Specialized Stumpjumper EVO vs. Stumpjumper - See How They Compare 75

Modern, aggressive geometry goes against tried-and-true performance. What is this EVO thing all about?

jeff.brines
2/18/2019 9:05am
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Related:
Specialized
Tested
Trail / All-Mountain
29er
75 comments

View replies to: Specialized Stumpjumper EVO vs. Stumpjumper - See How They Compare

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User-19
3 years ago
I am no where near as fast as Jeff, but I was experiencing harshness in the rear end of my bike. That was due to my set up to my local trails. I was living with the cons and adapting as much as possible.

I recently upgraded to 2021 DSX2 shock and 2021 Factory 36 Fork. WOW! The bike rides quieter, no harshness in the rear end, and the bike climbs and peddles better. The biggest surprise is how the bike feels in the air. I never felt comfortable jumping with the DPS and Rhythm suspension, I did not feel connected/balanced on the bike. I hit most of the jumps/jump features on upper miners trail in Nevada City, CA, and the bike (and me) felt great. The feed back was very predictable and I felt comfortable and balanced (also more in control) on the bike.
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Supreme
4 years ago
Hi Jeff. Since you also spent some time on the Trek Slash 29, this might be the question for you. I am currently riding 2019 Trek Slash 8 alu 29 in XL size. I like to ride steep technical stuff her in Europe (think the blacks in Finale Ligure) , high alpine riding as well as fast flowier riding during the winter. Trek is a great bike, fast, planted, however most of the time I get the feeling I am on the bike, not "in" it. Also geo-wise it leaves some things to be desired, like: shorter seat tube, steeper seat tube angle, lower BB (I am fan of that), longer CS. So on paper a SJ evo 29 in S3 with 170 mm fork and modified shock to get 155 travel at the rear looks like an upgrade from my current bike. What are your thoughts on that? Is the standard susspension on a Slash superior to the SJ evo?
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User-19
4 years ago
@jeff brines - New seat stay for 2020 Stumpjumpers, is not tapered like the OEM for 2019 Stumpjumper and other bikes that shared that original design.

I have just received a crash replacement seat stay, and the bike (XL Comp Carbon 29) is noticeably different!!!

Lower gears are “easier” to pedal/hammer, increased acceleration
Climbs better in huger climbing gears
Maintains momentum ver chattery sections of the trail, bike does not drastically slow down and lurch me forward
Running 260+- psi in rear Fox DPS Shock, I removed the .6mm volume spacer. The harshness is gone (don’t know what % seat stay has to do with that feeling) traction is much improved for climbing
Stumpjumper S-Works, Pemberton & Evo Carbon have new seat stay.

I would really like to see a test of these bike with upgraded seat stay vs tapered original seat stay.
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User-19
5 years ago
@jeff brines - what is your opinion on running a 29 front and 27.5 rear on the 2019 Stumpjumper? The HT will be slacker, BB lower and the flip chip could be set in the high position. (I’m running an XL Stumpy) will the bike ride similar to the Evo then?
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tacevil
5 years ago
Has any one messed with volume spacers for the front and rear? I was thinking of this then the snow came.
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Kwills3
5 years ago
I am actually torn between the carbon comp and the evo. Evo is 3600 but I know spec is dropping the comp carbon to 3770 temporarily.. what do you do in that case?? HELP!

