Beginning many months ago, I started to assemble a new long-ish travel Dream Bike that’s built from the ground up around a Specialized Stumpjumper EVO Carbon S-Works frame. When I first reviewed the SJEVO Expert just over a year ago, I was blown away by it…the adjustability, the value, the features, the handling – everything swept me off my feet, really. I enjoyed the bike enough that I wanted to build one up for a personal bike, so here we are…
Details Stumpjumper EVO Carbon S-Works
- 160mm front travel / 150mm rear travel
- 29″ wheels front and rear
- SWAT downtube storage
- Adjustable head angle +/- 1º or 0º
- Flip chip for additional high/low adjustment
- Fully sleeved internal cable and hose routing
Starting up front, I wanted to keep with the more utilitarian, all rounder nature of the bike, so I opted for a Fox 36, instead of a 38. It features 160mm travel, 4-way damping adjustment via the Grip2 damper and just the right trail feel from the chassis.
Interestingly, I’ve tried 4 different shocks on this bike, but the new Fox Float-X proved to be the winner in my book. It’s trail bike light with an excellent feel and all the adjustments that I need. I appreciate the fact that the air spring curve is ultra tunable via its countless volume reducers.
I opted for a tried and true SRAM Eagle XO1 AXS drivetrain with some copper bits to go along with the brakes and Kashima suspension coating, seeing as the rest of the bike is devoid of color.
The Rocker paddle is a big upgrade for AXS *in my opinion*, but to each their own…
I’ve been riding the same pair of Cane Creek eeWings for a few years now and I’m so utterly blown away by them that I had to get another pair. They are crazy light and are stiff enough that it is transformative on the bike. I’m a huge fan.
Cane Creek came up with their own Hellbender BB – so far, so good! Ultra smooth with a clean and simple tension adjustment.
As an aesthete and a minimalist, for a personal bike I’d always prefer to run one less cable. With that in mind, the RockShox Reverb AXS was a no brainer – 170mm travel for my long legs.
The S-Works model of the SJEVO features a Carbon Fiber yoke. This saves some weight and obviously is an upgrade in terms of looks.
While the bike has more range in geometry adjustment than most, I tend to run the headset in the neutral headset position for most of my riding. Props to Specialized for including a nice tapered spacer for riders who run a tall front end. It’s far easier on the eyes than a big stack of spacers.
After first trying them 2-3 years ago, the crankbrothers Synthesis carbon wheelset is still my favorite to this day. They take the edge off amazingly well without giving up anything in the stiffness/handling department. I love how the front and rear wheels are engineered specifically for the very different individual duty they carry out. This is done with different spoke counts and varied rim width/thicknesses between the front and rear wheels. Simply the best.
The cb wheels roll on Project 321 hubs. They’re a somewhat obscure company out of Bend, OR but they make damn good hubs. I love the magnetic pawls, easy rebuilds and fast engagement. The fact that you can opt for quiet or loud pawls is a nice little bonus.
These days, it’s always a toss up between Schwalbe Magic Marys and Michelin Wild Enduros. For this bike I went for the Michelins and I truly can’t complain. They’re crazy grabby in the slick stuff as well as on hardpack.
I love the idea of less cables and a tidy front end…
I’ve been very happy with the Industry Nine A35 stem. Multiple crashes with multiple stems on multiple bikes and not a single slip. Impressive.
So far, when it comes to taking the edge off, the OneUp carbon fiber handle bar cannot be beat in my opinion. That it has the perfect upsweep/backsweep combination is a bonus. The fact that it comes in a nice, tall 38mm rise is another bonus!
I first tested some TRP DHR-EVO brakes a while back and was enamored of them right away. The power and modulation is stunningly good. When I started scheming over this bike I wanted to go with a copper/gold look for the accent pieces and along came these brakes in a special addition. Simply a no brainer.
203mm front and 180mm rear rotors provide more than enough power – especially given their added thickness.
I’ve been running Time clipless pedals for the better part of two decades now and was very stoked to jump on the Speciale-12. When the slightly lighter duty and more affordable Speciale-8 came around I was thrilled. The fact that they’re available in a simple black colorway made them an even easier choice.
For quite some time I was a big fan of the Specialized Phenom seat and thought I would never ride anything else. Then, along came the slightly shorter and wider Bridge saddle and it quickly became the new go-to.
Last but certainly not least, the ODI Longneck V2.1 has become my go-to grip. The new school take on this old school grip has just the right amount of crush and is the perfect thickness…
A huge thank you to everyone who has helped me get this bike together!
Comments