Stumpjumper brain or no brain?
 

I am a road bike rider that is about to take up mountain biking to add to my cycling resume. The bike at the top of my list is the Specialized Stumpjumper 29er FSR. I have just had a career change and am saving for the new Stumpy and should have the money available by the end of the year.

My question: There are some 2008s still available with the "brain". The 2009 does not have a brain. The sales rep at the bike shop tried to discount the benefit of the brain and said that the non-brain version actually gives more control over the suspension because it is not automatic.

The only advantage I have seen from the 2009 is that it isn't green.

Does the brain really matter?

I am also a road rider who has recently started mountain biking. I bought the Stumpjumper FSR Expert with the "Brain". I am really sold on the brain. It really works like a hardtail on the smooth areas and is great also when I get to the rocky technical areas. Most trails that I ride contain both rough and smooth areas and with the brain I don't have to compramise with a setting that is not quite right for the rough or the smooth.
All that said, the brain on my bike is currently not functioning properly. The bike is ste up fairly well so I don't notice a lot of bobbing on smooth areas but I do feel some. I'm still waiting to see if this issue can be resoved.

Thanks for the reply. So, how do you like mountain biking? Do you like it as much as road?

I was wondering if it made sense to spend so much money on my first mountain bike, but I spent more than $4,000 on my road bike and do not regret it at all.

I'm hooked. I bought a used road bike to see if I liked it. Then bought a good new road bike. About 4 years later I joined a Wednesday night road ride.These same guys ride gravel roads on Wednesdays in the fall and winter so I bought a used mountain bike to see how I would like it. I did some gravel road rides, tried some singletrack and loved it. Then I bought the stumpjumper. The road riding helps me with endurance mtb races and the mountain bike is building more power and skill for me to use on the road. The hardcore roadies and the hardcore mountainbikers don't want to hear it but the two disciplines compliment each other in many ways.

Your situation sounds very similar to mine. I bought a used road bike because I didn't know if I would like it. Then, I became addicted and upgraded everything on the bike including adding a new frame. If I would have just bought a new bike, I would have saved time and money. Now I am faced with the same decision for a mountain bike. Do I buy cheap and used or go for the what I want which is a Stumpjumper with brain.

I am also struggling over the size. Normally I would ride an XL but a guy at the bike shop, who is also the same height as me, said that a large will handle better and feel less like a boat. I can add a longer stem to make the frame fit me better. Because I have never been a mountain biker, I have no frame of reference.

I have the brain on my Epic. I love it.