Truth moment, no I don't live where there are super steep drops. I will occasionally hit bike parks. Definitely more technical riding where I live... that being said, I can only have one bike! My thought is to grab the comp carbon, upgrade to fox 36, upgrade rear cassette and go from there to have the most all- around bike.... any input ?
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Pete_Matejcek
5 years ago
Great review! I appreciate the idea of viewing your bike through the proper lens. Certain jobs require certain tools. Cheers!
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Stiksandstones
5 years ago
I thought Keene raced an "enduro" specialized, at the Enduro World Series?? Is a 140mm bike enough for EWS?
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Beez177
5 years ago
Excellent review Jeff. Dpx2 is not a plush shock, would have loved to see a coil specd on the EVO, but looks killer otherwise. Was that T.W.E / Moab? 2nd part looks killer with berms and jumps!
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jeff.brines
5 years ago
The Moab stuff was Amasaback, and thanks! As I alluded to below I actually did try a different shock on the bike, though this was omitted from the review. It was an improvement, but certainly not enough for me to say "the DPX2 is the reason the bike's rear end felt harsh". Maybe a coil would fix it? I don't know! Anyway, thx for the comment!
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jeff.brines
5 years ago
Totally unrelated, but I just realized how positive of an environment the vital comments section usually is. I wonder why that is..sure would make social medias more fun if it were more often like this.
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rkillian
5 years ago
I recently picked up a Stumpy 29 alloy comp after demoing the regular stumpy and the ST. I gave an EVO the old parking lot test but it did not feel immediately comfortable compared to the ST or regular stumpy. I attribute some of this to the stack height. I really like the higher stack of the standard stumpy and from a looks standpoint I don't need a bunch of spacers. And being honest with my local trails the HA and overall length of the bike could not be justified. I would probably be better served locally by the ST but I make enough trips to the real mountains in a year and my riding style as a fellow 200lb rider is much more "smash" and "hold on" than that of a refined rider who picks their way precisely down a trail. That with the honest admission that I cannot ride at a professional racers speed down a hill pointed me towards that regular stumpy. I personally could not tell enough of a difference between the way the carbon or alloy frames rode and on the trail I didn't notice a difference in the weight. Coming from a shimano XT drivetrain I'm impressed with the NX eagle on the bike. And coming from a fox factory 36 fit4 I am even more impressed with the fox rhythm 34.

Reading this review I feel even more confidence in my decision knowing there's a lot of overlap in the capabilities of the bikes. One thing that I personally don't agree with is the description of the rear travel. A lot of reviews out there describe the bike as feeling like it has more that 140. I don't think I would agree with that either. But compared to my last 140 bike it feels similar. It does feel as though it has more of a platform to push against though. I like that but I could see how someone really pushing these bikes closer to their limits might feel that as harshness.
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jeff.brines
5 years ago
One thing to remember, the Specialized Factory Boys (TM) ride the regular stumpy. I know video never communicates how gnarly EWS racing is, but I promise you its mind blowing how hard a lot of the stages are these days. My point is, the bikes really DO have a lot of overlap, and it really is closer than maybe this review makes it seem. Parts swapping, damper swapping, offset and fork swapping could all yield a normal stumpy that is closer to the Evo or vice versa.

Heck, just going to a reduced offset 36 or Lyrik and a better more capable rear shock on the Expert might have pushed it to the front in the head to head testing I did. Point is, we aren't just testing one variable (frame) but the parts as well.

As far as your thoughts on carbon vs alloy, I echo a lot of those in general. That said, the Evo was noticeably more flexy than the Expert. Not an intrinsic part of the material, just the engineering in this case.

I know a lot of people chiming in here who don't echo my sentiment with respect to how harsh the rear end feels. This is why I had other people test the bike. Riders that were as fast (or faster) than me said exactly what I said. Larger riders too trying to push the limit said what I said. Those who are smaller and/or riding at more reasonable speeds found the opposite to be true. Is this a scientific test? Naw. Anecdotal. But its how I had some confidence in what I was feeling.

Either way, do take what other's are saying, as we're all really just data points. The only thing that makes my data point special or unique is I've done this for a long time, have a number of other bikes in the quiver, and ride a silly amount in the summer...so I am comparing it to a benchmark of sorts!
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andyjr77
5 years ago
I know that I found the harsh feel on my 275 S3 was really noticeable for the couple of days I had the dpx2 fitted - I'm only 175lbs and 41 now, but still reasonably fast (3 seasons of Superenduro in Italy, good number of EWS races under my belt) and on flats (which I reckon could amplify the sensation). There's definitely something going on with that shock.
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andyjr77
5 years ago
It had a definite squeak type noise that I initially thought might be tight new seals. But as I had the Vivid to go on, didn't give it too much thought.

I've now got a mystery creak that I'm chasing - redone cranks/BB (GX Eagle GXP from my old bike), next is hanger, cassette etc.

