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In today’s send I’m going to do something a little different. I am going to review a local bike park, and I am also going to give my initial impressions of the Specialized Epic 8 EVO Expert.

Sometimes I feel like I am talking into an echo chamber, so I would like to open it up for questions. If you’ve got a question you’d like for me to address in the newsletter, simply hit “reply” and respond with your question. I won’t include the name of the person asking the question unless they specifically ask me to include it.

Bike Park Review: Bryce Mountain

As with everything in this news letter, I am not going to talk about something unless I feel like my knowledge is in depth enough, and I can offer some credibility on the subject. I didn’t start riding downhill until later in year of 2019, and since then I have ridden more than one hundred days total at dozen different bike parks.

Bryce is a small mountain resort in Basye VA. Bryce has a summit elevation of 1750’ with a vertical drop of 500’. It’s not huge, but they use the space well. There are 13 total trails from the top down. There is one green, six blue, four black, and two double black. It has all the amenities you would expect from a resort in the form of a bike shop and available food options. I can’t comment on the food since I normally bring food, water etc. when I can. In the end it saves time and money. There are plenty of tables and chairs at the base of the mountain where you can set up camp for the day. Lift tickets range from $41(12 and under) to $53 for 13 and up. You can save a bit more by buying early too. Season passes are $299 right now which is a great deal. If you are planning on more than six days the pass will pay for itself. The on site bike shop is nice. They have a good selection of gear and a nice fleet of rental bikes. They have Trek Session and Trek Slash. I have ridden my personal Slash and Session there. Both are very capable to handle everything on the mountain. In addition to rentals they also have lessons and coaching. Harlen Price, former pro enduro racer, of Take Aim Cycling is on of the coaches. He is very talented, and from what I have heard he is a great person too. They are open Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

I was fortunate enough to ride Bryce twice this summer. With my work schedule, weekdays are usually good days for me to get there. The traffic wasn’t bad either day that I went. Getting there can be a little tricky. There is a neighborhood that’s not part of the resort on the back side. The road from the neighborhood to the resort has a locked gate. The actual turn into the resort is about a mile down the road. Once you get to the resort, parking is plentiful and easy. From there grab your lift ticket from the bike shop. On busier days it’s a good idea to get your ticket as soon as you arrive to beat the 10:00 AM rush. The lift isn’t really fast, but it’s not super slow either. The bike carriers can take up to three bikes, and they are easy to load. The chairs for people are comfortable too.

The trails were built by Gravity Logic. Gravity Logic is responsible for some of the best bike parks in the world like Whistler, Trestle, Deer Valley etc. It’s obvious when you ride here that it’s built well. All the features are fine at trail speed. The lips on the tabletops and kickers are consistent, and very similar to features on other bike parks I have ridden. I have ridden some places where you either need to pedal your ass off, or grab a handful of brake depending on the feature. Those types of places are not a lot of fun and a little dangerous. My first time riding Bryce I was able to hit the biggest drop on the mountain without a tow, and felt comfortable doing it based on the way the rest of the mountain is built.

The above video is me and the boy hitting the first drop on Hooch for the first time. To me is says a lot about a park if riders can hit big features like that for the first time with confidence based on the way the rest of the park it built.

My three favorite trails at Bryce are Brew Thru, Gin & Juice, and Hooch. Brew Thru is a blue jump line with plenty of table tops and a few kickers. You can cut over to the end of Screwdriver to hit the two wood table tops and final four foot drop. Tabletop jumps have a take off and a landing with flat dirt between the two, so it you come up short you don’t get hurt. Bryce has great progression to help you build skills by starting small and growing from there. Gin & Juice is a black jump line that is a ton of fun. Some of the tabletops have a extra credit bonus kicker on one side, so if you want to make the feature bigger you can. Those are great additions to the trails. They allow riders who are just skilled enough to ride the smaller side ride with confidence while the more advanced rider can go a little bigger. That also why I like Hooch so much. It starts with an 8’ drop, and then there are tables, shark fins, step ups, and another 6’ drop. A lot of the tables have the bonus kicker on them too. I could do laps on those three trails all day and have fun.

If you are in the mid Atlantic area Bryce is a solid bike park option. I will certainly be going back.

