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Submitted by
dtstager
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Buckwallow | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$5000.00 | | Purchased At: | Algonquin Outfitters | | Strengths: | Peformance, speed | | Weaknesses: | Creaks & squeals | | Similar Products Used: | Other stumpies | | Bike Setup: | Frame is stock otherwise custom build, incl thomson elite post, crossmax sl wheels | | Bottom Line: | Awesome bike, I have the expert model with the brain, works very well. My frame creaked like crazy after a 1/2 hour riding - it came from the seatpost being slightly too loose in the seat tube. I solved this by masking off the exposed section of seatpost and spray painting the section that fits into the seat tube. It takes about 10 layers of paint until the post gets a tight fit in the frame. I have the large size frame with about 10" of exposed seatpost so there is a lot of leverage on the seat tube. My wife has the same bike in a small size with less seatpost showing and has no troubles so this may be a problem only for us taller guys. The brake squeal can be reduced substantially by swapping out the pads for Koolstops. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
amadkins
a Cross Country Rider
from White Lake, MI
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2500.00 | | Strengths: | Geometry, suspension, and drivetrain. | | Weaknesses: | Creaking and the dreaded Avid Juicy 7 turkey call. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona Kikapu Deluxe | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This bike climbs great, descends great, and fits me perfectly, but it creaks like crazy. The LBS thought they found it in a loose bolt holding the brain to the chainstay; no joy. The Avid brakes vibrate like crazy in the rear as well. Fortunately, the forums have given me ideas to correct both.
Once I eliminate the noise/vibration, it will be the perfect bike for me. I got it on a clearance deal, so the value was good for me, but MSRP was way too high for these bikes new - hence the less than perfect value rating. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Iwan Kemp
a Weekend Warrior
from Cape Town, South Africa
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Eden | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Willie Engelbrecht | | Strengths: | Nothing realy that jumps out. See review below. | | Weaknesses: | LX front der, chain and cassette? Come on Specialized! Stock tires are rubbish for a bike that's designed to do and go where the Spec is. Stoopid thin tubes in a tire with sidewalls only marginaly thicker than the tube. Not great thinking. | | Similar Products Used: | Felt Virtue One (08), Felt Virtue Two (07), Merida AM 3000 and AM 5000, Titus Moto Lite, Titus Racer X, Giant Trance, GT i-Drive | | Bike Setup: | 2008 Stock | | Bottom Line: | WE Cycles was kind enough to let me demo this bike for a couple of days. Here are my thoughts
Day 1:
Bike was not professionaly set-up for me so I wasn't as comfortable on my first ride. I managed to set saddle height as I know that off by heart and I could re-arrange cockpit to make sense for me. Not a bad fit, but the bike, a Large, was too big for me at 177cm with a 83cm inseam.
Off I go. Bike climbs reasonably well, but I missed my U-Turn Rock Shox. On the climbs the Brain does what it's suppose to and limits bob to almost unnoticable. Bike's fit is a bit upright for me, even though the frame is too big.
Tires are grippy enough without being draggy. So far so good. Till I get to the top...
I turn around, for those of you from Cae Town I was riding Magic Forest, and within the first 50m I have a sideall cut on the front wheel! Now, in my more than one year's riding this has NEVER happened before. Not even when bombing through a rock garden let alone just cruizing down sgl track.
I replaced the tube, but before I got going I reliaze that the rear is flat as well. A thorn. Take the tire off and set about repairing the puncture. By the time I'm done the front tire is flat again.
Out of stoooopidity I just replaced the cut tube and never checked for thorns as well. My mistake and lesson learned. Never assume.
Tires repaired and on my way. Less than 100m further another sidewall cut. For crying out freaking loud. This forced me to hike down to my car.
I drive home not impressed. And, just so you know, the DT Swiss RWS Skewers are a ball-ache.
Day 2:
Replaced the stock tires with Kenda's. Nevegal front and Small Block Eight in the back. This is my usual combo so it immediately feels familiar. Bikes handling through corners are predictable as I set out to the top of Magic Forest.
