A quick look around the all-new Specialized Stumpjumper

Specialized Stumpjumper 2016 a Mountain Biking video by jonesdirt

The Specialized Stumpjumper, iconic, enduring, faithful and always fast as hell. It has twice been our “trail bike of the year” and was one of the first bikes that really opened our eyes to what 29″ wheels can do. More grip, speed, poise, it has always been bike that raises a smile, or turn of the head to see how far behind your mates are.

For 2016 the bike gets a new look, not massive, but enough. Gone are the Evo or standard tags, for now all the bikes will be with the lower, slacker Stumpjumper Evo geometry. There have been changes in the angles though, most notably the shorter chainstays, down about twenty mil’ on previous Stumpjumper models, but it retains its low 35mm bottom bracket height. Both 650b and 29″ versions have been built from the ground up, no mixing and matching of frame sections any longer.

There’s some real attention to detail in the shock tunes for each model, a dose of strengthening here and there and its the SWAT system that is one of the smartest moves. The bottle cage holder simply flips up to access the internals of the downtube, and its in here that you can now store your pump, coat, tools, biscuits and bananas. You could alternatively take a small gun or fishing rod to get your food on the hoof. Inside the internal cabling has its own separate housing which means there is no mixing up and routing is now really easy. SWAT really enables you to ride light.

Other detail includes a much improved Command seat post with more adjustability, 30mm wide Traverse rims, wide bars and stems to suit each model size. The finish on the bike is fully slick and the low, smooth design is eye catching.

That’s it for now but we’ll be heading into the woods to get the muck flying. Be back with a full review soon.