I got no brain..?

[Gazzab]

So is the Specialised Stumpjumper with the Brain worth the extra? I wonder if the basic Stumpjumper will be an ok spec and if the Brain is really really worth the extra cash? Anyone got a view?
I am looking to buy in the US and so I hope to get a stumpjumper for the equivelant of £700 - £800 ?
Gary

[ysnnim]

All i can comment on is the brain on my Epic - given I spend as much time going uphill, as downhill, and a fair amount of time on the flat bits inbetween, the brain really does earns its crust. The only time when it does sound/feel a little strange is when there is only 'one' bump to go down/over - good example is a curb - it kicks in when the back wheel hits the curb - and then goes hardtail immediately. Translate this to the odd occasion off road (single rock, log etc) and it is not as smooth as a non-brain.

[Gazzab]

thanks - thats my alternative plan, buy an Epic!

[anonymous-user]

i have an '05 stumpy expert- no brain, and no problems. If you're sat down there's virtually no movement in the rear damper... but if you can afford a brain equipped one, try it out and go for it!

it's my first FS and i have had no trouble with it- imagined it would be a hassle on the ups... and it hasn't.

[snotrag]

You need to ride one, its a marmite shock.

Personally, the Standard FSR on the Stumpy is so good, that I think it makes it unneccassary.

I still prefer the FSR system to the modern VPP bikes, set the shock up properly and its unbeatable for feel.

[Fourmotion]

I've got the 2007 SJ Expert, with the Brain. I do a mixture of riding, both hilly up and down, and X-country. I find myself using the adjustment a lot, and you can certainly tell the difference. Fully open it behaves like a full suss, locked and it is basically a hardtail, albeit it will still open on the largest bumps. I test rode the normal Stumpy, and I felt I was bobbing around more than I would want to on X-country rides. If I could afford it I'd have bought an Epic and an Enduro, but this one cost enough as it is!

I'm using it for a race this weekend, and I'm not expecting to lose too much ground over the lightweight x-country machines.

Worth the extra in my opinion.

[BOR]

I tried an 07/SJ/Brain, and thought it was very good. I don't have enough experience to make a comparison though.

One other thing, I think the Expert is a slightly higher spec, SRAM instead of XT, so you are not paying the extra purely for the Brain.

[Black5]

My opinion is in this thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Crackin' bike, but I would test ride both this and a lower spec bike to get the feel yourself.

[DanH]

The non-brain FSR on the comp also has a pro-pedal mode which I think is meant to be a good halfway house without the complexity of the brain. The guy at specialized was at pains to point out that you shouldn't lock out the rear shock on any of these at all often as it basically causes very early failure of some bushes in the shock. On my comp he told me to leave it in pro pedal unless going up a serious hill if I wanted the shock to last. They had a customer who used his to ride to work and thus always locked out and it broke in 3 months or something.