For the sake of argument, if you possibly had just found out you could get a bike on C2W, and had a choice of either one of these - what would you pick, and why?
I've not been able to justify buying a new mountain bike since children came along, so have trawled second hand when I needed to change up. My current FS bike is a 2014 Kona Process 111 which is reet enough for where I ride (Surrey Hills and 2-3 times a year to lumpier stuff elsewhere); but was starting to show its limits and age on the Trans Cambrian earlier this year. It's an absolutely dirtbag build but I keep it running, and it's a fun ride.
Ideally this bike is one I'll ride for at least another five years, if not longer, so I'm happy to get a good frame and 'not bad' kit - which will likely be a lot shinier than what I have at the moment anyway. I'm not averse to the flex stays on the Spesh, and mindful that both bikes need slightly specific shock tunes that might be a problem later on if I need to change them.
In-frame storage and a water bottle mount looks like a good idea as I WFH and make an effort to get out every other day for an hour, as well as as many group rides as I can sneak in around family. Normally I take my hardtail as I can just chuck a bottle on it, which I definitely can't with the Kona, and since the group rides around here are usually mildly intense 3 hour sessions I can get away with a large bottle.
I like a good climb and love flowy singletrack but am a wuss when it comes to getting my wheels off the ground - I'll happily spend a day at BPW getting progression on Reds and Blues rather than Blacks, if that paints a picture.
Annoyingly I can't use my favourite local bike shops as it's an Evans voucher system, otherwise I'd probably be looking at a wider choice.
Anyway, if you've owned one or other or have direct experiences - heck, even ill-formed internet opinions - sing out.
Personally, I think Treks ABP/Split Pivot (whatever you want to call it) is better than FSR, and definitely better than a flex stay bike.
I would probably go for the Gen6 Fuel EX though. You will give up some weight against the Stumpjumper frame (it’s very light) but as a one bike solution, with its adjustable geometry the new Fuel looks great.
Both great bikes.
I'd go for the Stumpjumper - the in-frame storage is better thought out IMO, and again IMO, it's a bit of a game changer and makes pack free riding a possibility in the UK. Also my experience of Specialized customer service has been that it's very good.
DOI - I own a Stumpjumper Evo
I'd see if you could chip another £100 off the price.
I am eyeing up a Fuel EX 8 gen 5 from my LBS at present. Seems a great, balanced, not too much bike, durable and good looking bike...
The only one I would say is that old Kesteven suggests looking at a Top Fuel as well...
Uh oh, HMRC are on to you.
I think I’d go for the Trek - mainly because it looks like you can get a longer dropper post inserted into the frame. Both have decent geometry and suspension, the build kit on both is pretty similar. Would probably rather have the Fox 36 on the Trek than the 34 on the Stumpie too.
Which will be better for the, er, Cycle To Work? 😉
Thinking about my hour loop, which goes from the front door of my home all the way to the front door of my workplace - my home - then I'd say both bikes would be rather nice and plenty of fun. 😀
The Gen 6 is out of my budget at the moment (I could get the entry level aluminium one with RS Gold forks), but agreed it looks very nice. I can see myself wanting to swap bits like those forks out fairly quickly, while the Gen 5 and the Stumpy are pretty much there, bar a better dropper post.
Spending this much on a bike after years of dirtbagging it is throwing me for a bit of a loop and I'm still looking at both the bikes above with the discounts in mind.
150mm also feels a bit much for the riding I overwhelmingly do, although I'd probably end up making use of it as it would be a bit more capable. In my mind (unfairly) it's downhill bike numbers, as my last DH bike was a 150mm thing, and I really do like climbing.
@joebristol - yep - that's sort of what I've been thinking as well. I test rode a Stumpy and the Swat box seemed like a great thing, but I haven't looked at the Trek equivalent - it seems just as well done.
Likely the first thing I'd end up replacing or swapping out would be the wheels; the ones I've built myself for the Kona are half a kilo lighter than the Specialized ones. I don't know how reliable the Trek OEM rear hubs are - they used to have quite the reputation a few years ago.
