“…you’d really be very hard-pressed to find another race-worthy and trail-friendly hardtail 29er on the market today. This is the complete package from top-to-bottom. Now, good luck finding one at your local bike shop because I hear they are going quite fast.”
Read the full review at Feed the Habit of Specialized’s latest Stumpy hardtail in carbon 29er flavor, featuring the following stock build:
- Specialized FACT 8m proprietary carbon fiber frame
- Tapered head tube for stiffness
- Fox F29 RL suspension fork with 90mm travel
- Specialized cockpit (stem, bars, grips, seatpost)
- Avid Elixir CR SL brakes (160mm rotors)
- Custom DT Swiss X450SL Wheelset (Specialized front hub, DT Swiss rear & DT Swiss spokes)
- SRAM X.0/X.9 and Shimano Drivetrain
- Weight: 25.2 lbs (as tested)
- MSRP: $3300 at Peloton Cycles
Team riders Tom Carter, Kurt Ireland, and Jim Fu rock this baby in their respective stables.
Kurt, with his endurance/ultra-marathon MTB specialty, has customized his steed with the following specs:
- White Brothers Rock Solid Rigid carbon fork
- Shimano Deore XT crank arms 175mm
- SRAM X.0 with Grip Shifters
- SRAM PG-990 11-34T cassette
- Specialized Phenom SL saddle
- Crank Brothers Eggbeater 2Ti Pedals
- Ergon GP1 Leichtbau handlebar grips
- Stan’s NoTubes tubeless wheelset conversion
Kurt adds that the rigid fork lends a trifecta of benefits for his build: mechanical simplicity for increased reliability (especially during long races); increased utilization of the 29er’s larger wheel diameter to soften the ride like suspension does in a 26″; and a significant reduction in weight over a suspension fork.
Mr. Carter drops in on New Belgium Short Track