Specialized Stumpjumper vs. EVO | Mike vs. Mike

Short & steep geometry vs. long and slack. The Mikes battle it out once again to try and figure out which Stumpjumper reigns supreme.

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[harrisonclark]

Its hard to say but I definitely agree with mike here

[jctrails]

Both bikes are rad! Who cares how you ride and what trails you ride. Buy the bike that puts a smile on your face and keeps you pedaling!

[swpa]

I just realized last night that I’ve been riding my 19 evo s3 in the low position for the last three months since I bought it. I’ve never owned a bike with a flip chip, and wasn’t given a manual when I bought it. I even asked the salesman what position it was in and he said high. It’s not super obvious and it did actually look like the marks indicated the high setting. I thought the bike handled great and climbed well ect all along but it was a bit low, I live in Pennsylvania with (a lot) of climbing. I only really noticed when crossing logs ect or riding really tech climbing. After flipping the chip around it feels like a totally different bike, it handles much better and sits much higher ect. It climbs better and is all around much better for tight singletrack. The high setting addressed any little annoyance I had with it, and improved things I didn’t realize could be better. The terrain I ride in pa and wv is very similar to what they have in the northwest, and this bike definitely fits the bill when faced with steep rock drops or hills you can barley walk down all without being to much machine for regular trail duty. I don’t care much for plowing trough high speed rock gardens so have 150/140 is perfect for me, I’ve taken it off of some pretty big 6-8ft drops and it lands smoother than a house cat.

[thisisnotme]

I think it's just about your riding style - if you like to go fast, no matter on what trail and precisely catch the race lines - a more aggressive geometry is the way to go. But if you like to pop, jump, manual, jibb, flick, whip and just be creative on the bike and the feature - not saying 'the trail' - (or maybe you're just riding mellower stuff) nothing beats the feeling of a (reasonable) steep and short bike.
Most people seem to prefer the first version which influences the market. That makes it harder for people who like the second version better and many of these people ride bikes that are more aggressive than they'd need.
Therefore I think it's great to see brands like Cannondale provide a more 'fun' and flickable bike with their Habit.
Levy: You have my vote!

[TheAlexmynameis]

As a lanky (6' 4", with long arms and legs) I just love the new type of geometry. These bikes are the first bikes I've owned that actually fit me properly.

[livefreeandshred]

I took it one step further. I have owned both these bikes. Medium Carbon LT SJ with ohlins coil, 51mm 160mm lyrik and enves in low. Bought an S2 evo alloy frame and put the same components on it, I do run it in high . I like the evo better for sure. And I even think it climbs better than the standard bike because of the longer chainstays. I also dont believe that the evo is any less poppy because the linkage is (or feels) even more progressive than the standard stumpy. Furthermore the steeper seat tube compensates for the longer reach of the evo. It dosent feel crazy it doesn't do anything weird. I just feels like a better version of the standard bike. And I trail ride it locally in New England and frequent highland mountain bike park and pedal up. Rant over.

[masonrudolph]

I poured my cereal into a cup while i was watching this

[LiveAeons]

I think it all comes down on your definition of fun: if you like to goof around, pop off of things, choose lines at slower speeds with pin point accuracy, then get the shorter bike.
If your fun consists of plowing, feeling more stable and planted and not getting airborne that much, go with the longer bike.
In an ideal world, you could ride both styles of bikes on different trails with customizable geo (flip chip, rear drop outs, anglesets, etc)

[nathancutler]

@Pinkbike Can we get a 2021 version of this video?!?

[Monoman]

As Doddy says on GMBN, everyone these days has too much travel and too slack of a bike. People are over-biked and not having as much as fun they could be

[SpiritCrusher]

The EVO is what dreams are made of 😍😍😍

[alexthemtbr]

I agree with Levy. Or I’m somewhere in between the two. Most people’s bikes are way more aggressive than they could ever ride, that just means they aren’t getting the full experience.

It’s like a Miata vs a 911.
Miata you can run to its limit everyday

[The.JZA.]

Both bikes are awesome but it completely depends on what terrain you’re on and what type of rider you are. I own the Stumpjumper Comp Carbon 29 and I love it. It’s poppy, playful and has nimble handling. When I go on really steep terrain I feel like I could do with a slacker bike but most of the terrain I ride is single track or less intense downhill so for me it’s perfect. One thing to note is that people with a bad lower back could have trouble with longer bikes. I always get horrific lower back ache when I ride a long bike so the conservative geometry of the regular Stumpjumper is perfect for me.

[jamsxr]

The bottom line is we all need at least 2 bikes...

[chadtague]

Owned both in comp. Love my EVO with the low bars and far reach. EVO is much more forgiving. It’s a simple choice, if you do more all mountain and climb a lot of technical trails then get the regular, but if you have easier climbs and love going downhill then pick the EVO. If you’re in southeast, EVO is great for Bakers/windrock Knoxville, windy gap in chatt, oak mtn in Birmingham, hope park Nashville

[tuckerthomas]

You know what I want to hear more about: Performance with the seat up. Hear me out here. I went to a modern geometry bike a year ago with a dropper post and at first I kinda thought the bike sucked. It way understeered and did some weird things in the corners. I soon found out I wasn't using the dropper enough. Drop the post, suck into the bike and it rides like a dream on the downhills. However, what about the in between times, not climbing but riding fast and flowy flatter stuff? The times I want the post up and I don't want to be constantly raising an lowering the seat. In the industries effort to make the ultimate all around bike and all the criteria bikes are judged by these days, why isn't anyone talking about ride feel with the post up? Cause as a long time high poster, I feel like long low and slack geometries make bikes ride crappy with the seat up, and you gotta have that thing up sometimes.

[benbothman]

How much of the difference is the air shock vs coil? It seems like a lot of the planted vs fun and poppy would come from the shock choice and tune.

[michaelstewart]

Personally I prefer a short travel bike with modern geometry, which is why I own an aggressive hardtail. You can push the suspension (or lack there of) to it's absolute limit but the geometry still asks for more. This creates a very fun bike but it's probably not very safe because of that.

[leifostrum]

Slap some 165 mm cranks on the evo and the ground clearance really isn't all that bad. It's insane that a majority of bike companies still spec 175mm cranks on their enduro rigs. Shorter cranks let you run taller droppers too and are better for descending.

[TonyReadSings]

You are both right, no winner. I think a hard tail is more "fun" than both options, but what about (safety)? I'm getting the evo comp alloy even though I live in lower MI. But if I ever plan to travel up north or down the appellation mountains, Ill be happy I did for the primary reason that a longer, slacker bike is more SAFE on technical trails.