Specialized Press Camp Report #3: Stumpjumper FSR 29″er
July 20th, 2010 by Guitar TedEditor’s Note: Grannygear is back home now, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with reporting on what he saw at the Specialized’s Press camp recently in Colorado. Here is his next update which covers the Stumpjumper Expert FSR bike. (Grannygear calls it the “Comp” model in the video below due to the fact that Specialized stickered the demo bike incorrectly.)
Stumpjumper FSR Report: by Grannygear
I got a brief taste of the 2010 FSR Stumpjumper 29er earlier this year [See that post here.] and now, here I am, again with a brief sampling, but this time on a 2011 version and in a better place to test it, that being the trails here in Keystone.
There are a few changes from last year’s model. Now there are two versions, the Expert at $3800.00 and the Comp at $2600.00. Both have the travel bumped up a bit to 130mm front and rear with a Reba 140mm fork reduced to 130mm.
RockShox Reba RLT 29 for Specialized, air spring, alloy tapered steerer, 45mm offset, compression and rebound adj., LO w/external floodgate adj., 20mm Maxle SL, 130mm of travel
The Expert model also comes stock with the Command Post seat post which is very appropriate for this bike. The Comp model has the Command Post cable routing in place should you want to add one.
The Expert has the Brain rear shock and the Comp has the Fox Triad II with lock-out, both providing 130mm of travel.
New for the FSRs is a 36 spoke rear wheel on a custom DT Swiss 520SL, 29” alloy disc, 26mm wide rim. No 142mm for either bike, but the RWS rear QR and the 20mm front thru axle are in place.
The double cranks go down to a 22/33, carbon S2200 on the Expert, alloy on the Comp, with a outer ring that is more of a shift guard than a true bash guard.
There is a frame available at the Expert level.
So, how did it ride? Well, coming off of the taught and quicker handling Epic, the FSR felt like a big bike, but that feeling went away after awhile. At first I had the front end push a bit on the loose switchbacks with the Purgatory tires, but a bit of weight shift and that was that. The 69.5” HT angle and the 130mm of travel felt pretty good in the roots and rock drops and I kept thinking to myself, “Huh, I could have gone a lot faster there.”
The Brain rear shock on the Expert is a nice touch and it meets my desires of a tighter pedaling bike. It feels much more ‘open’ then the Epic’s version. Is having the Brain a big deal on this bike, like it is on the Epic? Well, maybe not. For the intentions of the FSR, I can see living with the bike as a Pro Pedal set-up without the Brain. In fact, some buyers may prefer it.
What I could not do without is the Command Post on the Expert version (the Comp has the cable routing in place so it can be added cleanly as an upgrade). I have two of these at home that I and others have been evaluating but I had not fallen in love…yet. However, the nature of the FSR and the difficulty of the trails at Keystone stepped up my requirements for that saddle to get out of my way. On this day, I was lovin’ the Command Post and it worked flawlessly.
My overall impression of the bike? Well, if I had to put a word to it, it would be ‘playful’. It was the most fun bike to ride down the mountain. The short rear stays keep the bike nimble enough, but the extra travel and the slacker angle in front allowed you to pre-load the suspension and toss the bike up here and there, lifting off of rises in the trail and hitting berms like NASCAR. I am no world class hucker, so I cannot speak to bigger drops, etc. But if I was not that concerned about being the first to the top and I wanted to pin the needle on MAX FUN, the FSR would be it. This is the bike I would take to Moab for rides like Burro Down. This thing would rock on Porcupine Rim.
Editor’s Note: Here is a short video Grannygear put together on the Stumpjumper FSR 29″er. Remember, Twenty Nine Inches has more videos on our You Tube Channel to see as well.
Look for our other Press Camp Reports here at this link.
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A plus for offering a 36 spoke wheel. Not those beaten 32 only. Minus for not offering a rear maxle 12×150 as an OPTION. Who is against options and making decisions for everyone, huh?
Minus for not offering a carbon S-works just like their 26er. Too bad.
Thanks guys for being on the spot this year with info about the ‘11 Specialized lineup. I would have sprung for a ‘10 edition of this bike if one had been available, but this year’s edition looks even better. LBS has one on order for me now
@redtabby
Cool deal! This is a bike that I do not have a daily use for, but I sure would have one in the quiver if I had the coin to do that. I like the fact that the fork is up in travel this year and the Command Post is icing on the cake.
grannygear
Nice work GG!
Riding dynamics wise, your comments seem to be quite in line with your impressions of the 2010 model. Obviously, the Command Post and another 10mm of front travel are a plus. It would be interesting to know how the Reba fork worked compared to last year’s Fox. Also, is the 2X10 setup smooth and precise?
Mal Adjusted
@Malibu
Well, I would be kidding to say that I got enough time on either bike to get all finicky with the fork comparison. Basically the fork just did it’s job and sucked up anything I pointed it at. I did like the 20mm Maxle. I do believe I could feel that. Nice.
The 2×10 was excellent.
grannygear
what size was this? do you know the weight of it? Weight of the comp? Looks like a winner for those of us who go up for the down.
It looks like a Large in the photo. IIRC, the 2010 Expert ran around 30#. The Comp might be only a few grams/ounces more.
