Editor's note: A Review from one of our customers on EVO Gen 2. Note that about the frame clearance there is absolutely no issue with any frame clearance as we have offered lower links machined with tons of clearance. This reviewer was able to apply the revised linkage to get the improved clearance!
I guess I read too many mountain bike mags! I just wrote it as I would tell it, but it sounds like I want to be a bike tester. I don't! I just got carried away. I love bikes and I love my new bike in particular. I hope you find my review useful.
I was looking for a new Enduro frame. I rode a Titus Moto-lite for years as my main bike for years. However my riding partner was in love with the Titus El Guapo - 6" of all-mountain in a package that could actually be ridden uphill. I broke down and bought a used 2008 Giant Reign 2008 - the frame that looked like a small motorbike.
The Reign X pedaled better than I expected thanks to the Maestro suspension. But it was still heavy, and after riding the svelte Moto-lite for so long the 6.7" travel frame seemed to suck up way too much of my effort.
When I test rode the Ibis Mojo, I knew I had found my dream ride! It was super rigid, pedaled uphill almost as well as my Moto-lite, and downhill it flew over everything and landed with a firm footing. No sketchy, unstable landings. Every landing felt like I totally “planted it”.
Then I saw the price. A whopping $2500 + tax + more $$ for the necessary frame protector. And then it cost more for the special Ibis quick release seat clamp [who would ride an Enduro bike without the ability to quickly drop the seat?]
Not having $3000 and spare change, I needed to find an alternative Enduro frame at a price I could live with. This is a developing category with a high % of expensive carbon fiber models and some nearly as-expensive aluminum frames. Except for one: the Chumba Evo Gen 2.
With an MSRP well under $2000 and a street price over $1000, this was more to my liking! The frame was a little heavier than the Mojo Holy Grail, but weight is not the end-all, be-all in Enduro riding. How the bike rides - how heavy it FEELS - is far more critical. Working with a budget, and not having a lot of options, I took the plunge when I found a great deal on a frame. Normally, I wait for magazine review and years of MTBR rider comments to guide me. Low prices make me do bold things!
I built my new bike, dubbed the “Green Viper” [doesn’t everyone name their bikes? If not, you should!], with some nice Enduro bits and some light weight XTR parts [see parts list, below]. I went with the older 2 x 9 drive train both because I had the parts already [read “price”] and because I’ve never felt the need for a different gearing combination for this style of riding. With I-9 Enduro wheels, a WTB Bronson AM 2.3 in the front, a Specialized 2.2 Captain Armadillo in the rear, and some white Formula Oros, I weighed in under 30 pounds [Yes, despite my weight comments above, I still want my bike to stay in the trail-rider zone. I already have a “heavy” 33 lb. Reign X.]
I live at the base of the Santa Monica Mountain in Ventura so I always earn my downs by riding up first. Riding up, the Green Viper felt like the Mojo, albeit with a little less frame rigidity. [I attributed this to the carbon fiber difference.] However, this bike blew away my Reign X, and even the Firebird I previously tested. The Viper climbed like every ounce of my energy was directly transferred into the rear cassette. The El Guapo was a great climber too, but it lacked the nimbleness of the Viper while ascending. Tracking was precise as was steering. I felt like I had much more control over wheel placement.
Descending was spot on with the Mojo. The weight difference could not be felt. The bike was flickable and responded to my body movements with no hesitancy. My Reign X has a lot more lateral play, both in the frame itself as well as in the wheel placement. Though more capable of sucking up the hits, the Reign didn’t have the feeling of control that the Viper gave me. I was coming into turns hotter, riding faster with confidence, and flying
higher over the jumps. Flying higher was only possible due to the feeling of control both launching and landing which gave more confidence to go for more.
After buying the frame, I ran across some online comments. Apparently a few people were complaining that there were some clearance issue with the chains stay and front derailleur, and also between the seat tube and lower link. This lead to some serious buyer’s remorse! I wasn’t sure what to believe, but finally I decided to build the bike.
Fortunately, I had gone to a Pivot Bikes test ride and had watched them set up the DW-Link bikes. I noted that normal frame sag was set differently from the typical bike. Due to the anti-squat qualities of the DW-Link, they asked each rider to “bounce” on the frame to check sag. Merely sitting on the bike would lead to inappropriately low shock pressure.
In the case of the Evo Gen 2, this would allow the frame to compress to the point that the front derailleur would strike the front derailleur. Though initially I experiences frame strike, once I realized that my shock was under-pressured, I inflated to the correct setting and never experienced frame strike again. So too, there was no issue with the rear linkage coming in contact with the seat tube.
With no air in the shock, and the frame fully compressed, the front derailleur does not strike the chain stay and the linkage easily clears the seat tube. So everything was good, but just to make sure, I have been riding the Green Viper harder than any bike and jumping it as hard as I can. I'm not radical, but I am easily hitting 3' drop offs with full force on the landing.
I have been riding the bike as my main bike now for several months. Though I love the plush, forgiving ride of my old Reign X, the Green Viper has become my primary bike for all but the most abusive downhill riding. I feel faster on the ups and downs. It sucks up the bigger hits and drops and keeps on going without losing momentum. And the precise steering and ground control are addictive! Finally I have found my do-it-all bike.
