Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Pro descending performance
The latest Stumpjumper 15 Pro reminded me in many ways of my time on the early Stumpjumper EVO from about a decade ago.
That’s not because the geometry, specs or travel are the same, but because the EVO felt like one of the most capable 29ers on the market at the time, especially considering the 135mm of travel it had at its disposal.
The Stumpjumper 15 has more travel, but in a world where we’re becoming accustomed to more and more spring on both ends, it was impressive how controlled and confident it felt, even on trails you’d normally only use for enduro bikes.
Riding over fast, twisty trails, I was immediately impressed with the new Stumpy’s smooth, nearly silent ride.
Specialized says they tried to emulate the feel of the long-travel Enduro as closely as possible through the first 100mm of the Stumpy’s travel, and I think they’ve largely achieved that goal.
It’s certainly supple and forgiving when wading through chatter and braking bumps, with only the Eliminator rear tire holding it back when I really want to push hard, thanks to the lighter casing. It needs more air to keep it from deforming too quickly.
On repeated rides over the same course, I’ve swapped out the volume spacers in the shock’s sleeve. These spacers change how the first 70 percent of the suspension travel feels.
Without spacers, the Stumpy felt plush and comfortable, but it lacked the support I was looking for when lifting the bike through corners.
With the full complement of four spacers, it feels more like the Stumpjumper of old. There’s more pep in its step and a much livelier ride, but I’d hit a set of roots or a series of braking bumps and soon find myself holding on tighter and missing the comfort of the previous lap.
What’s interesting here is that at both ends of the setup spectrum (no spacers vs. all four spacers) and without touching the spacer with the eyelet, I used the same amount of wiggle room.
After trying several variations, I went back to the standard setup for reference. I was pleased with the compromise, thanks to the ample support and impressive comfort.
I felt like I could still weight the bike down quite a bit and throw it around whenever I wanted, but I felt confident and in control as I headed into the unknown.
This became especially important on one of the later routes on the final day, which started with a series of blind jumps, heavy landings and compressions, before descending a long, steep and rough slope.
Despite only having 145mm of travel, I never felt like I was being thrown around or on the edge of control. Throw a grippier, beefier tire on the back and this thing will rip up pretty much any trail. It honestly feels that capable.
And let’s not forget that I ran it in the middle head angle position and highest bottom bracket setting, so in theory the handling could feel even more confident if you made a few simple changes.
Add to that how easy it is to adjust the new GENIE shock and it’s clear how adaptable the new Stumpjumper 15 is.
While I may have been hesitant about choosing Mavens when I first jumped on the new Stumpjumper, it turns out to be a good move after all, now that I know just how hard you can push this bike.
If Specialized had gone with a lighter, less powerful option, I would have had more to complain about on the longer descents. But in this case, I didn’t.
Well, apart from the tire choice. This is a trail bike and putting sticky, heavy tires on it isn’t going to do you any favors going uphill, but even upgrading the rear tire to something a little firmer wouldn’t really hold it back drastically, it would just broaden the capabilities of this bike and add even more confidence to the mix.