE OF QUALITY. My next bike might not be a Specialized because you can get bike with a great ride and nice fit 'n' finsih in another brand. They need these bikes to be brought back to the United States to be manufactured or I am leaving the brand. Their quality sucks now!!!!!!!!!!! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Allan
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | West End Bicycles | | Strengths: | Great light-weight responsive hardtail. Fantastic value off-the-shelf. I love the color although I do miss my 06 Stumpy in blue which was lovely. | | Weaknesses: | None really. Except black is a difficult color to keep clean! | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bike Setup: | I swapped out the factory wheels for Mavic Cross Max SL, for no reason other than they looked ace. However the wheels do feel great and it does fell a little friskier with them - I think. | | Bottom Line: | This is my fourth Stumpy and having ridden one or two other hardtails over the years I always go back to this one. Totally reliable, good looking and light-weight MTB. Also pretty good value. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
keith
a Cross Country Rider
from Newcastle
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Great frame with great components. 90mm fox fork compliant and light frame / Juicy 5s. | | Weaknesses: | Why is everything Black? You look like knight rider on a bike. Rear hub looks s??t. | | Similar Products Used: | Fisher Sugar / Big Sur Scott scale 40 / Trek 8500 / GTs. | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | Great race bike / all round XC machine. Was looking for a HT bike to race on / mountainbike recreationally so I needed something light but not too stiff on the rear. As my previous HT was an ass kicker which would be no good on the 7 Stanes.
I'd tried a scott scale and found it too stiff; fishers were too long in the top tube for agressive XC and the trek felt wierd. One of the great things about specialized is that they do the stumpie in 1" frame increments which means you can get the bike that fits you perfectly.
This has meen a problem in the past as I'm 5"7 and tend to fall between small and medium with other manufactuerers. Bottom line is frame fit is more important than mag reviews when you buy a bike. Frame is compliant on the rear which is one of the reasons I bough the bike over scott scale which seems to have almost no rear compliancy. Also 90mm forks are good as 100mmm allways seemed too much for a racing HT but 80mm seems like too little for recreational.
Brakes are s@?t hot with awesome stopping and no squeal; Rear derailiure? (shifty thing) seems better than anything shimano have (SRAM) on 3 counts:
1. Cable guide on unit gets rid of the big loop of cable outer that collects all the mud on shimano units.
2. 1:1 actuation seems more robust for muddy uk conditions than 1:2.
3. Getting rid of the top hat bushing / pivot where the unit attaches to the frame.
SRAM shifters seem better than shimanos wierd over integrated hand paddles also. Is it me or have shimano lost the plot recently?
Oh yeah the forks are awesome also. I've previously had R7s which seemed too divey and marzocchis which seemed to have too much stiction and SIDs which were just crap. Fox are awesome.
Value wise if you bought the Fame and the Forks on their own it would cost you roughly what you pay for the whole bike. Although I got a 15% discount at my LBS. Rest of the componentry is very good indeed with no perceivable scrimping (apart from rear hub which looks like it's not goiung to stick around too long).
Bottom line - Race ready hardtail / bike for the weekend but what's with the michael knight colour scheme? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cross Country Rider
a
from Iowa
Date Reviewed: February 6, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | looks, weight, fox fork | | Weaknesses: | ? | | Bottom Line: | This bike climbs awsome and handles great. I have rode many other brands and I think that this is the best bike in this price range by far. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jake
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbus, Ohio, USA
Date Reviewed: December 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Vultures Knob/Alum Creek Phase 2 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | This bike climbs great and is really light and the componenets are excellent! The shimano that came on the '06 model (mostly LX and some XT) is awesome. | | Weaknesses: | Sram chain broke after 3 rides. Replaced with shimano | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher big sur, Cannondale f600, trek 8500 | | Bike Setup: | Stock with Race face riser bar, thomson stem and S-Works tires. | | Bottom Line: | Love the bike. The only problems I had were the chain, and I didnt really care for the stock tires. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
brendan
a Racer
from pittsburgh
Date Reviewed: December 15, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | bavington | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1600.00 | | Purchased At: | Snickers | | Strengths: | Stiff light weight frame with lifetime warranty. The SRAM X-9 rear derailleur and SRAM X-7 shift levers are FANTASTIC! | | Weaknesses: | The tires are excellent on dry level surface, but tubeless upgrade is necissary for the muddy hills of pittsburgh. handling is a bit too responsive, but you can adjust the stem four to four different settings which may or may not correct this problem. | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher's Big Sur | | Bike Setup: | Stock 19 inch '07 stumpjumper comp