Have you considered the spesh epic EVO? Might suit you better than a stumpy. Lighter, but still capable. I just picked one up on C2W, your requirements sound very similar to mine (right down to those pesky kids) and I’m very happy with mine.
I found a comp with a healthy discount.
I can’t get excited about frame storage as a reason to buy / not buy a bike. Would be useful to have - but not essential. I normally ride with a pack of some description though - 1 water bottle isn’t enough for me even on a short ride generally - so I have a Camelbak hip pack with a bladder in and also a skyline pack with a 3 litre bladder in for longer rides. Both bikes have a spare inner tube strapped to them so I don’t need to carry it. On my full suss I’ve also now got one of those tool bottle things so on longer rides most of the to / spares weight is on the bike rather then on my back.
Hmm epic EVO stock looks non-existent so scratch that.
I think that the flex stays on the Stumpjumper make it a better climber than the Trek.
Out of interest, does removing the rear wheel on the Trek mean bits of pivot hardware might fall out?
I have to take the rear wheel off to get a bike in the boot of my car.
I'd take the current Stumpy over the previous-generation Trek. Especially for the riding you describe.
A friend has one and says it's very fast and fun.
It will be so much quicker than the P111 as well.
I can’t get excited about frame storage as a reason to buy / not buy a bike.
Now that I've had it, and worked out how best to use it, it's something that I'd struggle to do without.
Stumpy is cheaper here and they do C2W
Fox 36 is overkill for a trail bike IMO.
I'll weigh in and say my 2019 Fuel EX 9.8 is awesome (Gen4 I think, but looks v similar to the one in your link). Climbs well, descends well, reliable, easy to service. Has taken everything I can throw at it around the Tweed Valley but isn't a pain to get to the tops, and managed the Strathpuffer this year too.
The Gen5 has a revised suspension layout, in-frame storage, and uses a 36 fork (which I'd suggest is overkill for that type of bike). I've got Bontrager Line wheels and they've been faultless, and easy to service now and again. Easy tubeless setup too. Even the Bontrager seatpost has been perfect.
Ultimately, I've been very impressed with mine and would recommend, though given the way bikes tend to get bigger/more capable with each generation, I'd probably look for a Top Fuel/Epic Evo style if I was buying today.
@goldfish24 I looked at the Evo too, and it just seems a bit much for the riding I generally do. It's a fair bit more kicked out with more travel at each end; the riding here is lots of short sharp ups and downs, and I'd much rather do distance than screaming hair on fire DH stuff given a choice; about 5" seems to be the sweet spot for that. I get what you mean about the adjustability, though.
I think the other thing is that I have always got on with the Space Hopper-ishness of single pivots. I loved how both my Orange 5s popped out of corners and stiffened up when sprinting, was a bit meh about my Whyte T129, love the pointiness of the Kona. The Stumpy Comp's flex stays make it more of a linkage actuated single pivot than a Horst link. I can live with brake jack - it's more a reminder to use the front brake if I must slow down, rather than dragging the back wheel around like a collie with worms...
I looked at the Evo too
I think they were talking about the Epic Evo, not the Stumpjumper Evo?
I loved how both my Orange 5s popped out of corners and stiffened up when sprinting
I had a go on my mate's Alpine 6 in the Alps and really enjoyed how it felt too. More work than a four bar, but also more responsive and a lot of fun.
I think they were talking about the Epic Evo, not the Stumpjumper Evo?
That’s right Kramer. It’s less travel than a stumpy with a weight advantage. I thought this as you mentioned no air time + actually like climbing. But having noted there’s no stock, it’s probably best you just don’t look at it.
I think they were talking about the Epic Evo, not the Stumpjumper Evo?
D'oh - sorry all. Failed my reading comprehension this morning!
That does look pretty awesome. If I didn't have a hardtail in the shed and my VO2 Max wasn't so soggy I'd seriously consider that, but it looks a bit compromised for descending compared to the other bikes, and I'm looking for a trail bike. I do like the 34s on my Kona and I like how solid it is - Kona took the chainstay from one of the downhill bikes, and the back end tracks straighter than the front in some situations.
