[bank5]

I have a GF Marlin but am planning on getting a 29er soon. I took a quick spin on the Stumpjumper today and it felt great. First, thing I noticed was the seat felt like a pillow compared to my current bike. The next thing I noticed was the geometry. I felt a bit more upright, where on the Marlin I'm more hunched over. The third thing I noticed was how much lighter the bike is especially lifting the front wheel off the ground.

I also jumped on a X-Caliber (My LBS didn't have any Paragons in stock). The things I liked about the X-Cal were the Fox fork and the steering felt a bit more nimble.

I'm leaning towards the Stumpjumper because it felt more comfortable. On my Marlin my lower back gets sore on longer rides. Is there any reason why I should go with the Paragon over the Stumpjumper or vice versa?

 

[mtb 4ever]

I have an X-Caliber and it came with the Sram X-9 front derailer for some reason, nice gift. Anyways, does Specialized have a life time warranty? If not go with GF due to the life time warranty on the frame to the original owner. I just had Trek/GF honor my ten year old bike that the frame broke on.

 

[bank5]

That's a good point. I checked Specialized website and they offer a lifetime warranty on their frames and 1 year on the parts.

 

[duke walker]

sounds like more of a bike fit problem than the bike

checkout the tt length

compare the tt +stem lenght for your upper body position. has nothing to do with frame ,fork, whatever

 

[mtb 4ever]

I geuss it will just have to come down to what u like. I would go with the bike that has the best geometry, meaning do you like how it handles. Then u can change the seat and or stem to meet your comfort criteria.

 

[photodog]

My choice was between the same two bikes. I test rode both; the Paragon felt like a fast handing XC race bike, the Stumpy more like a slower handling trail bike. I went with the GF. To me, the G2 geometry (mainly the fox fork with more offset to counter the bigger wheels) made the bike feel just like my old 26 inch racers whereas the Stumpy took more effort for the tight stuff. Oh, and I liked the part's spec of the Paragon better too. Plus, my 19 inch was only 25.85lbs with my time pedals and Oury lock-on grips.
GF dealers are pretty much out of the '08's right now, I called 50+ shops all over California before I found one.