| | Bottom Line: | I prefer the Hayes hydrollic brakes on my old bike over the Avid Juicy 5 brakes, but thats just me. If you ride up hills or race you will need to upgrade to a tubeless setup. The responsiveness of the handling often causes under-turning around sharp bends, which takes some practice and getting used to. Many people do not like the tight stiff feel of the new sattle but they claim it increases blood flow (unless you find a way to test this on your own, you will just have to take the company's word for it). Do not buy this bike for downhill riding or because of its looks, these stumpjumpers are built for speed and quality like a perfect racing machine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JD
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Great climber, very nimble, awesome Fox fork, inexpensive. Nice product spec (SRAM drivetrain on '07). Specialized brand saddle, bar, stem, tires are all top-notch. Sizes available from 13.5" to 21" to fit 99% of riders. | | Weaknesses: | Deore rear hub. The freehub body on those hubs seems to be very susceptible to self-destruction, as well as the cones. Nicer chainrings would have been good too, but no big deal. | | Bike Setup: | Stock--probably go tubeless soon. | | Bottom Line: | I can't think of a better XC bike at this price point. I got an '07 with V-brakes. The disc brake model is an excellent upgrade if you are willing to spend the extra $150. Great looking bike. Very satisfied. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dylan Weishaar
a
from Shelby, MT, USA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Porcupine Rim | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | George,s Cycles and Fitness | | Strengths: | Good solid bike, the front is pretty sweet, very good components on the bike, it can climb just about anything | | Weaknesses: | I don't like the v-brakes a lot, I'm going to upgrade to disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | very good dependable bike for any type of XC trails. I took it to Moab on Porcupine Rim and Slick Rock Trail and it ate everything up like you wouldn't believe. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug
a Racer
from Yarmouth, Maine
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Cyclemania | | Strengths: | Great overall ride. Climbs very well and handles tight single track the way a bike should. The Fox F90RL is a great shock, and the Avid v-brakes are almost too good. The LX shifters shift perfectly. | | Weaknesses: | For a hardtail at this price point, it should have an XT front deraileur and an XT chain/cassette. This especially true when you consider that the bike was manufactured in Taiwan. I work in a bike shop so it was easy for me to make those changes. Not everyone is that lucky, though. | | Similar Products Used: | '92 Stumpjumper M2, '96 Clark-Kent custom titanium hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | This bike is perfect for the average XC-rider and w/ a few modifications, anyone racing NORBA events. This is my fourth Specialized MTB in about 18 years and I'm not disappointed with it. It's nimble, stable and climbs about as well as any bike I've ridden. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Corey
a Weekend Warrior
from Corvallis, Oregon
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | All of the singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | River City Bicycles | | Strengths: | Light and fast...climbs like a goat, super fast on the singletrack both up and down, great breaking, shocks are a dream | | Weaknesses: | Nothing really....the Fox f90 shocks make an wooshing air sound when the rebounding but thats being picky | | Similar Products Used: | Test rode Cannondale F-600, Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo and Gary Fisher Big Sur. They were okay but the Specialize was a cut above them. | | Bike Setup: | Stock set up, added Specialized bar ends | | Bottom Line: | Actually purchased the Stumpjumper Disk. I test rode both disk/non-disk but due to riding in Oregon and all the rain I decided to go with the disk. Either way you really can't go wrong with either of them....
I bought the bike yesterday and took it on an old favorite city loop of mine in Portland. It was fast on the flats and flew up the paved hills. I took it on some trails through Mt. Tabor and it rode like a dream up and down. Tabor has some very, very steep trails so I was in lock up mode most the way, the disks held up like a champ!
The next day I took it on a true test ride through Mc Donald forest....THIS BIKE ROCKS. It climbs like a goat and when you get it on the downhill single trak, make sure you're in front or you will be passing everyone you ride with. It hugged the trail and cornered tight and true and stopped on a DIME....the switch backs on Dans trail didn't know what hit them.
Also rode up Alien which is a very technical uphill with mud, rain gutters, overgrowth and roots the entire way. This bike ate it up (I'm sure my riding had a little to do with it as well.) but it was light and so easy to toss around.
Uphill this bike tore it up....the single track was good and the long fire roads were a piece of cake. Again, this bike climbs like a goat.
