Ultimate Guide to Specialized Stumpjumper Evo Elite: Does a 150mm travel bike make sense for enduro?

[@JeffreyJim09]

Quick update - I added the Cascade Components SJ Evo Link which increases the progression of the bike's suspension linkage and adds ~8mm of travel. Its a neat upgrade but not something that drastically changes the behavior of the bike. I'll update this comment as I continue to test, but thus far I'd probably say skip it. While it does perform as advertised, I'm not convinced more progression is generally a good thing, especially if you are running the stock air suspension and 8mm of travel is pretty hard to notice (especially when that last bit of travel is harder to go through with more progressive kinematics). If you are the type of rider who likes more progression in his/her rear suspension and/or you feel bottom out is a problem its probably the perfect fix. For everyone else, I'd probably spend your money on tires, an o-chain or a cool weekend bike trip somewhere fun!

[@RimSaver]

Hey Jeff, great review. If you ever want to avoid that wheel maintenance hit us up. That's our goal: reduce the work to keep your bike running and make it easy to do so. I think we are aligned on that. If all companies work towards this we can reduce the pain of bike ownership and grow the sport via keeping newcomers into biking and not pushing them away with those durability rant experiences you mention and we all relate to. My background is a mtb frame design engineer and I want to help make bikes easier to use and live with, starting with wheels/rims. On the frame side of things, if you ever want to dig more into why those creaks happen and why those parts degrade, it's always fun to talk about. Same goes to the other commenters here, always happy to chat bike nerdery and can help to provide some inside the industry engineering perspective. Happy riding! -Ryan

[@roddas26]

Honestly one of the best review's of this bike I've seen. And found myself in agreement with pretty much everthing else you said. Especially the 31.8 situation. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@JeffreyJim09]

I think the 31.8mm situation is a good lens into how a lot of the bike industry (and other industries) work. Product managers have an idea and it can be hard to parse performance from placebo. Back when 35mm was all the rage, we were really riding the "stiffer = better" wave. Now we see companies doing crazy things to bring compliance back into a bike, and we all recognize the importance of flex. What is so interesting to me is even the simple bicycle showcases just how complex an interaction between man/machine really is, and how difficult it can be to ensure you are asking the right questions with respect to performance. Anyway - thx for watching. Cheers dude.

[@mac001texas]

Very thorough review, looking forward to future videos

[@petedog9581]

Spesh slimmed the Stumpy lineup to save on costs in both production and R&D going forward. Also, there are plenty of 2023's still in boxes on the shelves. Great breakdown. I have been on Stumpjumpers and Enduros for 20+ years. I just switched to a 2023 Rocky Mountain Instinct carbon, and I am really impressed. The rear end is much stiffer than any Spesh I have owned. I always felt Spesh's FSR linkage straddling the seat tube to be a sort of squirmy and loose in the rough. I have busted many a seat stay pivot bolt over the years. I bought the Instinct for $2800 w full Deore group set, Marzocchi Z2 Rail 150/Fox DPS 140mm. It weighs 34 lbs. with enduro pedals and 15oz Fidlock water bottle. I really didn't need the bike but i couldn't pass on that deal. Cheers and great riding.

[@JeffreyJim09]

Thx for the comment - I had a bit where I speculated on this exact topic but cut it from final being I had already hit the twenty (!!!) minute mark. Like most of the big brands, Specialized had (err...has) too many models in too many colorways and too many builds which ultimately leads to margin reductions and buyer paralysis.

[@johnatkins8613]

sick review! I'm the same height as you but I chose to size up to an s6. The great thing about the evo is that you can build it to do any specific type of thing you want. I turned mine into an enduro rig. Cascade link, coil, 170 mm front end and dh tires and the thing rips.