It’s early days, but I’m happy with my Stumpjumper Comp. My riding is Singletrack. At trail centres, I’m happiest on reds. I haven’t used the frame storage yet as I also ride a hardtail and don’t want to forget and leave kit in the frame when I’m on the hardtail.
It’s supple and active when open, but climbs well.
I do like the 34s on my Kona and I like how solid it is
The Sid’s on the epic EVO are actually 35mm stanchions (I know!!! A SID!!!! Couldn’t quite believe it myself). And doesn’t the stump jumper come with 36s?
So moving up to a stumpy will be a burlier, longer travel ride than what you’re on now. Which should be fun. For me, I thought the epic EVO was right.
By the way, are you stuck with using evans? The Halfords C2W scheme is excellent, because you can transfer their vouchers to a lot of local bike shops (including my local specialized dealer)
Stumpy Comp is 34. Appear stiff enough for the frame. You can feel the frame flex a little when cornering or on rougher terrain. Not in a bad way, but it’s there
Ah thanks for clearing that up P20.
OP. Any reasin you linked to bakfes if your voucher is Evans?
Are you sure it's evans only? I thought mine was but when i dug deeper i found it was just generic cyckescheme which works anywhere.
Anyway, back to Balfe's.... note that theyre one of the few places that dont charge a C2w surcharge on sale bikes 😉
I got a gen 5 9.8 using bike to work and also the bike was heavily discounted as a “last years” model.
Its flipping awesome. Light, stuff , lively enough to be fun on flatter stuff but in its low setting a properly stable and capable for faster / steeper stuff.
I’ve not ridden a Stumpy and these things are all relative and subjective. It this type of bike suits you I doubt you’d be disappointed.
oh - it’s got the stupid knock block which isn’t ever as issue on the trail but can make lying the bike flat in the back of a car slightly harder. I do also worry what might happen if i crash hard.
Another vote for the Stumpy, I’ve got that exact model and it’s great. But I’m sure the Trek would be too. Test ride them both if its from a main dealer like Evans?
By the way, are you stuck with using evans? The Halfords C2W scheme is excellent, because you can transfer their vouchers to a lot of local bike shops (including my local specialized dealer)
Yep, I am stuck with Evans, for this year at least; a look at their site was pretty depressing initially, as it's a shadow of its former self and the choice is pretty thin.
That said, Evans now does allow its vouchers to be used in other shops - including Balfes, which has taken over a local independent near me. I'd rather go to the independent Trek, Specialized or Pivot dealers very local to me, as I know the dosh will support people I know and like (and their families), but they can't take Evans vouchers.
One thing to note from a previous experience: some local shops will take Halfords vouchers, but Halfords levies from sort of surcharge on the independent shop that amounts to 15% - which pretty much writes off their profit margin.
I'll be asking my employer nicely if they can switch to the Green Commute Initiative scheme next year.
Thank you all for your thoughts and experiences, by the way; I've already had a test ride on the Specialized and it was pretty sweet, but I should probably swing a leg over the Trek as well.
Halfords levies from sort of surcharge on the independent shop
yes, fair warning to others. My shop explained this. since it was already a discounted bike we split the fee between us - I paid a little over the advertised sale price but still came away with a healthy saving and they with a healthy profit.
Been a few comments but I thought I'd add my piece:
Would probably rather have the Fox 36 on the Trek than the 34 on the Stumpie too.
Disagree.
I used to agree, and ran a few sets of 36's in the past however - the latest/current generation of Fox 34 is very impressive. My experience is with the current factory/performance elite level forks, but i assume the improvements also carry across to the heavier Rhythm specced on those two bikes.
Its much, much stiffer than they used to be, while also being usefully lighter and slimmer, and for 130/140mm travel is a much better choice. Very impressive fork, I'm really glad I made what was a bit of a gamble to go with the 34 and not the 36. Theres not been THAT many reviews of this version of the fork in the past few years so it gets overlooked a bit.
I absolutely would not shy away from a bike with 34's, in fact, for a trail bike running upto 140mm, I would prefer them.
My next frame will be based around fitment of my current-gen 34 factory.
