This took me far longer to type than originally anticipated, so I only ended up replying to two users. I also didn't do a final proof read so bear with me.
Smegolas:
My test bike is durable. It weighs in at 35 pounds without the pedals so while it will not give you the fastest time on the up-hill, it is fully capable of allowing you to pedal up them in a comfortable way: sitting down and spinning the cranks. This goes beyond fire road climbs too. I've been able to happily pedal up the technical climbs I've come across on the EVO. If you want to punish your knees, powering up in the big ring is do-able, but not recommended. For some of us, the descent is what we[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;re after so we are willing to put in the extra work on the way up to have the extra travel on the way down. That extra travel equals extra confidence descents. It encourages you to send it a little bigger and push a little harder. The bike is also fully capable of sucking up poor line choice and keeping you rolling if you get lazy. I've found my test bike likes to be ridden fasr for optimal enjoyment, but I do not knew yet if this is because of my stiffer set-up and general need for speed, or the EVO's slacker 65 degree headangle and greater weight. While I'm not yet positive on the reason why, I have been more comfortable on the really technical trails when traveling at a higher speed.
The EVO is not quite at the level of a downhill bike for going balls-out, but it is still a really comfortable bike to ride in the park. For the jump trails - like Dirt Merchant, A-line, Crank it Up - and flatter, smoother trails - like B-line, Heart of Darkness - I prefer it over my downhill bike. It[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s on the trails like U[HTML_REMOVED]L (upper and lower) Joy Ride, U[HTML_REMOVED]L Whistler Downhill, and Schleyer where you can notice the difference in speed and control. If you don[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;t ride the park enough to consider a pass, I doubt you would feel the need for the downhill bike over the EVO. The Enduro EVO is a comfortable bike to ride and will not keep you off anything. You will still have fun on the gnarlier trails mentioned above, you[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;ll just have to ride them with a little less aggression which isn[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;t necessarily a bad thing. It might be the reminder you need to stay out of the clinic and go back to work the next day instead.
I've personally cased a whole bunch of big jumps, including the step up going into the Dwayne Johnson without problems. I also put the bike through all sorts of brake bumps, g-outs, root balls, mud holes, and rock gardens - both in and out of control - without many complaints. The resulting data so far is that it should handle the abuse you put it through. After five days in the park and many local rides over a four week span I have a broken derailleur cable, worn rear brake pads, and a hard to push dropper post lever. No flat tires, no wonky rims, and no weird squeaks, so I[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;d say the EVO has done rather well. There is very little to complain about for a bike that can pedal up the hill well and take the park abuse.
It is important for you to weigh the negatives and positives here. You can conclude that the bike will do everything you need it to, but you also need to pose the question: will it do it better than anything else? Maybe two days in the bike park doesn[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;t warrant such a durable do-it all bike. Maybe you could get away with a little less travel and lighter weight. The EVO is not the most agile bike on the market, so while it can be chucked around, something that requires a little less effort to do so might be more appealing.
Always try to at least pedal around a few options before you buy if it[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s possible.
j4ka:
The wheelset and tires on the Enduro Expert EVO have held up very well to my abuse which was a very pleasant surprise considering the bike doesn't necessarily scream "beat me at the bike park". While the hubs and tires look to be the same on the model I'm testing and the one you[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;ve ordered, the rims and spokes do not. I have no idea what the difference will be with these changes, but seeing as Specialized spec'd a durable wheelset on the high end model, I would expect the regular model[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s wheels to be equally as durable, just heavier.
The X0 rear derailleur on the Expert build is great and makes for a very quiet ride and ease of removing the wheel due to the clutch system and cage lock. I believe the X9 rear derailleur on the regular build has gotten both these features in trickle down so you can enjoy them too.
The cranks are different on both bikes. So far so good on the Custom SRAM carbon S-2200 which I've been told are basically X0 cranks without X0 chainrings. The bike has shifted well up front so far so I haven't found a problem with these different chainrings so far. The chain hasn't come off at all in the front on descents, and ascents are great with a granny ring too so I'm really enjoying the set-up and see no need for a change. There is a removable spider on these cranks which means it[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;s possible to put pretty much whatever size chainring you want on the front and run a one by ten, but I don't see why you would want to (this is coming from a guy with a one by nine on both his own pedally bikes). Therefore, I don[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;t think you[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;ll miss anything with the lack of a removable spider feature with the regular EVO's cranks. For park days you[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;re going to want the 36 in the front, and on long pedal days you[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;ll love the 24 as well.
The X-fusion fork looks like its 170mm on the regular model instead of the 180mm Fox on the Enduro Expert EVO. That seems a little odd to me, but it might not even be noticeable. I have heard good things about the X-fusion stuff so far, but have never ridden a product of theirs so I can make no further comment.
The Cane Creek rear shock I had James at Suspension Werx set up and I haven[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;t fidled with it since. I[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;m sure you can get the Fox Van R on the regular build set-up correctly too.
I[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;m not a huge fan of the Specialized Command Post BlackLite, so not having it come on the bike wouldn[HTML_REMOVED]#8217;t be too big a downer for me.
I really like the Custom Avid X0 brakes on the Enduro Expert Evo, and I did not like the Elixirs I had back when they first came out. As a result the brakes are the one thing on the regular build I would probably end up swapping out right away for personal preference. That being said, some people really like Elixirs and you may be one of them.
In conclusion, nothing screams out immediate replacement, but this is simply speculation from the bike comparison on the Specialized Website: http://www.specialized.com/ca/en/bikes/mountain/compare/#/1163-13EnduroFSR-13ENDUROEnduroFSRExpertEvo/1163-13EnduroFSR-13ENDUROEnduroFSREvo/
I would actually need to ride the Enduro EVO build to be able to comment on the two bikes[HTML_REMOVED]#8217; differences and values in direct comparison.