The bike definately climbs well, but could do with a U-Turn or Talas. Although I believe the Rock Shox to be a better choice.
It definately doesn't climb as well as my Racer-X or a Anthem, but it gets to the top fairly quickly.
Get to the top, drop the saddle and turn the beast around to bomb it down the single track.
Now I know, from demoing and trying out as many bikes as possible, that you have to get used to a bike's handling and steering and overall feel so I don't expect too much the first day. But the bike still dissapointed me. The Fox fork is a HUGE dissapointment after riding Rock Shox the last couple of months. It's just not as smooth and doesn't come sloce to using it's full travel. While the brain works fine over terrain that's fairly consistent it doesn't to the trick over ever-changing trail. A plain, gool-old-faithful Fox RP23will work better. But I'm reserving final judgement on the fork and shock for day 4.
By the way, the bike has been on a couple of rides but hasn't been thrashed so I expect the suspension to be fully active and bedded by now.
On fast flowing single track the bike handles well, but not like it's on rails. It steers too slow and doesn't feel as chuckable as a Titus or the Felt. Some of that must be down to it's heavier weight. Moto Lite weighed 11,7kg ; Felt weighs around 12kg and AM 5000 weighs 12,5kg. The Spec comes in at 13,15kg.
On tight single track the bikes bulk and BB height makes it a bit more difficult to manouver compared to some of the other bikes I've tried. Compared to the Moto Lite, Felt, Merida and Giant it's close. ML the clear winner when t comes to that. Would be unfair to compare it to Racer X or Anthem.
Racing along a fire road it trods along more than sprints. Could be down to hubs and extra weight. Of the bikes demo'ed the Felt feels by FAR the raciest, ML second.
Day 3:
My riding buddy gives it a go and goes home impressed by the overall feel, but feels that for the money there are better buys. He figures the S-Works might be the bomb, but then again the S-Works "module" costs R3k more than the complete Expert. So again, a bit expensive for a bike that's might not be mind-blowingly good.
He agrees that the RS Revelation seems to be the better fork compared to similiar Fox.
A Felt Virtue owner gives it a go as well and I have to agree that the Felt's Equilink does what the brain is suppose to without the fuzz and it feels like a overall faster, better handling bike than the SJ. The SJ feels more bulky which creates the impression that it'll handle bigger drops better. The Felt's 5" Equilink handles 5ft drops no problem.
Day 4:
I'm defiantely getting more confident on the bike. Unfortunately the only frame only option is the S-Works "module". Otherwise a Expert...no, make that a Comp frame (comes with a Fox shock) with a Rock Shox fork (Revelation or Pike) and some custom spec'ed goodies might to the trick. But that'll work out quite expensive for a bike that's not THAT great. It's...okay. At best. Cool maybe even.
BUT for the money you can buy a Merida AM 5000 with FULL XTR. It'll handle drops and jumps just as well as the Spec and if locked-out climbs just as well.
OR you can buy a Felt Virtue One with FULL XT. It'll be faster in a race and handles 4/5ft drops just as well. The Equilink is simply brilliant and overall the bike is better spec'ed. Same with a Trance X.
OR you can buy a Moto Lite/ Ibis Mojo/ Ellsworth frame and custom spec your bike and you'll have a better handling bike without the Brain Fuzz or drama.
The Specialized is by no means a bad bike. It's okay. Unfortunately for the Expert there are better buys for the money.
Oh, and the saddle...it's a bit too wide. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
XC Enthusiast
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO USA
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | 401 in CB (best in state); CO Trail - Waterton Loop for FR local | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Mojo Wheels (best in Denver!) | | Strengths: | -very good all around bike
-relatively light
-very good quality component group with Juicy 7's, X-0 rear, X-9 shifters, XT bottom/crank, and good quality DT rims, with few exceptions noted below | | Weaknesses: | -LX front der, paired with X-0 rear and X-9 shifters?? come on specialized, at least use an XT
-front and rear hub quality - front specialized hub (no problems - yet) and rear shimano 525 hub (lower than LX - needed shop service at 250 miles) are very questionable choices for a bike at this price. specialized dropped the ball on this too.
