Rollin’ a Stumpy

I just got back from an XC ride on a 2007 Stumpjumper Expert. I’ve been riding Enduros exclusively on trail for over a year, and you know what? The Stumpy feels good.

This all reminds me of this recent post: TALAS 36 and 2.3 tires on my Stumpy?

2007 Stumpjumper Expert. The one I rode is Euro-spec Purple. Sexy!

– This demo bike is bone stock, except for a 2.2 Specialized Adrenaline front tire (stock is a 2.0 Fast Trak).

– It has a TALAS 32 R in front and a FOX rear shock with a Brain. The latter uses an inertial valve to stay firm while pedaling yet yield to bumps. This technology was developed on the Epic, and it has trickled to the Stumpies.

– It has a light set of DT-Swiss wheels and a collection of mid-high-end Shimano, SRAM and Avid components. Jason E says the bike weighs 28 pounds.

– The trail at Heil Ranch north of Boulder is flowy, with a mellow grade and lots of embedded rocks. I know it very well, and I feel like I can really attack it. I usually roll my FOX-equipped Enduro SL, which is built like a mini DH bike. Whenever I try light tires, I pinch.

– Because I run 50mm stems on all my bikes, the 90mm stem freaked me out at first. But it felt great on the climb and just fine on the mellow descent.

– If you have lower gears, you’ll use ’em. I’m accustomed to turning a 36×34 on the Enduro SL. I apparently turned the Stumpy’s 34×34 at the same rpm, because I reached the top of the climb almost exactly 5 percent slower. (But it was easier than on my 33-lb Enduro SL.)

– The traverses felt faster and more snappy on the Stumpy. The quick side-to-side transitions — brap brap brap! Super fun.

– The Brain shock yields astounding pump. I had the threshold at the middle setting. There was no out-of-the-saddle bob, and when I laid into the back of a water bar or boulder — wow. Brap.

– When I was light on the bike, skimming over stuff, the Stumpy felt more likely to deflect than the SL. It was just a tad more sketchy. But when I loaded the bike for extra traction, it felt very connected. Like I said, the Brain gives you extra pump. I could put the bike on edge, squash it into the ground and really feel the tires digging in. I have a feeling: The more aggressively I ride this bike, the better it’ll work.

– Which bike is better on this descent? Today I rode about the same time as usual. It’s all about tradeoffs: The Stumpy rolled faster than my SL. The Stumpy was more responsive out of the turns. The Stumpy got more balled up in the rough sections. I was worried about pinch flatting, and maybe not as aggressive as usual.

All told, the Stumpy feels like a great weapon for this kind of ride. While the SL lets me act like a more of a fool, the Stumpy feels more efficient overall.

This just in: I just got my mitts on a 2008 Stumpjumper Pro Carbon frame and fork. This bad boy has Brains front and rear. When I get the parts together, I promise to wring it out and give you a full report.

2008 Stumpjumper Pro Carbon