The latest and greatest Specialized Stumpjumper is out today, and for those keeping track, this is the 15th iteration of the iconic and bestselling trail bike. The bike sports an all-new form factor, updated geometry, and new air shock tech that promises to deliver coil-like benefits. But mostly, it seems, Specialized just wants to geek out on the math and dazzle us with graphs.
New look
Let’s start with the bike’s new streamlined look. Specialized barely mentions form factor updates in the press materials they provided ahead of the launch, and full-on photos of the complete bike are scant. The Stumpjumper 15 ditches the asymmetrical front triangle bridge first introduced in 2018. There’s still an abrupt kink in the seat tube below the pivot and the bike maintains its overall balanced-looking trail stance.
In many ways, the latest Stumpjumper appears to move closer to the Stumpjumper EVO, starting with an increase in suspension travel to 150/140mm front and rear, up from 140/130mm. (Smaller sizes feature a 140mm fork.) That’s still less travel than the Stumpjumper EVO, though only by 10mm.
Stumpjumper 15 geometry
With an eccentric upper headset and Horst link flip chip, the Specialized Stumpjumper 15 offers six different geometry combinations. The head tube angle can be set to 63°, 64.5° (default), or 65.5°, while the bottom bracket can be set at 337mm (default) or 330mm. The default 64.5° head tube angle matches the Stumpy EVO, and is half a degree slacker than the previous Stumpjumper. The reach hasn’t really changed across the size run, and the chainstays are a smidge shorter but basically unchanged.
| S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STACK | 608 mm | 618 mm | 627 mm | 640 mm | 654 mm | 667 mm |
| REACH | 400 mm | 425 mm | 450 mm | 475 mm | 500 mm | 530 mm |
| HEAD TUBE LENGTH | 95 mm | 100 mm | 110 mm | 125 mm | 140 mm | 155 mm |
| HEAD TUBE ANGLE | 64.5 ° | 64.5 ° | 64.5 ° | 64.5 ° | 64.5 ° | 64.5 ° |
| BB HEIGHT | 334 mm | 337 mm | 337 mm | 337 mm | 337 mm | 337 mm |
| BB DROP | 41 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm | 38 mm |
| TRAIL | 129 mm | 130 mm | 130 mm | 130 mm | 130 mm | 130 mm |
| FORK LENGTH | 551 mm | 561 mm | 561 mm | 561 mm | 561 mm | 561 mm |
| FORK OFFSET | 44 mm | 44 mm | 44 mm | 44 mm | 44 mm | 44 mm |
| FRONT CENTER | 720 mm | 751 mm | 780 mm | 812 mm | 843 mm | 879 mm |
| CHAINSTAY LENGTH | 430 mm | 432 mm | 435 mm | 435 mm | 445 mm | 445 mm |
| WHEELBASE | 1,149 mm | 1,181 mm | 1,213 mm | 1,244 mm | 1,285 mm | 1,322 mm |
| TOP TUBE LENGTH , HORIZONTAL | 541 mm | 573 mm | 595 mm | 624 mm | 647 mm | 677 mm |
| BIKE STANDOVER HEIGHT | 738 mm | 751 mm | 745 mm | 745 mm | 745 mm | 751mm |
| SEAT TUBE LENGTH | 385 mm | 385 mm | 405 mm | 425 mm | 445 mm | 465 mm |
| SEAT TUBE ANGLE | 77.0 ° | 76.5 ° | 77.0 ° | 76.9 ° | 77.3 ° | 77.6 ° |
| SEAT POST MAX INSERTION | 245 mm | 245 mm | 255 mm | 255 mm | 285 mm | 285 mm |
| SEAT POST MIN INSERTION | 80 mm | 80 mm | 80 mm | 80 mm | 80 mm | 80 mm |
Specialized is really leaning into their free-form sizing system, suggesting, for example, that a 5’8″ tall rider might choose an S2, S3, or S4, depending on their riding style.
The GENIE is out of the bottle
In development for three years, the Stumpjumper 15 features all-new shock tech Specialized is calling GENIE. Presumably, the brand partnered with Fox to implement a shock that seeks to combine some of the advantages of a coil shock with a traditional air shock. Specialized produced a 13-page white paper (embedded below) to show that GENIE gives the Stumpjumper 15 “57% better traction” than the Stumpy EVO and it “handles 16.3% better” than the EVO, too. Oh, and GENIE delivers “39% fewer severe bottom out events compared to a standard air spring.” How many severe bottom out events should riders expect on a normal ride? We’re not sure.
While we don’t have any reason to doubt that Specialized has done its homework on this one, the data is not easy to understand. The SparkNotes version, as best we can tell, is that GENIE is a two-stage shock with connected but separate positive air chambers. The middle and end strokes are independently tunable via tokens, allowing riders to optimize performance for their riding style. GENIE is said to offer excellent small bump compliance that’s supple off the top of the stroke, just like a coil shock.
Specialized Stumpjumper 15 builds
At launch, buyers can choose from at least five different builds, including the lowest-priced Comp build which features the all-new SRAM S-1000 Eagle Transmission drivetrain. Mixed wheel builds are available for sizes S1 and S2, while S3-S6 sizes appear to come with matched 29er wheels. All of the builds feature a Fact 11 carbon chassis (which we take to mean the front triangle) and rear triangle. The S-Works build upgrades the linkage to carbon as well, and an S-Works frameset will be available for purchase in addition to the full build. Alloy Stumpumper 15 frames are not available at launch.
It’s also interesting to note that one of the builds, the Stumpjumper Öhlins Coil, doesn’t feature flagship GENIE suspension tech.
All Stumpjumper 15 frames offer “lifetime replacement of suspension pivot bearings to the original owner.”
Weights, pricing, and availability for the Specialized Stumpjumper 15 were not available as of press time. We will update this article as more information becomes available.
- MSRP: $3,500 (frame only); $5,500 – $12,000 (complete builds)
- Buy from Specialized
