Chumba Stella Ti Review: Ultra XC or Solid Adventure?

To preface, CHUMBA USA is headquartered in Austin, Texas, where they have their own production facility. All of their bikes are designed in house and either built at headquarters or in their other facility in Tennessee. CHUMBA is a self-described “rider driven company” striving to build bikes that they themselves are excited about. Durability is a strong value for these bike builders, dedicated to delivering “products that are up to the most rigorous demands of mountain biking”. And I can assure you, the Stella was tested on some pretty demanding terrain including technical climbs, boulder-strewn descents, and long rutted out farm roads—yes, you read that right, Cuba is not flat. The Stella Ti’s noticeable oversized titanium tubing and durable build kit are evidence that CHUMBA’s promise of reliability isn’t just rhetoric. Read on to see how it performed.

The Ride

At a time when the bicycle industry thinks everyone needs to be pedaling a hot rod with super slack geometry designed for the gnarly bits, the CHUMBA Stella brings us a breath of fresh air, without being too “XC” of course. While it won’t have you wheelieing up climbs and tail-whipping every bump in the road, its 70 degree head tube angle and a 73 degree seat tube angle provides a well-balanced geometry that feels just as comfortable climbing as it does descending — although I wouldn’t go as far as to call the bike playful. These angles keep the body in a position fit to deliver power to the pedals without being too aggressive to the point where it can’t handle technical descents. Riders used to the current industry trends of long and slack geometry may find this bike a little tame, in the sense that this bike sacrifices playfulness for efficiency. Is it so wrong to keep your front wheel firmly planted on the ground while climbing those steep grunters at your local trail? I think not.

To clarify; I rode the Stella and my travel compatriot, Hannah, was pedaling the Ursa 29+. We switched occasionally to try out each bike and fortunately — as the photos show — she complimented the Stella nicely, making it look much better than I ever could. Which also made for some needed action model shots of the Stella.

• 
• 

The Stella’s Titanium tubeset paired with a Stans No Tubes Arch wheelset and front/rear thru axles, keep this bike stiff as a board. Transferring all of that power from the quads right into the wheels made me feel like I could easily leave my buddies and their chromoly steeds in the dust. However, don’t assume that stiffness translates to a rigid ride, the Ti is plush and compliant, soaking up the chatter, especially when paired with a supple tire pressure in its stock tubeless wheelset. Although this isn’t the lightest titanium frame out there — 4 pounds; about 23lbs for the Ultra build — CHUMBA chose to create a balance between compliance, rigidity, and weight. CHUMBA also offers the option of a dropper seatpost for the Stella. While this might be a nice inclusion for many riders (droppers make every bike more fun), it would be nice to have seen Chumba modernize the frame with internal cable routing.

• 
• 

• 
• 
• 

The Stella is equipped with a beautiful Paragon made sliding rear dropout plate design, making for easy adjustability, simple single speed conversions, and a multitude of axle options. Adjusting the position of the plate system is a snap with the two-bolt design and tensioning system. Thankfully the brake mount is also mounted to the plate, which minimizes the necessity of adjusting the brakes every time you want to adjust the chain stay length. Speaking of chain stay length, the sliding dropouts gives you the option between 443mm –463mm. I chose to place the wheel at about 450mm, which provided a very stable platform that kept the bike tracking straight for those long Cuban dirt roads. The fairly long chainstays and relatively high bottom bracket may not feel as snappy as your trail rig, however what it lacks in maneuverability, it makes up for in stability.

Build Kit

Chumba believes that bikes should be built with quality components which complement the frame’s balanced characteristics of boutique bling and durability. The Shimano 1×11 XT drivetrain — featuring an 11-42t cassette paired with a RaceFace 32t crankset — furnished a decent gear ratio for spinning in the flats as well as the steeps. Braking was delightful with the bombroof Shimano XT hydros. In the past I’ve preferred mechanical discs when travelling off the beaten path due to their reliability and repairability (I know that’s not a real word…). However, The Shimano XT system seems to be extraordinarily durable and will from now on find a spot on my bikepacking rig. The feather light MRP Rock Solid rigid fork dampened road chatter and kept the front end light and agile, although it comes without bosses for fork mounted bags or cages. The cockpit is outfitted with Thompson components including lovely Thompson Ti 12 degree sweep bars.

