2021 Specialized Epic Evo - Review and how to un-downcountry the bike!
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- Опубліковано 29 бер 2021
- In this video I will review the 2021 Specialized Epic Evo. I tested the bike in the Expert edition whch is XO1 components, G2 RS brakes and carbon Roval wheels.
I also tell you how you can convert this bike to an Epic using the same frame.
Good review. But music in background detracts from the content.
I completely agree. I am still working on good editing. I appreciate the feedback!
@@LoamRoamer I think you are there. Your ideas and thoughts were organized nicely to give your data on the review. Keep up good work.
Dunno if anyone gives a shit but yesterday I hacked my girlfriends Instagram account using InstaPlekt. Just google for it ;)
Instablaster
100% agree. I really wanted to listen to everything he had to say but found it difficult to suffer through the music as it was equally as loud as his voice. Love the bikes hanging on the wall in the garage with the wood slab wall covering. I did listen to the whole video though. Good content.
Nicely done Loam Roamer. You have a teacher's instincts for breaking it down for understanding, with effective demonstration (show, not just tell). It shows that you have methodically thought-through what you are describing (teaching), with visuals. A viewer can learn more from your work than they ever could from just watching some great rider catching big-air. We want to learn, and you not only want to teach, but are also very good at it. Bravo!
Thank you, Paul.
I recently bought then S works evo 2021 small. Im from Costa Rica, but Im using the bike in Chile, Santiago, very steep, thecnical and dusty terrain. My old bike is the era Sworks. My sensations with the new bike: The Evo feels perfect going up when everything is locked, super efficient, but going up and down in very difficult and risky to lock or unlock the suspensions. Going down is far more efficient than my old Sworks, but sometimes very bouncy. Tires, I would highly recommend to change the rear tire, the specialized is to slippery in dust and you almost can´t stand up to pedal hard. Gears sram electronic shifts and the seat post electronic too is amazing. The bike is fast. We like to do marathon races, and I'm still trying to convince myself if is better to use my old era s works or the evo...!!!!. Thanks for the review, it is very helpfull.
I agree with your assessment. Got my fifth ride on my epic evo and it pedals great.
What kind of trails do you ride?
Comprehensive review. Thank you!
Just got my 2022 evo. Awesomeness
Stumpy?
Maybe you're a cool guy and you're cool guying it on some cool guy brand cracked me up. Your talking about the Specialized "stigma" was spot on. Their bikes fit me well. I built a sick boutique brand bike and the geometry just didn't agree with me so I sold it at a loss. Specialized bikes just fit me...
Yeah, there are so many great bikes and specialized is one of those for sure.
Nice info on the evo to epic conversion
Thank you.
Great review. Well done.
Glad you liked it!
Thanks. You have totally made up my mind
Which did you go with?
Great video! My ride weight is 195 and I run 220psi at shock and 99psi at the fork. The ride quality is very sensitive to pressure in the shock. Just a few psi makes a difference for me. I found the online specialized suspension calculator to be spot on for me. I can definitely tell a difference between pedaling on the Evo and pedaling on a dwlink bike. The Evo definitely feels a little more mushy when putting down the power but the lighter weight makes up for that inefficiency compared to dwlink I think.
Different rides for sure, both have their place. The Epic Evo definitely a great bike to push and the weight is spot on!
What kind of trails do you ride?
@@artemartem7534 Mostly XC pedaling 90% of the time.
Great eeview and bike, amd I totally agree with you. The only other bike that I fancy, on a different way and with different flavour, is the new Trek Top Fuel
I am going to be doing a review of one soon!
Thanks for the great review. I didn’t get that shock stroke thing. I thought the epic evo comes already with a 40 mm stroke. Or did you mean going from a 40 to 42,5 mm?
Thanks
This is a great question. I received my data from a specialized rep, I emailed specialized and as it turns out, you would need 2 shocks as one is 190x40 and the other 265x52.5. I should have asked their tech dept to verify the info. It is all still good to make the swap, but the shock point you make is a great one! Thank you for asking.
