Product News / First Ride: Last week we were invited to Saalbach for two days for the launch of the brand new Specialized Stumpjumper Evo. There we found more or less "perfect" conditions for a first test of the new, aggressive trail bike. Snow, ice, mud... we still had big grins on our faces - a first sign of a successful presentation of the Stumpjumper EVO.
A small group of media representatives, a great chalet on the upper outskirts of Saalbach and a top-class trail bike were the keywords for an absolutely exciting event when the new Specialized Stumpjumper EVO was presented. Our accommodation provided a feeling of home right from the start. Of course, in addition to the great rooms, the delicious food and the sauna also contributed to the coziness during these days - at this point a huge thank you again to the guys from Specialized, who looked after us very well. The only thing that didn't really want to cooperate was the weather - but as we've heard a thousand times, there is no such thing as bad weather, just wrong clothing. So we packed up, threw on our rain gear and the wild testing on the diverse trails in Saalbach Hinterglemm could begin.
The most important data of the brand new Stumpjumper EVO summarized in a compact way
- Application: trail bike
- wheel size: 29 inch
- Travel front: 160 mm
- Rear travel: 150 mm
- Frame sizes: S1 - S6
- Frame material: carbon or aluminium
- Variants, prices and availability: The Stumpjumper EVO 2021 is available now - all further information is available here..
Before we get to the practical impressions on the trails, a few words about the concept, the basic idea and the area of application of the Stumpjumper EVO 2021. In short – the Stumpjumper should be a trail bike like in a picture book and primarily for every rider put a smile on his face. The first noticeable change compared to the predecessor: the spring travel has increased by 10mm at the front and rear, which says a lot about the character of the renewed bike. However, not only was the performance downhill valued; the climbing suitability of the EVO was also taken into account. With this, the Americans want to have developed a bike that is as versatile as possible and promises maximum control.
Over the past few years of development, the Stumpjumper has been tested on every imaginable route around the world to prepare the Stumpjumper for absolutely every situation on the trails. As already known from other Specialized bikes, the engineers worked closely with the test riders and their teams to get maximum performance from the bike and to make it as comfortable and friendly as possible for the end customer.
Technically a lot has changed and so the silhouette is reminiscent of the previous model, but actually a completely new bike is in front of you. Most of these changes will probably only be noticed by connoisseurs and technology nerds and in order not to keep you in suspense any longer, we will show some details here in visual form, briefly go into the geometry and then come to the most interesting part: the product presentation – the First Ride.
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Versatility at its finest on the Stumpjumper EVO 2021
Specialized offers a total of twelve different adjustment options for all of their six "S" sizes, which range from S1 to S6 and correspond to sizes XS-XXL. Specialized achieved this variety of customization options with three points: A headset shell with three installation variants (steep, middle, slack), a flip chip in the Horst link (high, low) and the option of the Stumpjumper EVO as a mullet bike, i.e. with it 29 inch tires at the front and 27,5 inch at the rear. With these options, every consumer can adapt the EVO exactly to their preferences.
This is reinforced by the in-house "S" sizing, which is based on the conventional size chart, but can be adapted very specifically to different driving styles. To bring this a little closer to you, you can find all the illustrations here. If you have any questions about the sizing, the geometry or other topics about the bike - please leave a comment.
Geometrie
Modern, long and flat are probably the best words to describe the new EVO in a nutshell and that's exactly how it looks on paper. Due to the numerous options, the geometry table is of course also enormously extensive.
The Stumpjumper EVO 2021 on the trails in Saalbach Hinterglemm
Not least due to the appealing, aggressive look and the potent previous model, the expectations were correspondingly high before the first test runs started. My starting setup was “Low” at the rear and “Middle” at the headset cup. After adjusting to my needs and braking on the tar road, the test crew went to the Reiterkogelbahn, where the Blue Line was waiting for us to run in.
At first I had the feeling that the frame size S4 was a bit too big for me with a height of 1,80m, because I didn't immediately reach the so-called feel-good factor - which could also have been due to the 4°C. However, this feeling left me quickly after a flowing descent and from then on I had no problems getting used to the bike.
Especially on rough sections, the Stumpjumper EVO was able to convince me completely, because it gave a lot of security even in tricky situations, stayed true to the track and was still ready with plenty of reserves even after the last step. Here it was easy to see how sophisticated the suspension on the EVO is, because even with the cheaper suspension variant from Fox there was nothing to complain about here. This is where the amount of work that went into development was definitely evident and it always seemed as if the geometry, kinematics and equipment were optimally matched to each other - a big compliment to Specialized!
On flowing, playful routes, such as the Hacklbergtrail, the Blue-Line or the Z-Line in Hinterglemm, the EVO showed great potential to be a true guarantee for maximum fun, even on designed curves and other obstacles. However, I have to add that an S3 would have been the more sensible solution for my height, at least for this matter. But I had a lot of fun, especially because of the rather short chain stays, and I also use the occasional opportunity for gimmicks on and off the trail.
My personal verdict on the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO 2021
To cut a long story short, if I ever feel the need to enter an enduro race in the foreseeable future, the EVO would be my go-to choice right now and I would highly recommend it. Not just for racers, but also for a wide range of clients, from beginners to experienced shredders, because the sophisticated technology and size means there should be a very flexible and "round" bike for almost everyone.
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