[@peterhaworth6859]

Love your review style man👌

[@winters3]

@@peterhaworth6859 first I thinkef it was decoy 😂

[@DandyHippo]

One thing thats basically missing from all reviews is turn feel and overall feel explained in depth. For instance almost all bikes now have an okay suspension platform, brakes, wheel etc. But for example a current Turbo Levo has a turn that doesnt allow you to lean the bike for some reason. Feels like crap. A 2017 turbo levo, very agile and its not just the wheel size. Also feel between frames, and diff forks is rarely discussed. All the things I would have liked to know when I started no one talks about. For instance running a lyrik vs. Zeb is an insane difference in how the bike feels (weight, rigidity) when not talking just about pure compression or bump eating ability. Canyons except Torque turn strange for me. All Propain bike feel good. All Scott bikes feel agile and active. So many differences in "character" and we're stuck talking about the same things you can see from the geo chart. Just ranting, great review bro.

[@janeblogs324]

Well 44mm vs 51mm fork offset will alter the turn in. While the later will feel like light steering and nice when riding no handed it's more suited to xc or inactive riders

[@justsayin3600]

I have a 23 Stumpy Evo running in mixed wheel. I have quite a few mods that makes it perfect for what I ride. It's been referred to as a Frankenstein bike. I'm a 210lb rider. I'm running it slacked and long, EXT E-Storia, Fox Factory 38 E-Tuned at 170mm, WRP yoke, Cascade link, 5Dev cranks @155mm. The stock 36 and Fox float X were underwhelming.

[@parkinkevin]

Great review 👍

[@JeffreyJim09]

Thanks! 👍

[@Hoseman581]

Hell yeah!!! Love your reviews!!!

[@michaelk.5706]

Thumps up for doing reviews after a substantial riding time. Although I don't agree completely that the stumpy evo is a easy bike to do maintainance work on, because of internal cable routing. But that is just another discussion.

[@JeffreyJim09]

I hear you, but internal cable routing is here to stay whether we want it or not. If you don't care too much about aesthetic, there are a variety of stick on guides that make the internal routing thing less a problem. Check them here jagwire.com/products/small-parts/stick-on-guides - alternatively, there are a myriad of tools out there to help make internal routing much easier. Makes a huge difference!!

[@tinshield]

Love my EVO in techy climbs. It's like a grappling hook. Can't agree on the Float X though. I run a Rock Shox SDU and I like it much better.

[@mrpachuco696]

Oh shit he back !!!

[@tylerruecker7388]

If you have issues with your 36 again I had my csu replaced with and e-bike csu and could not be happier I ride it on my mega tower at 170 with 2 years no creaks feels great.

[@winters3]

15:47 nice deer

[@JeffreyJim09]

Dude! Great eyes. That footage was from yesterday and I didn't catch it in the editing process or while riding. LOL.

[@winters3]

@@JeffreyJim09 first i thinked:thats a decoy :D - btw I'll just get a stumpjumper evo , I got a great deal for the sworks frame (2k$). i'll ride it with "flightattend" ZEB & Vivid. aming for a one bike does it all. I do alot of bikepark in swiss/italy/austrien alps but as well normal pedal stuff

[@robnichols-j1h]

Hi Jeff and thank you for such a detailed and informative review... really appreciated your thoughts, having spent a decent amount of time riding the Evo. Would you have any opinions on the whole Carbon vs Alloy debate for frame materials etc? I know not all frames are created equally but wonder if im on the Kool-Aid train and need to get off lol. Im average joe rider, no pro. Also the whole frame size industry thing. Im 5'10.5 and always fall between M/L. Currently have a Transition Spire in a large and do appreciate that forgiveness you talk about but wonder about a Medium in either frame material. I probably should just rung what I brung and not over think but would appreciate any opinions as you have more milage on both types of material. Keep up the awesome content and big love to Tucker.

