EVO - lution by means of natural selection ; or The Specialized AWOL EVO

We've been big fans of the Specialized AWOl bikes since they came out. Specialized is not always the originator of ideas, but they are good at taking ideas and refining them into bikes that express the "heart of the matter" within any particular discipline. The "EVO" series is that expression, and we're stoked to have some of the new AWOL Evo models in stock.

So what's the fuss? Well, the fuss is that this is a hell of a lot of bike for $2500, and resembles in many ways what we've been doing with recent custom touring builds.

Starting with a nice butted steel frame, the Evo piles on a Sram 2x10 drivetrain with a wide-range double for a low gear of 32x36 (front/rear). Should be enough to tackle most grades while loaded, and the X.9 rear der can handle a bigger cassette if need be. Braking is handled by powerful TRP Hy/RD hydraulic calipers.

But that's to be expected. The really cool stuff is in the accessories. A set of lightweight metal fenders keep the rain on the flat-resistant Armadillo tires and off the rider.

A Specialized "Pizza" porteur rack with pannier rails and Tubus rear rack both have mounts for the Supernova lights powered by a Shimano dynamo hub. The hub runs power through a bar-mounted switch that sends juice either to the lights of to the top-cap mounted "Plug III" USB-charger to keep your other stuff all charged up while on tour.

AWOL geometry is a bit more akin to a mountain bike than a traditional touring bike, with long top tubes and short stems favoring front loading and stability on gravel and dirt. Topping off the off-road friendly nature of the rig is a carbon CG-R seatpost, a pivot-less shock absorber that takes the edge off the bumpy bits.

Lastly, the paint is pretty cool. It's called "Rocket Red" and is pops up on a number of Specialized bikes. The deal is that it will darken randomly with UV exposure, so each bike gets a kind of individual patina over time. The logos on the downtube, head tube and the seatpost are also painted in a retro-reflective paint for nighttime visibility.

So yeah, we think it's worth a fuss.

All Road AWOL - Custom Build

Michael didn't even know he was looking for a better bike when he saw the AWOL frameset in the shop, but one thing led to another and soon he was taking his first "little" shakedown ride from Lake Oswego to Cascade Locks and back...and he couldn't have been more pleased with the comfort and handling of his new AWOL. This build didn't deviate too much from the flavor of the stock AWOL comp, just dialed it in for how he rides. Lots of road, sometimes loaded, but more about the ability to ride where ever his will takes him with no problems. Plenty of gear range, tubeless tires and dynamo/USB power are the stars here.

Clean lines - room in the main triangle for a Revelate / Salsa frame bag. Extra water capacity down low.

Wide gearing. Mtb rear derailleur and cassette with road compact up front.

We dig TRP disc brakes. DT swiss wheels with Schmidt front hub.

POWER! Supernova "Plug" USB adapter powered by dynamo.

Big rotor, smooth stopping. Schmidt SON hub, Salsa skewer.

Specialized Trigger 33mm tires, good for paved - to - medium gravel roads. Tubeless, natch.