If you are looking for a quality bike in the 1400 dollar range, don't look anywhere else. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
john
a Cross Country Rider
from Marina
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | fort ord | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | bobcat bikes | | Strengths: | climbs like a champ, jumps level, and makes me smile! Lets a really big guy beat it up and loves it. | | Weaknesses: | Replaced cranks to xt already out of necessity. cant get brakes to slow me down and rear hub came loose. Stock chain sucks. | | Similar Products Used: | trek 6500 | | Bike Setup: | XT Cranks and just ordered BB7s to slow me down a bit better. | | Bottom Line: | I LOVE MY BIKE!!! I am a really big dude 6'4 270 pounds so the fact that the brakes don't work so well is no surprise. I dont think that the chain rings should have gone bad in a month and 3 chains in a month is a bit much also. All of this was reasonably easy to fix and everything was covered under warrenty. Has never let me down. I ride close to 10 miles a day in fort ord and have yet to do any trail side repairs. GO OUT AND GET ONE TODAY!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
M4ride
a Cross Country Rider
from West Hartford
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1400.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Incredible frame, great brakes (Avid BB7 discs), good crankset (Truvativ Stylo), nice tires (Specialized Fast Trak Pro dual compound), DT spokes, nice paint job, good saddle, awesome Fox RL 90 front shock. | | Weaknesses: | Hmmm... bike was advertised online and in the Specialized print catalog with a Fox RLC shock -- but there's no compression adjustment! Oh well. Bike also advertised as having Specialized Body Geometry MTB grips, which are 3 layers thick and better than the stock 2-layer "Enduro" grips. Stock Shimano SPD 520 pedals could have been upgraded by the factory to 540s for a just a few dollars more; stock Shimano 525 rear hub has bad reviews; Avid FR 5 brake levers are good but basic; same with the Mavic 317 rims, which are nice but are now available at steep discounts online (would have preferred XC 717s or similar as stock). | | Similar Products Used: | 1996 Specialized Rock Hopper cro-moly steel frame WITH NO SHOCK! | | Bike Setup: | Stock except for addition of BG MTB grips; hope to add a Hope XC rear disc at Christmas, maybe some LP bar ends and Kenda tires. | | Bottom Line: | Rode regularly for about 4 years with the wife until the kids came along; now that they're older (2,4) and my knee can't take running anymore, I'm getting back into biking. I took the old Rock Hopper out for some rides and it was killing me with its frame weight, SRAM Gripshifters, side-pull brakes and lack of front suspension (I'm 5'9", 185 lbs., lift weights 3x week minimum since high school, ride 3x week from 5:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.)
I did a lot of research on this site and settled on an '06 Stumpjumper disc. I'm familiar with the Specialized name, and my 1996 Rock Hopper never had any problems -- ever! So I'm confident with their products.
The Stumpjumper is like a dream come true. It is incredibly lightweight, which makes climbing an absolute breeze. Stuff I used to wheeze on I now have extra gears at the top! The frame is stiff enough, though, to make you reckless-- I throw this bike downhill and at big jumps and it just asks for more. I literally cannot ride fast enough on long, downhill sweeps -the bike feels like a thorougbred, and I should have a whip in my hand driving it on. The Fox shock is an absolute dream -- nuff said. I like the Fast Trak tires, which I didn't think I would, but so far they have been great on a variety of surfaces. The disc brakes are very confidence inspiring, and react quickly, unlike my old Rock Hopper side-pull brakes. The saddle is comfortable enough, and I like the flat race-style bar (which is what I had on my old Rock Hopper).
I shopped around and got several quotes at $1,400 plus tax, which is $200 under retail.
A fantastic bike for the money, easily upgradable if you desire. I may upgrade to Avid Speed Dial 7 brake levers, put on a different stem and a Chris King headset, change out the rear hub, then put on some Kenda's and a Stan's No Tubes kit and call it a day.
