Specialized goes 27.5″ with the new Stumpjumper FSR EVO 650b

Staunch 29″-wheel advocate Specialized has come out with a mountain bike featuring the 27.5″ wheel size. The company cites riders demand for adding the “tweener” wheel size to its lineup. The U.S.-based company, however, is not going to move away from the large wheel size as others have.

“We are not slowing down one pedal stroke on 29″ innovation as we believe in 29ers,” the company said in a release. “Nevertheless, there are two clear scenarios when a smaller wheel, that is potentially lighter and quicker accelerating, may make sense for some [sic] riders.”

Specialized will continue to make 26″ bikes; however, they will receive less focus.

The new 27.5″ machine is the Stumpjumper FSR EVO 650b. Its front triangle is made of Specialized’s FACT 9m carbon-fibre and has an alloy rear triangle. The RockShox Pike Solo Air gives the bike 150 mm of travel. The Custom FOX Float CTD Factory rear shock manages the bumps at the back. Shimano XT M785 hydraulic disc brakes (180-mm-diameter front rotor, 160-mm-diameter rear rotor) provide the stopping power. The Stumpjumper uses a SRAM X01 groupset. Not surprising, the wheels come with Specialized’s Butcher Control at the front and Purgatory Control at the back, which the company had introduced earlier this year.