I am waiting for a 2022, my third stumpjumper so far. Honestly the best review I seen on the EVO and I watched all of them. Liked the fact you compared it with the normal stump 2020 (I have an expert). It is very hard for an average Joe to demo 2 kinds of brand new bikes with perfect sizes. All the reviews are about the normal stump 2021 vs the evo 2021. It is way more meaningful for us the give older bikes examples…bikes we might have the chance to ride. 10/10 on this one!!!
I was anti specialized before buying my 21STEVO just because I always thought pedaled like crap and the geometry never felt right to me from when I've demo'd them in the past, plus their frames were way too flexy. My buddy strongly recommended it to me and with the great price of the comp version and limited availability I took a chance and got one. Gotta say this bike blows me away and I've owned and ridden a ton of bikes. The way it corners and handles it feels closer to a ST 29er vs a long travel 29er that you have to man handle. You hit the nail on the head when you said it feels natural, I think it's from all their research into geometry and the perfect amount of flex. It doesn't feel like an overly poppy bike but I'm also sending it deeper than my past bikes which doesn't make sense. The flat out stability DH is really confidence inspiring and you still have a ton of control over the bike. The bike isn't going to win any climbing awards but in the middle shock setting and smooth pedaling it keeps up with majority of efficient bikes and is leaps and bounds better than their prior SJ's and enduro's. It's honestly the perfect long legged trail bike that can cover the widest range of riding.
I HATE YOU, you get all these awesome bikes😁 Man this is a badass bike, Thank you for doing this review my friend. I am seriously now considering getting this bike.
Nice review James. Sounds like a true workhorse of a bike. I have had an Ibis DW link bike and now I have a Horst link and I prefer the Horst link. It just feels like the rear end moves more freely than the DW link. Thanks for the excellent review.
So I can give a direct comparison vs the Ripmo. Ripmo pedals better and is the better climber, but is definitely a little more harsh on fast chunky sections as would be expected for a DW link bike. I feel like the Ripmo is the better trail bike and the Evo is the better park bike. My short list was between the Evo and the Ripmo, I went with the Ripmo because I was actually able to find one.
Today i put a deposit on a 22 evo expert for 4200 but i went it to buy the ripmo.. I ride in austin texas and the terrain is up and down lots of rock gardens and ledges. No very much flow here. I still might back out for the ripmo af. Hard decision!
Good review, I've owned a couple of stumpies and other brand high end bikes but my 21 EVO blows me away. The best all around bike I've ever ridden. It loves the chunk in Pinehills and is a blast at Highland...
Nice compare and contrast at the end. It would be good to get a video where you provide your compiled impressions of the 2021 bikes (or simply the latest generation, since they only change significantly every 3-4 years). Obviously, you can't get a half dozen bikes in a class to compare side-by-side a la Pinkbike, but a NE-centric review of the bikes you do get on over the course of a year or two would be great, whether it's Stumpy EVO-Hightower-Switchblade or Stumpy-Tallboy-Trail 429-Ripley-SB130. Get your hands on a SB150 and a Ripmo, and that would be a pretty complete overview of major brands with the Trance sitting somewhere in the middle.
This bike seems aimed at, among others, the Ibis Ripmo (147/160), which has won many awards and is generally considered to be one of the best in class climbers. I haven't seen any head to head comparisons yet. I had a Ripmo AF, sold it, and have ordered the StEvo. I'll be interested to compare them.
I haven’t ridden the new Ripmo, but I’m sure it climbs better than this Stumpy. I rode the old Ripmo and I use to own a Ripley, those bikes with the DW link are just so efficient. This Evo though does have better traction on tech stuff.
I own a RAF and demoed the Evo (exact same build too). The Ripmo is a MUCH better pedaling bike, the AF is hampered by being REALLY FREAKING HEAVY. The Ripmo is a bit more nimble as it is shorter. The Evo corners better, but it's close, the Evo has a nicer feel around corners though. Jumping wise both bikes are fairly poppy and I would say are about dead even in jumping prowess. Evo is definitely smoother on chunk, but you have to be careful how hard you put the power down as it blows through its travel in an instant when you try to sprint. The Ripmo barely uses any of its travel when you put the power down it's anti squat is nothing short of magic
Finally got the Stump Evo! Very surprised at how well it climbs! Much firmer than the Ripmo AF coil, which I had to switch to the firmest setting for climbing or else it just wallowed. The seat angle is so steep that I don't feel the need to stand up on steep punchy climbs, but even when I do it doesn't wallow. So far I haven't tried using the firm platform switch. And just to be sure, I checked and I am using all the travel.
@@jctrails Yes man great attention to details and longer overview having the bike! Much better than my first look one day Ride review haha 😂 looking back it would have been nice to try it on a few different Trail networks for a few weeks before coming to any actual conclusions 🥸
Great review. I’m loving mine. I haven’t even messed around with the geo yet. Do you find yourself messing with it a lot in the future based on where you are riding? Curious how much you weigh and how you set up the suspension? Any issues with rock strikes on tech tras at highland with the low bb.
