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Dedicated 2021 SJ Evo Thread

1M views 7K replies 451 participants last post by  ipedalhard 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I think it is time to separate the SJ and SJ Evo threads for the new bikes.

Picking up my bike next week and figuring out my build right now. Bought the base model since that is what I could find (only shop that would pick up the phone and take a deposit). There are a few Experts out there, one on my way home from UT, but not sure if I should grab it or not. I like the idea of the Performance Elite 36, but not sure it would save me much money since I will be replacing almost everything anyway. Haven't ridden Shimano gearing for a while so it will be fun to try out again and that is a positive for the Comp.

Planned build right now is;

S4 frame
2021 36 Fork
WR1 Carbon rims on Profile AC2 hubs
Renthal bars/Profile stem
EE Wings Cranks/King BB
Stock XFusion 190mm post (one of my favorites on the market right now)
Sram AXS shifting
Saint Brakes

This will get done over the next month or so since parts are hard to get. Will try the stock DPX2 rear shock, but it is highly likely I will switch over to an X2 rear pretty quickly.
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#7,223 · (Edited)
I was super surprised how fun low and steep was, riding berms the bike really exited sharply, after thinking about it a bit more and watching vorsprung suspension's 'advanced bike geometry part 2' video and recently vitalmtb's videos with Brian Cahl I think it's because the ratio of front to rear centre is around 1.8 (fc 799 in s4 and rc 443), this is a lot more of an even balance between front and rear, neutral head angle puts the ratio round 1.83 (due to the longer front center) and neutral/high is 1.84 which doesn't sound like much but I think you can feel it in steep & low because 1.83 and 1.84 are a lot closer than 1.83 is to 1.8.

I found I was exiting berms too inside with this setting so it took a lot of getting used to, I think sizing down but keeping the longer stays could have a similar effect too but with the slacker head angle settings, fun to mess around with.

I'm putting the S5 seatstay on my s4 this weekend, this'll give a ratio of 1.79 in high & neutral so should hopefully be 1) snappy like low/steep, 2) have the benefits of slacker head angle, 3) longer stays should allow a higher bar height with similar/more weight on front wheel. That's the plan.
 
#7,242 ·
Broke a frame 3 weekends ago and immediately ordered an Evo alloy in S6, showed up in 3 days!!! Thank goodness because I had a trip to St George Utah planned for the following week.

I swapped the parts (had to order a new brake line because the routing required a longer line) and set the bike up high rear neutral front with a 170mm fork.

I’m not the best at discerning the differences between bikes, but have to say that the Evo felt very solid on steep chunky rides (barrel trail & zen trail) while also being fun to ride on smooth flatter trails (Bearclaw poppy, dead ringer/goosebumps). I even took it to the jumps at Snake hollow, while I was able to ride the larger jump line I had a hell of a time carrying speed, but I’m used to riding a DJ bike on that type of stuff.

Overall I’m stoked on this purchase…and need to decide on selling my old frame or keep it in case I break something on the Evo…
 
#7,268 ·
Hi all.
I've asked here before and now read the thread many pages back.
I had originally decided on the Evo Expert with the Float X Elite and the Float 36 Elite, but it's going back to Specialized for now due to a defect. At 240-250 lbs (depending on gear) I would be pretty close to the limit with the Float X at about 340 psi. And some people seem to be generally happier with the SDU. I might switch to the model with the SDU shock and Lyric Ultimate fork at this time. Does anyone know if the SDU is better suited to my weight? Maybe there is also someone here who weighs a bit like me and has experience in this regard.
 
#7,284 ·
Got a solid ride or two in on the new 2024 X2 and I think I am in love. I'm probably 185 kitted up, running about 190psi, one spacer, wide open on both compression dials and both HSR and LSR about 15% from fast. Somehow the bike/shock feels more "expensive" than the float X. Also to my surprise it feels better at small bump compliance, it is using travel very well on chunk in a VERY composed manner and more of it, all the while being poppier than the X2.

From here I may give it a click or two of LSC and HSC both and see if it feels better or just goes dead. Either way, unless this thing explodes....its absolutely better for me.
 
#7,323 ·
Is anyone running "fast" tires on their Stumpy? This is of course condition/terrain specific. I have two wheelsets to choose between, one with WTB Verdict (light, high grip) and Judge (tough, high grip) for enduro days at Highland Mtn or when my local trails are wet and slick. This setup rolls very slow, but provides great traction. The other wheelset currently has Butcher T9 and Eliminator T7 combo in the Grid Trail casing. They roll faster than the WTB setup, but are not worlds different. I have a Slaughter sitting around and some Ground Control T7 sitting around as well. For a large travel trail bike, what are you running when the conditions are dry, firm, and fast (mid-summer here in NH)?
 
