should I get the 2010 Expert Stumpy.. or the Elite. Or Wait.

[Particle]

I have a feeling that once I taste custom build Yeti/Ibis it will be like riding DPS/Lhasa. You mortgage your tent, sell the kids into slavery and only appear in public to salvage bottlecaps from garbage bins. But oh .. you've got the sweetest ride. ;p

Yeah... not. I've owned and ridden a lot of custom/boutique brands (including Foes, Yeti and Intense) and loved them all in their own ways, but I keep coming back to Specialized bikes. They just ride so - damn - good. The quality is probably better than most boutique bikes and the ride... well, the ride just rules. My next bike will either be a Stumpy Evo or some variant of the carbon Enduro.

[khyber.pass]

@JJ -- I dig SRAM, but prefer Shimano shifters. I like push/pull when I want it, and I find with my hands (and recent fractured ulna) that SRAM paddles aggravate my wrist & are awkward with my thumb. A lot of riders I know shave down the large alu paddle (!!).

Another vote for the Evo ..

[gravitylover]

I rode both the Stumpy and Enduro Evo last week. I want them both. Wait for them.

[khyber.pass]

Do you know what would be nice? Evo hookup.

C'mon maggots. ;p

[JeffreyJim]

Yeah... not. I've owned and ridden a lot of custom/boutique brands (including Foes, Yeti and Intense) and loved them all in their own ways, but I keep coming back to Specialized bikes. They just ride so - damn - good. The quality is probably better than most boutique bikes and the ride... well, the ride just rules. My next bike will either be a Stumpy Evo or some variant of the carbon Enduro.

Quoted for truth. And I am NOT a big fan of the company...but their product is top notch...

If Specialized were a car company, I feel it'd be BMW. Well engineered, mass produced, solid. Maybe not the sexiest of product (debatable) but well put together.

[shirk]

Buy that used RZ140 and knock the fork up to 150mm (simple spacer to move)

Ditch the Hammerschmitd if you are concerned about weight and ride.

[robnow]

KP, that Cannondale is a good deal, saw the exact same one in the local shop today going for $4200. Pushing your budget again slightly, they had a '10 Banshee Spitfire(Medium only) built up with X0, Noir carbon cranks, Raceface carbon handlebar/seatpost, Crank Brothers Cobalt?? wheelset, $2000 off going for $4000, floor model also so a couple tiny scratches in the TT. And asked about shipping, they shipped a bike to ONT for $50.

[khyber.pass]

+ ya, that's 3700 all included for the Expert, 3200 for the Elite. As in with taxes. I know the wholesale + duty cost on these bikes, the Expert is a solid deal in this respect (not employee, but solid).

Ya, the Spitfire build looks like the Gucci:

http://www.bansheebikes.com/spitfire.html

A lot of components there are shared w/ the Expert, though notched right up to the carbon wonder of X0.

Taxes in AB?

4k for a bike w/scratches though. Geesh! Whomever did that ought to have an eyeball gouged.

[bennymac]

FWIW I picked up a 2010 Stumpy Expert from Corsa and have nothing but good things to say about it. I havent rode a ton of different bikes in my lifetime so take that with a grain of salt.

For the past 5 years I've been on a Rocky Team Element with the pro-pedal switch being right underneath the toptube - ie super easy to reach- so I flipped it back and forth a lot. This was one concern I had adding in a bike with a brain to the mix - the lack of on the fly adjustment.

But after 2 adjustments to the brain to get a feel for its parameters its been in the same setting for dozens of rides without me ever feeling the need to change it. And I'm climbing even better on this bike than my locked out Element...which doesnt make sense.

And I paid $4100+tax.

[khyber.pass]

Bennymac, nice to hear a good word on the Brain. The sales reps tell me so-and-so here in Whistler rides it, and loves it, but y'know ..

What kind of trails you ride, Bennymac?

Here in Whister, it is rough, rooty, and rocky ALL THE TIME.

[shirk]

Hmm lets see 3800 plus HST for a new Stumpy = $4256

The slightly used Cannondale = $2050 + maybe $75 shipping = $2125

Hello $2131 saved to put towards a bike road trip and ski gear.

[khyber.pass]

shirk, Stumpy is 3700 *including* taxes

But ya, I hear you. Thing is, I've never ridden a Cannondale, nor that model. I wouldn't want to get stuck with something I don't know/possibly don't dig.

You ride Cannondale?

[SB]

go stumpy or go home

[Dhelihiker]

OMG come to pappa

[bennymac]

Kp, I live in Vancouver so tend to ride in the sea-to-sky area as much as possible. That being said all my Whistler riding this year has been on my Element so I cant speak about specific trails. Looking forward to taking it down the rocks under the powerlines on Killme cause I usually end up walking that with my 3-4 inches of travel and small balls.

Took the stumpy on the plunge and it was the perfect instrument for that trail. Capable enough to ride everything clean and fast but still challenging enough to make you use skills rather than suspension to ride the terrain.

On the sunshine coast I went mach 4 on mach chicken which was fun but I pretty much have those trails dialed on my element so the stumpy didnt change things considerably.

At SFU Nicole's is now just a fun fast ride rather than a dice roll on where and when I'll be over the bars in the bushes.

