SPECIALIZED STUMPJUMPER EVO ELITE ALLOY

£4,750 Competitively-priced trail smasher that still pulls its weight

SPEC

Frame ‘M5’ aluminium alloy, 150mm travel

Fork Fox 36 Factory, 160mm travel

Shock Fox Float X Factory

Drivetrain SRAM GX Eagle (1x12)

Wheelset Roval Traverse 29 Alloy rims on Roval (f) and DT Swiss 370 (r) hubs, Specialized Butcher GRID TRAIL GRIPTON T9 (f) and Specialized Eliminator GRID TRAIL GRIPTON T7 (r) 29x2.3in tyres

Brakes SRAM Code RS, 200mm rotors

Bar/stem Specialized, 800mm/ Deity Copperhead, 50mm

Seatpost/saddle OneUp V2/Specialized Bridge Comp

Weight 15.21kg, size S3 without pedals

STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX & ONTO THE TRAILS FIRST RIDES

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.