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I guess I read too many mountain bike mags! I just wrote it as I would tell it, but it sounds like I want to be a bike tester. I don't! I just got carried away. I love bikes and I love my new bike in particular. I hope you find my review useful.
I was looking for a new Enduro frame. I rode a Titus Moto-lite for years as my main bike for years. However my riding partner was in love with the Titus El Guapo - 6" of all-mountain in a package that could actually be ridden uphill. I broke down and bought a used 2008 Giant Reign 2008 - the frame that looked like a small motorbike.
The Reign X pedaled better than I expected thanks to the Maestro suspension. But it was still heavy, and after riding the svelte Moto-lite for so long the 6.7" travel frame seemed to suck up way too much of my effort.
When I test rode the Ibis Mojo, I knew I had found my dream ride! It was super rigid, pedaled uphill almost as well as my Moto-lite, and downhill it flew over everything and landed with a firm footing. No sketchy, unstable landings. Every landing felt like I totally “planted it”.
Then I saw the price. A whopping $2500 + tax + more $$ for the necessary frame protector. And then it cost more for the special Ibis quick release seat clamp [who would ride an Enduro bike without the ability to quickly drop the seat?]
Not having $3000 and spare change, I needed to find an alternative Enduro frame at a price I could live with. This is a developing category with a high % of expensive carbon fiber models and some nearly as-expensive aluminum frames. Except for one: the Chumba Evo Gen 2.
With an MSRP well under $2000 and a street price over $1000, this was more to my liking! The frame was a little heavier than the Mojo Holy Grail, but weight is not the end-all, be-all in Enduro riding. How the bike rides - how heavy it FEELS - is far more critical. Working with a budget, and not having a lot of options, I took the plunge when I found a great deal on a frame. Normally, I wait for magazine review and years of MTBR rider comments to guide me. Low prices make me do bold things!
I built my new bike, dubbed the “Green Viper” [doesn’t everyone name their bikes? If not, you should!], with some nice Enduro bits and some light weight XTR parts [see parts list, below]. I went with the older 2 x 9 drive train both because I had the parts already [read “price”] and because I’ve never felt the need for a different gearing combination for this style of riding. With I-9 Enduro wheels, a WTB Bronson AM 2.3 in the front, a Specialized 2.2 Captain Armadillo in the rear, and some white Formula Oros, I weighed in under 30 pounds [Yes, despite my weight comments above, I still want my bike to stay in the trail-rider zone. I already have a “heavy” 33 lb. Reign X.]
I live at the base of the Santa Monica Mountain in Ventura so I always earn my downs by riding up first. Riding up, the Green Viper felt like the Mojo, albeit with a little less frame rigidity. [I attributed this to the carbon fiber difference.] However, this bike blew away my Reign X, and even the Firebird I previously tested. The Viper climbed like every ounce of my energy was directly transferred into the rear cassette. The El Guapo was a great climber too, but it lacked the nimbleness of the Viper while ascending. Tracking was precise as was steering. I felt like I had much more control over wheel placement.
Descending was spot on with the Mojo. The weight difference could not be felt. The bike was flickable and responded to my body movements with no hesitancy. My Reign X has a lot more lateral play, both in the frame itself as well as in the wheel placement. Though more capable of sucking up the hits, the Reign didn’t have the feeling of control that the Viper gave me. I was coming into turns hotter, riding faster with confidence, and flying
higher over the jumps. Flying higher was only possible due to the feeling of control both launching and landing which gave more confidence to go for more.
After buying the frame, I ran across some online comments. Apparently a few people were complaining that there were some clearance issue with the chains stay and front derailleur, and also between the seat tube and lower link. This lead to some serious buyer’s remorse! I wasn’t sure what to believe, but finally I decided to build the bike.
Fortunately, I had gone to a Pivot Bikes test ride and had watched them set up the DW-Link bikes. I noted that normal frame sag was set differently from the typical bike. Due to the anti-squat qualities of the DW-Link, they asked each rider to “bounce” on the frame to check sag. Merely sitting on the bike would lead to inappropriately low shock pressure.
In the case of the Evo Gen 2, this would allow the frame to compress to the point that the front derailleur would strike the front derailleur. Though initially I experiences frame strike, once I realized that my shock was under-pressured, I inflated to the correct setting and never experienced frame strike again. So too, there was no issue with the rear linkage coming in contact with the seat tube.
With no air in the shock, and the frame fully compressed, the front derailleur does not strike the chain stay and the linkage easily clears the seat tube. So everything was good, but just to make sure, I have been riding the Green Viper harder than any bike and jumping it as hard as I can. I'm not radical, but I am easily hitting 3' drop offs with full force on the landing.
I have been riding the bike as my main bike now for several months. Though I love the plush, forgiving ride of my old Reign X, the Green Viper has become my primary bike for all but the most abusive downhill riding. I feel faster on the ups and downs. It sucks up the bigger hits and drops and keeps on going without losing momentum. And the precise steering and ground control are addictive! Finally I have found my do-it-all bike.
