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That's often a sign the nitrogen pressure is a little bit low, which is usually the only thing pushing both the rebound needle and lockout into the grooves on the adjuster cam. Probably best to have Fox look at it but if thats the case its a simple fix, if you leave stuff like that it can turn in to a much bigger problem later on
Funny you posted this today. I've had a Suntour TriAir 2 shock in a drawer from a previous bike. I put it on today to see how it was. Not a real test but riding down stairs and jumping curbs plus riding down a steep rough 100 foot long dirt hill in a park on frozen ground. Both shocks set to 16mm of sag. Genie used around 48- 50mm of travel. TriAir used 42-45mm of travel. TriAir was more supportive to pedal sitting and standing and felt a tiny bit calmer going down the stairs and the drivetrain seemed slightly quieter as well. Genie was more a little plush on the hill and erased small bumps a little better. Again not much of a test and I want to hit some frozen trails as soon as the weather here cooperates and try both over a rough section back to back. FYI. My Genie has the thicker inner spacer installed and 2 bands in the outer chamber.
Cascade Components has released a link/yoke and high-pivot conversion for the SJ15. The HP conversion is limited to just 20 units. https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/cascade-components-releases-linkage-and-high-pivot-conversion-specialized-stumpjumper-15
Quick update on my SJ15 alloy. I'm ~250 miles in, and here are some changes/notes I've compiled.
- The bike feels great with a 150mm fork in the neutral or slack HTA. I bumped up to a 160mm fork and had to install the steep headset cup and slide my saddle about 10mm forward. This kept the bike feeling balanced descending and kept me from feeling super rearward climbing. I used my phone with an angle measuring app, and my HTA was still ~64.5 degrees with a +1-degree cup and 160mm fork.
- I had to use carbon paste in the seat tube to keep my dropper from creaking in the frame. At first I thought it was the linkage or HT, but after trying a few solutions, carbon paste resolved the creaking immediately.
- The headset has creaked more often than I would like. After a few wet rides, its starts to creak and pop occasionally. I notice it most climbing. Cleaning, greasing, and torqueing the headset has resolved the issue, but it hasn't lasted as long as I'd hope.
- Internal routing for the rear brake is super easy. I built a SJ15 carbon frame and it was way harder to get the cable to bend around the BB area. I can't say the same for the dropper routing though, which tends to pop the cable into the seat tube right at the junction of the pivot on the ST. This then causes the cable to get caught on the welds and requires some fishing to get it past.
- My Genie shock has been great. I haven't changed any spacers inside yet, mainly because I've been lazy haha My trails aren't the steepest and have a decent amount of pumping, so eventually I'll stuff a spacer or two inside to see if I can get a little more support out of the shock. I've been running the recommended 16mm of sag (30%).
- Linkage has remained tight, bearings feel fine, no creaking. Paint has also held up well thus far.
- My bike is heavy. I'm always swapping parts, but its usually between 36-39 lbs with enduro/DH tires, average weight wheels. Size S4. I love it descending as the bike rides calm but isn't a complete tank to move around. Climbing its not too noticeable until I ride in a group and realize how hard I'm pushing to keep up.
I've got some embargo'd bits on my bike right now, but soon I'll post up a bike check.
I really wish Spesh could incorporate fixed HS cups. I too fall in that "vast minority" (according to spesh) of having to repeatedly "resolve" the headset creaking/popping issue on my Levo (which is virtually the same HS config as the SJ15). Compounding this issue is the addition of the E13 Sidekick rear hub which has made the whole entire ride much more quieter BUT!!! I now hear every little shit that comes out of the rest of the bike that were once drowned by louder ratcheting hub and all. The quest for perfection ensues....
Ps. Thanks for the carbon paste tip on the seatpost. Mine does creak every so often and I swore it would be coming from the AXS Reverbs's clamping and tilt bolt adjuster. Worth mentioning too that the stock Spesh seatpost binder does not stay tight as long as one would wish for. I've switch to a Wolf Tooth clamp and it's been tight. The 4mm clamp bolt is fastened to a vertical steel sleeve.
Yup I've had multiple spesh customers with continual headset creaking problems! They need a proper pressfit cup or regular IS bearings - not the slip fit design they seem to have on most bikes. In my experience once that type of thing starts, the surfaces are wrecked and will probably never be resolved without repalcing the frame or something drastic like bonding the cups in place
This will solve all slip in cup noises - we also use it on the ouside of bearing seals/under the bolt head, then you can go mad with a pressure washer as much as you like.
