NormanF

People say you can get a better quality frame for half the price and build it up with choice parts. True but it costs more in the end.

For a complete bike at this price point, its a good buy and you can upgrade the components when they wear out.

Again, its not a bike for the high end market and isn't meant to be. Its not fair to compare it to a carbon road bike 3X the price.

For the intended market, its more than adequate.

tyrion

It's alternative vintage.

Dave Cutter

+1
It's not a bad bike. NOT vintage. Maybe those new steel bikes don't have a soul... but it looks like it could have heart.

mountaindave 

I think you could apply that comment to the whole bike. Sounds like somebody has been reading BQ lately. Some people want flashy, some just want functional - different strokes for different folks. But if I were a salesman, the above reasons would be why I would be eager to sell this bike. Everything on it is proven - nothing "latest and greatest" about it. It's just a new bike with parts that work well together. Kind of like buying a Toyota...

You don't have to worry if the batteries are going to wear out in the shifter (or wonder how long the motor will last in the RD), or if the hydraulics are going to leak right before a descent, or if the CF fork is going to spontaneously combust (I think Grant P has lots of literature on this).

Poguemahone

My suspicion is that if any of us bought this bike, we'd probably change out most of the parts immediately.


We'd certainly tear it down and re-build it; my experience with companies like this suggests it is an absolute necessity, as if these bikes were within five miles of a smidgen of grease when they were assembled, it would qualify as enough of a miracle for the pope to take notice.


That said, it's probably a functional enough bike.

gomango

I'd buy a Black Mountain Cycles road frame and build it if I were going new and inexpensive.

Road Frames - Black Mountain Cycles

mstateglfr 

Well yeah, if the BMC road frame came in my size i would have snagged one up this winter for sure after having ridden his monstercross frame for 6 months.
...and it would have cost WAY more than the bike in question.

A road frame and fork is $595. This entire bike is $700.
You still need wheels, tires, shifters, brakes, saddle, stem, seatpost, cables, crank, bars, tape, pedals, and more.


A typical new build with his road frame will set you back $1100-1500 depending on if you buy new or used and the level of components.

Not really comparable to the Evans bike being discussed.

On a related note, i found out that the monstercross frame made of no name tubing weighs less than a Ritchey SwissCross frame and for less than half then cost.
A road frame would be really cool to have.

mountaindave 

Complete bike, you just have to assemble.

https://www.cyclestoussaint.com/coll...lete-build-kit

Camilo

I agree.

Probably everyone reading this forum could find a real retro bike for this price, but...

A lot of people don't have the time or expertise - or the interest - in doing that. This is a fine bike for the retro aesthetic at a reasonable cost and probably excellent performance for a recreational enthusiast.

NormanF

I think people criticizing it overlook the fact in a world of complicated and expensive bikes, a simple, well-made bike is all most people really need at a price that doesn't break the bank. That's exactly what Evans Cycles set out to do and they should be commended for it. Doesn't have a high-tech frame or components but what it has is durable and reliable. A complete bike for under a grand is hard to find these days.

McBTC

You say, "suicide levers and downtube shifters," and you remember being told it was something seen only on cheap flat bar bikes? That's about the poorest understanding of race bike history I've seen but, you don't really care just so long has the bike as a steel triangle so... no biggy, right?

Cute Boy Horse

For the UK market I'll say this bike is very badly overpriced compared to other new machines. For 30 quid more you can get a very respectable Shimano 105 racing bike. And yes, it doesn't have gumwall tyres or metallic earwax paint, but it's not an ugly pastiche either.

I can forgive welded tubes instead of lugs, I can't forgive that sloping top tube nor bottom-spec components on a near six hundred quid bike. I wouldn't pay more than £250 for one new even if I liked the colour, which I don't.

veganbikes

Low end bike with low end parts made to look semi-vintage with a heavy price tag...no thanks!

It doesn't have to be a flashy build and you don't have to break the bank finding NOS Camp Nuevo Record or something but the build on that is just junk. I would save that money and buy an actual vintage bike I got my 7400 DA equipped 531 steel road bike for $500 and it rides like a dream. Sadly I wish I had tried to pull the BB a long time ago because it is seized and I might have had a chance 2-3 years ago when I bought it.

Cute Boy Horse

50% acetone 50% automatic gearbox fluid, plug the drainhole and bang a litre of that down the seatpost to sit for an hour and your bottom bracket will have no choice but to vacate. There's no better penetrating oil known to man than that mix.

Moe Zhoost

I dunno. If that's retro vintage, I must be getting old.

CroMo Mike 

Interesting.....

uncle uncle

Like a lot of the commentors, I think the bike is marketed to someone who fancies a retro looking bike. And unlike many here, some people just want a bike to ride, not something that they have to hunt for, piece together, or work on themselves to get up and running. So, I don't think this crowd is it's market. I just wonder how many potential customers there are in this niche market. The chromo and high tensile steel mix doesn't bother me in the least, but it doesn't bother me in true C&V bike either. Good, competent, solid, reliable, proven stuff. I often day dream about the possibilities of creating something like this, shooting for the $300 mark here in the USA, and wonder if there would be a market for it... but, my boss always seems to snap me out of it with more work to be done. I applaud the company for taking the risk of trying something different...

lostarchitect 

Given that I pointed out a better bike for cheaper, you're not correct here. We get it. It's functional, sort of retro, and not crazy expensive. Still, there are better options for less--and much better options for a bit more.

USAZorro

I think it's great. It takes some of the demographic who would be competing for what I love out of my market. Now if I were more a seller than I am a buyer, I would have a different assessment.