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stumpjumper fsr expert 2008 review

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vangel

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I recently changed from 2007 sj expert to 2008 model. This is a totaly different bike. the first impression of the bike is that the 2008 model is a rocket ship compared to the old one. It climbs much better and turns like an xc race bike. These might mean that the fantastic descending ability of the 07 model is lost but no! it goes down as well as it climbs. This bike doesn't even need the140mm option of the talas fork! My only concern is that the AFR shock does not absorb (even with the brain fully active) high frequency vibrations as electively as the good old fox brain did, but maybe this is can be fixed by changing the settings, or thre is something wrong with my shock. In any case my LBS will take care for it.
I have the bike only for a few days and i tested it at the same trails i used to ride with my 07 model and the bottom line is: Uphill downhill, this bike is toooo fast.
 
#2 ·
i have my heart set on an elite in the new year, this is good news to me, im not going any higher end because i dont like the idea of a shock that i cant lock out, i have to do a lot of road riding to get to the trails so the lockouts on the fox shocks suit me, i hope its not so good that i wont want to ride my xc anymore though
 
#3 ·
The expert does not need the lockout, it is locked when it is needed and active when needed.
I also really like my expert, but I haven't riden the 2007 model, so I don't know how good that one was.
In either case, I'm certain that you will not see your xc standing anymore :D
 
#7 · (Edited)
Trevorken said:
It is indeed not really locked out, but I do not see the bike move on hard roads.
So in my opinion it is locked out.
Click to expand...
The shock may not move, but it is NOT LOCKED out. You may not realise it, but there is always a minimal sign of suspension activity which usually occurs under extremely hard pedalling as I found out when I rode the test bike (set on its hardest setting)

Then rode the Triad shock locked out and the stiffness of the rear was noticeable compared to the Brain.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I had an 06 with propedal and lockout. I never really felt i needed the lockout on that bike. Needed the lockout on the fork much more than on the rear shock. In fact, when you locked out the rear shock it actually made the bike bounce around in a weird way - never liked the feeling - made it difficult to keep the bike smooth on smooth surfaces. It like the bike still had a half inch of travel only it was completely undamped so it just jumped up and down. Have noticed this on other FS bikes in lockout mode too.

If you locked it out on a trail you didn't really notice the movement because your body and bike were still moving with the terrain, but as soon as you tried to lock it out on a gravel road climb or on a pavement section it bounced around beneath you when locked out. I found it much smoother to leave the rear in propedal and lock out the fork on smooth sections - never felt a loss in efficiency.

Try riding the bike with the lockout on while having to pedal firmly and see if it doesn't have a weird micro bob action going. Maybe this has been corrected after the 06 model.
 
#10 ·
zredbullz said:
The shock may not move, but it is NOT LOCKED out. You may not realise it, but there is always a minimal sign of suspension activity which usually occurs under extremely hard pedalling as I found out when I rode the test bike (set on its hardness setting)

Then rode the Triad shock locked out and the stiffness of the rear was noticable compared to the Brain.
Click to expand...
It looks like they have done some much needed improvements to this bike for 2008, I am glad that they are taking a better look into them since I was considering getting one for my wife. I am guessing the reason for this is because of the placement of the shock on the bike, it also could be the position (more vertically upright then the epic) of the shock that causes the micro bob of the shock, this doesn't really make sense since the piston is supposed to lock out the shock all together. Now my question is, does the epic also have this issue with the micro bob?
 
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#11 ·
The brain shock on the SJ isn't meant to lock the rear out. It just firms it up. If you want a brain that locks out, then you need to look at the Epic. If you spend alot of time on roads, then the SJ is probably not the bike for you. The 2 bikes work in a similar way - the piston is positioned the same and open and close in a similar way, but are tuned to work differently - on a scale of 1-10 of firmness (1 being super firm and 10 being open) the Epic has a range of around 1-6 and the SJ has a range of around 3-10.

When you firm up the rear it is more than firm enough for trail use. You can stand out of th saddle and the suspension remains just active enough to maintain traction. When you make hard contact it opens up to soak up the rough stuff.
 
#12 ·
i was going to go for an epic but the trails are so rough and up and down here id probably be better of with an SJ, i dont fancy doing the downhills on the epic marathon they have in the shop, id have to drop that seatpost waay down, ive tried an 07 SJ elite with the triad and the lockout was working well, no movement at all, i cant wait to try the 08
 
#13 ·
no lock out on rear necessary for 07 stumpy expert fsr

ya know lots of folks have been talking about firming up ride when on road...ride a road bike...in the woods i don't get it either. i have a hardtail..it goes fast....probably good to win a race...but no fun

I have my brain setting on pretty much no brain. This bike pedals very firm without it. So I guess the only thing I tinker with is the Talas rebound and lock out for trip home.
 
#14 ·
i have to ride roads to get to my trails, for miles and up mountains, i like plenty of squish offroad and a bit of bob doesnt bother me, it really does bother me a lot if im on a hard road though especially with a 5 mile climb ahead of me, ive heard lots of complaints about the inferiorty of the x fusion on the xc which is what i have right now but when its locked its like a hardtail no compromise its just rock hard, when i hit the dirt i open it up all the way, its plush and gives me little no no bob, i love its simplicity, open closed thats it, thats why i was opting for the triad on the elite, its a similar set up, i will try all my options before dropping a wad of cash on a new bike though
 
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