I've used so many many variety of grease including something similar to this and also Maxima's waterproof assembly grease. Same result.
I think it's just physics that anything floating around freely (albeit preload) and on top of the headtube is going to get knocked and moved from all the forces that high stress area is subjected too. I also feel it's more of an issue with ebikes being heavier and all. Even the adjustable +1/-1 cup despite having a fitted groove to sit in rather than just floating about like the zero cup, I still eventually get creaking from as well. It goes away for a little bit after disassembly, clean, regrease and preload like hell but it's a repeated chore on an otherwise nearly perfect machine. I've gone old school and used the good ole' BMX/DH style headlock clamp as well.. sigh
Stump 15 alloy frame with a bit of parts swap.
The headset after a month of wet riding was creaking and in bad shape. Would have liked a higher end spec. Cheap headsets should just stop being a thing.
Running it in neutral up front and long rear. I’ve been on mediums for years this felt short coming off my previous bike. Fells really good, stable and predictable.
Have an ext Storia v4 coil and that shock is just the best.
Bike with xo transmission ext coil and 150mm era, nobl rims with king hubs dh casing tires comes in at 36lbs.
Specialized just announced all MY26 bikes will be named 'Stumpjumper 15 EVO' , a decision they said came from rider and retailer feedback. Bikes will now come with a 160mm fork, a Float X Genie (to replace the Float Genie), and higher rise bars.
https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/specialized-adds-evo-stumpj…
There are currently two MY26 builds available -
I find this change interesting considering the Stumpy's role as 'one bike to rule them all' and this essentially just pushes it into further away from the do-everything trail bike IMO. Ironically I am running my SJ15 alloy with a 160mm fork, higher bars, and DH tires. But those changes have made it worst for climbing/adventuring.
I think it highlights the shift Specialized has made within their entire range, positioning the Epic 8 EVO as the actual do-everything trail bike (replacing the previous Stumpjumper), and moving forward the Stumpjumper becomes more focused as the capable/aggressive trail/all mountain bike (surpassing the outgoing SJ EVO on descending abilities).
I'd love to try the Float X Genie to gain some damping adjustability and to see how it compares to the Float Genie—which has been super impressive the past 6 months.
Jason have you tried different shocks? It would be interesting to see genie vs vivid vs Öhlins vs …
Be interesting to get your take.
I've been enjoying my Stumpy 15 alloy in its latest iteration quite a bit the past few months, so I figured a mid-year check-in was in store to run through what I've thought of the bike and the parts I'm currently testing.
I oscillate between feeling bad that a similar build on my alloy V3 sentinel is 35.5 pounds (vs 33 flat if it was the carbon frame) and feeling pretty good that it’s not heavier. Right now it’s the latter 🤣 (sorry Jason)
Really did like that Stumpy when I demo'd it but, given the weight of the alloy and the base cost of the carbon (along with quirks like wireless only?)... Ended up trying to mimic it with the LTD mullet Jeffsy, and am quite pleased with the 'compromise'. Bike is probably ~35 pounds but still running the stock exo+ tires. Will definitely add a chunk once proper tires are mounted on it. But ya, def happy it's not 40. I do wish I had the budget to run a sub 35 carbon build or something. Meh
Much like Jason's Stumpy, my Sentinel is pretty much my don't-worry-about-weight bike, so I can't complain. It is definitely a bit of a bear in comparison to my 120/140 steel bike which is 29-31 pounds depending on what parts I'm running, but they complement each other well.
Average weight of a Stumpy 15 alloy on our sales floor is about 37 pounds, which is only a pound less than the Status 170. It's a portly frame for sure.
I thought it was a pound more from the numbers I've seen lol.
If I were looking for alloy that Status 170 is an insane value right now. More bike than I need for my local but... I wouldn't complain about having an uber capable coil-equipped bike for ~2500. Especially when its same weight or lighter than the trail/AM bike sold by the same brand.
I wonder to what extent the Status is cannibalizing the Stumpy, I think the Speshy Stumpy is one of the few models that will just sell even if you basically fcuk up the bike. And we all know why lol. The amount of facebook listings calling them Stuntjumpers says everything you need to know. It's the bike of choice for people who aren't sure what they need.
Not hating, again wished I could get it more or less... But I think the alloy model was a misstep. Jason can tell me if I'm missing the point. At the end of the day, it's just 2-3 pounds. But it is a trail bike, not enduro. (shrugs)
The good news is that’s with a full bottle so it does get a bit lighter as the ride goes on. I will say when I do long rides on my Capra with a pack and a small bottle, I drink the bottle last as I like the ride feel with the extra weight down there. Could be fooling myself, but whatever works!