[@JeffreyJim09]

Hey dude - I probably will do a full video on carbon vs aluminum being I have a bit of bandwidth to do more content the next few weeks. Overall both materials are good (along with others, like ti and steel). Its all about the application of the material and how good the design engineering is that will dictate "good" vs "not so good" when out on the trail. In generalities, carbon is usually going to be your lightest option, aluminum a significant amount cheaper and usually a lot easier to rapidly iterate on during the prototype phase. As to your overall question, bike fit is going to matter more than frame material. When I'm purchasing a bike, reach is the first thing I consider. However, whenever I'm on the fence I usually look at the rear center of the bike (chainstay). If its on the longer side, I'll error toward the longer size. If its shorter, I'll probably error toward the smaller size. That said, I generally try and run CSs that are 440+ (450 even better!) unless its a XC/gravel/downcountry type of bike. I'd probably keep running the bike you have being its really good, but if you were to go for a new steed, yeah, try going to a medium and see what you think. We humans are better at adapting than we give ourselves credit for!

[@robnichols-j1h]

@@JeffreyJim09 Thank you for your reply and insights very much appreciated. All the best.

[@DandyHippo]

Commenting like hell but also if you're looking into Forbidden territory (pun?) the Druid is probably more fun than a Dreadnought. I feel like the Dreadnought works better as an actual race bike and yea you can ride anything on it but it dampens a lot of the easy/med trails. And the Druid can be raced too with decent results so for many the Dreadnought is just a boring overkill to put in a nasty way haha

[@applicablerobot]

I don't think the shock side loading is an internet issue. My float x was in the shop from January to May of this year waiting for a damper shaft

[@JeffreyJim09]

I should have articulated my point more precisely. While side loading is generally detrimental to shock longevity, the assertion that the Stumpjumper significantly compromises shock durability due to side loading is exaggerated. My perspective is informed by a close friend, a former Rockshox rear shock engineer, who had access to warranty rates by bike model. According to the data, the warranty rate for the SJ Evo line was comparable to other models. However, it's worth noting that Fox experienced quality assurance challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to increased warranty rates across their product lines. Despite the potential issues with side loading, my personal experience has been positive. I've managed approximately 500,000 feet of elevation change on my bike without recurring shock failures, barring an initial warranty replacement likely linked to a QA issue

[@DandyHippo]

Why would you like to upgrade to Mavens instead of Hayes Dominion A4 or Hope? Is it just a brand thing. Love a code rsc and Dot in general, Magura MT7 though is rly nice pull but I prefer modulation over bite. Sometimes lock my front in turns a bit because bot used to "shimano" type brakes

[@JeffreyJim09]

Good question - I'm very impressed with the Magura MT7s but hate the closeness of the pad to the rotor, takes a bit more fiddling which I don't love. Hope should have been mentioned, and I'd 100% go with the Tech 4 V4 in a heartbeat. The Maven is relatively cheap (Bronze) and easy to find pads/parts for, hence why they are atop my list ATM. I won't go to Hayes only because the pads rattle. If noise didn't bother me, they'd be on the list too. If you are wondering, here is my bible of sorts for brakes. enduro-mtb.com/en/best-mtb-disc-brake-can-buy/

[@DandyHippo]

@@JeffreyJim09 cheers 🤙🏽 I have mixed opinion of Dominions, havent tried yet but will probably be my next brake because I think the pull is lighter than Hope, which I've tried and the power is insane. What bothers me is half the internet says they have multiple problems with Dominions on the bleed and qc related issues, other half says it works perfect. And when it comes to brakes I prefer the least possible hassle

[@DandyHippo]

@@JeffreyJim09 also noticed a lack of power on mt7 when they heat up, which doesnt happen on any of the srams. So there rly are not many upsides to mineral for me. But the pull on mt7:s is insanely light

[@linus3350]

14:45 Is this an alloy stumpy 15? Looks like one.

[@mikeanderson2000]

I see welds too. Some pros have been spotted riding an Alloy version with cable drivetrains

[@jeffbrannstrom3387]

EXT coil shock not awesome!?!?!? Arghhh. What about if it had a cascade link!? Haha. I guess it’s all personnel preferences but overall bike opinion the same?!

[@JeffreyJim09]

I actually just ordered the CC link on a whim - lol. Yes, I have a bit of a problem. The EXT was very good at eating bumps and giving me grip but I think the valving package was not suited to what I want from a feel perspective and I absolutely 100000% HATED how noisy that thing is!!