I can also echo what you found about the OEM Grid tyres too - really noticeable here in the UK when you hit wet roots...... Bought an aftermarket Butcher 2.6" Grid now the Hillbilly can come off (it's starting to dry out at last) and it's definitely softer compound and slower rebound rubber.
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rkillian
5 years ago
Perhaps saying I disagreed with your take on the rear suspension wasn’t the correct wording. You are probably able to push the bikes much harder than I can so I’m sure you are noticing something I can’t make the bikes do. My comment was just meant to explain that as a similar weighted but slower rider, I didn’t notice what you discribed. I haven’t ridden the EVO on a trail so I couldn’t comment on any flex it may have. On the same trails I didn’t notice much of any diffenence between the carbon and alloy frames. But again, I’m probably not fast enough haha. Honestly, it is nice to read a review from a rider of similar weight. I really enjoyed the read.
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Eoin
5 years ago
Everything about the EVO looks great except for that BB height. I own a Jeffsy 29 which is a full 1cm higher, and depsite running 160mm forks, 2.6 tyres, low rear sag and 170mm cranks, it is still too low. I have smashed my cranks/rotor into rocks multiple times resulting in broken cranks, broken rotor and broken bars in 3 separate crashes, I had a huge crash just the other day, same problem as usual. Low BBs feel great, until the bike come to a stop while you continue at 30km/h... Definitely going back to something around 350mm.
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kragu
5 years ago
I'm riding a Patrol at 340mm. I've gotten used to it, but I definitely had to incorporate some ratcheting and careful pedaling through/up tech. I can't imagine 328...
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scootch
5 years ago
Yeah it's an adjustment for sure. My last bike was at 339mm (2016 SJ 27.5 - 335mm with the standard 150mm fork. I ran the bike at 160mm) and I had no issues with it at all, even with 175mm cranks. The Evo 29 is 328mm in low mode, 334 in high mode, and now 338mm with adding 10mm to the fork and in high mode (HA went to 63.5ish with the added travel). When I bought the bike I figured a bb that was a few mm lower wouldn't be a huge deal, but I quickly learned that wasn't the case. With that said, this bike in high mode with the fork travel increased (and 170mm cranks) is MONEY. The bike hauls ass!! AND, is incredibly fun on the fun stuff. AND, actually climbs better then my previous SJ. It's proving to be a better all around trail bike then my previous bike which kind of blows my mind given the geo. It took some tweaks and some getting used to, but I'm mega pumped with the bike now.
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scootch
5 years ago
Great review! I own a S3 Evo 29 and I'm curious how a more weight/pedal friendly spec'd build would change your mind on it being an "Enduro Race Weapon"? Also, did you run the Evo in High or Low mode?
Although the stock build is excellent for the price, it leaves a lot of opportunity to cut weight and tweak to your liking IMO. It took me a bit of time to mesh with the bike out of the box. Let me add the disclaimer that my last bike was a 28lbs 2016 S-Works SJ 27.5. So with the geo and weight differences I had a lot on my plate in terms of learning the new bike. That being said my biggest struggle was the BB height. I race Enduro in TX, so it can be pretty pedaly at times, making having a bike you can put the power down on ultra-important. When I first set this bike up in high mode I was pedal striking pretty regularly and my confidence pedaling the bike was super low. With that said, I’ve got this bike dialed now with an added 10mm to the fork for extra BB height and the much needed weight cutting additions (drivetrain, carbon wheels, and other carbon options where I could add them). These changes (mainly carbon wheels and the fork adjustment) made the bike feel 10x better. I now feel like I can pedal it confidently and the reduced spin weight on the wheels was mega!!
Is your opinion on the rig not being Euduro Race friendly more along the geo/feel side? Or do you think adjustments from the stock spec/settings would have left you with a different opinion?
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jeff.brines
5 years ago
Few comments here...

1) I ran it in both modes, and honestly if you are good enough to tell 1/2 degree of HTA then good on ya. I can't really tell...or if I can my body immediately adapts to it. That said, I ran mostly in the high position just because I needed every mm of crank clearance.