Agree, the current 34 fork is excellent, even in performance flavour. And I say that as someone with a new 36 factory on another bike. And they're nice and light at 1800g.
I've got a new 36 and it is a hefty fork IMO. Overkill on a trail bike.
roughly 200g difference between the Fox 36 and the 34 - after you trimmed the steerer and stuck a star nut in. I think both are very good forks, I don't think you'd notice or be disappointed with either. But then I don't subscribe to the notion of being over forked either, so I'm probs biased.
Opinions differ - on a full suss trail bike I’m taking a 36 or a Lyrik over a 34 or a Pike personally.
On my trail hardtail I’ve got a Pike Ultimate (did consider a 34 but the Pike was priced better at the time) and on my full suss I have a Lyrik. I like both but the Lyrik is definitely better.
Stumpy is cheaper here and they do C2W
I got ridiculously excited by this as a Stumpy is always the answer to everything, started looking at my work's C2W scheme for the figures, went back to the retailer website to check the price and make sure they accepted Halfords C2W vouchers - they do, still ridiculously excited, wondering how I break the news to Mrs Fazzini that I've bought a new bike without me suffering bodily harm, then checked the retailer's C2W T&Cs...Full RRP only on C2W - no sale bikes - dammit
😢 🤣
A quick note to say thank you to everyone who chipped in on this.
I'm currently waiting for the shop to call and let me know they've got the Trek in. It's probably worth me talking through my thought processes so far for anyone wanting to do the same (or those of you simply looking for some sort of closure).
I looked at both bikes from the perspective of what I'd swap out long term vs immediate changes.
The Stumpy, I'd likely replace the wheels (they're about 2.5kg stock), the dropper (too short) and I'd probably also worry about the total insertion length a bit, however much I play around with the numbers and the on-one dropper calculator.
The Trek comes with 36s, the wheels are 108 point engagement, of decent weight, and I can chuck an existing 180mm OneUp in immediately and worry about getting an even longer post later if I needed to.
What's not sorted out is a comparison of the two suspension systems, something that would probably take me a while to figure out anyway as short test rides really aren't enough and, frankly, most modern bikes will probably be an improvement on the Kona.
I may or may not be right with this assessment, but I'm fairly certain that either bike would have been fine and fun. They're both pretty sweet, and I particularly like the move to matte finishes that both bikes came with. The translucent blue matte on the Trek is pretty nice as it shows up the carbon underneath, so I went with that as I'm a tart.
I'll happily post a rundown on how it rides on here if people are interested and once I've got a few miles on it.
The combination of 36s on the front, a wheelset that seems to be more than half decent and decent dropper accommodation were all deciding factors on the Trek;
I haven't weighed my old Kona, but I imagine both new bikes are either the same or lighter.
Nice, have fun and let us know how you get on.
Impossible to make a bad choice out of those two.
Good choice - I reckon it’ll be a great bike for you!
I hope you like it, I do like mine.
I've had the previous trek ex ( but it looked the same) and now have the stumpy comp which imo is far better at everything.
Impossible to make a bad choice out of those two.
That's what made it so difficult 😀
OK. Disclaimers: It's a lot dirtier now, the garden's a mess and will continue to be a mess for the forseeable. There was a ten day holiday in the middle of it when I couldn't ride but I've put a few more miles on it now.
I think I mentioned I like claiming and am rubbish at getting my wheels off the ground, and that led to some very good recommendations for more climby bikes. That would have made the thing I am goodish at easier and (potentially) the thing I am bad at harder. The Trek is a bit of a monster truck and is just so much fun up and down; it's a way better technical climber than the Kona was and is so composed downhill. I can pick lines, I'm not descending then recovering on climbs from being thrown around and so on. FWIW the Specialized would probably have done the same, but the absolute solidity of the front end, possibly because crabon and 36s is really good. Bearing in mind it's replacing 34s and an alloy frame, albeit with a sightly lower handlebar position, that's a positive, but there are likely lots of factors. I think (but haven't confirmed it by taking all the air out) that the forks are 150 not 140 - there's a smidge more than 150mm of stanchion on show.