Bike I’m Eyeing: Flatiron Bikes, Dirt Church

Review of Specialized Epic EVO Expert

Specialized being Specialized will have multiple Epic models. Each model will have different build levels from the Comp to the S-Works. There is the Epic, Epic EVO, Epic World Cup and Epic Hardtail. It’s not confusing at all….. The Epic EVO is very similar to the Epic. It uses the same frame with a burlier part spec that includes a longer travel 130mm fork.

Specialized EVO Expert by the numbers. 130mm front travel and 120mm rear travel. 29” wheels on both ends. Head tube angle is 65.4 in the low setting, and 65.9 in the high setting. Seat tube angle is 75. Sizes run from XS - XL. The test bike is an XL

The bike features a carbon frame with SWAT frame storage with 2 water bottle mounts, Fox Performance Elite suspension, GX Transmission drivetrain, SRAM Code Bronze 4 piston brakes, Roval Control carbon wheels with Industry 9 1/1 hubs. A XFusion Manic 170mm dropper post. The build is rounded out with Specialized branded stem, bars, grips, and saddle. The price for the bike is $7000. In full disclosure, I didn’t pay nearly that much since I get shop employee pricing from Specialized.

In the initial build I made a few changes from the stock build. I moved the 2.4 Purgatory tire to the rear and added Cush Core, and I put a 2.6 Purgatory on the front. I also swapped out the stock 780mm 20mm rise bar for a 800mm 35mm rise bar, and I swapped the cranks for 170mm length arms. Stock is 175mm for L and XL which in my opinion is too long. Otherwise I kept is as is. After a ride I swapped the stock 50mm stem to a 32mm stem. My lower back wasn’t happy with the more stretched out race fit that Specialized is known for. The build from the box was as expected and easy.

I chose the XL size based on Specialized recommendation. I am on the border between L and XL. The geometry numbers on then XL are similar to other bikes I ride. I look at effective top tube(ETT) and frame reach for fit numbers more so than labeled size. Any good bike shop will be able to fit you on the right sized bike. I was able to pedal both before I purchased the bike, and the XL felt better.

I did my initial shakedown ride in Patapsco State Park. I was thinking I might do 10-12 miles, and I ended up riding 18 miles with 1900 feet of climbing. I expected to like the bike, but right off it felt like a bike I had owned for a long time. The bike feels great going down and climbs like a goat. Ten years ago an XC race bike with a 66 HTA would have been laughable. Now they are a reality that rips down hill. The bike felt comfortable from the start. Downhill I was able to steer as much with my body are actually turning the bars. I did not for a speed at which I was uncomfortable. The 75 degree STA helps keep your wight over the cranks helping the bike stay planted while climbing. It usually takes me a few rides to really get a bike dialed in, and the Epic EVO felt familiar and confidence inspiring from the get go.

The components performed as expected. The wheels are stiff and efficient with 110 points of engagement in the I9 1/1 hubs. Initially I really liked the tires, but as we have been getting dryer here they are feeling a little sketchy on the loose over hard trails we currently have. I will play with tire pressure a bit on the next few rides to see if that helps. The suspension felt great. It’s confidence inspiring going down hill and an efficient climber. The GX drivetrain is awesome! Once the initial set up is done, which is really easy, the bike shifts perfectly every time. The outside forces that can effect a wired drivetrain are pretty much taken out of the equation. You can also shift under load going up hill, and each shift is prefect. SRAM also increased the durability of the cassette, derailleur and chain with Transmission. Considering the cost, it’s very welcome. You can get about 2000 miles out of a chain and chainring. Typically after 2000 miles you will also need to change the cassette and pulley wheels on a traditional setup. That’s not the case with Transmission. In my opinion SRAM often designs to “good enough”. This one they knocked it out of the park. The four piston brakes perform well. There is plenty of power, and modulation is good. The front brake howls a bit at speed, but since I am not loosing power I don’t think it’s contaminated. They should be good after a cleaning.

Overall I am really happy with the bike. My only real nit pick is the 175mm crank length. I am looking forward to racking up the miles on this bike. I love the fact that it can take two water bottles. Between that and the SWAT box I have been able to ride without a pack while still being able to carry everything I need.

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