Help Please. Specialized Stumpjumper or.....
Discussion
Sorry to post a 'what bike' thread, but i am after some opinions. Im about to treat myself to a new bike. At present, the bike in pole position is a 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp. However, I am also tempted by the Giant Anthem X3.
Does anyone have any experiences or advice they wish to share? Or even throw some other bikes into the mix!
Thanks in advance.
Does anyone have any experiences or advice they wish to share? Or even throw some other bikes into the mix!
Thanks in advance.
they are almost identical in terms of spec. i have only ridden the stumpjumper and i didnt really get on with the geometry. the giant suspension design has received loads of good reviews and is one of the best out there in terms of traction and soaking up the bumps. i would go with the giant because its slighlty more race orientated xc as the head angle on the giant is 68 compared to 71 on the stumpy which is a little more slack. top tube length is almost the same...
some good geo data on the giant here http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_anthem_x3_... and the stumpy here http://www.evanscycles.com/product_document/file/8...
some good geo data on the giant here http://www.pedalon.co.uk/acatalog/giant_anthem_x3_... and the stumpy here http://www.evanscycles.com/product_document/file/8...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/commencal/meta...
I have the 2008 version, its superb. Its heavier than most other frames but on descents it excels, very comfortable indeed.
There were issues with some frames cracking between 07 and 09 (mine hasn't), but I believe the 2010 frames are spot on. The bearings and pivot points are all very simple to service.
I have the 2008 version, its superb. Its heavier than most other frames but on descents it excels, very comfortable indeed.
There were issues with some frames cracking between 07 and 09 (mine hasn't), but I believe the 2010 frames are spot on. The bearings and pivot points are all very simple to service.
for general trail stuff like afan et al, i would go for the anthem which will be awesome. i rode a high end specialized epic round afan and it was such a good ride i was tempted to buy it there and then, it took the drops well and i am not one to shy away from attacking the steeper sections but on the regular singletrack it was a revelation. it was so rapid and could have gone a lot faster had i been fitter. it was bucketing it down that day but in the dry it would have been waaay faster still!
the thing is i like shorter travel xc bikes anyway, my commie super 4 is a great piece of kit but i think it flexes a bit too much at the rear when you really get the hammer down for me to recommend one, the meta is a stunning bke though. i guess it depends on riding style, if you pick your lines, i would go for the anthem, if you just career through the trees and hope the bike takes the punishment, something like a zesty 314 would be a great ride.
dont be seduced by the travel and thing that more travel is better, they are surprisingly hard work on trails, sure you can wind the travel down accordingly but its not that much fun to be constantly rearranging shock travel to suit each section, i prefer to just get on and ride. i leave my mate on his pace 405 for dead on the hills... though he does catch up on the downhill bits - but he doenst get close enough to pass me
the thing is i like shorter travel xc bikes anyway, my commie super 4 is a great piece of kit but i think it flexes a bit too much at the rear when you really get the hammer down for me to recommend one, the meta is a stunning bke though. i guess it depends on riding style, if you pick your lines, i would go for the anthem, if you just career through the trees and hope the bike takes the punishment, something like a zesty 314 would be a great ride.
dont be seduced by the travel and thing that more travel is better, they are surprisingly hard work on trails, sure you can wind the travel down accordingly but its not that much fun to be constantly rearranging shock travel to suit each section, i prefer to just get on and ride. i leave my mate on his pace 405 for dead on the hills... though he does catch up on the downhill bits - but he doenst get close enough to pass me
pablo said:
for general trail stuff like afan et al, i would go for the anthem which will be awesome. i rode a high end specialized epic round afan and it was such a good ride i was tempted to buy it there and then, it took the drops well and i am not one to shy away from attacking the steeper sections
Up until the end of last year I woned both an '09 Stumpy and an '09 Epic carbon. All I can say Pablo is you must have ridden a 'different' bike to the one that I rode because it was very twitchy - as I suspect the Anthem may be - and XC race oriented. Fast, light, responsive and nimble yes, but not really a fun ride and not one I relished tackiling anything steep with.The Stumpy has been a superb allrounder and has been pummelled on everything from XC races to trailcentres and even little bits of downhill. It's a bit knackered now and the frame for it's replaement, a Nicolai Helius, is now on order....