#7,324 ·
I haven’t tried anything really fast, but FWIW, I did try the stock wheelset from my finacee’s non-Evo SJ on my SJ. The only differences were cassette and tires. She has an X01 cassette and mine is GX AXS. She has stock tires which are Butcher T9 GRID and Purgatory T7 GRID. That is as opposed to my stock Evo tires which are Butcher T9 GRID Trail and Eliminator T7 GRID Trail.

The rolling resistance difference to me on hardpack or slightly loose over hard (fall in SE Michigan) was negligible between the two wheelsets. I’m certainly glad I tried it out though, because now I know that running GRID Trail over GRID is worth it to me for the extra sidewall durability/stiffness without sacrificing anything meaningful in rolling resistance, and I can stop thinking about frivolously upgrading to an X01 cassette.

If I had two wheelsets, which I don’t, I would like to try Ground Control GRID or Slaughter GRID/GRID Trail. I have a 2.35 Salughter GRID Trail as a rear on my Fuse, with a 2.6 Butcher GRID Trail up front and I’ve never had that combo fail me.

This was a pretty long winded way to not answer your question, but thought I’d give my 2¢ anyways!
 
#7,359 ·
Seems that a lot of you guys got some benefit from replacing the Float X shock. I do sometimes feel like I am kind of "fighting" the bike to keep it under control in the fast chunk. Maybe finessing it is a kinder word lol? Can't say I've ever had a huge problem with it, but I'm willing to spend a few bucks for better performance if it's out there.

I see Kitsuma Air, Tigon, X2 mentioned above - any others to consider? How'd you approach getting the basic tune right?

I'm about 210 w/gear, local trails are a lot of up, over, then down, so not looking for a strictly winch-n-plummet or bike park type setup. Mix of smooth and flowy with some chunky downhill runs. Currently have a Cascade link installed.
 
#7,361 ·
I haven’t ridden one on the EVO, but I’ve had great results in the past with DVO’s Topaz shocks.

They are running 30% off on their site at the moment, making a Topaz T3 $385. I’m considering buying one just for the hell of it. 😆


My buddy just installed one on his EVO, we are hoping to get out this weekend if the weather continues to cooperate.
 
#7,369 ·
Really depends on how fast you are riding them. My Evo handles everything just fine (especially with the geo adjustments). I did find the stock float x left something to be desired when the speeds got increasingly faster. Once I swapped that for a Tigon the bike performs much better and more confident in the really rough stuff. I did some back to back with my buddies Spesh enduro and was faster on the evo, but the enduro was slightly smoother through the chunk. This was pre Tigon though. So i'd say with that upgrade (or the X2's that now come on them) its similar. FOr everyday trial use the Evo is the way to go.
My preference is fast downhill and I don't really jump much. I am flip-flopping between the Evo Elite alloy, Forbidden Dreadnought and the Rocky Mountain altitude. The prices for all 3 are very close to each other and they are all available.

I have ridden my Evo in a lot of chunk. It does OK and you get through anything with a lot of speed, but there are better bikes out there if you want a bigger safety envelope. To ride serious chunk at speed you will need better skills than most. If you want to crawl through the chunk the Evo will be just fine.

The general challenge is that the Evo is a better do everything bike compared to something like an Enduro or Megatower. So do you have another bike or do you have the right terrain locally to use a bike like the MT or do you want to ride the Evo more locally on less than crazy trails.
My local trails are pretty flat so I ride my Ibis Exie or Revel Ranger most of the time. If I get the SJ Evo it would be for traveling and bike parks exclusively. I am trying to find a bike for the crazier trails that I have never been to that is a decent pedaler. My main concern is the SJ evo might not be enough but bikes like the Enduro or Megatower might be too much.
 
#7,370 ·
My main concern is the SJ evo might not be enough but bikes like the Enduro or Megatower might be too much.

I had an Enduro too. Great bike for sure, but it's really big, the S4 is a half size larger than the S4 Evo. It pedals really well though, as does the Mega and Nomad. Sizing is a big part of why I went with the Nomad, the V6 Nomad's geo is really close to the Evo, it fits me better than the Enduro.

IMO, if you're going to put a 38/Zeb and run DD or DH casing Minions or similarly aggressive tires, the Evo frame starts making a bit less sense to pair with them, the suspension and frame weight/flex don't match up. It works fine, I did that on my Evo and liked it a lot, but moving the 38 and beefy tires to the Nomad is even better.