-stock specialized tires - interchangeable front/rear tire design is just bad, but tire choice is very personal | | Similar Products Used: | 2004 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Disc (100mm travel) stock
1999 GT Richochet (hard tail) w/ Rock Shox Judy XC, LX components | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Specialized FSR Expert completely stock except tires
-completely new frame design (as compared to 06 and earlier)
-Fox R w/ Brain Fade rear shock, Fox Talas RL 140 fork
-all other components stock
-WTB Velociraptor 2.1 front and rear specific tires (the best tires ever IMO) | | Bottom Line: | i bought the 2007 new after riding the 2004 for one season (purchased the 04 used in 2006). i think the 04 was a better fit for pure XC riding b/c it had 100mm travel, and the rear suspension design worked well with the Fox Triad shock. my 04 climbed much more efficiently than the 07 does, but the 07 does beat the 04 on the downhill (as would be expected).
The 2007 is leaning more towards the "all mountain" spectrum, with 5" rear travel and 6" front. after 500 miles of trail rides this season and constant fiddling with air pressure, rebound, and fade adjustments, i expected to get the rear shock working very efficiently with the Brain, but i just cannot dial it in as well as the Triad. i cranked the brain to the highest setting, and it still activates too soon leading to a fair amount of bob. i am a larger rider (6-1, 220#), but this brain bobs more than my 04 Fox Triad did leading to very inefficiently climbing. this has been my single biggest complaint about the bike.
on the positive side, it is an awesome down hill ride - very fast, responsive, and smooth. braking with the juicy 7's is excellent, very impressed. cornering is responsive and feels tight. the Talas fork is very smooth, and performs well with the rest of the bike setup. the bike is fairly light too - my size large 07 stumpy expert is considerably lighter than my wife's size medium 06 stumpy comp.
bottom line, if you see yourself as a techy XC rider, with any significant climbing (like all of CO) but not a lot of big drops, then i would not choose this bike. if you want an extremely comfortable ride, ability to handle hits, and are not worried about speed on your climbs, then this is probably a good fit. i am test riding a 07 Epic soon, and i think that bike will be a better fit for more pure XC riding that i enjoy.
i give it 4 chilis for value, primarily b/c of questionable components mentioned above - it could easily be a 5 if specialized stepped it up a bit. 3 chilis for overall rating b/c specialized still markets the stumpjumper line as an "XC trail" bike but i don't think it falls in that category anymore. as another reviewer said, this bike does most things good, but nothing all that great.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kari Veikkolainen
a Racer
from Finland
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Borlange, Sweden trails | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Strengths: | Wieght 12,5kg, Talas RL 120mm fork is good, 120mm rear suspension | | Weaknesses: | Fox Triad Shock, Poor bearings on rear shock, All the mud from rear wheel goes on the link and shock. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR Expert 120, Fox RP23 Shock, Fox Talas RL | | Bottom Line: | The Specialized Stumpjumper Expert 2006 is otherwise a great bike, but it has a coule of bad design weaknesses.
One of the weaknesses is Fox Triad 2006 shock I got it broken after 9 months and I have waited for a new shock from warranty now 3MONTHS,1WEEK and I'm still waiting! I had to buy a new Fox RP23 to get on the wheels...
The other bad problem is the lower rear shock bearing. I have changed the bearing now 5 times, during one year. The placement of the link makes this worse bearing even more unreliable. Rear wheel throws all the mud on the link and shock. Hope fully I will find solution to this problem too.