I met another rider recently who'd owned the sme Epic and had precisely the same opinion - at the time, he was on a new Spicy 716, which went brillinatly and he was very pleased with. A mate has the Anthem, which he loves, but keeps primarily for racing.
Back to your bike; definitely consider the Stumpy, also look at the Giant Trance, Trek Fuel and maybe also the Orange 5, which is a superb allrounder. But for an off the peg bike that's light, climbs well and descends well, look at a Lapierre Spicy.
For that type of riding I use my Cannondale Rize. The '09 model is the one to go for (130mm travel). The RZs don't ride as well IMHO.....and if you are lucky enough to be on the small side!!!....
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/riz...
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/riz...
Digga said:
pablo said:
for general trail stuff like afan et al, i would go for the anthem which will be awesome. i rode a high end specialized epic round afan and it was such a good ride i was tempted to buy it there and then, it took the drops well and i am not one to shy away from attacking the steeper sections
Up until the end of last year I woned both an '09 Stumpy and an '09 Epic carbon. All I can say Pablo is you must have ridden a 'different' bike to the one that I rode because it was very twitchy - as I suspect the Anthem may be - and XC race oriented. Fast, light, responsive and nimble yes, but not really a fun ride and not one I relished tackiling anything steep with.The Stumpy has been a superb allrounder and has been pummelled on everything from XC races to trailcentres and even little bits of downhill. It's a bit knackered now and the frame for it's replaement, a Nicolai Helius, is now on order....
I met another rider recently who'd owned the sme Epic and had precisely the same opinion - at the time, he was on a new Spicy 716, which went brillinatly and he was very pleased with. A mate has the Anthem, which he loves, but keeps primarily for racing.
Back to your bike; definitely consider the Stumpy, also look at the Giant Trance, Trek Fuel and maybe also the Orange 5, which is a superb allrounder. But for an off the peg bike that's light, climbs well and descends well, look at a Lapierre Spicy.
i think the trance is too "heavy hitting" as is the spicy... thats a seriously big bike to be lugging around UK trails....Looked at Stumpy comp recently, ended up choosing between a Trek Fuel EX8 and a Ghost AMR 5700, didn't feel the Stumpy had a good enough spec for the price. Having owned a Spesh Hard Rock Sport for 3 years and it never going wrong I really wanted to stay with the brand but couldn't see the value for money in the Stumpy. I plumped for the Ghost and I'll admit I've only ridden it once but it's seriously impressed me. That said the Trek was lovely, only bought the Ghost a I couldn't tell them much apart and it was £100 cheaper, also felt the gear change was slightly better on the Ghost.
pablo said:
Digga said:
pablo said:
for general trail stuff like afan et al, i would go for the anthem which will be awesome. i rode a high end specialized epic round afan and it was such a good ride i was tempted to buy it there and then, it took the drops well and i am not one to shy away from attacking the steeper sections
Up until the end of last year I woned both an '09 Stumpy and an '09 Epic carbon. All I can say Pablo is you must have ridden a 'different' bike to the one that I rode 
(I freely admit that I am pretty ham-fisteed with a bike.)
pablo said:
i think the trance is too "heavy hitting" as is the spicy... thats a seriously big bike to be lugging around UK trails....
All I can say is I've ridden with two blokes who have these, on reasonably hilly (up as well as down, that is) XC trails, and they really do climb well and then, once you;re up, you can tear down hill like a lunatic.pablo said:
i would go with the giant because its slighlty more race orientated xc as the head angle on the giant is 68 compared to 71 on the stumpy which is a little more slack.
I guess this is just a slip of the fingers, but to avoid confusion, a 68 degree head angle is more slack than a 71 degree head angle.I had the same dilemma and went for the Specialised Epic Comp. All I can say is I'm very please I did. Had it for about a month now and it’s simply the best as far as I’m concerned. Fast downhill’s XC you name it and it feels well balanced and very stable. Sram/Shimano combination is very good; you have to like the mini brain. Unless you are doing very heavy rock stuff 100mm of front fork travel is sufficient. Good luck.
Just picked up a new Stumpy FSR Elite with Talas and no brain (best combination IMHO). 2010 model, List is £2200. Specialized reduced them to clear at £1800 and I got mine for £1700. Love it to bits. Mate has just got a new Zesty 716 and that is fantastic but 2 X the price of the Stumpy !!! Definately not twice the bike
Simon
Simon
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