Specialized Bikes - Which one?

themightytp · July 2007

Hello

Can anyone tell me the difference between the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR and the EPIC both at around £1500. Is the rear sus on the epic safe on the side or will it be a bad idea when i bounce it off a rock. To be honest im a bit fussy and not to sure of the black and red on the FSR.

Also should i be considering a hardtail stumpjumper. Still cant decide as i do like my uphills just as much as the downs.

Cheers for any info and advice.

Tony

Scubar · July 2007

The Stumpjumper FSR is much more of an AM go anywhere type bike, Hence the longer travel forks and geometry. The Epic is focussed much more torwards XC racing.

Personally i have tried both and although i did prefer the feel of the Epic the brain shock system doesnt seem to work particularly well imo. Maybe its because its the lowest model but i found its lack of responsiveness when going from smooth to bumpy terrain quite slow.

I too am looking to spend around £1500 on a full sus AM/XC bike but i have decided to go with a Cube AMS Pro 125 as it looks fantastic has rockshox front fork with poploc ( very important feature to me ) and is highly rated.

Have you also looked at the Trek EX8 as i found the pivot system it uses very effective.

L60N · July 2007

I tried a Stumpy FSR, nice feel to it but i didnt like the look OR the colouring. Tried the trek and fell in love :shock:

I think its more important to try the bikes for feel, rather than basing it on looks alone though, i depends largely on what your type of use is too.

I remember asking a bloke in evans the same question, he pointed me towards a scott scale?? after i told him it was for cycling in the woods, and some trails.. lol

ANDE.B · July 2007

The stumpy fsr is made to bridge the AM-XC gap, and it does that perfectly (when i switched from riding downhill to xc, this was the only bike that felt right)
The epic is race-orientated, i know a few people who've always ridden hardtails and have gone for this bike cause of the brain shock (as your looking at hartails aswell as full-sus this might appeal to you)

Personally, i love my stumpy... but now i race; i wish i'd got an epic!

MarvintheAndroid · July 2007

Just to confuse matters there is also the Specialized FSR, which is similar to to the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR. Not sure what the difference is though.

For my type of riding it would be the Epic any day.

Marv.

bryanm · July 2007

Why choose the Stumpy HT Expert over the slightly cheaper Comp? Just wondering as I'm testing both tomorrow.....

echo7 · July 2007

Ill post some more pics up when I can but I'm very impressed by my epic expert

Only been riding for a couple of months.. started on a borrowed hardtail, well we all went to aston hills at the weekend and did the XC route .. The fastest, fun and most comfortable ride I have ever had.. :shock:

People slate the brain shock but even on full firm setting it was soaking up the bumps, I mean i'm no expert but it felt good to me

Do you guys like the colour? 1 of only a handfull in the country. 8)

The cat had to get in on the action :roll:

In answer to your question the stumpy has 5 inches of suspension travel while the epic has 4 inches .. You cant go wrong with either IMO my mate has just bought a 07 stumpy comp and its lovely to ride.

[img][/img]

Shot with Canon PowerShot S80 at 2007-07-17

Anonymous · July 2007

i have an old stumpy so dont know if my opinion is really relevant, but i had an epic too and much prefer the stumpy.
if i was only going to own one bike, it would the stumpy (and it is the bike i lavish most of my cash on and it gets the choicest upgrades)
i reckon built right it is light enough for xc/marathon but still strong enough for some much more technical stuff.

mine weighs in at 27lbs and with some new wheels and tyres i reckon i could have it down to 25.

Anonymous · July 2007

by the way, echo, that is a v rare looking colour, was it a test bike at some point in it's life?

a1brammer · July 2007

I'l vote for the Stumpy FSR, rode an FSR expert for the Clic24 this year, not an ideal bike for a 24 hr. But the brain for the rear shock is amazing, killing nearly all peddle bob. the forks on the expert are really good aswell, with a really quick dial to change travel. with the performance of the rear shock and the ability to drop the forks to 100 or unwind them to 140. its a sweet bike for most situations.
Oh and the mud clearance is pretty gd aswell, if anyone went to the Clic they'l know that it was pretty horrendous, the only problems i had with the bike over the 24 hrs where that i was just destroying brake pads

mike_j_smith · July 2007

Hi,

I was in a Specialised Concept store on the weekend and the guy in there said that the 08 models are due out in August and that the stumpjumper fsr is going to be totally redisigned to have the same suspension design as the enduro range.

Just food for thought in case you fancy a FSR, which I do & I like the red & black! They should go down in price soon too.

themightytp · July 2007

Im really gratefull for your replies - please keep the comments coming. Especially on the brain as i am hearing mixed views on its performance. I know full sus bikes are not magic but am starting to feel that a hardtail would be more of a fun ride as the FSR i borrowed seemed to glide over everything. Can they be too forgiving?

The Spiderman · July 2007

MarvintheAndroid wrote:

Just to confuse matters there is also the Specialized FSR, which is similar to to the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR. Not sure what the difference is though.

For my type of riding it would be the Epic any day.

Marv.

FSR is cheaper and 4" travel compared to the 5" travel of the Stumpjumper.Some ovelap in the two ranges though.You can get get a better specced high end FSR for the same price as a cheaper Stumpjumper.

The Spiderman · July 2007

bryanm wrote:

Why choose the Stumpy HT Expert over the slightly cheaper Comp? Just wondering as I'm testing both tomorrow.....

Differences seem fairly small too me.The comp has a slightly downgraded spec,but all the important bits like the wheels and fork are the same.
Not sure,Avid Juicy 5s are going to be much worse than 7s,like wise the slightly downspecced shift levers.
Truvativ Stylo chainset not far off an XT one,other than being a Truvativ ,the bearings will probably be shortlived.

pikeymc · July 2007

Guess it depends how flat / rough / rocky / jumpy your riding is.

I have a large 07 stumpy fsr elite, haggled down the LBS to £1600. The bike has the adjustable front forks which I generaly use at 100mm climbing / 120 general / 140 rocky or very fast downhill, all at the flick of a lever on the top of the left fork leg. The bike also has the enlarged juicy 7 brakes with adjustable bite points which are fantastic. I find that the tyres loose traction long before the brakes show any sign of fading.

I ride alot around the chalky / clay Yorkshire Wolds (bit like the South Downs / Chilters / Ridgeway) and you could argue that I dont need all that travel. However I've also ridden the Dalby red route a few times and it was spot on. Not a problem on the cimbs and I could just launch it down the steeper downhill runs that you come across on the red.

Last week I did the red / black combination at Kirroughtree in just over 3 hours and I used every mm of travel front and rear, yet was still comfortable / fast enough on the climbs.

All in all the perfect bike for a 15 stone Yorkshire Pudding who enjoys bastard climbs nearly as much as the screaming descents on the other side.

Hope this is all of some use

Specialized Bikes - Which one?

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