Two months ago, I had the fortune of travelling to Ainsa in Spain for the launch of the all-new Specialized Stumpjumper range. Having been there the year prior for the Levo Kenveo launch, Specialized had chosen to return to Ainsa for the Stumpy launch due to its huge network of rugged, natural singletrack and stunning snow-capped mountain backdrop.
For the launch, we flew in and out of Barcelona, with Ainsa being a 3-hour drive inland towards the base of the Pyrenees. With a day of travel either side, the launch itself would involve a short presentation followed by three days of riding. The first two days were all pedal-powered, while for the third day we’d be making use of a shuttle service to hit up multiple runs of similar trails while carrying out some back-to-back testing of different wheelsizes and travel options.
Ainsa in Spain. Not shit. Photo: Harookz/Specialized.A wee welcome package upon our arrival at the Specialized Stumpy launch. The amber lager was delicious FYI. And the traction on that bottle opener is unparalleled.
For the launch, I took along a GoPro and a Shimano Action Cam to capture some footage both on and off the bike, in order to give a little bit more insight into the behind-the-scenes workings and what goes on during these bike launches. It was a pretty wild experience being able to ride on such incredible trails, including some of the Enduro World Series stages from the round held in Ainsa in 2015. Along with some unusually wet and muddy conditions (for Spain) we certainly had plenty to keep us on our toes!
Given the enormous amount of footage I was able to shoot, I cut it all down and split the video three separate VLOGs, which you can watch below via our YouTube channel (make sure you hit subscribe if you haven’t already done so).
While we were on the Specialized Stumpjumper launch, we were joined by Canadian-based action sports photographer, Haruki ‘Harookz’ Noguchi, who captured some memorable moments out on the trail, as well as a load of the non-riding action too. You may have already enjoyed checking some of Harookz’ photos from the launch article and review, but I wanted to lay out a bigger selection of his snaps in a gallery here to help paint a broader picture of the Stumpy launch. They’re too good not to really. I’ve also added a couple of my crummy smartphone pics in as well, but all of the quality shots you see below have been taken by Harookz.
If you want to see more of his work, do yourself a favour and check out his Instagram feed, or head to his website here.
Inside the learning cave. The product presentation on the first morning was brief and devoid of specific details – the Specialized crew wanted us to ride the bikes with as few preconceptions as possible.3D printed models for the alloy Stumpjumper frame to check the internal cable network.Some people take weight reduction to the extremes! Or is that for aerodynamics…The old PF30 BB shell is on the left, and the new threaded BB is on the right.The SWAT door has been refined on the new Stumpy, and there’s now 20% more volume. A load of the Specialized designers and engineers who rode with us stuffed their lightweight rain jackets into the downtube. Others fitted theirs with bocadillos.The downtube is large in size, but uses very thin walls.Standard serious journo face for a detailed frame inspection.It’s a pretty haggard attempt at a kit grid, but then I seemed to be running late for everything on the Stumpy launch, so this was as neat and as considered as it got. Soz.Just a few bikes for to test.Checking suspension pressures and saddle height before the ride.Matty Hunter chatting with one of Specialized’s lead product managers, Colin, before setting off on the ride.The Stumpjumper Expert 29 was the bike I spent most time aboard during the launch. I quite liked it.“Got any sweet stickers mate?”The riding in Ainsa is absolutely magical. The trails are old, natural and rugged, but they flow with the contours of the mountainside to make them seriously quick to ride.Matty Hunter schooled us all with his effortless riding style. He is just as chilled off the bike too.It didn’t take me long to feel comfortable on the Stumpy 29er – it’s a terrifically well-balanced package from its 2.6in wide tyres up.Clearly the pace was a bit too hot for some.The Stumpjumper uses an asymmetric ‘Sidearm’ frame design that’s been inspired by the Demo downhill bike.Now you see it……now you don’t!We’d only set off up the climb for about 5 minutes before we ran into these friendly fellas. You can’t see the little fluffy one who’s standing behind old mate in this photo.He ended up following us on the trail for a good half an hour before we realised that he probably wasn’t going to turn back. Sean Estes, Specialized’s main marketing man, embarked on a rescue mission to take his cuddly friend back home, becoming the most desirable man on the planet in the process.Meanwhile, we continued on our upwards journey. A steady 1.5 hour climb took us to a peak elevation of 1,075m.The start of the trail goes right through the middle of those castle ruins in the background. I can’t remember the name of the trail, but I can tell you that it was absolutely insane.
Fast sweeping corners through the trees.
And two-wheel drifts on the slightly slick surface that had been freshly moistened by the morning’s rain.River crossing number 8 out of about 1,285.A photo of the photo-taker. Harookz getting down to the cold water’s edge to shoot riders crossing the hub-deep river.After lunch, wet feet began to get cold and numb as the outside temperature dropped. Some riders got a secondary use out of their bocadillo’s foil packaging. According to Johan, the foil didn’t work.Our group had split at lunchtime. Some journos had decided the cold and wet was too much, and took the liberty of a convenient trip in the van back down to the hotel. Us resilient types (and the two UK journos), soldiered on. After all, we’d climbed all this way, and I was definitely not going to be descending down on anything but two wheels. This tourist-y snap was taken at the lookout of the beginning of an absolutely wild and sloppy descent that I really should have crashed on multiple times – it was properly loose!Dropping in!Rain in Spain? Never…Matty and Sean. Soaked but satisfied.*insert inappropriately lewd comment here*Yours truly. Far too shy for the camera.How many Specialized employees does it take to wash a bike?You filthy animal! Our test bikes were well used by the end of the Stumpy launch.Spot where the socks end, and the knee pads begin.After getting cleaned up and stringing all my filthy gear inside the posh hotel room to dry out, we jumped on a bus and went along the valley to a local micro-brewery called Cerveza Rondadora – the same brewery who had made our special bottles of beer for the launch. The brewery is nestled into a beautiful mountain landscape that was lit up by the evening’s sunset.The crew at Cerveza Rondadora gave us a tour of the brewery to show us how they make their amber lager, porter and wheat beer. For each bottle of beer sold, Cerveza Rondadora donates a portion of the profits towards a local trail building and maintenance fund, which helps to keep the Ainsa trail network in tip-top shape.Aclamaciones!Spot the moron.After a solid day of riding with 42km and 1300m of elevation covered, everyone was in the mood for smashing as much Spanish food and drink as possible.Sean showed us his flawless technique for drinking the local aperitif – a sweet dessert liquor with a flavour somewhere between port and Sambuca, which is served out of a glass jug. It’s all in the pour apparently.Then Matty Hunter decided that Jack from BikeRadar and I should embark on a risky combo manoeuvre. We obliged of course.“MY EYE”It played out a little different in practice to what I’d imagined. Thankyouverymuch, Matthew Hunter.A more traditional group drinking method to round off the Stumpy launch.
Disclosure
Travel & accommodation for this trip were covered by Specialized
Really enjoyed reading this, and also the videos. Thanks for putting it all together!
Orbea called, they want their Rallon back