evo vs. FSR ramblings(ride writeup)...

[TCP]

having a slow morning at work, so i thought i would bore you with a few of my personal findings in comparing my evo to my winter project bike, a 2001 specialized enduro pro built from the frame up.  Both are really set up as trail bikes with the evo sporting a Z3 100 front and stratos helix rear.  the FSR has a xfly100 front and a cloud nine rear.  Both have XT drivetrain and various raceface,titec and truvative bits.  160mm avid disks on both except the FSR has a 185mm front.



We were supposed to meet some people for a ride at 7pm last night for a ride of prairie view/jewel pass







http://www.mtbreview.com/trails/Canada-Alberta/prairieviewtrail.html







but they were late arriving so we (my wife and I) started on our own.  The climb is about 2800ft(875meters) on fireroads, then you carry the bike up some rock faces and then a technical downhill singletrack and back along some lakeside wide singletrack.



The stock enduro has a low bb height and since i am used to the stratospheric 13 1/2"height on the evo, i've flipped the link and been playing with different shock mount positions on the link and think i've hit on the right setup with about 4 inches of rear travel and a 12 1/2" bb height.  Anyway, the uphill climb was uneventful and caused the usual heart-bursting/lung inverting pain in the final steep climb but once over the top the technical downhill makes it all worthwhile.  The evo and the spec. actually climb very much alike with a link flipped over(this causes a slight falling rate on the rear suspension which works great with the cloud nine's slightly progressive air spring rates.  the cloud nine is actually very linear for an air shock.  pedal induced bob is very slight).  the difference is that the evo sits further into its travel and feels a bit smoother uphill, even in the small ring.  you feel stuff more on the FSR but the wheel sticks to the terrain without a problem.  the FSR weighs in at 29lbs and the evo at 31 but since i weigh 200(+ or - depending on beer consumption [smiley=beer.gif]) i don't notice any difference in bike weight.



The difference showed up on the downhill run.  The evo makes the downhill runs very comfortable.  with about 4kms of continous 6-18" root drops and boulders, you need to pay attention but the evo eats this stuff up(6inches of rear travel and the helix are a huge help here).  the rear wheel will skid and bounce around a bit, but it is very comfortable on the pedals and bars(both bikes have 100mm of fork travel).  The enduro deals with this terrain quite a bit differently.  the track was quite dry with some loose pebbly(sp?) sections and where the evo would skid the rear wheel easily, the enduro stuck like glue over everything.  the downside is that you notice the roots, rocks and drops much more and really "feel" what is happening with the bike.  This causes fatigue to set in earlier and more pounding workout.  i kept telling myself to be ready for the "out of control" moment when i hit something nasty but it never came.  



All in all both bikes work great and it's nice to have  the  evo for days when i want the comfort and the enduro for days when i want to work myself a bit more.  



Any suggestions for next winter's project?

[numbnuts]

That's interesting, I was looking for an enduro to be my first FS frame but went for the Evo due to the great Supergo deal. I initially just swopped out the stuff from my HT but have eventually replaced just about everything and now have a very solid freeride orientated trail bike, with 5" front and 6" rear travel.Can the Enduro rear travel be adjusted or beefed up by changing the shock? I used to think that 4" rear was enough for me but have found that my riding has changed so much that I need more since getting the Evo.
As for next years project, start saving and get a 04 Bighit, there was a review [kinda] on NSMB, that is a dream bike. And lets see what K2 come up with!

[Phillip]

Thanks for the post. Even though I have never ridden a FSR, I have been considering buying one based on magazine articles. Your comments have steered me back to being faithful to my EVO 4000. Not being a racer, I value the smooth ride and comfort that my 100mm coil Marzocchi and 6" travel Vanilla RC provide.

[zulu]

  Good write up.
I recently bought a Spec. Stumpjumper FSR Comp for a XC bike it is really awsome for small to med (1'-3') hits it climbs pretty well with the lock outs on the Fox 100rl fork & Fox Float rl rear. I still ride my Pro-flex 856 when I do alot of climbing, nothing climbs like it. The FRS is much plusher on the down hills but it amazing to see how fast the suspension technology has progressed in only a few years. I cant wait to see where the MTB advances take us in the future.
Ride long & often!   [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif] [smiley=beer.gif]

[GET]

I have a 5500C (Oz/EVO) and an FSR (actually, its a KHS FXT Pro, but its the same frame.)  I find myself on the EVO much more of the time.  IMHO, its alot more comfortable ride.  I feel more fatigued after riding the FSR on the same trail even though it is a few pounds lighter.  In the Ozark hills around here, we have lots of limestone and chert outcroppings and large oak roots and deadfall to bump over.

Still love the carbon!

[FreakRider]

A couple of observations...

A Cloud 9 won't be the plushest rear shock, especially on a four-bar. If you had a coil out back it would make a significant difference IMHO.

Personally, I had an EVO with the Helix out back that I really liked, but after riding a Turner XCE I found out what suspension is supposed to be.

Unfortunately Supergo sold out of the $1200 closeoutrs before I  could get the $$$ together to get one. I'm now waiting on a 5spot, the waiting sucks.

The beauty of the four-bar is its ability to soak up so much with little or no feedback to the rider AND its ability to pedal so smoothly. It's the best of both worlds and the Turner, again this is my opinion, is superior to the new VPP and SPV stuff and and monopivot.

I've ridden a Tracer with a Float in the rear, and it was different from the XCE. I ride a trail that is an endless amount of roots and rocks and the difference was real obvious.

The XCE with a Vanilla up front just cruised through everything, the Tracer with a Talas was a harsher ride. This made something very clear to me, I don't race and air shocks just don't cut it for me anymore.

I'll eat the extra pound or so for the more plush ride. I think if you ran coils on the FSR the ride will be much better than your current setup. Just my .02.

[Matno]

The XCE with a Vanilla up front just cruised through everything, the Tracer with a Talas was a harsher ride. This made something very clear to me, I don't race and air shocks just don't cut it for me anymore.

This may be a dumb question, but could it be that you had too much air in the Talas? Also, isn't that more of a racing fork, which would be designed to have less small bump compliance in exchange for speed? Only reason I bring this up is because I don't think that current air forks are any less plush than coil forks. In the past, perhaps they were, but not any more.

Forks I've ridden were not noticeably different. Best fork I've ever ridden was an air/oil Cannondale Lefty. Super plush and rarely ever bottomed (and even when it did, I couldn't really feel it). Even more plush than a Marzocchi Z1 (2001 model) without being as "squishy" as the 'zocchi. Too bad they don't make it with a 1 1/8" steerer...

Haven't tried a Fox yet, but most of the reviews I've heard say the air forks are every bit as smooth as the coils. Intriguing.

[jedoaks]

The beauty of the four-bar is its ability to soak up so much with little or no feedback to the rider AND its ability to pedal so smoothly. It's the best of both worlds and the Turner, again this is my opinion, is superior to the new VPP and SPV stuff and and monopivot.

That five spot comes with a Romic, doesn't it. That qualifies as SPV. I'm jealous, that is one bad ass frame. How long is the wait? 2000 bucks?  Rich