I went and bought that bike, thanks in part to videos like yours. Mine came with a very tiny looking 50 mm stem. I changed to an Enve M6 bar and stem. 65 mm stem and 25 mm rise bars. I read a review someone posted of how the bike tipped over from being leaned against his truck. The controls hit the top tube and caused $1000.00 in damage. So I switched to the Enve bar and stem set-up. With that little bit of rise the controls don't make contact with the top tube. It's actually a little more comfortable and feels like I'm in a better riding position. It's weird how your test bike came with a 60 mm stem and mine came with what they said was a 50 mm stem, but looked more like a 40 mm stem..
Yeah, I wonder if the issue is parts are hard to get so they ship them with different sizes. Glad you got a great bike! Nice bar and stem setup!!
What's the background track? Great review btw
It is music that is from Epidemic Sound. I do not know the name. Thank you!
Hey nice informative video. Do you thinking changing the flip chip will also steepen the seat angle by 0.5 degree?
Yes, whenever the head tube angle changes the seat tube angle does also.
@@LoamRoamer thanks, yes that is true but somehow it was no where mentioned on the web for this particular bike. And I also feel it will slightly increase the seated reach. Right?
@@vinnipogo That is correct. this is relative to the geo and biuke size in how much, but roughly 4-7mm on average.
Hi @Loam_Roamer, How does the Epic Evo compare to the Stumpjumper, would you say that the difference between the bikes is similar to the difference between the Stumpjumper and the Sumpjumper Evo? So that the Epic Evo covers ground more efficiently than the Stumpjumper but is less capable when the ground gets rougher? Could this gap be narrowed by just changing tyres and maybe handlebars?
There is a significant difference to me. The Epic EVO is a cross country bike by nature, the geo, the ride feel, and the mannerisms based on the kinematics of the suspension. The Stumpjumper is atrail bike that pedals well, but is smoother, softer, and has a suspension design that accomplishes this over an epic. I would say if you have strong bike handling skills and like a more effecient bike go epic evo and yes, toughen the tires and change the bars. But it is not a trail bike unless your trails are generally smoother and no steep sections. Again, unless you can handle a bike like a racer then this is not relevant. If you are looking for an effeciant, fun, capable bike it is the stumpjumper. Better to put faster tires on a more capable bike, than tougher tires on a bike that will beat you up in the rough, IMO. I hope you subscribe as I keep building the channel, I like these great questions.
My evo shreds big chief no problems. Only downside I've found is pedal strikes on technical climbs. Thinking of switching to 170mm cranks to attempt to alleviate it,
Upper big chief? And fast or managed due to travel? I ride short travel a good deal and while a bike can, it does not make it great for riding everyday rough stuff. But the evo is a bad ass ride for sure.
@@LoamRoamer upper and lower, may just be my perception since it's the longest travel bike I've ever had, came from 100mm hardtail.
Nice review, what size did you test M or L
Thank you, I tested the Medium.
@@LoamRoamer hi, how tall are you please? I am 5'10 and stuck between M and L... please help
Excellent review, love my Epic Evo.
Music wasn’t necessary, just hard to hear your good review
Yeah, I was learning and that was def a fail on my part.
What did you do to prevent the shift lever from hitting the top tube? Did you put a rise bar or where you able to angle the shifter/brake lever enough?
I did not notice it as an issue, so angle must have been ok. I run my brakes pretty flat @ 32 degrees. Are you seeing this issue? I know my 2011 epic was terrible and I scratched the top tube bad.
@@LoamRoamer mine touches the top tube. But I will try and adjust the levers/shifter this weekend and report back. Otherwise I'm going to get a bar with a slight rise 15 or 20mm
@@pierrelevasseur93 I also am not seeing this issue. But getting some rise would certainly help with this, and also provide a more comfortable position
@@Jacob99174 I had one bar spacer above the bar from the dealer, I moved it below the bar and adjusted controls to avoid them from hitting the top tube. The rubber part on the brake rubs slightly, but I have a Ridewrap kit on mine and it should affect the frame.
How did you feel on this bike in Auburn trails? I ride Stumpjumper alloy there, I love SJ but that bike is heavy. I wanna try the epic Evo, what do you think about that? What would you recommend?
Awesome bike for Auburn. It is a great bike for many trails.
@@LoamRoamer thank for the answer, what epic Evo would you recommend, basic, expert, pro, s-works?
