My mate recently had his 2006 Trek Liquid bike stolen but his insurance has paid out to the tune of £1800. Due to where he has to buy the bike from he is limited in choice but the 2 he has narrowed it down to are the Spicy 316 & Stumpjumper FSR.

He got to test the Stumpjumper and loved it. Trying to get a demo of a Spicy is near impossible where i am though. Type of riding will be a mixture of trail centre, All Mountain & epic rides in the Scottish mountains.

Looking for any feedback from owners of these bikes to help him decide.

Zesty would be a closer match to the Stumpy and would be a better bet for the riding he’s doing. Either bike would be fine. He should pick the one he likes best

What colour does he prefer and which one does he like the look of most as they are both great bikes and there isn’t much in it.

I did mention the Zesty to him but i think some guy in the LBS convinced him that the Spicy would be a better option!!! What is the Specialized equivilant of the Zesty?

As for colours and overall look, he prefers the Spicy.

Can’t say much about the Stumpy other than Specialized have been round years and really know their stuff. Regards the Spicy I had a similar problem a few months back when I was looking for a new bike. 516 was the one I had my eye on but couldn’t get a test ride for love nor money. Tried a bunch of other bikes and it never really clicked. Ended up going to a bike shop, riding a 516 round a carpark and buying it there and then.

I absolutely love it. Lived in Glasgow for 3 years and rode the trail centres a lot in Scotland as well as the WHW and Fort William Red. Spicy is perfect for that kind of stuff. I’m more about the downs than the ups so it suits me but it’ll do everything and climbs surprisingly well. MBUK gave the 316 top place in its “aggressive trail bike” test about a year back. Be aware that it’s a heavy bike relative to the Stumpy so the latter would prob be best for all day jaunts that cover a lot of miles. The Spicy kills the DHs though.

Stumpy Evo or Camber would be closer to the Spicy I think.

I’ve a Stumpy FSR comp and I love it! It’s the 2005 model though… if and when I need to replace it(which will only be when I damage it beyond repair) I’ll most likely get the latest version of it.

Twiggy – the Camber is nothing like the Spicy, the Spicy probably sits between a Stumpy Evo and an Enduro in the Specialized range.
They are both capable bikes, the Stumpy being more biased towards longer rides but still plenty capable and the Spicy with more of a gravity bias but still a decent weight.

as above, 2 different beasts really. Stumpy is more in line with Zesty.

If he is riding more technical or gravity based stuff plus the trial centres the Spicy will cover all bases.

But I would go the the Zesty if its just trail centre bashing and longer epic rides.

Twiggy – the Camber is nothing like the Spicy, the Spicy probably sits between a Stumpy Evo and an Enduro in the Specialized range.

That’s why I said “I think”.

There’s an article in this month’s Dirt about Zesty vs. Spicy. It’s almost totally undecipherable, as usual, but it does conclude that you might as well have the Spicy.

As a Spicy owner, I can only agree.

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like he’s got some serious thinking to do. For the type of riding he will be doing, overall i think either the stumpy or zesty would be more suitable but if the spicy can climb as well as Twiggy says then it can’t be ruled out.

+1 on having a look at the Stumpy Evo.

I was looking at new bikes myself recently and I was really impressed at the spec on these, not so much the value (which is OK) but that it comes with the sort of stuff that I’d usually have to put on aftermarket.

eg. 20mm axle fork, double and bash, short stem, wide bar, chain device, uppydowny post.

chakaping – Member
+1 on having a look at the Stumpy Evo.

I was looking at new bikes myself recently and I was really impressed at the spec on these, not so much the value (which is OK) but that it comes with the sort of stuff that I’d usually have to put on aftermarket.

eg. 20mm axle fork, double and bash, short stem, wide bar, chain device, uppydowny post.

+1 – lot to be said for a bike that doesn’t need this and that to bve changed – most bikes are lacking in a few things that way.

I have a 2011 Stumpy FSR Comp and I love it.

Not particularly useful as I cant compare it against the other option, but I ride similar stuff to your friend by the sound of it, and haven’t found any issues whatsoever with mine.

It’s been to the Alps too, and will be going again in a couple of weeks. And I loved riding it there too.