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Edited January 21, 2023
at 04:22 AM
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Several bikes from Specialized are on sale but the Stumpjumper Alloy is an especially solid deal. Modern geometry, very upgradeable down the road, and a pretty solid spec as is for this price.
The Status is probably the best deal of the bunch but it's a mullet setup (29" wheel in the front, 27.5" in the rear). Comes with Fox Suspension which will be much lighter and better performing than the entry level Rockshox/X fusion on the Stumpjumper. $2249 marked down from $3k:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/status-140/p/199765?color=320386-199765
I know I know, it's still a $2k+ bike and mountain bikes are way too expensive. BUT if you're in the market for a full suspension bike this is a killer deal.
https://www.specialized.com/us/en...391-199784
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With that said, if I knew then what I know now I would have jumped on this deal for the price. We're in a unique moment where the bike industry grew a ton during the pandemic, then overproduced, and now there are sales ramping up on great bikes because there are too many and the demand can't keep up.
There's some chance that good bikes get a little cheaper, but 25% is a pretty steep discount. Demand will also pick back up in Spring so now is a solid time to watch for deals. From my research, the stumpjumper is a very solid bike if you're looking for a full suspension, ride anything trail bike. Sure you can spend thousands more on a carbon frame, lighter everything, etc, etc but for someone who wants to get into biking or get back into it on a modern geo bike this is a great buy. Though it is on the heavy side for sure.
Most local bike shops are running the same discounts so I would definitely check there first if there's a specialized dealer near you.
On the Stumpy...
The Stumpjumper is the benchmark for mid-travel trail bikes. It does everything above average to great. It is not as sophisticated a platform as the DW Link on Ibis and Pivots and Evils, but it is really nit-picking here. Anyone that insists that "it has to be this or that" and nothing else, is the same as someone saying that "oh, if you don't have an engine with twin overhead cam-shafts, you cannot have fun or you are not a driver" or BS like that.
Yes, the Stumpy build in this config on sale is meh, but it is not atypical.
The Achilles hill with all of these, IMHO, are the deals with Sram: a Shimano Deore build would simply be much better, both in shifting and especially in the brake department. But Shimano doesn't make suspension components, and shimano doesn't make a HG hub based 12s Drivetrain (which marketing demands), so I bet that between the "cheaper than Fox DPS + 34 Rhythm or Bomber Z2", and the package deals Sram can provide for getting an all Sram (Rockshox = Sram) build, Specialized and others opt for that. Remember that Specialized is not a boutique brand like Ibis who de-facto sells all their bikes for $3500+ or w/e is the baseline for the Ripley AF and the Ripmo AF, not orders their base bikes in the hundreds, rather THOUSANDS, so the combined savings are substantial.
Again, Sram is not bad, the contrary, and all of the components can serve well and are an upgrade to anything you could find on a big-box store (other perhaps the Sram 11s NX on that unicorn Nishiki Colorado Comp+ that was selling for $400 back in 2019 (?), and I will argue every time that the 11s NX was superior to the Eagle NX, especially for its time). The Fork and Shock on this are fine. The vast majority of their buyers will not need more. It is like a 3-series BMW...all the forum warriors will think "nothing less than 6-cyl turbo or M3 can cut it, but 99% of the 3-series sold are probably 4-cyl or older undertuned 6-cyl NA and are more than enough. Actually, just like this bike, these cars will have more to offer than what the avg. driver/owner will ever need.
Yes, this Stumpy is not light and I'd bet will be 32-35lbs ready to ride, but nothing much lighter in this price range, unless you go for a XC focused hardtail and gradually upgrade the heavier parts as it makes sense. Specialized Chisel, Marin Team & BMC Two Stroke are really nice platforms to build from. Plus as soon as you get the Stumpy and if you start forum/reddit-warrioring on what to upgrade, most will jump straight into DH focused tires, like Maxxis Assegai & Minions etc, that are pigs to pedal around and super heavy to boot, so...moot.
If you are thinking into getting in MTB, this is not a bad bike. It is not a great deal, but this is indeed a good "do it all" starter. Other options to keep in mind in the same class would be the Polygon Siskiu T7 (or T8 if you want to stretch the budget), the Giant Trance 29 3 or Trance X for a bit longer travel. The Trance 29 (non X) is probably one of the more pedal-friendly FS designs you can find (and it is not DW link). For a bit more $, you can also look into an Alloy Rocky Mountain Element for more XC-ish trail, or RM Instinct for bit worse pedaling, bit better DH performance. Specialized doesn't make something much better than the Stumpy for pedalling before you jump to an Epic Evo, which ofc is much saltier in price. The Status is more of a cheap enduro bike, i.e. definately DH oriented and if you ride a lot, will be tiresome. If you are a weekend warrior, riding once a week or so for 10-15mi, it matters less. If you ride a lot of miles a week, getting the zippier, lighter bikes becomes more important (and you put down the miles/experience to tackle staff without the help of lots of suspension travel).
