$7400
23.5 pounds
4.7-inch rear wheel travel
Specialized, (408) 779-6229
Full test: December 2007 (Click here to order this issue)

Highlights: Specialized celebrated its most popular off-road bicycle for 2008 by bestowing it with every bit of technology that the Morgan Hill design firm has developed in recent memory. The result is a 23.5-pound carbon fiber, dual-suspension chassis with full-time inertia-valve anti-bob suspension on both ends and a component selection that must have been lifted from a pro rider's Christmas list. Meet the $7300 S-Works Stumpjumper FSR Carbon--a complete redesign that shouts to all who care to take notice that Specialized has turned the page on 20 years of incremental development and is starting anew with a fresh look across its entire lineup.

Best quote: "With most of its already minimal weight tucked low in the frame, the Stumpjumper S-Works feels even lighter. Add the effect of its cross-country racing Roval wheelset and Ned Overend-approved tires and you get a 4.7-inch travel trailbike that ignores all but the steepest hills on the trail."

Bottom line: If you are a dedicated cross-country racer who wants to leave the hardtail in the garage and play on a more comfortable and capable machine, the new Stumpy is the perfect match. The same can be said for casual cross-country racers and 24-hour competitors. If you ride aggressively however, and want the one bike that will get you up, down, over, under and around everything nature might throw at you on a trail, you'll be riding the Stumpjumper at the outer edge of its capabilities.