Specialized Epic Evo 2019 Review - Flow Mountain Bike

[@Plasmo20]

I tested a demo of this last weekend. My usual MTB (2018 Trek Fuel 9.8 130/130 13kg w pedals) was in the shop so they let me demo this. This Epic Evo Expert with pedals was 12.2kg, not XC light but whey hey it rode XC light. I went to Bayview Blast at Mt Cotton east of Brisbane, had been there a couple of weeks prior on the Trek and cut a lot of new PRs so was interested to compare this. I was so excited about the Evos handling into and through corners, far more planted than the Trek or my previous Pivot 5.7. Climbing felt like cheating, really fast on smooth climbs a little less so over roots and rocks in the climb, had the Brain set in the middle. When I could spin my legs the climbs were fast and effortless, when I hit a few edges it didnt quite roll over them so sweetly and did drop momentum but then picked it back up way faster than the Trek. Most interestingly I made better PRs on the downs than ups but consistently faster and way more fun everywhere. The Trek feels bogged down by comparison and seems to take a long time to make a corner with more deliberate cornering required vs the Evo which was very flickable. Previous PRs of about 4:00 had 30-40 secs trimmed from them and many included mostly downs with a short up at the end. I have the Trek 130/130 to ride with my buddies who are on 150-170mm travel bikes for places like Nerang. I figured the 130mm would be a nice compromise but still give me a satisfying climb bike. Having ridden the EVO I am now quite disappointed in the Trek. However typical of Specialized the bike is way over priced so I'm not a buyer, sadly. If it were 5k new then yes, but 7K+ is too much. Maybe an ex demo will come up........

[@mushypeacycling]

The bike falling was a classic Chris! So glad you left it in, good to have some laughs with great reviewing banter :)

[@TimCars]

I bought this model 6 months ago and couldn't be happier, also paid 6k not over 7 and I think is good value at that. It climbs well as expected, but it's smoothness and compliance downhill is amazing. I also leave it in the middle setting on the rear and find that to be best in all situations. I came from a Scott Spark, but wanted something with 2 bottle cages and better suited to marathon riding, but could still get a bit loose on weekends with your mates. I agree the brakes are wooden and disappointing, but that's my only real complaint. Amazing bike IMO.

[@landoctor94]

I am thinking of moving to this from a Spark as well. How is the downhill performance compared to the spark?

[@TimCars]

@@landoctor94 I found the Epic better, but a lot comes down to the spec

[@elliott-mtb5599]

I have a regular epic and rode the epic evo and the evo with the dropper post the wider bars and the 44 offset 120mm fork makes it much more capable than the regular epic, the epic evo is designed for more agressive riders and a little more than XC trails while still maintaining efficient pedaling and speed of the regular epic. If you only do pure XC racing on road like XC trails and not ride agressive then the regular epic is good enough but if you want to shred (jump, ride rough terrain & sharp cornering in a hurry) then the epic evo is your answer. I already own a trail bike (Trek Remedy) if not I'd sell my regular epic and buy this epic evo :) but I will get wider carbon bars and a dropper post for my epic for sure.

[@looeboy3]

Get reply buddy specialized are just giving the rider more options

[@1041986]

Oh shit. That bike didn't want to wait any longer and went rolling

[@swissanimateerklarvideo]

Hi Chris, just surfing around on the internet and then, you popping up :) Hope to see you again. Perhaps in Whister or when you are in Switzerland

[@sas6045]

Thanks for the honest review!

[@duarteazevedo3624]

Good bike to 2024 ?

[@macdaddy1617]

Epic Evo or Trek Top Fuel 9.8 ? Anyone???

[@nickwooden2103]

When do we get a look at the stumpjumper evo?

[@avalanx]

Niiiiiice, great review! I'm still undecided, but leaning towards this bike over the Blur and Spark RC.

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Cheers!

[@helboundking]

how fast is it?

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Great review! Threaded BB right?

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

Cheers!! Yep, it's threaded. The construction all round is very, very good - the frame is pretty flawless really.

[@ThunderStruckMTB]

Thanks! Keep up the great work.....

[@tomaslovrek6670]

Rear hub is DT Swiss ratchet sistem or standard HI-LO Specialized hubs?

[@chrisblanchard4938]

Why would anyone want a short travel trail bike? This may make a good race bike for xterra races or even 24hr mt bike races.

[@vannick4813]

I think it is also a good bike for xc racers who want to get a little rowdy when they aren’t racing

[@AccFinEco]

Great review!! 👍 By your review this bike is not for me. Value for money is important for me and with so much competition in this space l would be looking else where. 😀

[@Fluterra]

AccFinEco I think this bike is good value. You get what you pay for ;)

[@kevinharp2285]

Everything functions properly kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Nothing was damaged in the box aside from a decal on the fork. The decal was missing a piece of a corner but I ended up peeling them off anyways. Assembly is easy BUT make sure you tune up the derailleurs. Both the front and rear need adjusting. I'd advise going to a bike shop but I opted out and put in 10+ hours with the help of KZbin. Ended up fraying a shifter cable but all in all I learned from the experience. The Brakes work well but the front caliper needs adjusting or at least mine did because the rotor was rubbing against the pads. Make sure you swap out the seat, grips, and pedals. For the short run you'll be fine though. I've read that this bike isn't built yet for hard trails but I just need it for the city. PA has some of the worst roads and being in a mountain this was a great choice. Worth the investment!

[@dwightjohnson2145]

two bottle cages is all that matters really

[@Rorosauras]

I have one of these

[@MrCyclism]

Could you take a Epic Expert, put a 34SC fork, dropper, shorten the stem to 70-80MM. You could be just about there?

[@vannick4813]

Yeah that’s all the evo is they’re the same frame

[@danieljamieson8515]

Kind of not required. The 2019 Stumpy short travel 29r is the answer. All day fun with XC like pedalling. I have an expert and it's incredible!!!!

[@FlowMountainBikeYouTube]

We haven't ridden that bike yet, would love to give it a try.

[@danieljamieson8515]

@@FlowMountainBikeKZbin It's bazaar. You feel like you're descending on a trail bike in relation to its geometry, cockpit etc but it climbs better than you would think after experiencing it's down hill capabilities and vice versa. I've taken it down all of the Glenrock DH runs and loved it, drop the seat, lock out the rear shock, you've got a dirt jumper. Muck around on six shooter jumps then go do the snakes and ladders loop.

[@mc540flip]

Flow Mountain Bike looking forward to that review! Hopefully your reaction to it is that of the 2014 Carbon expert Stumpy you reviewed! Still my favorite review

[@thirstygreek]

So it’s a Rocky Mountain Element but with no character