The Stumpjumper has been a mainstay in Specialized’s stable of mountain bikes since its introduction in 1981, holding a fixed place as a benchmark for the category with progressive designs that continues to 2018 with the release of the new model. Today’s new entry is a mark of versatility — the bike employs a highly-innovative redesign that makes it capable of handling a range of riding styles from cross country to enduro.
There’s a lot of change going on with the new bike, which is available in three different models — in addition to the standard Stumpjumper there’s the ST, which has less travel and the EVO, which is slacker — but perhaps the most notable new feature is the sidearm frame. The bike’s top tube swings slightly out to the right, leaving room for the rear suspension shock tube. The new frame design overall is also 20 percent stiffer by weight, making it supremely efficient.
The new Stumpjumper also comes with an all-new FSR rear linkage that allows for more travel, a threaded bottom bracket, new, easily-adjustable internal cable routing, a super-quiet chainstay protector and more SWAT storage (a Specialized feature that lets you store tools and spares inside the frame of the bike). There’s also a Flip Chip feature that allows riders to adjust the frame geometry efficiently to fine-tune it to a particular riding style.
In addition to all of the proprietary features that Specialized packed into the bike, the company also makes a point to highlight the lack of proprietary confinement. Meaning, the Stumpjumper can be customized with different shocks. It can accommodate wheel sizes up to three inches, too.
Jason MacDonald, Composite Frame Engineer at Specialized, sums up the new Stumpjumper succinctly: “If I had to say what the one thing that we’re most proud of on this bike is, it’s the fact that there’s not one thing that I’m most proud of. It’s all of the little details.”
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