Bike Setup: Kestrel Evoke Frame/Fork
Cane Creek ZS-2 Short headset
Ritchey WCS handlebar/stem
FSA K Force Light seat post
Velo saddle
Ultegra Shifters, Derailleur, Chain, Cassette and Pedals
FSA SLK Compact Crank
Ritchey WCS Protocol wheel set
Kenda Kaliente tires
Summary: After only 300 miles and 7 days with the bike I am impressed. Was tempted to go with a more curvey carbon frame, but the price and specs lured me to the Evoke. In real life the frame tubing is much more manipulated than it looks in pictures. On the road the tube manipulations make sense immediately. You know the pavement is under you, but there is no road buzz and bumps are muffled. The geometry is quite aggressive. Though I am light at 143# I can feel the bend in sway in my other aluminum framed bike. The Evoke has no lateral give. Stand up and sprint and the frame says, "Yes Sir!" Much like a modern sports car, the frame is somewhat twitchy at slow speeds. As you go faster it hunkers down and tracks like it is on rails. And it is easy to go fast. Set up with cages and pedals, the full bike weighs about 16#. The only climbs I have in my area are high rise bridges. My other 17.5# bike climbs the bridges at about 16-17mph. The Evoke climbs at about 20mph easily. Four words to describe the bike:
Rocket powered magic carpet.
Strengths: Stiff without beating the rider up
Light
Aerodynamic - passing cars do not upset handling at all
Sprints like a Gray Hound
Tracks well at speed
Weaknesses: Paint seems to chip easily
Similar Products Used: Felt F65, Concord Record, Trek 2100
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Bike Setup: Full Campy Record. 08 Mavic Ksyrium SL Premium. (the best wheel I have ever owned).
Summary: I was debating on several different carbon bikes, (Trek 5200, Specialized, Bianchi,) However I came across a very nice Evoke on RBR, with full campy Record. I have been pleasantly suprised by the durability. The frame is very hefty and stable for a heavy 200 lb rider such as myself. Very nice smooth complient ride. Accelerates well. Responds well and asorbs the road shock very well. Much more comfortable than my previous aluminum and steel frames that I have ridden. I prefer the 07 simpler paint scheme vs the older models that the word evoke plastered all over it.
Strengths: Very strong, durable smooth yet still very light and comparable in weight to any other carbon bike. Beautiful Red paint job. Climbs like Pantani on EPO.
Weaknesses: The Evoke frame is a little heavier than a few other competitors, however is more affordable than the Evoke SL version. I would have preferred a full intergrated headset vs. the semi integrated one the evoke has.
Bike Setup: ultegra double 10spd, kestrel carbon handlebars, terry fly ti saddle, deda magic stick carbon seatpost, velomax tempest ii, crank bros candy pedals
Summary: After moving to Chicago from Seattle, I had to find something to fill my mountain bike riding void. So, I picked up road biking and love it. I tested a ton of bikes and it came down to this one or a carbon Giant. This one won at the time based on a balance of features, performance, and price. Now that I have 2 seasons on this bike and ~7000 road miles on it as well as trainer time, I am so glad I picked this one.
I'm a heavy rider (210 lbs - I like beer), and this bike delivers a stiff/smooth ride. My typical rides are 25 miles during the week and 50-100 on the weekends. Being in Illinois, I can’t comment on its hill climbing ability, but I don’t feel any flex in the frame when really powering down on the pedals. It’s very responsive, but not twitchy. I look forward to riding this bike for a very long time.
Strengths: Smooth, stiff, responsive.
Weaknesses: 32.4mm seatpost is kind of a weird size if you're shopping around for a post
Similar Products Used: Aluminum hard tail mt bikes - this is my first road bike
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Bike Setup: Stock 54cm Evoke (Ultegra w/compact drive) with Look Keo Sprint pedals, Forte carbon bottle cages, Garmin Edge 205 computer.
Summary: Got a great deal and took my Evoke home for x-mas. I already have over 100 miles on it, and should top out at 150 before the end of the week.
Did 62 miles on my second ride and felt great!!! No aches and pains anywhere but my legs (go figure)after riding everything from rutted and cracked asphalt to strong head winds (uphill no less)along the coast. This bike definitely takes the edge off!
We were bounce testing (dropping on both wheels from about 10 inches) my bike and an aluminum frame FELT and you could easily see the difference in shock absorbtion. Where the Kestrel would settle down after one small hop (with no noise) the FELT took a big first bounce and would settle down after a few more small hits (everything rattled on it).
The lack of vibration kept me fresh in spite of the miles.
Very fast bike, and immediately gets the wheels turning when you hit the pedals. At 185 pounds I expected some lateral flex when I hammered it up hills, but I did not feel any.
I never thought I would say it, but I will not buy (or even look at) another road bike for a very long time.
Strengths: Beautiful (and we all know that matters), fast, smooth. Great riding position and solid components all the way around.
Weaknesses: Can't take it to the gym and lock it up outside (too paranoid). Haven't had it long enough to identify any real issues.
Similar Products Used: 05 Specialized Allez Comp...and other than both being road bikes, there is nothing similar!!! (look for my Allez on the CLASSIFIEDs page soon).
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