If you are looking for an incredibly fast cross country machine…take the Evolve for a test ride. You will not be disappointed. This bike performs flawlessly for what it was designed for…fast, hammering xc singletrack. I had some friends throw a leg over the ride during this test session and on our local trails…the Evolve was hard to beat.
The momentum that 29ers create is well documented. On my local trails, the larger diameter wheels are incredible. Locally, almost everything is typical rolling cross country loops with rocks and roots, but there are no major drops or typical “all mountain” riding. The low top tube of the Evolve really gives the bike a lower center of gravity causing you to feel in-between the wheels instead of on top of them.
Gary Fisher’s new bike this year is the 5.5 inch Roscoe. It might look like your average 140mm bike, but this new ride is anything but average. Stapled as their new light weight, all mountain bike, the Roscoe weighs in at 28 lbs. with their build kit and it has some suspension and geometry tweaks that set this bike apart from the rest.
The new linkage design features 15mm diameter alloy axles bolting directly into the frame that are locked in place with ultra-trick collet heads. These control preload on the angular contact bearings in the lower link, which are in turn easily lubed up via the grease ports in the link.
On Friday, I received my package from out west. The content of this large box contained everything needed to build the Ellsworth Evolve (Ellsworth’s 4″ full suspension 29er frame) for a long term review. To my surprise, I opened the box at T2 Bikes and inside was a bright pink Evolve!
When a fellow riding friend (FoShizzle) emailed me on this build, I knew it was going to be insane. El Beastro is known to have Spectrum powder coat some extremely original designs onto is frames. This Knolly Endorphin has to be one of the craziest I have ever seen.
At that time, he was riding a 32 lbs. red RFX that seemed to be fitting the bill for the new Asheville, NC local. Due to an attempt at flying incident on Green’s Lick at Bent Creek, MP dented the RFX and had to build up the newly painted Sultan in a hurry to be ready for our HIP rides over the past weekend.
Singletrackworld.com hooked us up with a video of the new “Magic Link” on the Coilair Supreme from Kona. Interesting concept, and at least from this video you can get an idea on how the linkage/dual shock setup works. Real world testing on some serious trails will be the real test on if this bike truly works as it says or not. In the meantime, this video does help to spell out more clearly how the bike works.
Some might argue that a bicycle is simply a tool, a way to get from point A to point B. They’re not wrong, but that utilitarian view misses perhaps the most crucial point: A bicycle, especially one built with passion for passionate riders, is not just a tool. It’s a way out. Out of where? One ride, and you’ll know.
Ok…so here is the story. For awhile now, Jenn (my other half…and the better half) has been wanting to get into riding. As you can imagine…I am all for this, but with the wedding coming up and other expenses, she didn’t think she would be getting a bike any time soon. With the help of Chad at Red Barn Bikes, I surprised her with her first real mountain bike.