Are you my brother from another MTB mother?
Running a 140/125 XL Cotic FlareMax 33.8 lbs, 150/146 Sentinel XL 36.8 lbs
Another man of taste! I’d love to try a FlareMax at some point.
I did this on my S4 last-gen stumpy EVO to get the seat forward. At first I only filed the upper seat rail clamp with a round file so the saddle rails could go maybe 5mm further forward. After cutting it’s more like 10-15mm forward.
This is a weird old reverb prototype and I had extra set of clamps so cut some off- been working fine for 6 months cut like this.
I haven't ridden a Status, but I've heard it's a pretty fun bike that's got a lot of personality. I'd be curious to know how it pedals and if it would suffice as a trail bike. But no doubt, it's a banging deal.
I went with the alloy model purely because it can run a mechanical drivetrain. I am pro-wireless drivetrain, but I figured I'd have to test a mechanical system at some point this year so the carbon frame wasn't an option.
I agree that having a 40 lb trail bike is kinda weird and takes away from the whole idea of a trail bike—to be a good bike across the board. That said, it's interesting how quickly you adapt to the weight of your bike. Especially climbing. I don't really notice my Stumpy being tiring or hard to pedal, but when I compare times on my local climb trails, I'm going like 2mph slower on average.
I keep hearing more and more rumors that a new Enduro isn't on the immediate horizon, so for the time being, the Stumpy is definitely having to play double duty in Speshy's lineup. I think the Epic 8 EVO rides more similarly to the Stumpjumper of a few years ago.
This Stumpjumper video you posted came at a funny time, because I just got a real deal digital scale for weighing bikes (shoutout to Feedback Sports, who's a Vital sponsor) and weighed my bike recently, and it was almost exact same weight as yours. My bike weighed in at 40.9 pounds, which surprised me, but at the same time it's my favorite bike and probably the best riding trail bike I've ever had. Carbon frame, but alloy everything else, Sidekick rear hub, Podium fork, coil shock, Maven brakes, DH tires, rear Cushcore, and a 29" spare tube in the downtube. No water bottle.
The worst part about how heavy it is comes when I have to carry it up and down the stairs to my apartment. Other than that, doesn't bug me. I think sticky tires and DH casings are WAAAAY more noticeable than the bike weight.
(rushes over to weigh my bike)
Bike weight is so overrated. To be fair I’m not a svelte dude, so maybe if a bike was 1/3 of my body weight I’d be more fussed. Performance and durability over all else. My ability to bunny hop a bike is more hindered by a long wheelbase than say seven extra pounds. @TEAMROBOT that sidekick hub the business? I have always wanted to try an ochain or something similar. Is this a long term review piece or a “I have to have it on every bike thing?”
Literally named Stud Beef Pile
We can't ALL be handsome and built like a Greek statue
My problem is I have a really fun hardtail that always makes me 'what if' the concept of building a lightweight FS but... No shot I can afford an honest attempt at a lightweight FS, regardless of travel. In my younger BMX days I always roasted weight weenies... As a washed up casual switching to MTB, 'im starting to see their point i think there was somethin there ya know'
Nearly 41 lbs trail bike?? Sounds more like a Park/DH bike.
Anyone have a comparison between the Genie and the Float X Genie?
See, that's the beauty: it can be all of those things. And the case is closed for me, I'd rather do long pedal rides on a too-heavy bike than ride a bike park or shuttle DH laps on a too-light bike.
I have the alloy frame built up with xo transmission ext era fork 150mm and Storia coil, king hubs carbon rims, codes with 200mm rotors, dd/dh casing tires no inserts S3 and it’s a touch over 36lbs. With a tool and water bottle be about 38lbs riding. I don’t notice the weight. It’s a well balanced bike.
The weight debate for trail/enduro bikes is bs, everybody wants more, gears, travel, beefier fork, tires, massive rotors and 4 piston brakes, inserts, super long dropper post, but they want it light.
Lights doesn’t last or ride well on rough chunky trails.
Having done dh bike park days on a Chromag Doctahawk (hardtail with a 180 Zeb) and a YT Izzo (130r/140f) I completely agree. Luckily I sold both during the Covid boom before the crash. Nothing puckers you up faster than heading into something at 90% big bike speed on one of those…
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