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.

Clean, Classic, Classy. Twin Six Rando Custom

We've stocked Twin Six clothing for a few years now, and dig how their line is full of solid designs- timeless without being "retro" but not lacking for solid cuts and good technical features. Over last winter, they introduced a line of frames with the same vibe, and we recently had the opportunity to build up someone's Dream Bike on the "Standard Rando" frameset. Tim worked with customer Cory to make a value-packed go-anywhere machine for, well, going anywhere. A mixed Ultegra/105 drivetrain was matched to a hand built set of DT 350 hubs and WTB Frequency CX tubeless-ready rims laced up with DT competition spokes. TRP brakes, Easton/Salsa/Brooks stuff rounded out the package. Nothing too fancy, but all great durable stuff that should last a long damn time and handle just about anything from commuting to gravel to Randonnee rides (surprise surprise...)

Classic lines with modern geometry. Well suited for many styles of riding. Twin Six, you may be new to the frame game but they know a thing or two.

Shimano 105 cranks and derailleurs with Ultegra Shifters, Chain and Cassette. Put the dollars where performance really matters.

Wheel MFG PF30-Shimano adapter bottom bracket. Threads together to solidify a generally weak BB interface. Also, Enduro sealed angular contact bearings. Portland winters, meet your match.

Chris King headset- in traditional boldface logo, keeping the theme of white/silver on black with the Shimano/King/Easton/DT Swiss/WTB parts.

TRP Spyre brakes are awesome and quiet. Enough said.

The Gifford Gravel 50 - aka the Ice Cold Hot Case 8000

New dirt road rides and routes are popping up all over the place. May 2 will see the first "official" running of The Gifford Gravel 50 in the mountains Northwest of Vancouver WA. Last weekend, I went and rode the route with shop buddies Howard and Brendan. It quickly became apparent that the GPS track's promised 57 miles and 6.5k of climbing were going to prove inaccurate. Also, there was a bit more snow at 4,000 ft than we bargained for. Despite taking a bigger bite than we planned, the day turned out to be nice and the route is great. Tough, but abounding with awesome views of SW Washington and the high Cascade volcanoes. This is one to go and check out, as long as you pack some big tires (35mm+) and plenty of H20 or water treatment.

Howard and Brendan

Starting the day with a cool spin through some timberlands

Climb 1.2

The first 12 miles of the route point steadily uphill

Kitty?

A big bobcat? A small Cougar?

Skiddz for Dayzzz

Decent Descents

Climb Time

The route manages to squeeze in a number of punchy bonus climbs.

The road ahead

Unlike so many rides in the area, your can see the road across the valley.

Reaearch Groups : Goons

Portrait of a Dirt Roadie Pt. 1

Will there be more climbing?

Yes.

Snow Problem

Snow Day

Snowzone Layer

The high zone

Ripping Down

Back in the temperate rainforest

By the end of the day, we were all a bit chilly, tired from 8k of climbing and dreaming about the cheap hot case food in Yacolt. Here's the route if you like. May 2 is the "official" ride day.

!