[Inglewood1026]

Wondering if anyone has ridden both of these bikes and had input...Im stuck choosing between the 575 in a race build with the SRAM X0/X9 kit (over XT) and the Stumpjumper FSR evo. Once the weather gets a tad warmer and my favorite trail (Hall Ranch) dries out, I plan on demo'ing both bikes from my LBS.

I saw the earlier discussion from late 2010 on these bikes, but figured maybe at this point additional riders may have actually had a chance to get on these bikes - rather than just drooling over them online. Both bikes weigh exactly the same in a medium frame (28.5), and I was able to take each for a spin around the city without clipless pedals in Boulder a few weeks back. I would probably be putting a Rock Shox Reverb drop post on the yeti, as well as swapping out the saddle and mounting an ISCG. Either way I go, Im most likely going with Crank Brothers Egg Beater Candy 3 pedals, as they are minimal and still have a small platform to work with.

I can get the evo for $3650 vs the 575 for 3900, and I would have to factor in another $500-600 for the add-ons on the yeti vs $100 for the pedals alone on the speci. The lower price and the existing chain guide, cabon 2x10 crank, and dropper post are all nice on the speci...I guess Im a bit leary of the proprietary rear shock, as I had a stumpjumper s-works before and the brain maintenance was a nightmare. The fact that Yeti is right in my area is also a plus, in case warranty comes into play...

Do both come with tubeless ready wheels? Does anyone know if the yellow roval wheel decals are removable? Anyone know what the order time is on the 575 race build with SRAM components? My shop only has XT build...

Thoughts? Both are sweet bikes and Im sure Ill be happy either way.

 

[John Kuhl]

I ride Yeti so you know which one
gets my vote.

Best, John

 

[eatdrinkride]

You live near Yeti headquarters....and you've already owned a (not-so-special) Specialized bike? It's a no brainer

-Proprietary parts suck.
-Riding the same brand bike as the tweaker kid who lives down the street is a bummer.
-Having your entire rear triangle and it's shock only covered under warranty for 1 year because it's considered a "suspension component" kinda sucks.
-Yeti bikes make you better looking

But hey...it's your money.:thumbsup:

 

[Mr. Lynch]

I'd go with the Evo. It is already setup how you want it and will keep some cash in your pocket. I'm pretty sure the RP23 shock is going to be a ton more reliable than the older unreliabel brain shocks.

The Roval wheels are tubeless ready and it comes with the stems, so add some Stan's and your good to go. The decals appear to be removeable, but it would take some work.It would probably be easier to remove the black "ROVAL" letters, then put a solid vinyl pieve over the yellow.

Both both are very similarly setup and both are great looking bikes, so I'd go with the cheaper option. A lot of people do ride Specialized bikes, but you won't see too many Evo's around.

 

[spunkmtb]

Go with the Yeti. I am biased i have ridden one for 6 years both 1st & 2nd gen. It's a no-brainer. Everyone has a specialized and the suspension design was once the shiznit but now the depend on the shocks to make up for it's faults. Also many more pivot points to worry about. My yeti I would use it for epic 40 mile XC rides. I could swap out my stem and take it up to the ski jill no problem as well. Awesome bike. It sounds like you want to go big on it. Right before I sold my Yeti (I went to 29er) I put a 36 on it and the bike really came alive. That is the fork for it, and I wish I had tried that years ago.

 

[CasteelG]

Yeah doodz. Special-Ed suckz. Single pivot iz so much better than 4-barz, man.

Anyway, both bikes are good options.

The Specialized warranty is better than the Yeti warranty. Yeti has a two year warranty on the entire bike. Specialized has a lifetime warranty on the front triangle, one year on the rear shock and five years on the stays (I've confirmed this with my local dealer).

 

[eatdrinkride]

Let's try to clear up a bit of internet (mis)information.

Yeti has a 5 year warranty on the entire frame, 1 year on finish.

Specialized completely omits the rear triangle from it's lifetime warranty, as cleary written in their warranty document which can be found on their site. It's down right now so I can't copy and paste it. They provided a 1 year warranty on 'suspension related components' and in their docs they clearly list the stays, both chain and seat, as suspension components.

Curious, do you have first hand experience with rear end warranty past 1 year with Specialized? I ask b/c my buddy has had that experience and it was not at all like your lbs guy said it would be.

But enough about all of that. Both fine bikes I'm sure. Get what tickles your fancy, just be aware of the facts first.

