Mountain Biking - Does stumpjumper disc worth it?

I'm new to mountain biking and I want to have a bike that can last and allow me to do light to moderate XC and a lot of trails. I've been reading several forums, did some research (not exhaustive though) and narrowed down to the specialized stumpjumper. I decided to get a hardtail because I have heard many recommendations of using hardtail first for experience and "most bang for the buck". But when I come across the specialized FSRxc Pro and the Giant Trance 3, the components are almost idential (especially FSRxc Pro) and they run for about the same price. So my question is where's the "most bang for the buck" of the stumpjumper compare to the others? Thanks

This site has reviews of bikes:

http://www.mtbr.com/

I just bought a Giant Trance 3 (full suspension) after looking around for six weeks and riding several XC/trail bikes. See what feels best to you. When I started I was looking for a hardtail, but after test riding a few bikes I preferred a FS bike. The Trance 3 just felt "better" by far to me than anything else, stable and geometry to my liking.

You CAN get a good hardtail for substantially less money if you are on a budget. If you want a good sturdy bike with good components and only have $1000 then I would advise you to get a hardtail. I set a budget of $1500 when I started. I did find a great hardtail priced at $1000 and that is the GT Avalanche 0.5. It was light and responsive and 'felt good'.

I got my Giant Trance 3 for $1550 from Performance Bicycle at a local store but they are a national online outfit.

This post is going to be a little off topic because I don't have experience with many of these bikes. However, I just bought the v-brake stumpjumper ($1150). I love it! I actually wasn't sold on the stumpjumper when I first took it for a test ride on pavement, but took it out again and when I got on the dirt I fell in love, that Fox fork kicks ass! Now that I'm used to the lock-out the bike does great on pavement too. I guess that first test ride it just didn't click. Anyway, I just wanted to add my $.02 the stumpjumper is definately worth a try. :D

Thanks for replies...


This site has reviews of bikes:

http://www.mtbr.com/

I have read the reviews there and the reviews for all the bikes are good. I'll get the feel of the bikes this weekend, but I just want to know if the stumjumper has some better components than the fsrxc pro. What I has found out from reading the forums was that "for the same amount of money, you can get better components on a hardtail than a fsr". Does this holds true for the stumpjumper or it's just a waste of money? I'm willing to spend about 1500 and I want that 1500 to worth every penny.

I decided to get a hardtail because I have heard many recommendations of using hardtail first for experience and "most bang for the buck". But when I come across the specialized FSRxc Pro and the Giant Trance 3, the components are almost idential (especially FSRxc Pro) and they run for about the same price. So my question is where's the "most bang for the buck" of the stumpjumper compare to the others? Thanks


I got a Stumpjumper FSR Disc about 18 months ago. I ride it in the mountains and N Florida. It's a great design available over a wide price range. You can be a purist if you like and get a hardtail. For me, I'd never go back to a hardtail and would have bypassed them if they had been cheaper/better in the past.

You can ride longer and better on a full suspension. "Bang for the buck" is very subjective as it depends on the bang your looking for. For my bang, FSR Stumpjumper is the way to go.

Mine listed for 1600. I got it for considerably less as it was the previous years model and I got the shop to buy back parts I didn't want. To make that price goal (1600) with the quality of the frame/wheels/ compnents, it had a cheap Manitou Axel fork on it. That was destroyed in about six months. That was fine with me as I found a Fox 100 RLC for $530. That made it the perfect bike for "my bang/bucks".

Al