Nobody was really surprised when Mike Sinyard ceremoniously unveiled the new "Stumpjumper" in front of the world's press. After the "Enduro" relaunch this year, it was clear that Specialized would renovate the traditional model for 2008. Like the "Enduro", the new "Stumpjumper" also bears the signature of German engineer Jan Talavasek, who has been responsible for high-end mountain bikes at Morgan Hill for two years.
CARBON FRAME EVOLUTION
Talavasek's curved carbon fibre main frame construction with its organic shapes flows seamlessly into the four-bar rear triangle, also made of carbon. The technological advancements are reflected in rather inconspicuous details. Talavasek has been particularly clever with the design of the dropouts: the dropout on the drive side does not consist of a glued-in aluminium part, but is made of carbon through and through. On the left-hand side, where the disc brakes dissipate heat, there is an oddly shaped forged aluminium part that is bonded to the carbon seat stay from the outside. This bonding should not only guarantee high strength, but above all high reliability, even in large-scale production. Further details
Detail: The front derailleur is not attached to the main frame, but directly to the swingarm, so it moves with the suspension. This should result in more precise shifting and less chainsuck.
REAR TRIANGLE MORE DRIVE-NEUTRAL
As with the "Enduro", the "Stumpjumper" uses the so-called "Rockerlink" rear suspension system, in which the shock sits in front of the seat tube. This finally (!) guarantees that the seatpost can be fully lowered. Specialized's own four-bar linkage system "FSR" has been modified for the "Stumpjumper". The front pivot point is now slightly higher. This should prevent the slight sagging when starting off in the small chainring, which we always criticised on the previous models.
OWN FORK FOR THE STUMPJUMPER
The front of the "Stumpjumper" is a design innovation. This is where Specialized's own "Future Shock" fork with a very special steerer tube shape is at work: the fork crown and steerer tube are laminated in one piece, the steerer tube itself is tapered and tapers towards the top. The lower headset has the large 1.5 inch standard introduced by Manitou and a traditional 1 1/8 inch at the thinner upper end. This allows the carbon fibres to flow smoothly and without tight radii from the fork crown into the steerer tube. The fork is said to be extremely stiff thanks to this construction, so that a double bridge design as on the "Enduro" is not necessary. And if the stated 1450 grams are correct, then the all-mountain fork with its 120 millimetres would be extremely light. For the "Enduro", Specialized had already said goodbye to the former in-house shock supplier Fox and set up its own suspension department. The suspension of the "Stumpjumper" has the so-called "Flowcontrol Brain" technology with an adjustable platform at both the front and rear. However, the "Stumpjumper" does not have adjustable suspension travel. In the "S-Works" top version, the frame of the "Stumpjumper" is said to weigh 1950 grams. The shock adds an additional 440 grams.
Clever detail: The mounts for the hubs of the new "Roval" wheels have a particularly large surface area. This should make the fork/wheel unit significantly stiffer
RIDE REPORT: Specialised Stumpjumper S-Works
Light, fast, snappy - the new "Stumpjumper" moves the all-mountain category much more in the direction of racing and marathon than ever before. 10.4 kilos for the complete bike speaks for itself. The main frame and fork appear to be one piece and very stiff. No energy is wasted when pedalling hard. Not even in the suspension elements - despite the open "Brain" system and usable 120 millimetres. Downhill, the "Stumpjumper" is very lively, which takes some getting used to on the long haul. The reason: the low weight, the rather aggressive geometry and the stiff frame/fork combination. The suspension works excellently at the front and rear. You can tell that the suspension elements come from a single source. 120 millimetres of suspension travel offer a lot of riding comfort and safety.
29-INCH FULL SUSPENSION
29-inch wheels are not only a hot topic for hardtails in 2008. In addition to the "Stumpjumper" hardtail, Specialized is also launching a full suspension version with large wheels. The "29er FSR" has a customised geometry with short chainstays, an extra-low bottom bracket and a steeper steering angle. The head tube is also kept particularly short so that the steering centre is at the usual height. It has 105 millimetres of travel at the front and rear. Specialized uses a special Rock Shox "Reba" fork and Specialized's own "AFR" rear shock.