How would you rate the Epic Evo against an SB100?
I’m on the Yeti, but toying with the change to the Specialized.
Thanks
Awesome question, and a video I should have recorded. I am a huge Yeti fan so let's get that out there right away. I like their forward-style geo. But, choosing between these two, the Epic Evo wins. I don't understand the 100, the reach is not long enough, and the bike is more trail-oriented in the weight category. The Epic Evo is a weapon. Great forward geo, which was a huge improvement for Specialized. Has the weight of a cross-country style bike, yet the suspension to tackle some serious miles of trail without beating you up. I hope that quick answer helped.
@@LoamRoamer yeah, the SB100 does sometimes feel a little cramped, and the weight definitely goes against it for a short travel bike.
I had an Epic before, then went to a Yeti ASR-C which was amazing. I thought the SB100 would be my dream bike, but it seems like other offerings have it covered.
Thanks for the reply, definitely giving me some serious food for thought.
I’m curious on your opinion santa cruz blur tr 2023 vs epic evo 2023. Thank You very Much!
I have not ridden the blur. It is on my list to do for an xc shootout.
I want to have a one bike do it all and I am torn between Epic Evo and Stumpjumper. Weight and speed are advantages of Evo while versatility of Stumpjumper makes me lean towards it. So i need advice which one to go for? Stumpjumper with additional tyres for races or Epic with additional tyres for more agressive trails?
A couple of questions:
1. What is your normal riding terrain?
2. How much climbing per ride?
3. How often will you race?
I ride usually in bike parks having mostly flat trails and some technical trails with jumps. Apart from that I do downcountry in mountainous terrain.
Climb is not too much.
I don't race regularly except annual racing events that rarely happen.
Hi,
I think there is some false information regarding the claims about converting this bike into xc epic. You cant buy a yoke that would fit neither the rear end of the Epic Evo nor the rocker of the linkage. Mounting is different. So basically you would need to buy the whole rear end, rocker and either Bikeyokes yoke or brain rear shock, right? These would cost altogether close to 2k. Also, the stock shock stroke is 40mm not 42.5mm? Please, do correct me if I'm wrong because I would really love the idea of un-downcountrying this instead of buying another bike
I received this info from specialized directly. And eye to eye is the same so have the spacer changed to alter stroke. Same shock. If you want a brain, then you buy a complete rear. If you just want the geo, much simpler.
a cool guy cool guying it on some cool guy brand
Is there a version without music?
This was an early video with a bad edit. I will try and fix it. I know the music.is bad on this....
Hi, you said you tested Medium, could you tell me please what is your height? I am between M and L and can't decide which one to get. Thank you
5'8 or 172cm
@@LoamRoamer Thank you
Isn’t the Sid fork 32mm and not 35mm like you said?
Hi Dev, there is also a 35mm version now! Or maybe we call it the Pike light.....it is aimed right at downcountry builds, light yet burly enough for trail use. It was developed to compete with the fox 34 stepcast.
Last year that changed, the SID is now 35mm and the SID SL fills the void that the old SID was in as a super light 32mm fork
Why the music?
It was an editing error and UA-cam does not allow incremental updates like Vimeo.
@@LoamRoamer The music was OK but just too loud. It was hard to hear what you were saying.
Without a remote lockout, there is no fast XC / DC flow feeling.
I think this bike definitely benefits from a lockout unless all trail. It is definitely sensitive and still pretty active, but that is how a specialized rides!
I wanted to listen and watch the video, but the background music just sucked... Why have music ?
It is popular, but I agree, I would remove it if I could. I think it does not really help the way they claim.
@@LoamRoamer I came back and watched the video after I bought the bike. I did not really notice the music this time until the end. Very good informative video with great ideas and input...
the Epic Evo IS mountain biking imo. ya'll enjoy yalls root gardens and ledges. those in the know will stick with SPEED and this bike is untouchable. the lack of enthusiasm tells me you don't love XC or downcountry. the EVO is quite better than this review imo.
I race hard ass x-country races..... Downieville included. So yeah, I dont like speed at all and don't do x-country. And I state how good the bike is. ANd people have bought it based on this review. Sooooo....