So otherwise the bike is great. It's has quite nice set of parts Avid Juicy 7's, XT/XTR derailleurs, and wheelset are ok too. The bike is quite light (mine 12,5kg) over all and it has 120mm/120mm suspensions. After I got Fox Triad replaced by Fox RP23 the bike has been great for XC and for little bit harder riding too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott Miller
a Weekend Warrior
from Laramie, WY USA
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | The one I'm on | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Good blend of components. I can live without XTR these days although I'm spending more time tuning the bike than I'm used to. Great handling downhill; every now and then I get some rear-end drift but I'm running relatively narrow tires (1.8). Bike geometry is well designed and allows for several different set-ups depending on the ride. Being able to effectively shut down the shocks is great; even without a true lock-out on the rear, you can easily get it to position 7 or the dead zone and it gets pretty stiff. | | Weaknesses: | Too much bob. I've spent waaay too much time fiddling with the suspension settings. I enetered full suspension only recently and maybe have some remorse over leaving the hardtail behind, but this aspect of the bike really irritates me. I'm not that big (5'10" 185) but am ramping up the rear shock to 250 to settle the bob issue, but this makes it a little tough to get the rebound correct. Stock tires were terrible - poor handling and slow. | | Similar Products Used: | All hardtails - this is my first full suspension | | Bike Setup: | Off the shelf components. Swapped out the tires for Michelin / Hutchinson tires on the front and back. Frog pedals. | | Bottom Line: | A good bike, just not exactly right for me. Really nice price point and Specialized has hit a pretty sweet spot with higher end components, good geometry, and price. I'd like a remote lock out for the rear and less bob. Overall I'm frustrated not being able to get the bike set up "just right" even after 500+ miles and am still cruising LBS and on-line to see about a change. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd H
a Weekend Warrior
from Silver Spring, MD
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | South Mtns, Phx, AZ | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Purchased At: | Hudson Trail Outfitters | | Strengths: | Braking and suspension, terrific on technical trails, wet conditions, down hilling. | | Weaknesses: | A bit heavy for an XC bike, particularly on extended or short steep climbs. | | Similar Products Used: | Yeti 575, Cannondale Furio, Stumpy Comp Disc | | Bike Setup: | Stock for the most part, Egg Beater pedals, Continental Explorer tires (the original tires were too big and fat, made xc riding and climbing slow). | | Bottom Line: | Luxurious bike with tons of travel rear and front. Excels in technical situations: rocky, wet, high speed down hill. Solid and reliable. Can feel heavy during XC rides without technical demands...I appreciate the most when I'm riding a different bike...althought the Yeti 575 I rented while in AZ impressed me thoroughly! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Moran
a Cross Country Rider
from Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date Reviewed: April 16, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Gimme A Day | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Hutch's In Bend, Or | | Strengths: | Frame, 4 bar linkage, solid components. | | Weaknesses: | Seat and tires absolutely evil tools of satan. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona/other specialized bikes | | Bike Setup: | Currently running with Chris King hubs and 819 rims. Changed the seat and put tubeless tires on it. | | Bottom Line: | Best overall bike I have ever ridden. Some of the components are crap, but unless you buy each one yourself, you just get what you get. I just used them till they broke and upgraded. Regardless, this thing has such sweet handling! It is responsive and takes alot of punishment. I typically ride XC, but at times, I hop off 3 to 4 foot drop-offs and it has never waivered. It also climbs very well despite other reviews that say it doesn't. Best feature is single track downhilling...so much control, alot of speed, and so easy to wheelie and hop over stuff! Try it for yourself...or not...makes no matter to me...mine suits me just fine! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon
a Cross Country Rider
from Moab, UT