Initially I wondered why CHUMBA built the Stella with a press fit bottom bracket and I was worried about a chorus of creaking sounds that might ensue halfway into our trip. Ultimately I came to understand that PF BBs are typically stiffer than their threaded counterparts; CHUMBA’s reasoning behind choosing the PF30 is the combination of the strength, stiffness, serviceability, and compatibility with a large range of crank sizes. According to Chumba there are a couple factors that lead to a problem free BB on any bike; proper installation, stringent frame tolerances, and quality BB’s —such as, Kogel Ceramic Bearings — are key to a quietly humming bottom bracket. After 12 days, 450 miles, and two mountain ranges, the PF30 on the Stella never made a peep. So apparently, these guys know what they’re doing when it comes to BBs.

• 
• 
• 

• 
• 

Although, I enjoyed the 29” wheelset paired with 2.4” Maxxis Ardent tires, there were times on those bumpy Cuban roads that I was wishing for just a bit more voluminous rubber. CHUMBA does have options for running mid-fat on the Stella. They recommend running 27.5” x 40mm rims combined with 2.8 meats, however this does lower the height of the bottom bracket. The word on the street is that they are soon releasing a 27.5 x 3.0 compatible version of the Stella with Boost 148×12 rear spacing to fit wider tires. In addition, the 27.5+ model will be paired with a 110mm Fox Float to correct the bottom bracket height.

Drivetrain

• Rear Der Shimano XT M8000
• Cassette Shimano XT 11-42t 11spd
• Crankset RaceFace Turbine
• Chainring RaceFace Cinch 32t
• Shifter Shimano XT M8000
• Brakes & Rotors Shimano XT 180mm/F 160mm/R
• Bottom Bracket Wheels Manufacturing PF30 w/ABEC-3 Bearings

Components

• Fork MRP Rock Solid Carbon 490 100×15 thru-axle
• Headset Cane creek 110 ZS44/EC44 for Tapered Steerer tubes
• Stem Thomson X4 80mm x 31.6
• Handlebar Thomson Titanium 12º sweep bars
• Seatpost Thomson Elite 31.6mm (no-offest)

Wheels

• Rims Stan’s NoTubes Arch EX
• Front Hub Stan’s NoTubes Neo
• Rear Hub Stan’s NoTubes Neo
• Tires Maxxis Ardent 29×2.4″ EXO TR

Bikepacking Bags (as tested)

• Frame Pack Wanderlust Divide Framebag (included in Ultra pkg)
• Seat Pack Wanderlust Shenandoah seat bag
• Handlebar Wanderlust Sawtooth bar bag system
• Stem bags Wanderlust Rattlesnake stem bags
• Top tube bag Wanderlust Beargrass

It’s obvious in their marketing and offerings that CHUMBA is dedicated to out of the box adventure ready bikes. Rear rack mounts, 3 water bottle locations, oversized tubing, durable components, and rugged frame materials prove their commitment to exploration. Although, the Stella’s triangle was a little on the small side. I fit a 3l water bladder in the frame bag and was left with little room to spare. CHUMBA’s partner company Wanderlust Bags ensures that each bicycle has options for snug fitting bike-specific bikepacking bags. Stay tuned for thoughts on the bags in an upcoming review.

• Price (as tested) $4,695 USD
• Size (as tested) Medium
• Weight ~23lbs (10.4kg)
• Place of Manufacture USA
• Contact chumbausa.com

Pros

• American made
• Smooth, stiff, and compliant ride
• Reliable and quality build kit
• Well-balanced geometry that’s fitting for long days in the saddle
• Paragon dropouts for added potential

Cons

• Ti comes at a price. For those of you hard up on cash, check out the steel builds.
• Smallish triangle made for less room in the frame bag
• The quest for the quiver killer lives on
• No fork-mount bottle bosses

• 
• 

Rider Profile / Colt Fetters

If it’s got pedals and two wheels, I’ll ride it. Bicycling of any variety inspires me. My first bike tour consisted of a month long road tour in Iceland. After a couple years of road touring I discovered bikepacking and shortly thereafter embarked on a trip to Nepal to bikepack the Annapurna circuit. Simply, what I enjoy most is exploring new cultures and lands by way of bicycle, especially if I have Hannah by my side.

Height: 5’10”
Weight: 155lbs

Disclosure: Chumba loaned me this Stella Ti (Ultra Build) to ride over a two-week period on Cuba’s chunky dirt roads and horse tracks.