2) Weight was never a concern with me as far as enduro racing is concerned. At this point, I'm fine with anything between 32-38 pounds (this stuff on my bike). Less weight comes out of a corner better and obviously easier to pedal. More weight is planed and less likely to deflect. Both I can handle.

3) My opinion with respect to racing the Evo has more to do with the rear suspension than it does any other one single factor. I actually brought the bike to 3 (or four?) races this summer but it stayed chained to the back of my truck in lieu of something that was more forgiving.

4) You nailed my other complaint as a race bike - it really is too low. Especially for a guy like me who is good on the gas (well, I used to be before everyone started training like TDF athletes lol).
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Grimwood
5 years ago
Great review Jeff. I echo a lot of what you said in the video. Great spec for the price, tires don't really hook up as well as they look, and rear suspension feels like it ends short. Like it's good, it's good, then the end. As I'm sure you know the stock shock is a 210 x 50 mm. I had a 210 x 55 Rock Shox Super Deluxe sitting around and I tossed it on. It was tight getting it in there, but everything clears just fine. Wow, what a difference. Now it doesn't feel like the suspension ends early. I've heard of guys even going to a 57 mm stroke, but I get the feeling clearance starts getting pretty low at that point. If you still have the bike around, it's something to try.

It feels like Specialized spec'd the 140 for marketing? Maybe so there's less overlap with the Enduro? Either way, with the slightly longer stroke shock, the bike feels awesome. Highly recommended.
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Matt Dogg
5 years ago
I just realized the Topaz comes in 210 x 52.5 (for me no need to go all the way to 55mm) which in my experience is a better shock than the dpx2. I'd wager that would add some sensitivity to the rear end while still allowing for a ton of adjustability with the pos/neg spacers and air spring curve (secondary air chamber). It would also bump travel up to ~147mm so not superenduro like some of you hardcores are doing by long shocking w/ coils, just endurolite. That combined with a 160 air shaft in the 36 and the high setting and this thing sounds about perfect. Maybe I'll do that when my bike sells (waiting for the snow to melt here in Utah).
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mamath7
5 years ago
Ordered my evo 29 S2 3 days ago. I wasn't very very relaxed when I saw the title of the review... But finally everything is fine. Just have to wait for the delivery!
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Phil_S
5 years ago
210x57mm DHX2 on mine giving ~160mm rear travel. Rear end feels super supple - to the point that the 36's up front now feel like they need an upgrade to balance things out. I also got on with the factory DPX2 though, but am only 160lbs.
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hamncheez2003
5 years ago
Came here to see if anyone has tried a a coil! Good to hear it improves the Evo.

Is that longer stroke shock also longer from eye to eye; does it raise the BB and steepen the HTA?
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Phil_S
5 years ago
210 eye to eye is the same as factory so static angles are unchanged. 57mm stroke means the back end just compresses deeper, but even in low there is safe clearance at bottom out, obviously there is even more clearance in high mode so you could run a longer stroke still for maybe 170mm travel. From memory there isn't much space to run a longer eye to eye if you want to steepen it up, someone below has mentioned they are running 216 with a 3mm offset, so 213mm total length, but in low mode. Not sure if it fits in high mode.
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Grimwood
5 years ago
Phil, how/where did you get a 210 x 57 shock? A Trek take off? Sounds awesome. I'd like to try that...
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JCL
5 years ago
One of the great aspects of the bike. If you ride trails that are lower angle you have the ability to slam the stem (I run one 5mm spacer) and put a lot more load the front tire. Go somewhere steep and all I have to do is add another 15mm under the stem and I've got more weight going through the pedals.
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TEAMROBOT
5 years ago
I think Chromag still makes a flat bar. You should try one of those to get even more weight on your hands.
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Pinch Flat
5 years ago
Would be interested to know how much difference a coil would make on the back of the Evo. Is there scope to add a coil with a bit more travel and a longer fork (thus raising the BB a bit in the process). Seems like the base is there for an epic bike - just needs some tweaking.
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Hunterchek
5 years ago
I have a 29er with a 160mm fork and its great. The 29er has a shock stroke of 50mm, it will clear a 52.5mm giving it a rear travel of 150mm and from the looks of it will clear a 55mm stroke giving it 160mm rear travel, but im not sure about how low that will put the BB at full compression. Pretty damn low I would imagine.
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Salespunk
5 years ago
Put a 170 fork and run it in the high position with a 55 stroke shock and you will have a long travel weapon with a higher BB
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Salespunk
5 years ago
First off great review. I have both of the bikes tested plus an HTLT as well and would echo your experiences in climbing. The Evo is very underrated in this area and it absolutely crushes the climbs. I find that the steep seat tube means that I don't have to fight to keep the front wheel on the ground which takes a surprising amount of energy and core strength. I constantly laugh at people that say slack bikes can't climb well. It is all about the SA, not the HA.

