Looking to finally go full suspension. Trying to decide between these two. Tho I have never ridden Hawes big sister, it looks like the kinds trail riding that I usually do. Would the lighter chisel be a better all around bike while still having sufficient travel for the occasional drop and rocky down hill?
by Formal-Negotiation74
12 Comments
Stumpjumper all the way.
The Stumpy for general Phx metro riding.
Just an FYI Big Sister is about as close as we get to a flowy berm line in Phx, although its not really flowy/bermy compared to other parts of the country, lol. Most of the riding is not like that.
I would go with the Stumpjumper for all around fun.
If you want to race, I would consider the chisel.
Sj slx
I don’t know the trails, but I would say:
Chisel is a bike if you want to be fast. Like racing in olympic xc fast.
Stumpy, normal one, not evo, is good bike for different terrains for a rider who wants to have fun.
I have 2023 model, 29 and I can say it is a bike with which I can ride xc trails, ride parks, jump and also hit some gnarly trails.
I am 47 year old, with 10
Kg too much, who likes to pedal and but loves bombing downhill.
Stump jumper
If all of your riding is gonna be on trails I would get the stumpy. If at least 50% of your riding will be on pavement/gravel I would get the chisel. There’s advantages to going big; but there’s also advantages to going small. I have a 120mm bike and love it. It’s so fun to throw around and pedal – and climbs feel like way less big of a deal than they did on my old heavy clonker. My girlfriend has the specialized chisel FS and its a great bike. But stumpy for sure will be better on descents / more confident over roots and gnar not a question.
Big sister would be the very limit for a Chisel and if that kind of trail is the norm, it would be too much.
I would go with the chiesel
In Phx and just did a frame up build on a chisel FS. “Downcountry” tires or whatever the newest term is for that and this thing total rips. Highly recommend and will be a great rig for the next while.
It depends on what you like riding. I personally would go with a chisel for phoenix, but my favorite rides there were desert classic, browns ranch and McDowell mountain.
If you are going to be leaning towards more aggressive rides like national trail then the stumpy is a better option.
Idk if you’re set on Specialized but the Trek Top Fuel is an ideal setup for PHX imo, bridges the gap between these two bikes.
I think you should get a pivot phoenix for phoenix area