2014 SuperSix Evo Hi-Mod ride quality

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motorthings
Posts: 344
Joined: Mon Nov 17, 2008 9:56 pm

by motorthings

zip carbon bars and 25c tires make my evo even buttery-er...thanks everybody for reminding me what a great bike i have.

by Weenie


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merkyworks
Posts: 186
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:31 am

by merkyworks

The head tube comments are interesting cause when I look at the geometry charts for a 52cm, the Addict and the EVO the head tube lengths are the same. In fact the only difference I can find is the wheelbase, bottom bracket height and head tube angle.

KWalker
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Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

Vicelord wrote:I am astounded by the ride on my evo. I've previously had a bmc and a madone 6, and loved them both, but the evo is more, uh, buttery smooth(?) than the other two were. Some roads near my home where I have made a point to ride certain lines due to potholes, cracks, and manhole covers, I realized that I don't need to ride those lines anymore to avoid bumps. The evo makes them seem pretty mellow in comparison.

The evo does have a short head tube comparatively, but it doesn't ride harshly like, say, a tarmac, which also has a short head tube. I was hit by a truck back in July and suffered a broken back and neck among other things, and I was a bit concerned with the head tube of the evo, but after a few rides I was so comfortable I was able to put the stem on the head tube like I am used to. The bike is just that comfortable. For what it's worth, I have been on a tarmac since my accident as well, and ten minutes on that thing and my back is begging me to get off the bike.


Tarmac stack is higher in nearly every size...
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
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Vicelord
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Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 1:46 am

by Vicelord

And?

skinnyrider
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:12 pm

by skinnyrider

I have a couple year old evo hi mod.

Still one of the best frames I've ridden to this day. And I've had 5 other carbon frames in that time. It's one hell of a frame.

KWalker
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Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

@vicelord

It invalidates your quote about the Tarmac also having a short headtube. The SL4 is a great bike, a Madone 6 is great bike, etc. and the Evo is slightly smoother, but IMO its not as significant as the different trail, front-center, and wheelbase figures in terms of fit. Comfort wise I find it and the SL4 almost neck-and-neck but feel that the Evo has a stiffer front triangle and a bit less trail which I like a lot. Which year Madone did you have? I briefly rode a 2014 H1 Madone 6 and that thing was probably the only bike I've liked more than my Evo, but I also didn't spend more than 3 hours on the thing so perhaps the differences would come out over time. The BMCs have a lot more trail, which model did you have? I've liked bikes with similar geo on the past and BMCs have always been on my list of frames to get some day, but perhaps my preferences have changed now that I've had about a million Cannondales.

Bummer about your accident but impressive that you're back on the bike in comfort!
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
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Vicelord
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 1:46 am

by Vicelord

So you disagree when I say if someone thinks the evo has a short head tube they will also find the tarmac head tube short?

I also found the tarmac the most uncomfortable bike I've ridden in some time. I had an allez for a while and got it set up properly after a while but it rode just as harshly and twitchy as the tarmac.

I had a madone h1 and it got me to tucson and back in one day without any discomfort, as well as doing what I asked it to do racing, without having to feel like I was forcing the bike to move. I really liked that bike.

And great you find the tarmac and evo neck and neck, I feel strongly different about that subject.

KWalker
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Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

That's really surprising. I've had an S-Works SL, SL2, SL3, SL4, multiple Evos (both hi mod and non) and multiple CAADs. Known quite a few people that have gone back and forth between both brands and never heard someone say that the bike so so bad they had to swerve around cracks or potholes. Something tells me that something else changed in the meantime. They're simply not that different in terms of geometry and even then that influences your wheel turning and your weighting (slightly), but I guess if your position over the axles was off it wouldn't be fun. With that said I still think the Evo is a better bike, but the gap isn't that large really.

Did your bike fit, tires, shoes, or anything else change in the interim? Did you lose or gain weight during your layup from your crash?

