Here are my first impressions of the Enduro EVO (not the enduro expert evo, but the "base" model evo):
To clarify the context first: I live in central Europe, so my riding environment is a little bit different from many of you. That does not mean, however, that it is not comparable, because you can still find trails very similar to those on the Shore. What we don't have is a park as big and diverse as Whistler (so I am told by a friend, who visits BC at least once every two years).
The second thing worth mentioning is my bike background. Until 5 or so years ago I was a die hard hardtail fan. Had a Kona Caldera (upgraded for DS/4x), a Gary Fisher Bitter (also 4X) and only then bought my first fully, which was a C'dale Perp 3. This bike was firstly intended for park use only, but because of circumstance became my "do it all bike". So to cut it short, for the past 2 years, I have done all my trail/park/alpine riding on the Perp, with a 1x9 setup and 2.5" tires. The thing is a beast, weighting 20,3 kilos.
So there is that. As i wrote before, I finally decided to buy a new bike and, joy of joys, I got it on Friday. I managed a longer shakedown trip today and here are the first impressions:
The bike is DEFINITELY pedalable, not only compared to my old couch on wheels, but also with the more current rides my friends have (stumpy 29r, commencal meta, mojo HD). Sure, it is not the fastest on the climbs, but it got me up everywhere my friends got, and I wasn't the slowest even.
On the downs I was Crazy happy; the bike is responsive, quick and "poppy". Today we changed bikes as well, and the closest competitor IMO was the Mojo HD (feel wise). That said, the enduro evo feels a bit more overbuilt and I wouldn't hesitate to take it to the park. That said, i prefer to earn my descents, so I don't visit parks as often as I did some time ago, although I still want my bike to retain a little bit of the "overbuilt-ness". I find it confidence inspiring.
As far as components go, I have no complaints (so far);
the x-fusion Vengeance is as smooth as…well,I haven't ridden a Rock Shox fork that was this smooth for a long time. Easiily comparable to Fox's VAN line. Will see how it holds up.
I found the brakes (Elixir 3 sl) to be just fine, so no need for upgrading there, maybe I will change the pads for something harder in the future.
Downsides? hm… maybe the rear is a little wobbly when pedaling, but that said, I have to fine tune the suspension still. And maybe I would go for a little wider tire (2.4 instead of 2.3), although this might only be an old habit that refuses to die with me.
Verdict? If I were to go to BC today, I would have no problem at all taking my new bike with me, because it gives me the confidence that it will be able to put up with anything that comes its way. I am a happy bunny.
