A Short History of the Specialized Stumpjumper

The iconic Stumpjumper has been with us since the early 80s when mountain biking was first learning to walk; skip forward to today, and we see the Stumpjumper running and pushing what we expect from a modern trail bike. Follow me. Let's take a trip down memory lane, a lane lined with tech that has pushed the industry in the right direction for years, and let us revisit the time Bike Mag has spent with this historic platform.

Chaparral to Industry Chaperone

The journey of the Stumpjumper began in the late 70’s inside the mind of Tim Neenan , who envisioned a bike that could navigate the Santa Ynez mountains with grace; this vision was the catalyst for his Chaparral . Tim’s Chaparral laid the groundwork in 1979 for what would, two years later, become the first production Stumpjumper in 1981. Although Bike Mag writers had the opportunity to pen their impressions of the 90’s production Stumpys, the documents in which they were scribed have been lost to the registers of time. We’re actually in the process of digitizing those archives right now, and we’re excited to dive deeper into that history.

2014 27.5” Stumpjumper Evo

Turn the clock back to July 2014, and our first ride review of the first 27.5” Stumpjumper Evo. What a time it was… The dust of the wheel size debate was still high in the air, with our community divided over the introduction of this step-child wheel diameter and Specialized's reluctance to adopt it. Adopt it they did, and the Stumpjumper FSR Expert Carbon Evo 650b (What a mouthful) touted a healthy 150mm of travel front and rear, a modest 67° head tube angle, and 441.96mm reach on the size large, which is 33mm less than the modern day Stumpy Evo at 475mm on the S4.

2015 Stumpjumper 6Fattie

Take a ride to 2015, and let’s look at the unusual and disruptive “6Fattie” , I don’t know if I can speak for everyone, but personally, I’m glad this trend never caught on. Having ridden a handful of these “Plus” tire bikes that hoped to make a statement in the development of wheel sizing and increased traction, plus tire benefits came up short for the majority of riders. I recognize their place and application, but I let out a sigh of relief when they stopped pushing these on us.

We’ve come a long way from this one. This curious “6Fattie” build didn’t see many changes from the previous iteration, we saw the same 150mm travel numbers in the front and the trunk, and a head-scratcher of a head tube angle change from 67° to 69°, but the reach stretches out a scooch to 445mm on the large. The trend of longer and lower seems to be catching on, with the BB dropping from 335mm on the 2014 Evo to 327mm in 2015.

Note: One thing we can thank plus tire pushers for is the introduction of wider rims for normal tire sizes.

Editor’s Note: Yes, Andrew , we recognize your love for all things plus. But we’re still glad the Stumpy isn’t anymore.

2016 Stumpjumper 29 FSR

Wind things forward a tad, and our train on the tracks of memory lane stops in 2016 for the release of the Stumpjumper 29 FSR . This model turned on a bright neon sign of what was to come in the industry. Available with 29, 27.5, and 27.5+ wheels, internal routing, and the extremely apropos addition of downtube storage. If only they knew what they started.

Specialized decided to leave the Evo out of this year, and the FSR 29 hit a quick diet to shave off 15mm of rear wheel travel and 10mm in the nose for a balanced 135/140, making this a proper trail bike on paper, leaving the 150mm travel options for the 27.5 wheeled sibling. The choice was made to reel the cockpit in a bit to 435mm on the large, but this meant a slightly slacker 67.5° head tube, which was incredibly well received along with its shorter, thicker chainstays. The Stumpjumper seemed to be finding its niche, with each generation receiving these small adjustments for the better.

2017 Stumpjumper

Our next station is a beautifully nostalgic one; the year is 2017 , and the Bible of Bike tests are eagerly anticipated by the masses. The list of bikes under the microscope is long for this year, with 2018 being a magnificent year for progression, but maybe not for the Stumpjumper with its unique 27.5+ and 29er options and trail bike geometry that the rest of the industry had left behind. However dated the 67° head tube angle seems, one thing we can look back on fondly is the price tag of this top-of-the-line build was only $8,200.

2019 Stumpjumper

Bruno Mars received the Song of the Year Award, A prince got married, and we went to China for the Olympics. Yes, it’s 2018, and the Big S released their 2019 lineup of the redesigned Stumpjumper . One bike has become three, and the reception was exceptional. The Stumpy now offers short travel (120/130), standard (140/150), and Evo (150/150) models of the beloved platform, catering to riders of all backgrounds.

This movement seemed to mark a change in standardization in the MTB industry. The standard Stumpjumper proved frame storage is here to stay, 29” wheels for speed, 27.5 for fun, and longer (445mm reach for a large), and slacker (66.5° head tube angle) is acceptable outside of Downhill and Enduro. Although the Evo models were only available in alloy at launch, Specialized had cooked up something special with the not-quite enduro, not-quite trail bike and quickly realized that people would line up to get a plate of the carbon flavor Stumpy Evo. A really delicious trendsetter, that one .

What’s Next?

Although Bike Mag took a short hiatus from 2020 - 2022, the Stumpy continued its journey with the shedding of the traditional small, medium, large, and extra large sizing with a move to a more accommodating “S” nomenclature that relates more to the reach while keeping chainstay lengths consistent and standover in the same neighborhood across the offered sizes. The recipe Specialized concocted for the Stumpy range remained somewhat unchanged for 2020-2022 in terms of geometry, with head tube angles sticking with 66.5° on the standard and 63.5° gracing the more aggressive Evo line, which has certainly found its place and influenced a wide swath of the industry. The family did suffer a loss in 2021 with this being the first year we did not see the shorter travel Stumpjumper on offer, likely due to the birth of the new Epic and Epic Evo, and the popularity of the flex stay regular Stumpy.

The Stumpjumper has had a long and storied journey from its inception in the chaparral foothills of California to the industry-leading trail bike we see today. I think I can speak for everyone, saying that I cannot wait to see the further progression of this epochal platform.