What amazes me still is how capable it is on climbs. On my other bike (around 25lbs) I usually have the rear shock close to locked out and do all my climbing seated. On the stumpy I find I naturally climb almost out of my seat and the thing just scampers up the steepest stuff, even it its rooty or loose. And it's likely 5 pounds heavier (havent bothered to weigh it).

Of course there are lots of worthy bikes out there for you to spend your money on. But like you said sometimes you have to narrow it down or else you'll go crazy with the options and never pull the trigger.

also, the subtle all flat black paint job, although its been done before, is still pretty bad ass (and a nice change from my "captain canada" element)

[stuckathuntermtn]

I really recommend trying the Mojo out. Some people have a scare of carbon, I really don't think its an issue at all, especially from Ibis. Their reputation for carbon building is at the top. I picked up the HD, but thats a step up in price.

I believe here in Canada, a Mojo with SLX build, you can check out their site for full specs, comes in under $4000, maybe ~$3800, really good prices IMO for what it is. Unfortunately I guess HST comes into play now, really too bad because it probably changes a lot of decisions for buying.

Oh, I realize the Stumpy would come with a better parts spec for the price, but really SLX would be totally sufficient, and the Ibis frame is in a whole different league.

I demo'd a carbon Trek, it was pretty cool I guess. I was already tired and riding a different trail than the last bike, so I have no idea how fast it really was. I still wonder about what happens after 5 years of throwing rocks into the down tube.

wheels with carbon rims

Now that is fucking stupid.

[LeeLau]

You are overthinking this. Just get a cheap bike. Which helps acquire skills. but throw that piece of shit Coilair away.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Ok, is it just me, or does that pick of the StumpJumper 29er at the top have a brain shock right above the paragraph about getting rid of the brain shock? Did they just put a bashring on a 2010 for that photo?

EDIT: sorry, I read it wrong. But the new SJ hardtail is now ONE HUNDRED GRAMS LIGHTER!!!
I bet if I take the padding out of my spandex, I'd save another 20.

Get a bike with gears, and some mtn bike shorts, fag.

[khyber.pass]

You are overthinking this. Just get a cheap bike. Which helps acquire skills. but throw that piece of shit Coilair away.

What? I was hoping to sell it to you!

[Art Shirk]

I know nothing about any of this shit!!! PM for details!!!

[Cheesestoff]

If you want to follow Lee's advice, and your not convinced you need to spend ridiculous amounts of $$.

Different Bikes in Vancouver still has 09 Norco LT2s for $1900. I ride mine everywhere from Chilcotin epics to gap jumps on vedder to technical gnar like Gargamel. Would even consider a rare trip to the bike park. Not the lightest or most gucci, but at 34lbs its a pretty good do it all bike, and if I crash it I'm not crying. The stock fork is crap, mine blew up. Marz hooked me up with an upgrade the same day I took it in.

Of course if you are looking for a toonie race winner, it isn't it. But damn good value for a new bike under warranty.

[LeeLau]

Yes - I wasn't actually kidding.

The Coilair and the Magic Link is pure garbage.

This thread is gear masturbation so bad my keyboard is stuck. That's all very fine and well but you need a decent bike - not something to put in your living room. Unless of course you have lots of dollars to blow.

There are tons of deals out there - completely showroom new bikes that dealers are unloading at whatever price they can get

[frorider]

Let me rephrase something...

I think the Evo is on the same (or better) level than the ASR-5 or Mojo. The current Stumpy w/brain is a step down from the other two (IMO).

The brain sucks for one reason. You need to hit one bump before it fully opens up. This lack of consistency could really screw a rider up. If you are looking for maximum efficiency, it might be a worthwhile deal...but for 95% of the trail riders, shock technology and suspension design (yes, including FSR) is good enough that this is totally worthless and more of a hindrance than a helper.

And don't be scared of SRAM stuff!!! XT/XTR stuff is rad but I wouldn't say I care either direction at this point. The X9 stuff is good. So is the XT stuff. You'll be fine on either. (or XO/XTR) It all rocks. You'll adapt

re: the brain...although i've ridden brain equipped bikes before, i've never owned one, so i've picked the brains (no pun intended) of owners i've met on the trail etc. it does seem like the xc crowd likes the technology but the pedal-up-so-i-can-rip-the-descent crowd, not so much.

dw link and maestro and vp2 all seem to pedal quite well without making recourse to in-shock aggressive low-speed compression damping.

the evo overlaps my quiver but i wouldn't complain if an evo was given to me. it does seem like a good example of specialized understanding, and addressing, what customers are asking for.

[bennymac]

gear masturbation is the second best kind

[skinnyskier]

Yes - I wasn't actually kidding.

The Coilair and the Magic Link is pure garbage.

This thread is gear masturbation so bad my keyboard is stuck. That's all very fine and well but you need a decent bike - not something to put in your living room. Unless of course you have lots of dollars to blow.

There are tons of deals out there - completely showroom new bikes that dealers are unloading at whatever price they can get

Come on, Lee. It's like your second job to encourage this kind of thing via gear reviews. You who own a Knolly... What's wrong with gear masturbation anyway?