Finally, just to finish my morning rant, a significant portion of the people who can afford even the 2K bikes like this, are in their mid-30s or even 40s. and up. Unless you have a lot of experience in MX or were riding 10y ago MTBs etc, might get intimidated by "teh gnar", the jumps and the steep DH in blue and black rated trails, or at least I know this is the case in SoCal and other areas. So over-biking to "be ready" for when the "heroics" come into play, is too often the case. Too often I see people on mid/long travel Pivots or Specialized enduros etc, and they ride mellow blues that I know are easily rideable on a Chisel or even a well shorted gravel bike...they are people my age, that know that they have to go to work tomorrow and cannot afford the "heroics"...duhh...so don't go too far into the "not good enough" critiques. Get a bike that can grow with you, but be realistic and realize that maybe your ceiling is far lower than that of the bikes, so overspending on stuff you will never need will only be useful for flexing to your friends, not actual riding. This doesn't mean "go HT, no need for FS", FS is easier and more forgiving = safer for beginners to learn on, I strongly believe that, but little bit gan go a long way. You don't need the stupid-expensive bikes to enjoy cycling, just like you don't need a Porsche or a M3 to enjoy driving.
Cycling is amazing, decompressing on even easy fire roads is amazing, MTB can be risky as you see in YT but doesn't need to be and is a low-impact exercise vs. running etc. Much better for your joints if you don't have the muscle structure to support it or already have strained joints. Look into it.
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For a quick review on this bike: I have an older version of this Stumpjumper. Mine is at least 6 or 7 years old. I ride it on average 1-3 times per week. It's been solid. The only thing I've changed is one brake rotor, pads, the cassette on the rear and the chain a few times due to wear. Other than that just a once a year maintenance.
You can get a brand spanking new Yamaha R3 for $5500 which has 10x the mass of one of these mountain bikes and way more technology integrated
Why doesn't Honda, Kawasaki and all others mass produce bikes if it is "so easy" and cheap or the margins so high?
This is an old trope coming from people that don't understand machining tolerances, what is perceivable and acceptable on a machine that interfaces solely and directly with the rider that demands single digits % of total watt losses in the drivetrain, vs. interfering a vibrating monster between your legs that has like 50% drivetrain efficiency and rattles so hard you cannot feel the play in your steering or your braking or the slack in your tranny or your chain needing lube or your disc brakes rubbing...
Piece for piece, a shock, a fork etc that has the machining tolerances of these BOTTOM OF THE BARREL suspension components for this "stupid bicycle" that are like 40-50% of its MSRP, are same to top-shelf street aftermarket options for superbikes, and materials surely as if not more exotic. I.e. there is technology there, you just don't care to know about it.
As for the "racing" suspension components for "real" super-motos or MX racing bikes, that sell for 5+ figures for a fork alone? Yamaha doesn't manufacture those, just like none of the above "bike" factories do...they have the usual suspects, Fox, Öhlins (and many others tbh) that specialize in this and sell them for a hefty premium...same for the racing drivetrains and gearboxes etc, which lead to factory supported racing bikes being in the high six and for MotoGP 7-figures...and this is where you see tolerances and technologies used in "toy bicycles", come into play in Motos, not the cheap 4-fig bikes you go buy in the dealership. You can buy them, it is not some secret sauce, but it will cost you far, far more.
An R3, amazing as it is, is a mass produced street bike. Bit more special than a $200-400 Walmart bike is, but not much more. Even a vanilla Yamaha YZ450F, is almost 2x as expensive as a R3...wondered why? "It is less kg", 1/4 the cylinders, much smaller and weaker brakes, less tire, "less everything"...they don't even have all the "technology" for instruments and lights and certificates etc to be street legal, and still cost more? Is it just robbery or is there indeed something "more" engineered in there that you simply don't care for?
- Things are not sold by the kg/mass
- Good "pedal" bikes are hard to make, but good bike components even harder.
- Do some research before you "mic drop"
.P.T. Barnum wasn't wrong.
And I did not say ever that a bicycle is "superior analog" to a motorcycle, just that its components are REQUIRED to be of tighter tolerances, and thus are harder to mass-produce. This is the reason huge manufacturers that do produce "analogs" in many ways, don't. And yes, if a fork and a shock alone are $1000 or so on basic models, or $1500-2000 on more advanced models, the price of the "thing" gets higher. Woo-hoo, wiki quote me.
And you did quote me sentence by sentence, but conviniently not answer why for example the YZ is more expensive than the "more complex" R3 that revs to the sky (and ofc it is a masterful engineering piece in itself)
Is there marketing involved in setting up $ for toys that are aimed to enthousiasts? Ofc...lots of smoke is blown up there.
Yet it is also true that manufacturers involved in high grade bike components, have carved a niche that you cannot replicate at a fraction of what they charge - this is why you won't find anything that REMOTELY performs like the OP Stumpjumper in walmart for $500, heck, even $1000. It is not for the lack of trying.
You can get excellent frames for 1/3 what Specialized asks for their frame, but you will pay a close equivalent for the rest of the build-kit. So yes, "that fancy spring" and fancy gears and derailleurs command a high price.
I probably the same workout on my legs, and a much better workout on my upper body.
I hope you're not one of those man children that hates ebikes because it's not fair the riders didn't pay their dues.
Ebikes... Meh. Just build up stamina and you get 3x the workout in the same time. And the reason people don't like ebikes on our mtb trails is the nerds full torquing around the switchback climbs and ripping the trails up. More of a throttle VS assist issue, but my local trails have gotten quite ripped up since the arrival of the ebikes.
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Several bike manufacturers offering discounts. Looks like they all overshot demand thinking Covid demand would last forever.
Yeah, personally decided to hold out to see if we see steeper discounts, or FS ebike instead.
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