Also keep in mind for your use you will definitely want a better shock and most likely a Cascade Link to provide more progression. Nomad and Enduro are both a lot more progressive, the Nomad in low is extremely progressive.
 
#7,382 ·
I've been really impressed with the stock rubber. I've had these Michelins on the shelf after a friend bought the wrong size.
Because the stock rubber has been so good (I'd used DHF and DHRII almost exclusively before the Specialized tyres), I'd been reluctant to change.

However I thought I'd give them a go.

 
#7,406 ·
Never ridden a bike with an idler/high pivot. Curious what you don’t like about them.
Never ridden a bike with an idler/high pivot. Curious what you don’t like about them.
Noise and maintenance is the main drawback IMO. Bikes feel great and super planted (if you like that feel) but good lord I hate a noisy bike.
 
#6,968 ·
Just want to give my 2 cents on the new StEvo spec. I’m very surprised they went to mullet and x2. Specialized must think most people are using the StEvo for primarily gravity riding… and I can say that two of my riding buddies and I are certainly using it more often as a trail bike where uphill capability/friendliness is also quite important to us. Also, I’ve never ridden an x2, but I do like how playful the bike is with the Float X and I wouldn’t want an x2 since my understanding is that it would then lose some of it’s playfulness.

Everyone I’ve heard (on the forums) who’s tried mullet says it’s amazing for gravity riding but not for trail riding, and I thought this bike is supposed to be an aggressive trail bike. The change to mullet and x2 seems like it’s encroaching on the Enduro’s domain a little too much. I wonder if this means the Enduro is going to get beefed up more in its next iteration.
I think it became 10x better on both trails and intense downhills with the mullet setup.
 
#2 ·
I've ditched my 2020 Enduro for one - which was a great bike for going fast on, but still a bit of a trophy truck for most other stuff. not being a fan on massive bikes either, I was kind of between sizes - the S4 just feels a bit to big.

UK availability is patchy (now non existent) so I picked up an Expert. Ditched a load of the bits I won't use & ended up with:

Expert Frame - S4
Performance Elite fork (feel really good out of the box)
DPX2
Full XX1/X01 groupset but XTR rear mech
BikeYoke 213 dropper
Code RSC
DT XM1501 30mm wheelset
Maxxis Assegai/DHR2
OneUp Bars/Burgtec stem.

Been out on it a few times now, and it is seriously lively compared to the Enduro. For 95% of my riding this is going to be the better bike. I'm sure those trip away in the Alps & bigger races (if they happen next year) I will have sections I wish I was on the Enduro for, but so far so good.

It is also a 'lot' lighter. Sub 30lb in that spec - although to be fair my Enduro was a coil shock & fork & DD/DH tyres rather than EXO+/DD. Even so over 7lb difference is a lot & is absolutely noticeable :)
 
#3 ·
I have an S5 frame only on order but with no set delivery date. If anyone has a line on an S5 frame only I'd love to be notified.
I'll break down my old bike (Foxy 29) to build the new one, but it's going to get EXT suspension from the get go. Also I ordered TS brakes sometime back that will be going on as well.
Eager to get this going.
 
#6 ·
Anybody knows when Specialized will release more Evo's ?

Also did anyone bought an LTD version ? It was in the press release but so far I haven't seen one...

All you guys are pretty lucky ! Enjoy it and post some pics !
My LBS has them for order. In fact it looks like they have almost every model still available for November delivery. I have only talked with them about my order so I don't know how accurate this is...

If people want to order one I'll pick it up and ship it to you at your expense :p :thumbsup:

https://www.eriksbikeshop.com
 
#7 ·
Anybody knows when Specialized will release more Evo's ?

Also did anyone bought an LTD version ? It was in the press release but so far I haven't seen one...

All you guys are pretty lucky ! Enjoy it and post some pics !
Where are you located? You can't be picky right now on the build if you want one before next spring, but they are out there.
 
#10 ·
I got really lucky this afternoon. Was randomly hitting refresh on the Specialized site while on a Zoom call and a black S4 Evo Expert popped up at the shop where I have my Comp waiting. While still on the Zoom call I dialed them up on my cell, guy says they are sold out but he will check for me. 2 minutes later "Found it in the new shipment and put your name on it. You can pick it up Friday." BOOM!

Stoked to get the XO1 since I have a ton of spares plus the Performance Elite suspension.
 
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