It’s not bad when you can take a bike out of the box and it’s ready to ride, but jump on something that feels like it was made to measure and you know you’ve got something pretty special. Well that’s how we felt when we tried the Womens Stumpjumper.

Specialized have been making women specific bike for ages now and it certainly shows. By focusing on the unique needs of female cyclists and how women ‘really ride’ they see no reason why we should ride something that was built for a man.

Frame

The Womens Stumpjumper frame has bags of standover room thanks to the low and sloping top tube. Plus it comes in three well spaced frame sizes (13, 15 and 18″) making reach for the bars comfortable and sensibly spaced, great for riders from just under 5ft tall and upwards. The geometry is designed to give expert and performance oriented riders a comfortable yet race-ready feel but designed to suit a woman’s sizing and proprtions.

The M4 tubing is lightweight and laterally stiff for a fast and explosive feel when you put some power into the pedals, that said you can expect some comfort from the complient rear end. The pale blue paintwork was a popular choice out on the trail, attracting much praise from other women riders. With higher spec this frame could easily warrent a higher price tag and indeed has won XC races and 24hr races with the Specialized Starlets aboard.

Contact Points

The XC flat bars and stem are well sized, we found the handlebar width (580mm)comfortable a bit narrower than some men’s/unisex bars they suit the average XC female riding position well. The levers are easy to adjust for smaller hands, being V-style brakes you have plenty of options regarding bikting point and lever distance from the bar.

Seating is taken care of by Specialized’s own Women Specific Body Geometry Rival saddle, experienced riders and racers may want to upgrade this for a width specific Specialized Jett saddle which will also save some weight. Although this sounds overly critical as there is nothing wrong with the BG saddle already fitted, we say this because the Stumpjumper is capable of racing and performance trail riding and is ripe for upgrading.

Components

The Fox F90RL forks offer compression and rebound adjustment plus you can lock the fork out for a rigid ride where you need it and easily switch it back on again. With an air spring you can set the fork up to deliver suspension as you need it specifically for you weight. They are a smooth and hardwearing fork that won’t let you down and make a good partner to the quality frame. We felt confident enough to hit any line with these forks, ignoring any rocks or roots in our path and set up correctly they made for fast climbing too.

The Womens Stumpjumper comes with Avid V-brakes which we had no probs with at all, however to complete the perfect package it would have been nice to have seen discs at this price point. Specialized had the foresight to provide disc brake mounts on the rear and the forks are compatible too should you wish to upgrade, the frame is certainly worthy.

The groupset was mostly Shimano with LX featuring predominantly in the drivetrain department with the exception of the upgraded XT rear mech. It all performed reliably well even under pressure.

Wheels

The Specialized Fast Trak Pro tyres feature a tightly packed tread pattern which means that they roll fast, but with minimal compromise when it comes to traction. So, you’re able to put the power down effectively, corner confidently and master the trickier climbs. On the downside, they will clog with mud fairly easily so we’d maybe be tempted to swap for some more suitable tyres for the winter.

The Ride

The first thing that strikes you out on the trail, is the confidence this bike gives you. You can put immense power through it but you can equally flow down descents with a perfect combination of smooth ease and control.
This gave me every advantage when trying to keep up with the guys out on the trails and believe me, I needed all the help I could get!

Being around 5’2″ (and that’s being optimistic) it was pleasing to find a frame with the perfect geometry. I put the 15″ frame to the test which was ideal and the seatpost was long enough to offer extra flexibility for longer legs.

The Stumpjumper is designed to offer balanced geometry with equal climbing and descending orientation. Specialized have built this bike with the rider in mind who is “seeking fun, thrill, adventure and fitness” and we tried our hand at all of this! The chasis is strong, offers precise steering, is efficient and light and the rear is crisp and compliant. So, if you’re looking to race and ride on trails and fireroads with a bike that’s going to give you great cross country control and confidence, this is your machine.

Specification