Great videos JC 🤘I am looking for an everyday ride bike that can handle bike park and van uplifts a few times a year. I am between Pivot Switchblade 2021and Specialized Stumpjumper evo 2021. I saw that you have test both of them. Which one do you prefer and why? 🤔🤔
Nice bike and awesome trails on your stumpjumper review!!! So which bike is the better all rounder between the regular stumpjumper and the evo version? Do they climb nearly the same? That would make the decision more easy towards the evo version. Because this one will be way more robust and got serious bikepark capabilities... The regular one i don't know, how much speed it can handle without breaking the chain stays or something. But on the other hand i think that 120-140mm are enough for my home trails and 90% of riding. I like faster rolling over more grip. Its mire motivation for bigger miles i think. And how will it compare to an ibis ripley af with the dw link. Is dw link a so much better climber and efficiency? Can't decide, i broke my Canyon strive cf chainstays. So i search something really nice to pedal, also fun poppy fun on easy single trails but still pretty hard to beat up on rougher trails. In the mean time, i ripp with my specialized chisel hardtail, also pretty fast and fun bike. Hope it will be strong enough 🔥😂😬. So pretty hard to decide, and 2022er models need to be available first 😔
She Evo came out in 2010 or 2011. I have one. It's changed a lot since my 26" wheel version. Great job comparing the bike to others. That's the most helpful part. Have you tried Yeti SB150?
Great review man I just ordered the 2022! Are there any videos on adjusting the geometry? Or it comes with instructions? I can't seem to find instructions anywhere.
I love that bike. I prefer it to my 21 enduro, it’s a way better bike overall. The enduro of course has that plow factor that can’t be beat, but after spending a couple weeks on the evo I was ready to sell my enduro and snag one of these. At 220 lb my main issue is the dpx2, I’d swap it out for an x2 and most likely throw a reduced travel 38 on there as well to make it a bit more stable. In love with how the evo pedals and corners!
that was my take as well. I demoed both, the Enduro just wanted to plow and stay on the ground, the Evo felt like playtime on every roller and corners like it's on rails.
@@austinpierce6053 the evos snappiness is unmatched. It corners and changes direction quicker than the enduro in my opinion. It really depends on the course for whether the enduro or evo would be best suited for racing, certainly each one has its place. Many people overbike themselves and lose out on pedaling efficiency or snappiness because they think they need the biggest monster truck around. Often that’s just not true. Depending on the amount of pedaling on course as well as steepness and chunk should help you decide which bike to get. If you get too much bike when you don’t need it, you’re loosing out on precious seconds while racing, but sometimes that big bike is key.
Very good looking and capable bike! How does the Evo compare to the Switchblade? Also, were you to have one bike only for all kinds of trails, would that be the Stumpy or the Megatower? Sick bike anyways! Waiting for that new Bronson review!!! Keep up the good work!
The new Evo is a much more aggressive bike than the Switchblade. If I had to pick one it would be the Switchblade. My local trails don’t require that slack and low of geo. I would pick the stumpy over the Mega for a do it all bike. It’s way more versatile than the more enduro focused Mega.
Video idea! Cascade came out with a rear link for this bike to increase the rear travel and progression. Would love to see your take on it no one has a video reviewing it that I know of for the Evo.
You didnt get into the things you didnt like besides poor pedal efficiency. What about the inability to use a longer dropper in the S3? This evo is one of the best out there, Any other bike which is better than this one in your opinion?
Hello. I am new at this bike world. I didn’t decide what actually style I want to ride bike. The place where i live have some trails, but it’s wild mountains, no bike parks or other special places for mtb riding. I watched your review on specialized epic evo, and it was amazing, literary I wanted to buy that bike instantly, but after that I am still thinking that I want to have more fun with bike, maybe try to learn manual, bunny hops and other basic tricks. So is epic evo capable to do all that things? I do still have doubts that I can take stumpjumper for long ride like uphill. Waiting for your answer❤️
I wonder how this compares to the previous generation Enduro -- I had a 2018 Enduro (160/160) and sold it for a Ripmo AF coil. The RAF climbed a little better but not impress me as that much better a climber. They seemed close on the descents.
RAF is hampered by the fact that it is heavy AF. My RAF is 36lbs in size L, and it definitely wears you out on long climbs. It definitely pedals better than the Evo though. When I demoed the Evo I drove a pedal into the ground on a smooth, flat trail trying to do a standing sprint on it.
Did you buy the 60 dollar mullet link to do the conversion? May be better than getting the Evo LTD since now you are like getting two bikes, especially with better 27.5 rear hub of your choice. I am curious how two compares!