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Any | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Open Air Bicycles-Ventura, CA | | Strengths: | First off...I'm a 50+ rider that will never ride in a way that will exceed the capabilities of this bike. This bike is everything I have ever wanted in a bike. It is comfortable to ride. The handling, suspension, gear setup, and brakes work very well. I initially rode on some Ventura area trails before coming to Moab to really give the bike a workout. The Brain Fade rear shock setup works as advertised in all conditions! The bike has performed flawlessly except for two minor problems. A broken spoke during a hard slickrock pounding. No problem though...Rim Cycles fixed it for me in an hour. The rear brake caliper had one piston that stuck for a bit early on but no problems since. | | Weaknesses: | The bike has a tendency to pull up when riding up steep sections with the fork set to 140mm travel. To compensate I set the TALAS fork travel to 120mm when going up long uphill sections or when riding areas with very steep sections. This solved the problem for me. | | Similar Products Used: | None. This is my first full suspension bike. I test rode every bike I could find before buying. This felt the best to me. | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Stumpjumper FSR Expert 120 stock. | | Bottom Line: | I set the the sag on the Brain Fade/Fox R shock for the recommended level and dialed in the rebound the way I like it and leave it. I have not felt compelled to change it on any ride. It just works. The same goes for the Fox TALAS fork. It just works too. By keeping the disk rotors clean with a clean rag and alcohol after each ride the noise level is almost non-existent. Not a bad trade off considering the amazing braking power. Even after a big sand bath that's all they appear to need. So-bottom line...I am very pleased with this bike and would recommend it to anyone. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Quantocks Somerset UK | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Berkshire bikes | | Strengths: | Lightweight for a full sus at this price with a great fork and great shcok. Fox Triad. Great brakes and the rest of the kit is of a good standard for price. The ride is neutral and great for giving lots of confidence and for epic rides. Great fun to ride fast in the dry. The geometry is absolutely spot of for me at least. 5 foot 8 inches medium frame. Love the Adreneline tyres too. | | Weaknesses: | Shock placement collects all the crap the UK can throw at it. The pivot bearings could do with more grease to make them more winter resistent. XT chain rings and budget cassette are really poor parts on an otherwise good bike. Paintwork is brittle and can easily chip. They should of lacquered the paint. | | Bike Setup: | As standard but with Panaracer Trailraker tyre on the back. Plus mudgards and specialized shock guard. | | Bottom Line: | Fantastic bike, problems no worse than anyone else has had with a new bike. I would say that this is really a summer bike, as wet winter riding in the British conditions where I live would just destroy the pivots and shock in a couple of years. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
base
a
from tampa, fl usa
Date Reviewed: December 25, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2600.00 | | Purchased At: | lbs | | Strengths: | no breakdowns - all the other riders in my club with manufactures other than specialized have had major frame issues | | Weaknesses: | the septune rear shock is not as good as the triad | | Similar Products Used: | na | | Bottom Line: | this bike runs flawlessly! it is beautiful to look at and to ride. everyone comments on its looks. it is a good climber. it is best to ride it letting go and letting it float under you - at that point it performs for you - in every way you want it to. it will climb for you and will descend for you. flawless..... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
todd
a Cross Country Rider
from eugene or usa
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Waldo Lake | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1500.00 | | Purchased At: | craigslist.org | | Strengths: | amazingly responsive, light, agile, quick, very strong brakes and climbs really well | | Weaknesses: | xtr rear dérailleur slips out of gear | | Similar Products Used: | nothing really. major jump from 10 year old hard tail | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | A real blast to ride. Really fast downhill and brakes allow one finger control so you can commit deep into difficult sloppy corners before braking. Uphill it is light and really climbs well. Light and responsive. I'm riding as often as possible, regardless of our wet winters. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
allison
a Weekend Warrior
from so cal
