Specialized Stumpjumper EVO

If you feel at home on downhills and you’re familiar with Specialized’s nomenclature the EVO name will make your palms sweat. That’s because Specialized traditionally uses the three-letter-suffix to describe the extra portion of riding fun. The last Stumpy line-up didn’t include any EVO models but the wait was worth it! With the new EVO Specialized created a true shocker. For now, it will only be available in one spec with an aluminium frame, but a carbon-model will follow at some point.

With its radical geometry the Stumpjumper EVO doesn’t simply close the gap to the Enduro niche but rather represents an entirely new alternative to the popular model range.

Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Specifications

The Stumpjumper EVO gets its own frame but when you look at the spec the differences with the normal Stumpy are still relatively small. Like the normal Stumpjumper, the EVO comes with 150 mm travel at the front and 140 mm at the back – managed by a stiff FOX 36 FLOAT Rhythm fork and a DPX2 performance shock. Grippy 2.6″ Butcher GRID tires deliver outstanding grip and the powerful SRAM Code R brakes with 200 mm rotors rear and front deliver a solid braking performance. But the EVO still has an ace up its sleeve: its geometry.

Fork FOX FLOAT 36 Rhythm 150 mm
Shock FOX FLOAT DPX2 Performance 140 mm
Brakes SRAM Code R 200/200 mm
Drivetrain tba
Seatpost X-Fusion Manic
Stem Specialized Trail 45 mm
Handlebars Specialized 6061 Alloy 800 mm
Rims Roval Traverse
Hubs Specialized
Tires Specialized Butcher GRID 2,6”

Specialized Stumpjumper EVO 29 Geometry

Size S2 S3
Seat tube 400 mm 450 mm
Top tube 599 mm 635 mm
Head tube 100 mm 105 mm
Head angle 63,5° 63,5°
Seat angle 76,0° 75,6°
Chainstay 443 mm 443 mm
BB drop 47 mm 47 mm
Wheelbase 1.220 mm 1.252 mm
Reach 445 mm 475 mm
Stack 619 mm 623 mm

Instead of sticking to a conventional frame sizing the Stumpjumper EVO comes in two frame-lengths rather short seat tubes. So far we’ve only seen this sort of sizing on DH bikes. The long dropper-post allows you to choose a bike that suits your needs and purpose regardless of the seat tube length. The Stumpjumper EVO comes with a radically-slack head angle of 63.5° which is just as slack as Specialized’s Demo DH-rig. There are certainly more radical geometries on the market but you wouldn’t expect a Specialized Stumpjumper to feature such an extreme head-angle. The longer S3 geometry has a generous 475 mm reach and a 1,252 mm wheelbase. At 75.6° the seat angle is pleasantly steep.

Riding the Specialized Stumpjumper EVO

If you change from the standard Stumpjumper to the EVO it will only take you a few metres to realise that you’re dealing with a totally different machine. The EVO feels a little sleepy on climbs and the heavy components and slack geometry require stronger legs – but it will still get you to the top. As soon as you turn its nose downhill the EVO is in its element. However, you’ll need a good amount of speed and decent gradients to really get going. On steep and rough terrain the bike rewards you with an extremely smooth ride but feels a little dead on flatter trails.

The Stumpjumper EVO is one of the most capable trail bikes on the market and yet it’s not a bike for everyone.

The rear end is tuned even more progressive than the normal Stumpy and despite having the same amount of travel it offers more reserves at high speed and with big hits. The cheap FOX 36 FLOAT Rhythm doesn’t quite match the excellent response of the rear-end but still delivers a solid performance. Unfortunately, we only had the opportunity to ride the EVO for a short time but the first impressions were very promising and we are looking forward to putting it through a more thorough test.