North Shore

I reckon he should apply to be the song writer for takalani sesame.

Sweet, I land at 3 on Friday, maybe catch you there. Vis a vis objectivity of your timed testing : how do you account for rider fatigue, rider bias, new ride excitement etc? I don't see how any of this could be objective unless it were an average over multiple days with a visor so you couldn't tell which bike you were riding (excuse the scientist within but this simply cannot be an objective comparison).

OK so it is just the brain component you have a problem with? Not the FSR horst link they use, cause that's kinda what I've been getting at. You can tune out the brain to be much less sensitive or just go for the plain FSR model. Point goes back to which brain have you tested? They have tweaked them A LOT since 2008, much quicker engagement, smoother etc (you claim that yearly tweaks are a bad thing, but how can that be if you haven't tested the latest ones?). Aside from the fact that it is a pretty unique system to specialized and I can't think of any other suspension design, what is wrong with them tweaking it year to year to iron out first gen problems?

http://www.dirtragmag.com/webrag/first-look-2012-specialized-stumpjumper QED

http://www.sicklines.com/reviews/specialized-stumpjumper-fsr-expert-evo/review-specialized-stumpjumper-fsr-expert-evo/ So every single reviewer I've read completely disagrees with you. I think you need to re-ride the new generation. Flying down to CT this weekend will bring my stumpie and maybe you can thrash it a bit at tokai.

Both my Spez have fox only shocks, with the rear a fox and spez colab. I respect your experience, but I completely disagree. Yeah seems very lame of spez to pull out, even if it's not a very objective method of testing (as you yourself are timing, riding and reviewing). All the pro reviews I've ever read of the stumpies and epics were nothing but positive (What Mountain Bike Magazine, bikeradar etc http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/mountain/product/review-specialized-stumpjumper-fsr-evo-comp-12-45262) Not one review below 4/5 stars. Amped to hear your views on the 26 vs 29er debate as I've just jumped to the 29er full suss and although mostly happy find myself missing that slightly hair-raising twitchy and schizophrenic nature of the 26er, is it just time till I'm fully adjusted?

@ Crow do you mean the 2008 Mojo? Because the stumpie's design has changed quite a bit since then, I must confess I've ridden the Ibis Mojo SLR (and another mates HD) and had lots of fun on it, but DEFINITELY don't agree with you on speed, my stumpie owned on time. Given that the stumpie is about 1kg lighter probably accounts for it but they were both carbon and xx vs xtr. I invite you to come and retest the newer models before you make blanket statements based on five year old designs.

Comparing the CWC prices to my LBS just makes me want to cry, how can they justify such ridiculous mark ups? The claim that online stores don't have overheads like shop rental is BS cause CWC have a store and sell it all at the same price. Why do we all put up with being ripped off so mercilessly?

I do agree with you Crow, we tend to choose what we know, and obviously in no way do I mean that Stander and Sauser won due to the brain, that'd be ridiculous, but you cannot deny it is an efficient system. I have a 2010 Stumpie and the 2012 S works (29er) and the original Santa tallboy. I have also ridden A LOT of other mates bikes and IMHO the brain is by far the best at dealing with pedal bob, climbs like a hardtail and for me is a much smoother ride than the Tallboy although I definitely do notice it bottoming out on the bigger hits, although from having ridden friends stumpies without the brain or it set very low seems to help with this. For you to rank it as the worst out of that list seems to me ridiculous as I've also ridden on most of those systems and objectively there is no way I would place it anywhere near the bottom of the list. You claim the brain doesn't translate across the board, although I'd never recommend it on a downhill course (well I have at the MANKELE course but I'd hardly recommend it) I do find the stumpie in particular to be one of the better all rounders, I've smashed it pretty much everywhere in situations I've seen other designs fall very short (obviously rider influenced).

You have no idea what you are talking about. The FSR may not be the best for more AM and DH guys but other than that it is by far one of the most efficient with excellent handling and hugs the corners beautifully. Evidence of this efficiency being that Stander and Sauser just won by 40min on the FSR epic's.