@all
It is an XL. I was given a 28lb +/- number for the size medium.
grannygear
I like the thru axle and the 142 idea, but I think the X frame design makes the bike look like a science project, and I think the Command Post is a gimmick. Reminds me of the Height Rite, and the ill fated RockShox seatpost.
Actually Skidder, I think it looks more like a Y than an X. Now the XXL frame, that’s a science project!
@skidder
Well, I was a skeptic about the seatpost and, in fact, I had it on the Epic at home and took it off. I RARELY drop my saddle unless the trail is pretty gnarly. I do plan on trying it some more.
But…it is no gimmick in what it does do for you when you ride it. Being able to drop it into the middle setting does dramatic things for your ability to move around on the bike, get behind the saddle, and then get BACK over it again. It does take some getting used to as it changes the balance point of having that saddle between the legs where it normally is. In fact, if the saddle is ALL the way down, I can hardly even ride well, it feels so weird to me.
What you find that happens is that it changes the way you CAN ride the bike in a unique way. It allows cornering with a lower CG and you can treat the bike more like a BMX ride than usual. It is different.
It is also kinda heavy compared to a normal high quality post and I have had issues with the seatpost head slipping and the saddle pointing up to the sky.
It is light years ahead of a Hite Rite (sp?), something I have in a box in the garage, and is a solidly made piece of gear…no wiggles, no wobbles.
Not a gimmick, rather a tool. You just need to decide if you need the tool or not.
grannygear
Grannygear- very helpful review and video . . . thank you!
Could you please comment on the riding experience difference between the 2011 Stumpy FSR 29er Expert vs Comp? Does the Brain on the Expert create a noticeably better or different riding experience over the Comp’s Triad? With a $1200 difference (about 1/3 more . . . I believe the difference betwen the two models was only $800 last year), this is a fairly substantial cost difference. Whichmodel would you choose?
Thank you!
I bought a 2010 Expert in December and have ridden it for nearly 8 months now and have loved it. I have averaged a couple 45 minute/8 mile/800ft elev gain rides at lunch (Laguna or Aliso) during the week and a 1-3 hour ride each weekend for most of that time. I live in Orange County, CA, and was upgrading from a Gary Fisher Tassajara hard tail ($600 vs $2,700 is a big upgrade…). I turned 40 a couple of weeks ago and felt like I couldn’t take the beating from my hardtail any longer… I’m 6′1″ and almost 200 lbs. The bike has been amazing–a solid piece of work. No problems shifting, the brakes are incredible, nothing has given me trouble at all; it hasn’t even really even needed a tune up. I took it into the LBS for 3-4 free inspections, but I just told them it was doing fine. I bought the command post as an upgrade as I had an OTB experience before buying this bike and it took me a while to get over the fear of doing that again. I have never loved riding on the dirt than I do now. The first bike I tried was an Ellsworth Evolve; wonderful bike, but I couldn’t justify paying 2X what I paid for this bike and I don’t feel like I sacrificed anything, except for not buying an American made bike. The command post helps me on REALLY steep climbs as well as steep/technical descents–I put it down in the middle position and it lowers my center of gravity and it helps me balance better on the climbs as well as getting the saddle out of the way on the descents. There are lots of great bikes out there, but for what it’s worth I have no regrets and am so glad I bought this bike. I thought for sure I would go with an Epic, as I wasn’t riding any technical trails when I bought the bike, but I didn’t like the feel of the Epic–which surprised me as I demo’d one years before and loved it; I stopped short buying at that time just because of the sticker shock. I read some people find the bottom bracket too low; I’m a newish rider but I’ve only had a couple minor strikes while out riding during the last 8 months, it hasn’t seemed to be an issue for me.
@Odyssey3 : One reason there is a bigger price difference for ‘11 than for ‘10 is the $300 Command post on the Expert, last year they both had a alloy post. Besides the Command post and the Brain the Expert has nicer wheels: butted spokes and better hubs.
I haven’t ridden the ’11s but I own a ‘10 Expert with Brain and before that I had a 100 ‘09 with Triad and before that a 140 Prophet with Swinger 3 with SPV.
The Brain is nice in that it is VERY adjustable, from very firm to completely open with the turn of a dial by the rear hub. I think it is the best option for people who like to have a fairly firm ride, because you don’t loose as much small bump compliance as with Propedal and SPV etc on a firm setting. If you like to run your suspension softer you might not notice as much benefit.
If you are below 140 or above 180 the Brain is much better than the Triad, because the Triad has a set level of Propedal it will feel firmer for a light rider and softer for a heavy one. The Brain let’s you dial the level of platform with a wide range.
RE: Command Post
I have ridden an adjustable post for several years now and will not do without it again. I would give up rear suspension before a post.
The obvious benefit is on steep ground, I would say even more so on a racier bike because you are so far forward to begin with.
The thing that many people(GG included) don’t seem to notice is the benefit of the 1.5″ drop: on quick sinuous trail, it let’s you lean the bike that much further for more aggressive cornering.
Try it on a road or trail near you: ride quick S turns with the seat at full roadie height and then at 1.5″ or so down.
With the seat up you either can’t lean the bike as far (and 29ers need to lean further to corner the same), or you have to move your legs forward to an awkward position.
Look at road racing motorcycles: they never jump or descend yet their seats are super low.
Here in Minnesota I use the cornering ability much more than the clearance for super steep stuff, and it is why I will always have one, no matter what and where I ride.