Highly recommended. 4 chilis for value because I think they could have upgraded the pedals, rims and grips and added compression to the shock (as advertised) and still sold it for $1,400 and made a profit. 5 chilis for overall rating becasue the bike still rocks even with those stock parts. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Miller
a Cross Country Rider
from The Woodlands, TX
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1150.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Land | | Strengths: | Light, fast, easy to ride | | Weaknesses: | The seat hurts my taint- bad!, poor finish on the Shimano shifters- get blisters on my thumbs. | | Similar Products Used: | Diamond Back from when I was in College | | Bike Setup: | stock other than CatEye wireless computer | | Bottom Line: | I love this bike- eventually I will replace the seat, and add an adjustable clamp for the seat post. I am a tall guy so it is hard to find a bike that feels right. This one is right on! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marc Alansworth
a Cross Country Rider
from Chatsworth, CA USA
Date Reviewed: May 28, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Malibu Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1169.00 | | Purchased At: | CycleWorld | | Strengths: | Agile, stable, good geometry, climbs and accelerates well, will take a beating, re-routed derailleur cable down seat tube instead of under down tube and bottom bracket, as in previous models, ability to easily upgrade to disc brakes, nice OEM Fox fork with 90mm of travel and great lockout, limited lifetime frame warranty. | | Weaknesses: | About one pound heaver than most recent previous models (my size 18 weighed in at 24.9 lbs.). Should have lighter components at this pricepoint, especially, saddle, seatpost, stem, wheelset, and crankset (seatpost and saddle together weigh in at around 600 grams!), uncomfortable saddle (subjective). | | Similar Products Used: | 2004 Giant XTC (as good and lighter, but geometry didn't suit as well) Trek 8000 (not as good), Specialized Stumpjumper (older model). | | Bike Setup: | All stock except for the following mods: Thomson Elite seatpost, WTB Rocket V Stealth SLT saddle, FSA K-Force carbon fiber 40mm-rise handlebar, Hope quick-release seatclamp, Specialized Enduro grips. | | Bottom Line: | 2006 model: First year of the new monostay-asymmetrical seat stays and cable re-routing. I’m not sure that I notice a very significant performance difference over previous models, but the cable re-routing, which keeps cables cleaner and less susceptible to damage is much appreciated. (I just wish they were routed along the side of the top tube instead of under the tube where they can be damaged by bike racks.) The bike, with its Taiwaneese hand-made frame, rides and turns well, is nimble, and seems very stable when descending, jumping, or lifting the front end. Could and should be lighter. My friend has a Trek 8500 (22.8 lbs. stock), which I feel is a better bike, but it also cost several hundred more. At this pricepoint (assuming a discount – not MSRP), the Stumpy is one of the very best choices out there for what it does (decent performance for the amateur enthusiast and part-time XC racer), but could be made better without really increasing the price, if Specialized wanted to. An increasing number of online outlets are popping up offering bikes for less that easily outspec the Stumpjumper. For example, I wanted to try an Ibex Trophy pro, which has better componentry at the same weight, but I'm a little leery about purchasing a bike over the Internet without trying it first. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Kegley
a Cross Country Rider
from Germantown Md,USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | The Shed | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$750.00 | | Purchased At: | Hudson trail Outfitters | | Strengths: | Great for climbing, corners well, fit for was great. Price was good for the bike I got, componets were Ok. I changed to a SS after I bought a FS rig. | | Weaknesses: | Paint finish chips easy, Saddle sucked. | | Bike Setup: | I basically replaced everything. Race dues crank,Salsa chainring 34-19 gear ratio no tensioner needed with a half link. Race Face dues stem, headset. SIC race handlebar Sella Italia trans am Saddle. | | Bottom Line: | This bike was a great bike to buy. I got back into MTB two years ago. You can't go wrong with this hardtail. It climbs great. the frame is light but will take a beating. I raced it last season geared and SS. I do jumps, smaller freeride stunts, major rock gardens. I have beaten the hell out of it and it is still in one piece. Find one on sale you won't regret it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hans Fetish
a Cross Country Rider
from Detroit, Mi,USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Highland's back 8 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Strengths: | fast agile ride; solid platform (quality xc-style frame, fork and crank) with $$ left for customization.
As an added plus, an upgrade to disc brakes are <$200 away. Also full length cable housing means more accurate shifting and braking.
| | Weaknesses: | cassette's ratio and weight; cable housing routed on bottom of top tube; | | Similar Products Used: | ...a beloved '98 stumpjumper and some others | | Bike Setup: | upgraded to: shortened 100mm stem, aggressive risor bar, XT /mavic 717 wheels, 11-32 xt cassette, vintage ritchy clipless pedals; mythos tires, #4011 decals | | Bottom Line: | A purchase gets you a good to excellent M4 frame, Fox F90RL fork, XT rear derailleur(could be a rapid rise), stylo crank set, front wheel(stout...a hub and a beverage of choice) and a resonable warrenty(5yr). The rest is fill common to market segment, likely to not last the year or is subject to rider preference.
Out of the box, the stump-er provides a enjoyable competent race-able ride featuring several highend components where it counts at a price that allows for necessary upgrades in the lesser areas.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Middlemas
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Boise foothills | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Ken's Bike Warehouse | | Strengths: | Light, agile, BB7s are a great low fuss disc option. | | Weaknesses: | VERY responsive to steering input-almost sketchy (I'm a newb, so this may be a good thing) | | Similar Products Used: | old rigid fork bikes almost 15 yrs. ago. | | Bike Setup: | Stock out of the box | | Bottom Line: | WOW! A Roadie will appreciate how light this thing is; it climbs like a goat. The ride is soo much nicer than the RockHopper. Still trying to get used to the saddle, it's kinda chunky feeling. I got mine for a great price. Don't think I would've paid full retail for it, though. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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$ 1120.00
