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.

Moving Electrons to Help You See

We have been pretty satisfied with the Momentum line of bicycles from Giant. The "Street" model is just about all a person needs to get around town and pardon our French but a hell of a value at $425. A couple weeks back we decided the only thing that would make it more ready for commuting is a set of dynamo lights. We're big fans of dynamo lighting- secure, always-there lights with no need to worry about charging and more illumination than most mid-priced battery lights. So we set up a Momentum Street with a Shimano Dyamno -equipped wheel and a set of B+M lights. The Shimano hub is a disc-ready model in case someone ever needed to transfer the system to another bike, and we also equipped the hub with a Pitlock lockign skewer, which is just about the only truly theft-proof system on the market. The EYC front light is tiny and BRIGHT!, and the rear Secula fender-mount light has a reflector plus a bright ring of LEDs.

The best part about the package is that it can be had for $675. We think having good lighting is imperative for commuting, and this balance of bike cost/light cost is pretty reasonable for someone who rides to work year-round.

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.