Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Can I tour on a Specialized stumpjumper MTB?

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Can I tour on a Specialized stumpjumper MTB?

Old 11-15-17, 11:24 PM
  #1  
warek
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Can I tour on a Specialized stumpjumper MTB?

Hi there

I dont know much about mountain bikes but I have this one in my shed and the brakes work well, much better than my older bike I tried for touring. I am just exploring my options and wonder is it reasonable to tour on an aluminium MTB and can I attach a rear rack + 10 kgs to this bike without frame damage? The front forks have lockout.

Also I like comfort and would like to raise the handlebar height about 4-6 cms. As you can see in the attached photo I had added a 35 degree short stem, but do not want to extend the bars any further away from the seat, I like to ride in a more upright position. I would prefer to shorten the distance from my seat to the bars by 2-3 cms if that is possible without having a negative effect on the handling? Are there other bars i could try, or a way to extend the height of the front forks? I find it very uncomfortable the way it is compared to my road bikes.

Would these wheels for be suitable for touring with 1.5-2.00 inch slick tyres?

Thanks for any advice and have a good day.

Cheers

Kevin
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
P1260529.jpg (1,018.0 KB, 193 views)
File Type: jpg
P1260530.jpg (1.04 MB, 186 views)
File Type: jpg
P1260531.jpg (847.9 KB, 187 views)
File Type: jpg
P1260532.jpg (924.4 KB, 184 views)
File Type: jpg
P1260533.jpg (1.04 MB, 186 views)
warek is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 01:21 AM
  #2  
bwgride
Slow Rider
 
bwgride's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 1,043
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Yes, my bike touring buddy uses a similar bike for touring. Attached is a photo showing how he carries gear. Note the dry bag under the seat and bag on the handlebars. Both are held steady by thin PVC tubes which are zip-tied to the frame - very sturdy system. You could do similar for low cost to learn if bike touring works for you.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
bike_rig.jpg (1.25 MB, 188 views)
bwgride is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 02:51 AM
  #3  
dabac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 8,688
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1074 Post(s)
Liked 295 Times in 222 Posts
People have toured everything, on anything.
Around the World on a penny-farthing - sure.
Over the Rockies on a unicycle - yes.
I’ve even read about one guy setting out to visit every state on a bmx, riding backwards.
Compared to that, your idea is perfectly doable.

First off - what kind of touring are you looking to do?
Touring runs the whole range from credit card touring to support cars to self-sustained for days/weeks.
I wouldn’t recommend a stumpjumper for much in the way of unsupported touring.
But it’d work fine for tours closer to the CCT end of the spectrum.

It’s kinda frowned upon, but technically easy to bring the bars further back-and-up by adding a steerer tube extender and a really short DH stem.
While your bars are indeed kinda low, the first thing I’d recommend WRT comfort is to rotate the bars down. In the pic, the ends are pointing up.
Try having the grips horizontal when viewed from the front.
Not many are comfortable with that angle.
dabac is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 03:36 AM
  #4  
saddlesores
Senior Member
 
saddlesores's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Thailand..........Nakhon Nowhere
Posts: 3,646

Bikes: inferior steel....and....noodly aluminium

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1050 Post(s)
Liked 337 Times in 227 Posts
you might consider switching to a rigid fork.
you mentioned slick tires, so assume mainly road riding.
longer steering column raises your bars without an extender,
and moves them towards you.

that would also remove a couple of unneeded pounds.
if long enough, could add another stem with a short section
of handlebar for bag mount, leaving your bars uncluttered,
or available for clutterering with bell and gps and light etc.
saddlesores is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 09:57 AM
  #5  
fietsbob
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
Extrawheel trailer with another wheel just like your front*.. pannier rack on the trailer. dond need them on the bike .

To fix your want of the bars higher? If not the rigid fork with a lot more steerer tube remaining ..
get one with fittings on the fork blades for big water bottle cages, perhaps?

Then I'd get a stem raiser, then re cable it to its new height..

consider figure 8 bend Trekking/Butterfly bars if you seek more hand grip alternatives..
Front curve is like a brush guard if bike packing single track..

feel a need fo electronic gadgetry charging ? your *trailer wheel hub can have a dynamo in it,
and put the rectifier/cache battery in the pannier..


...

Last edited by fietsbob; 11-16-17 at 10:04 AM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 12:52 PM
  #6  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,094

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3417 Post(s)
Liked 1,434 Times in 1,119 Posts
I toured for one day in Iceland (summer 2016) with an Italian that had a Stumpjumper. We met at a parking lot at a tourist stop in the early morning, we were both traveling solo and going the same direction so for part of the day we rode together.