Regarding descending, my experience does not mirror that of Brines. My typical descents are steep, rocky and fast to the point that a certain multi time world cup overall winner was riding them with his DH bike recently (obviously much faster than me!) . The Evo is absolutely the fastest bike I have ever ridden on these types of trails (I have never owned or even ridden a true DH bike). It could be a riding style difference or tire setup, but it is by far my favorite for these (and most other) trails. As a side note, I like my bikes very plush because we have so much loose chunk and chunder around here. We are constantly clawing for traction. I had the compression damping on my HTLT X2 significantly reduced along with installing an ACS3 coil kit in the front so it is not that I am used to bikes being stiff. One final piece is that I run CushCore front and rear with fairly low pressures to make my bikes even more supple which could contribute to my different experience as well.

Overall this is one of the best comparison tests I have seen and I am stoked to see actual criticism of the bikes instead of the "everything is great" that most reviews give. Every bike and design choice is a compromise so what works for some people won't work for other. Keep putting out the great content!
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jeff.brines
5 years ago
I'd wager I am more critical of bikes than most testers. The funny part is this review was literally supposed to take place over one week in the desert and turned into an entire spring, summer and fall. Which was good. It really let me suss out performance of both bikes, and compare them to other bikes like the Transition Sentinel, Trek Slash, Canyon Torque (I know, totally difference) and others.

Few things to realize...

1) I still pretend to race pro, and I'm not light. This is important as the speed I'm trying to carry and the net impact I'm exhibiting down the trail is probably higher than most. I'm not trying to be pretentious here, but I do know if I back off my top end speed a hair, the bike is a lot easier to ride and my thoughts change a bit...but who wants to do that?! I also have to be honest with my riding style. Its less "precise" and more "hold on". Weight + Speed = a lot of what I was noting.

2) I often had this bike with me, along with the Canyon Torque. I always chose the Torque as a race bike. Why? Its so much more forgiving. When tracks are more and more like DH tracks (or at times ARE DH tracks), having a bike that lets you have a "plan B" if things go wrong is important. I'd suggest all want-to-be-enduro racers, at least in the Rocky Mountain Region to go longer travel and more forgiving unless you are Nico-like...and most ams or slo-pros arent.

3) The cool part about the evo is its $3600. Buy this along with something like a Torque and you've got a great race quiver...all for around $8K. Sounds expensive till you realize most guys are racing bikes that retail around that anyway...

4) If there is one bike I'd say is close to the Evo in suspension action its the HTLT, another bike I wasn't super fond of when it came to eating bumps.

5) I did try this bike with CushCore - it was better. I also tried it with true DH casing. Also awesome.

6) I did place 4th "pro" in our local XC race on this thing. I actually wasn't that far off the top 3 either. I'm 200lbs. That says a lot as to how efficient the bike is.

7) I do wish the headset wasn't integrated so you could angleset it (steeper) for longer travel forks

8) It was one of the best bikes I've ever ridden when it comes to geometry balance.

Thanks for the comments dude! Always good to get a discussion going!
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Salespunk
5 years ago
I agree 100% on integrated HS. We lose so much geometry flexibility with integrated, it sucks. I think a longer travel fork with the rear in the High position would make a big difference in BB height. Could probably gain close to 10 mm. Can't wait for the carbon version in the next month or so, hopefully they raised the BB on that setup.
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andyjr77
5 years ago
Yup - my 27.5" S3 with a 170 fork and effective high position has a BB height of 335mm, 11mm higher than stock of 324(!) which is just too low.
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