FIRST RIDES
SPECIALIZED STUMPJUMPER EVO ELITE ALLOY
£4,750 Competitively-priced trail smasher that still pulls its weight
It’s no secret that Specialized sell some very expensive bikes, so it’s good to see them launching a well-specced alloy version of the Stumpjumper EVO for those who can’t stretch to carbon fibre. This burlier version of their Stumpy trail bike ticks a lot of boxes for typical UK riding, too, with its rowdy geometry, plentiful travel and top-tier fork and shock. Does it live up to its potential?
THE FRAME
Constructed from Specialized’s ‘M5’ aluminium, the frame sports the same features as its carbon sibling. These include the asymmetric ‘Sidearm’ strut between top tube and seat tube, 150mm of Horst-link rear suspension travel, an adjustable head angle (thanks to swappable headset cups), a ‘SWAT’ frame storage box, internal cable routing and a chainstay flip-chip.
Twelve possible geometry configurations are available, courtesy of the headset, flip-chip and an alternative suspension link for those wanting to run a 650b rear wheel – enough to keep a wide range of trail riders happy. We tested the frame in the middle head angle position with the stock 29in wheels.
There are six sizes, from S1 to S6. Specialized’s ‘S-sizing’ system keeps seat tubes short, so riders can choose a bike based on reach and stability preferences. In the ‘high’ flip-chip setting, our S3 size has a slack 64.5-degree head angle,