His bike handled some very difficult gravel and cobbles on some of the interior roads very well. Attached photo is of his bike. I think he locked the suspension fork but I am not really sure. I remember that his tires worked better on steep gravelly/cobblely uphills than my tires did.

I do not speak Italian and his English was passable at best, so we did not discuss very many details of bikes and components. I have no idea if his bike was stock or not.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
20IMGP2706.JPG (311.2 KB, 154 views)
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 02:17 PM
  #7  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,175
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2725 Post(s)
Liked 948 Times in 781 Posts
hey there Mr Aussie,
Ive toured on an older Rockhopper, late 90s, front suspension fork, alu frame, essentially an earlier version of your bike. I used this bike for commuting for ages and ages, with a rear rack and panniers that fit on with no heel strike problems, but then I have size 9 feet and my panniers can easily be moved back on a rack.
I toured on this bike with about 15 kilos more or less in the rear panniers, and the bike handled reasonably well. I also had a front handlebar bag on it and all in all, it worked fine.

As with your other bike, mountain bike cranks are great for loaded touring, and Ive used 1.5 and 2in slicks on my bike. Given that you weigh 200lbs, a good 60lbs more than me, I would recommend using 2in slicks so that you can use lower pressures a bit and the 2in tires will have a bit more give and suspension effect to make life easier for your wheels and frame.

lots of folks use alu frames, and alu framed mtn bikes for touring. Just get a rear rack that is shaped so that your panniers wont hit your feet, and be judicious with the load, and there is no reason why the bike wont work well.

oh, re bars, you can look around and look for a pair of riser bars that are both higher and have more setback angle, this is a fairly easy route to getting your hand position higher and back a bit, plus has the bonus of easy swapping of present shifters and brake levers.
Another inexpensive option is to put on some trekking bars, and with a longer 35 degree stem, could put the bars higher yet the shape of trekking bars puts the rear part of the bars back quite a bit (and often requires a longer stem to keep the seat to bar distnace the same,)
Ive put these bars on a few bikes, and they can be a good solution for various hand positions, with the bonus of being set back more. Take a peek at google images of them on bikes.

of course, a new rigid fork with a much higher steerer tube could work and help bar height, but you have to find the right fork for your bike geometry and the cost of a fork.

good luck playing with this bike with diff stuff that hopefully makes it more comfortable for you.

ps, there are things called stem risers that you can add to the top of your stem, that will raise everything by quite a bit. Look a bit goofy, but they work., again, google them.
djb is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 07:47 PM
  #8  
saddlesores
Senior Member
 
saddlesores's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Thailand..........Nakhon Nowhere
Posts: 3,646

Bikes: inferior steel....and....noodly aluminium

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1050 Post(s)
Liked 337 Times in 227 Posts
stem riser.
bolts onto steerer tube, can raise bars 6-8cm.
weighs 4-5 ounces.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
Picture 235.jpg (171.0 KB, 138 views)
saddlesores is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 08:17 PM
  #9  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,175
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2725 Post(s)
Liked 948 Times in 781 Posts
there you go, they cost about 20-25 bucks.
djb is offline  
Old 11-16-17, 08:49 PM
  #10  
LeeG
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,198
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 137 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 81 Times in 64 Posts
Looks good. Consider handlebars that have a greater variety of hand positions instead of accommodating to straight bars. Look at bike packing style front bag that straps under bars.
LeeG is offline  
Old 11-18-17, 06:12 AM
  #11  
warek
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Thank you to all posters

Some great suggestion here, I will look at a stem extender, and trekking bars as my first option, then a rear rack

I am only looking at road touring without the need to carry tents and sleeping bags. We will stay in hostels and bed and breakfast, and have ready access to shops every couple of days

Have a good day

Cheers
Kevin
warek is offline  
Old 11-18-17, 03:41 PM
  #12  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,175
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2725 Post(s)
Liked 948 Times in 781 Posts
butterfly bars are about 20-25 bucks in the states, about the same here in Canada, so if you can find some where you are Down Under, you could change them out yourself and go from there re stem extender and or diff length stems.

no camping stuff means easily fitting clothes etc into two rear panniers.
djb is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Obeast
Touring
40
04-26-18 06:53 PM
bikebahn
Classic & Vintage
1
09-20-16 07:57 AM
transmaster
Adaptive Cycling: Handcycles, Amputee Adaptation, Visual Impairment, and Other Needs
0
05-25-16 10:18 AM
JakeRidesAgain
Touring
49
04-27-12 09:48 PM
safariofthemind
Touring
14
05-30-11 06:45 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.