The new Stumpjumper ST uses new tube shapes and an asymmetrical design to ensure that you get awesome ride characteristics. The design goal for the new Stumpjumper was simple - to build the ultimate trail bike, one that feels telepathic. It turns out that this feeling all comes down to stiffness. So, when the frame's telling your hands one thing and your feet another, your brain gets confused with the imbalance and the bike feels unstable. To fix this, Specialized had to get to work on dialing-in the materials and shapes.
Specialized continued down the suspension path with a custom RX Trail Tune on both the fork and rear shock. Suspension performance is highly dependent on frame, wheel and rider size so RX Tune is used to get each bike to land in the middle of the adjustment spectrum to give you the biggest possible range to fine-tune your ride. Another focal point of the tune was matching the suspension characteristics between wheel sizes - a specific RX Tune was developed for each platform. So no matter what wheel size you prefer, you'll get perfectly linear suspension.
Steps were also taken to make this bike easy to live with. Threaded bottom brackets make a triumphant return and room was made for up to a 3.0' tyre. You're also free to run whatever aftermarket rear shock you want since Specialized are using standard metric shocks. Customisation is furthered with a flip chip that lets you dial-in your stumpy to your riding style. Switch it from high to low and it drops your bottom bracket 6mm and slackens the head tube by half-a-degree. Little details also jump out to surprise you like a newly designed ribbed chainstay protector that makes chain slap a thing of the past and nearly silences the drivetrain.
The build here is no-nonsense with a focus on dependable high-performing parts like Shimano SLX front and rear derailleurs, Tektro Gemini disc brakes, a Rockshox Recon RL Fork with 130mm of travel, a Custom X-Fusion 02 Pro RL rear shock with 120mm of travel and wide alloy wheels.
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The all-new Alloy Stumpjumper ST frame features an M5 Alloy front- and rear-end, an asymmetrical design, and a 29 trail geometry, so it's both capable and comfortable.
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The X-Fusion Metric rear shock features rebound adjustment, lockout, and a coveted RX Trail Tune to ensure you're getting the most out of your Stumpjumper ST.
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A Rockshox Recon RL provides 130mm of travel up front, and it lets you adjust both rebound and lockout.