Any descent on the more technical end of things where I'm not stuck behind someone slower is a PB, it seems - well, for now.
A couple of notes - supply chain still seems to be an issue:
- I went for Invisiframe and it was good - more for protecting something I'll probably run for a while than anything else, as I don't mind chips and scuffs. I can see the point, but I probably won't do it again. That's my personal preference, mind - I'd just rather have been getting my first ride in.
- Dropper was a 100mm, but the shop has said that was an error and have a 150 in from Trek - I queried it, they asked for a pic of the short post, Trek has shipped the right one, no questions asked. Top customer service.
I've got a 180 OneUp dropper in there at the moment, can fit in a 210 so will probably do that.
The brakes are the new SRAM DB8s rather than SLX 4 pots. I thought I'd give them a go before chucking my Guide REs on, and I'm glad I did. They're mineral oil rather than DOT, and feel a lot more Shimano-ey than the Guides - less modulation in a good way.
I suspect but am too lazy to confirm that there's a 150 air shaft in the forks, based on the amount of stanchion. Whatever - it steers well and rides over stuff like a monster truck, and that's more than enough at the moment.
Tyres are XR5 2.5" rather than 2.6 and they're actually good enough that I'm not rushing to replace them
Cranks are potentially quite chonky non-series ones, so I might swap to XTs at some point if I'm bothered enough
The Arvada saddle feels great for the first 40 minutes, but then my sit bones start to disagree. Jury's still out, but if it's not to be it'll be Spoon time
I wish I'd swapped my SPDs out for new ones earlier. I though they were fine as the bearings were still sweet after 10 years, four of which involved a daily commute, but the steel cages were actually really worn and no amount of new cleats would make them less shoogly. I've put three pairs in the recycling bin as a result.
Looks good! To be fair I thought the Trek Exs now did have 150mm forks, so maybe it’s right?
The Arvada saddle feels great for the first 40 minutes, but then my sit bones start to disagree.
I had exactly the same experience on an Arvada...gave it to my son who had the same reaction as well...
I got ridiculously excited by this as a Stumpy is always the answer to everything, started looking at my work’s C2W scheme for the figures, went back to the retailer website to check the price and make sure they accepted Halfords C2W vouchers – they do, still ridiculously excited, wondering how I break the news to Mrs Fazzini that I’ve bought a new bike without me suffering bodily harm, then checked the retailer’s C2W T&Cs…Full RRP only on C2W – no sale bikes – dammit
Worth asking the retailer - I have found a lot of places will allow it if you pay the 15% admin charge that Halfords charge. Depending how much of a discount they are offering, it can still be a good saving (and paid over 12 months).
I have also found that Balfes bikes will allow Halfords C2W vouchers on sale bikes with no added commission. That said, their sale prices are generally a bit more than other retailers but worth doing some sums.
Looks good! To be fair I thought the Trek Exs now did have 150mm forks, so maybe it’s right?
The Gen 6 ones do - they're a bit more Grrr as well, though. And several thousand quid dearer
Worth asking the retailer – I have found a lot of places will allow it if you pay the 15% admin charge that Halfords charge. Depending how much of a discount they are offering, it can still be a good saving (and paid over 12 months).
I was chatting to someone yesterday who said Halfords' cut is now 20%. With the level of discounting going on at the moment, that's pretty much the gross margin gone for a shop and they're shifting them for the cashflow. In one case, this person said the buyer got the name of the voucher scheme wrong, but they still honoured the price they'd negotiated and ended up making a loss. There's a reason a lot of shops are putting more emphasis on servicing and spares and why quite a few manufacturers are dabbling in direct sales.
I'm asking my employer to consider switching to CycleScheme or Cycleosolutions next year, as both, from what I've heard, are fairer on the shop. It'd be interesting to hear from people in the trade about this; I prefer buying local if I can, and I would have liked to have put what to me is a massive purchase through one of the shops I've been going into regularly for the last couple of decades where I know the staff by name.
I should say that, even though I'm not a regular customer at Balfe's, the customer service team on the phone and the peeps in branch were / are absolutely brilliant to deal with.