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | IE Bikes | | Strengths: | This was a great entry bike for me (what 5" FS wouldn't be??). It's been a wonderful bike that I still haven't outgrown and continues to live up to everything I put it through. Great fork and rear suspension and decent components. Gotta love Specialized's life-time warranty also. | | Weaknesses: | Any issues I've found have simply been discomfort on my part and have been mostly worked out. The rear shock blew up after maybe 6 months, but I think it was because hubby rode it around and pretty much breaks everything. Sent it to Push and haven't had any issues since. It's been over a year also and the front fork will need to be sent in since after a rebuild something is wrong. More of an issue with the fork than the bike, though. | | Similar Products Used: | Also own Surly 1x1 and soon to have a Dos Niner | | Bike Setup: | 05 Expert. The only stock stuff on it is probably the brakes and front/rear derailleur, cassette, bottom bracket. Added Answer carbon bar, ESI grips, Thomson 70mm stem, King Pink headset, King pink hubs with Stans Olympic ZTR rims, XTR crankset, Crankbros pedals, Thomson seatpost, WTB Speed She saddle. | | Bottom Line: | This has been a great bike. I won't be replacing it anytime soon, even with a "boutique" bike. It's held up to a lot of riding since I purchased it in Aug 05 and probably has more than 1500 off-road miles. I've ridden it all over and won't hesitate to take it elsewhere. It's even taken me down Mammoth's black diamond trails, Porc Rim in Moab, Gooseberry, etc. and I've had no problems with it. Great bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lauris Krisch
a Weekend Warrior
from Delta, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Delta Watershed | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$2800.00 | | Purchased At: | LifeCycles | | Strengths: | Solid frame, descent peddler, good component spec, nice fork and shock, lifetime frame warranty. Reasonable weight. | | Weaknesses: | Rear shock lockout bobs worse than in propedal. Interupted seatpost design less flexible than non-interupted. Front tire washes out in the loose stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | Blur, GT | | Bike Setup: | All stock, Swapped stem from 105mm to 90 mm. Shortened seatpost. Added rear shock mudguard. | | Bottom Line: | This is my first FS mountain bike coming from a fully rigid. I was looking for something versatile that could cover the XC spectrum thru all mountain. This bike is definately confidence inspiring. It has a very solid feel and pedals quite well in propedal mode. Lowering the talas fork for long steep climbs works great. Juicy 7's take a while to get used to as they are powerful. The front tire I find washes out occasionally in the loose stuff. I plan on changing it at some point to Kenda Nevegal or similiar tire. I cutoff 4 cm from the seatpost to allow reasonable degree of height adjustment. Interrupted seatpost design is somewhat limiting in this regard. I have a 1/2 hr. ride on pavement to my favorite trails so I tried rear shock lockout..it works poorly...you can feel the bob as if the shock is bottoming. Propoedal however works excellent, I can hardly notice any suspension movement and it climbs well, particularly if you have a nice smooth pedal stroke. The solid frame, talas fork, and slightly more relaxed headtube angle (versus full on XC bikes) builds confidence in the fast stuff and especially on downhills. I've even tried a few small jumps and drops. Not bad for a roadie !! I leave the trails with a big grin on my face. Mine weighs in at 28.6 lbs. Not bad for 5" travel XC-AM bike. Buy it if you are looking for a good pedalling, versatile bike leaning more towards the XC spectrum.. Forget it if you are looking for the lightest, sharpest XC bike, or are into big hits and downhill stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jared Grycko
a Weekend Warrior
from Crooked River Oregon USA
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Whoops. 3 Corner rock | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1300.00 | | Purchased At: | Hutchs | | Strengths: | Fox Talas fork. Fox Triad shock. Solid component group. Great frame design. | | Weaknesses: | Cheap seatpost,seat. | | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale GT Specialized | | Bike Setup: | Bone stock Large '06 Stumpy FSR Expert Soon will be upgrading seatpost seat and bars. Wheels later. | | Bottom Line: | Love this bike. I used to race X-Country on mainly Front suspension bikes, and finished racing on a GT RTS-1. Got burned out and beat up too often on bikes that didnt really soak up the bumps.
At the urging of my brother who rides a very light Yeti AS-R, I started looking around for a long travel FS bike that was reasonable in the weight category. Hutchs Cyclery were selling off last years '06 Stumpy FSR's and Epics that were in their rental fleet at 1/2 off retail so after taking the bike out for the day and giving it the once over, it was in excellent condition. I bought the bike for 1300.00 which is an unbelievable deal.
