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See Our Best Short Travel Mountain Bike Review 2021 Article HERE!

The brand new Stumpjumper is a thing of beauty. Available in 2021, Specialized has said that this is the ultimate do-anything trail bike, and they don’t seem to be wrong. As another large company, they are able to make and offer a few frame options, but you can tune them appropriately to ride the same. So, do not think you’re missing out too much when you can’t afford the $9000 wireless version and are shredding on an alloy frame. Specialized has worked to create a similar riding feel across all of their frames for the new and improved Stumpy, and it shows.

The Bike

A quick note is that the Stumpjumper ST and the Stumpjumper EVO are very different. The EVO comes with completely different geo and longer travel. So just be aware of the differences when looking at the Stumpjumpers, as this article will look solely at the Stumpjumper shorter travel version.

The rear suspension has been completely redesigned for the 2021 season by getting rid of the Horst Link pivot on the rear stays and changing to a flex stay. Essentially, this removes the pivot and saves 55g of weight. Specialized also looked throughout the frame and removed any non-supportive carbon. That means that if it didn’t add support or stiffness it added weight, and it was removed. So the new Stumpy is 100g lighter than the last version.

Specialized has included a flip-chip to slightly adjust the geo, and the bike will arrive in the low position. We kept it in the low position. There was no real need to mess around with the dialed geo that Specialized went through 130 prototypes to find.

Climbing

Downhill

Specialized Stumpjumper comes with Jumper in the name, so, I mean, what else can you ask for? The 130mm of travel in the rear helps to reduce how much of the trail underneath that you will feel, but it won’t soak up everything. It is lighter as well, and the weight is noticeable when firing downhill.

Using Specialized’s app to dial in the suspension on the forks will help to personalize the feedback while you shred as well. The slack head tube angle and a shorter offset fork all add together to keep the bike more stable while you’re riding. It’s a Stumpjumper. Sure, it’s full of new tech, but it is a purebred trail bike that can pretty much do it all. The Fox Float 34 fork provides 140mm of travel, which is a nice pairing with the 130mm of the rear. It’s silky on the descents and makes up for the slightly smaller tires.

Build Options

Specialized is thinning out their build options in the new 2021 class of Stumpjumpers. Now, they are only offering 6 build-outs: 4 carbon and 2 alloy frames, but there is still a bike for everything. There are also two frame only options for those itching to kit it out themselves. Something to note is that if you are looking for the SWAT downtube storage, the storage is only available on carbon models of the bike.

The top of the line version the S-Works Stumpjumper comes with every bell and whistle Specialized could find. With a wireless drivetrain and dropper post to SRAM G2 Ultimate brakes, this is a stunning bike. So nice you might not even want to take it out in the rain, and where’s the fun in that? It will only cost you $9,500, which compared to other wireless drivetrain bikes is about $1,500 cheaper.

The Bottom Line

The Stumpjumper has been a staple in the mountain biking world for forty years. This year’s addition to that storied history may be one of the best yet. The new rear suspension is steady throughout the descent but keeps all of the efficiency in the pedals while climbing. The new and improved geo also creates a steady pedaling platform but can be aggressive enough for the downs.

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