I gave my 2006 Specialized Stumpjumper Disc its first real workout recently. I was absolutely astonished how good it is.
I bought the bike while on vacation in Pennsylvania this summer. I only got it running recently. I had left the seat in USA, so needed it mailed to me. Then I stole a pair of pedals from a disabled Trek Liquid 20, as I had scavenged the Stumpjumper’s original Shimano SPD pedals for my Dahon Mu XL.
I went to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to ride the mountain bike circuit there. Two or three years ago, I used to ride this trail a lot. Then I moved to Casuarina and spent most of my time to the more remote, longer, and illegal Woodcutter trail. There have been some very heavy rains. I love riding these trails in the wet, so these were ideal conditions.
I notice the difference in posture on this bike the most. Compared to the Trek Liquid 20, I lean farther forward, the stem is lower, and the handlebar grips are narrower. Something about this combination and the frame geometry gives this bike a really powerful tracking feel. Bukit Timah is a lot of short, sharp, rocky ups-and-downs. This bike kept a straighter track than anything else I’ve ridden there.
What truly astounded me, however, was the climbing ability. There is one hill on the trail that I have literally never been able to get up without dismounting. Today I road up to it, and just cruised right up, with literally no problems. I’m not sure why it worked so well. It’s some combination of:
- The Fast Trak Pro tires have a lot more small, sharp knobs on them. I think the Trek’s IRC Trailbear’s are bigger, but fewer knobs. This climb is wet and extremely clay-ey and rocky. My wheels never slipped like they used to.
- The posture encourages really hard, forward cranking up hills
- In the last three years has the steepness of the hill weathered and eroded?
- I felt quite strong during the whole ride, but I dont’ think my fitness level is that much higher than it used to be when MTB’d more frequently.
- Is there something about a hardtail that lets it climb better than a full suspension?
At any rate, I was delighted how well this thing tracked and climbed. Descending was fine. The shock performed well. The limiting factor was the stock handlebar grips were too small. My hands were cramping trying to grab hard on the handles yet still work the brakes. I went out and bought thicker handgrips today. That should allow me to run these downhills faster, especially now that I remember the trail again.
I am trying to get a set of Avid BB7 mechanical disc brakes to repair/rebuild my Liquid 20. I will be very interested to do a head-head comparison of these two bikes on the same day and see what I find.
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