I was really blown away riding this bike for the first time. We did a pretty difficult ride that basically was 12 miles of climbing and 12 miles back down fast rocky singletrack. I used the Pro Pedal setting on the the climb up, and I felt like I could climb anything. Very little pedal bob, and tons of hookup on the climbs. When we came back down I switched to full active and it soaked up bumps like a Caddilac :) I was impressed with the minute adjustments I could make to both Fox shocks. The Talas RLC 120 really shines. I couldnt think of one thing to make it work any better.
All in all a great bike that weighs in at 28.7 pounds so I plan to put it on a diet and try to shave 2 pounds off. I really dont feel the weight much though with the way the suspension works.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derrie babaganoosh
a Downhiller
from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: September 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Rabbit Hill bike park (the gongshow) | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$3000.00 | | Purchased At: | Revolution cycle | | Strengths: | -excellent all around moutain bike
-Fox talas rl fork
-light for amount of travel
-fun to ride
-shimano xtr derailleur
-high quality components
-full lock out
-avid juicy seven brakes
| | Weaknesses: | -jealousy of friends
-having to let friends use your bike
-no actual weaknesses
-brakes squeal, replace with hayes rotors and true wheel to eliminate all squealing whatsoever. | | Similar Products Used: | gary fisher hardtails, norco manik, kona scrap, cannondale prophet 600
| | Bike Setup: | pretty much stock with minor upgrades (seat, stem, lizard skin, etc...) | | Bottom Line: | the greatest bike ever! improved my fast xc riding, can take fairly large drops and tecnical trails. good am trail bike. amazing climbing ability! lockout on both shocks. my friends all got new freeride hardtails and i got a long travel xc bike. yet i can take bigger drops and jumps than any of them. i also upgraded to hayes 8" rotors and that eliminated all squealing of the brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nicolas Tremblay
a Cross Country Rider
from Clermont, Québec, Canada
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2900.00 | | Purchased At: | VO2Max | | Strengths: | Efficient ride, Climb very well for a 5 inches travel bike, great handling, the fox talas, the fox triad shock, powerfull brake. | | Weaknesses: | low bottom bracket, the stock tires, weak chainring on XT crankset | | Similar Products Used: | Giant VT, lot of cross-contry bike | | Bike Setup: | stock except for crank brother candy SL pedal, Kenda nevegal tires, mavic xm819 rim and sram x-9 rear derailleur and shirter. | | Bottom Line: | Superb bike! I like it a lot. This bike climb very well for a bike with 5 inches of travel in both end, a lot better than my old giant VT. The TALAS fork and Triad shock make this bike very versatile. You can adapt both ends of the bike with trail condition. The adrenaline tire are great in corner but don't climb or brake very well so I switch to Kenda Nevegal (the best tires for me). The chainring on shimano XT are so cheap...I will change them soon for blackspire or fsa chainring because they are worn with only 800 km of riding! The only problem I have problem with the bike is the low height bottom bracket. I hit the pedal 2-3 time in each run someting that rarely occurs with my giant VT. It's the price to pay for great handling bike because I think that this low BB have someting to do with the way this bike ride. I really recommand this bike to anyone who want a bike that can do anyting from racing (with some part change) to light freeriding. I race this bike in marathon race and do great results. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Francefort
a Weekend Warrior
from Norwalk
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Ninham | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$2600.00 | | Purchased At: | Zanes, Branford CT | | Strengths: | Great hill climber, handles drops well, components have been solid | | Weaknesses: | Chain slaps rear derailleur cable and wears it out.