And yes regarding the headtubes because the Evo stack is always shorter. For example a 56 EVO has 555mm of stack whereas a 56 SL4 has 570. A 58 Evo has 575mm of stack whereas a Tarmac has 591. Its why you see so many aggro stem setups on Speci bikes.
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
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Roundabout
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 12:04 am
Location: Moraga, California

by Roundabout

Guess I'm in the minority here, but... I had two of the first gen EVO's the first year the platform was introduced. I found the frame absurdly light and climbed like a beast, but handling and ride quality were problematic at best. Frequently would get bounced around on the saddle, and rear triangle stiffness was such that if line changes were desired when corning or descending, the frame would resist changing lines until it would skip the rear wheel to the new line. Descending required a bit more effort than I was used to and off camber crit corners were slightly terrifying. Note: this was on a 60cm frame, so perhaps this could be chalked up to initial outlier sizing.

From recent feedback it sounds like things have been generally sorted out which is good to hear; given how much of a rocket the thing is.

520 Dan
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by 520 Dan

Because the OP talked about smoothness, the EVO is a smooth, comfortable bike. It rides well, handles really well. I am amazed anyone thinks it has a short head tube, but everyones fit is different.

However, the bike is not all that stiff. I'm 6', 155-160 and my super six hi-mod was significantly stiffer than my EVO. As a race bike I preferred the Super six. I haven't ridden an addict in years so I can't compare the 2. If you are after a light, comfortable, predictable handling bike I think the EVO fits the bill.

KWalker
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Location: Bay Area

by KWalker

Weird. I'm same height and slightly heavier and never found it lacking stiffness. Neither have the guys I know that are in the 170s and sprint at 1600 watts. What year was your EVO? IIRC some claim that they stiffened up the EVO after the first model year but I don't recall where I read that.
Don't take me too seriously. The only person that doesn't hate Froome.
Gramz
Failed Custom Bike

520 Dan
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by 520 Dan

I would just never describe it as a stiff bike, although it feels more stiff than a few bikes I have had in years past. Its just less stiff than I was used to and liked coming off the Super six. Its a 2013 Dura-ace Di2 model.

Vicelord
Posts: 64
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2014 1:46 am

by Vicelord

Maybe double check those stack Heights quoted above, I remember reading different information, though I'm using my phone right now so I'm not going to go through digging around for geo charts.

I rode through some manhole bumps today that I have always had to serve around on other bikes because they are too jarring. Today was my first time up there on the evo and I was rolling right over them, hardly noticing the bumps. That says a lot when a bike has almost identical ht height and angle, as well as similar stack to a tarmac and I find it infinitely more comfortable, even while recovering from a broken back/neck.

Sorry to rehash the conversation but I think between the (what I believe to be) misquoted stack heights and the guy saying the ride is super rough, I just had to again share that I feel so incredibly different than that.

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Starter
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by Starter

The Evo is not a stiff bike insomuch as it doesn't ride like one might expect the typical stiff carbon race bike to ride. It feels smooth and buttery, ride qualities that people generally equate with older thin tubed steel bikes.

However, in terms off stiffness as it relates to whether or not the bike flexes under power, the Evo is plenty stiff. It's true that the BB area is smaller than some bikes out there, but then again, it's reached the point where manufacturers are making enormous BBs that are only "stiffer" than their competitors in computer simulations. No human on earth is approaching the threshold at which they are now measuring against one another as far as stiffness under power is concerned. It's like that point in the early 80's when both the US and the Soviets each had enough nukes to destroy the world, but they kept building them anyway, for the sake of "superiority". Or maybe that story about the nukes isn't true, I don't know. I read something about it way after the cold war was over. It was before I was born, what do I know. The analogy stands, at any rate.

Bottom line is, nobody on this forum is going to noodle an Evo with an out-of-the-saddle uphill sprint.
Oof.

520 Dan
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by 520 Dan

I knew the above comment was coming, thank you for making good on it.

by Weenie


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