A hardtail is almost always going to be the faster bike because it's inherently lighter and a faster climber, unless the track involves a hell of a lot of technical. The reason to go full suspension is for comfort and on stage races (like the Epic) your recovery time is faster on a FS.

I find the First Ascent and Capestorm bibs to be horribly uncomfortable, the padding hardly lasts and the fit is just off. Been the happiest with my Santini's but my specialized (bit costly) and Nalini ones are also great. You're being unrealistic if you expect them to last two years. Given I ride a lot I get about a year out of one in rotation.

That's right above FPC and 2km from Cyclelab. Crowded much?

At that price you can look at the Specialized Stumpjumper, I have the 2011 model and it's wicked fun, pretty much nothing you can't tackle on it, with top end specs. If you're looking for something that's a little faster go for the Spec Epic.

Around 40% as per my experience. Better to just get it here, and they'll honor the warrantee.

Specialized Enduro.

You should be fine, those are strong rims (if a bit heavy) and if you aren't doing too hectic technical riding they will stand up fine. Also a good motivation to drop those last 9.

I couldn't agree more. Running, much like road biking, is merely a torturous and masochistic task, requiring very little technical skill with no real variation. Ever seen a runner smiling? I certainly never have, but I've never seen bigger grins than after a succesfull big downhill run.

Hi there, Unless you enjoy chainrings that fail, gears that grind and a generally awful ride don't go for Dunlop. Your best bet would be to look at relatively new second hand hardtails. GT, silverback and mongoose all have good entry level bikes that you can pick up for relatively cheap (although you may want to consider increasing your budget). Shop around and check out the classifieds on here regularly. Good Luck

Yeah i hear you, each to his own and all that jazz, but I'm also allowed to judge and have my opinion and we're all entitled to feel superior and condescending especially over the roadies, I just think they're lame and tired of being tainted with the same brushstroke. Have a sweet weekend catch you guys at dirtopia.

Hmmm don't really see how that is a response, obviously you can do what you like but I assume your shin splint is off so you're continuing to shave out of vanity, just admit it it's ok. Whether in the name of style or because your boyfriend just likes how smooth it is it's ok just don't pretend like the rest that it forms some uber-functional purpose. I bailed BAD at the sandton bike park dirt jump last week, I'm not strictly a dirty but i like the smash and bash, and am only typing now cause of my helmet (cracked virtually in half from landing on dirt!) Anyway to conclude, mountain biking (trials, dh, dirt, vert, north shore) is awesome and road biking is lame. Roadie's give real cyclists a bad name.

You don't put ferrari rims on a citi golf. The argument against shaving is not equal to saying stop the mass production or R&D departments, obviously not, I like most other mtb'ers love learning about awesome new technology (brain shock 2010) and am always pretty eager to test it out. But Bos you shave because you want the ladies to check your legs out, you said it yourself and proved my point ever so eloquently that it is almost entirely vanity based. Obviously it's personal choice but if you're hoping to explain away your narcissistic desire to see your rippling muscles on display to the world through "sport improvement" you're delusional. Just admit it's aesthetic. Love the pic btw, that you doing the dirt jump? Jeans and skating shoes, i like it. But you're crazy not to wear a helmet and here's why you should.

Obviously the top of the top guys like Burry Stander or Ben Melt Swannepoel shave because a second or two off your time can make the difference between podium placement and 4th place. However there is no point if your time is an hour off the winning time, it's wholly pretentious and douche-ish. It's the same as the beginner mtb'er who jumps into the sport buying a 40 grand bike they have no idea how to ride (yes we can all see you), or like the average swimmer who shaves (same debate if you not on the top why bother it's just vain). The argument that it promotes a closer knit sport enthusiasm is ridiculous, how does all looking like we stepped out of the gay shower at the gym doesn't promote sport spirit just makes you look like a douche.

Yes, but then I might be confused for a roadie with absolutely no technical skill. Honestly shaving your legs is only justifiable when your winning time is milliseconds off, otherwise it's just pretentious. Mountain biking is a totally different world, I hate being clumped with the inanely boring road hogs.

Totally true. Shaved legs and lycra are for girls and indiscriminate homo's. Honestly how can you have style when all you can do is ride in a relatively straight line on tar. Lame.