Rear shock can bottom out even when pressure is set high and I only weigh 145 lbs. | | Bike Setup: | Juicy 7's, 11-34 Cassette, Rapid rise rear Derailleur | | Bottom Line: | Bike just rocks, I ride 3-4 days a week and after 1 year, no complaints, never have had any issue with any component. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bikenerd
a Racer
from chandler
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | national | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$2300.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | frame rigidity, geometry, ease of application in various areas, ability to adapt to ever dhanging parts. | | Weaknesses: | stock crank (05 model), seat, tires rims/hubs, brakes, headset. and that damn septune | | Similar Products Used: | kona bikes and fisher bikes | | Bike Setup: | king hubs 819 rims, king headset, wtb seat, integrated bottom bracket crankset, wtb stealth seat, fast trax 2bliss tires, same pedals as what it came with! fender get (you look like a dork but it is needed) | | Bottom Line: | follow up on my previous reviews on the bike. i wont re state anything, it climbs well, descends well, handles well and all that jazz. the wheels it came with are aweful, AZ has a few rocks so i had to replace a few tubes. tubeless now. get a cheap crank cause its gonna hit the rocks alot. headset was grinding after about 3000 miles so upgraded. i have raced a full season on it and had no problems at all. the only weakness is me. the shock did get some small nicks on it and caused it to lose pressure but that was fixed, fox sucks for turnaround! 1 month!!! i have most of the stock parts on this bike and the only things i really needed to replace have ben taken care of the other things will just have to be worn down, especially the new wheels! she is an awesome bike, i feel bad for the person who gets her after me, she is gonna be used and abused. like a tank, get 2 one for now and one for selling to your jealous buddies. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$2200.00 | | Purchased At: | Hutch's in Bend | | Strengths: | Climbs exceptionally well, descends just as well, shifts moderately well, manipulates over, around and under obstructions extremely well! | | Weaknesses: | I agree with all that have said that the seat is hard and that the bike bottoms out on the pedals at times. Both of these are definitely true, but not a reason not to get this bike! Oh yeah, you have to expect this with disc brakes, but for some reason, the 05 brakes squeal like crazy! Either deal with it or get the 06 disc and you can put that behind you. | | Similar Products Used: | Kona King Kikipu | | Bottom Line: | I absolutely love this bike for cross country riding. I can keep up with or push most of the riders on the uphill and the same goes for the downhill. As for the maneuverability between trees, around tight corners, over roots and other obstacles...this bike rules. It just feels right, like your always in control. Lastly, I like to ride wheelies, bunny hop and take jumps regularly...if you do too, than you are going to LOVE this bike! I give it 5 chilis for value and rating! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robb
a Cross Country Rider
from Monroe,NY USA
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$2700.00 | | Strengths: | Overall ridability. Does everything well. Confidence inspiring. | | Weaknesses: | Seat. Seat. Oh did I say seat. Never actually rode w/ it in the dirt.Ouch! Also the tires not very good in NY mud.I put Specialized Fast Tracks on and I'm good to go.
| | Similar Products Used: | Cannondale Hardtails. Santa Cruz Blur | | Bike Setup: | Stock except seat and tires. | | Bottom Line: | I'm 185lbs. and ride hard xc. This bike takes it all and asks for more. First fullsuspension bike.I Ride in very rocky, rooty, singletrack and I have to say I've never had a problem w/ bottom bracket height.If you take care of it like you paid 2700.00 for it nothing goes wrong. Cable routing, come on. It works fine. Buy this bike and you'll smile for miles. Oh and I've raced this thing 3 times as of this posting and it does that well too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
thedude
a Cross Country Rider
from usa
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | 2400 | | Strengths: | light,fast,tracks great,smooth at high speeds,solid in technical areas, fox shocks are superb | | Weaknesses: | little bit of a pogo bobbing when locked out...a little bit of a rattle from the lock out levers? wouldve liked to see an XT front derailleur instead of LX | | Similar Products Used: | my ol hardtail bike which i'll probably never ride on a trail again after riding this bike | | Bike Setup: | stock | | Bottom Line: | this bike is frickin awesome, i had no problems with the bottom bracket being low as some people are saying...ive ridden this thing off drops, over log piles, and rocky descents without any hangups...i feel much more confident on this bike and i can tell my riding is already improved...this bike is well worth the money | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Lott
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Ca
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: |
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$ 2600.00