 

[CasteelG]

From the warranty on the website (and confirmed with my dealer):

Our full suspension frames have a 5 year
limited warranty on Chainstays and Seatstays. This warranty is void if the bicycle or
frameset was not purchased new or not properly assembled by an authorized
Specialized dealer.

 

[Inglewood1026]

Test rides and verdict...

I ended up going with the 575 over the Evo. I rode both a two of my local trails, Hall Ranch in Lyons and Marshall Mesa outside Boulder. The 575 was just an all-around better bike for what I was looking for...felt a ton stiffer and beefier on descents, and was just confidence-inspiring overall. The FSR design from Specialized reminded me of my previous 07 Stumpy FSR S-works in too many ways, and was just not as solid on fast downhills. I felt like I still had to work hard to choose the safest line, where the 575 could just be pointed off the biggest, roughest area and handled everything with ease.

Now for the hard part - I got the race build in a 2x10 SRAM kit, and unfortunately have to wait 2-3 weeks for a white medium frame to come into the factory in Golden. THIS IS THE LONGEST WAIT EVER! Good thing the weather this week has been less than desirable in CO...

I had it built up with full SRAM XO, MRP bash guard, Crank Bros candy 3 pedals, tubeless kit for the dt swiss x1600 wheelset, rockshox reverb post and white specialized phenom expert seat. I am stoked!! The week of April 4th cant come soon enough...

BTW, anyone in Colorado - I would highly recommend Sports Garage in Boulder...the owner, Chris, has a great thing going there, and will definitely work with you to ensure your needs are met.

 

[Bicyclelist]

i just got a medium evo and love it. but the 575 is sick as well. i had to wait for my evo so i know how bad the wait can be and now the day after i got it we got a foot of snow and my wait continues, at least i got to ride it the first day

 

[NercracXxx]

Wow. I am having this exact decision crisis. More opinions is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[joytron]

Test road both, the 575 climbed head and shoulders above the Evo (this is with propedal off). As far as descending the trails were quite different but they were both extremely capable. All I can really be sure of is that I have never had more fun mountain biking than on the 575.

 

[Inglewood1026]

Finally got my new whip today - glad I ordered before the 200.00 price hike for the build kits! White is by far the best color for the 575 this year - love the turq accents!

2011 575 medium frame in white
X0/X9 build kit - swapped out the X9 crank for the XO
MRP bashguard
Crank Bros Candy 3 pedals
Avid Elixir CR carbon lever brake set in white
Rock Shox Reverb dropper post
Specialized Phenom Expert TI rail saddle in white
DT Swiss tubeless kit for X1600 wheelset

 

[NercracXxx]

How much did that bike total out to?

 

[mtnbiker1973]

I'd ridden Specialized FSR's and Enduro's from 1999 to 2006. Good bikes. Lots of people have them. I got a 575 in 2007, a new one in 2009, and another one in 2010. Good bikes as well. Not lots of people have them (around me,anyway). I'm back on a 2011 Specialized Stumjumper FSR. I can say without a doubt that it hasn't slowed me down or felt like any "less" of a bike than my previous 575's. Different strokes for different folks. I don't think you'll go wrong with either bike.

 

[Inglewood1026]

How much did that bike total out to?

Just under 5k with the upgrades. The stock race build with X0/X9 setup was 3900 before the 200.00 bump recently...got the post new off ebay for 260, pedals 120 at REI, and the rest my LBS worked with me to give me good trade up discounts for swapping out parts to upgrade.

 

[Inglewood1026]

Both bikes are great - the Evo is definitely the most bang for your buck, as they did an exceptional job spec'ing that bike for the price point. My LBS was selling it for about 600.00 under the 4100.00 retail, but I just liked how the Yeti rode a lot more in a side by side comparison on the same trails.

Luckily for me, my LBS owner was super-accommodating, and actually let me take out the Evo for a demo - as I dont know if there are many (or any) bike shops nationwide that have a Stumpjumper FSR Evo demo. I called about 10 shops locally, and they all laughed when I told them I wanted to demo that bike. I could have just bought the Yeti after my first demo ride; however, I felt I needed to ride the competition to take care of any doubt in my mind. Glad I did...they definitely ride a lot different for being similar bikes.

 

[NercracXxx]

hey I am not a bike guru or anything so please ignore my ignorance but I do plan on throwing down some cash on the EVO or the 575. I've been reading forums that talks about how the proprietary parts are not as good? So which bike has higher maintenance? are you able to easily upgrade parts on both of the bikes? Thanks

 

[tim0s002]

The EVO doesnt seem to have too many proprietary items as far as i can tell. the cranks and headset maybe?