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Evil Carbon?

Pegboy

Turbo Monkey
Jan 20, 2003
1,139
27
New Hamp-sha
my buddy is on his 3rd Revolt frame in 14 months - and has been waiting 2 months for "warranty" - he said its a sweet ride, but too unreliable

he bought a TR450 in Whistler so he could continue his expensive vacation as there was no chance of getting a Revolt to Whistler in time

he said that the Evil dealers in Whistler were not confident of the brand and its warranty support, and the high rate of failures they had experienced

back in the UK some months on, he still does not have a replacement frame, and is now pursuing legal remedy against the retailer to get his money back and buy a SC C.F. V-10
Going from one first year design to another...

I certainly don't excuse companies (and unfortunately in this case the guys seem to good guys) for not being able to uphold their end of the deal, or sending out products that need to be serviced out of the box etc.,etc. BUT
this should be a bit of a lesson to people. Do you really need to run out , pre order, paste photos all over the internet of the latest and greatest bike?

I don't care how great people say it is, or will be, there are too many other good options out there with reliable track records to gamble on something this expensive. Wait a season, it might actually improve your season, while you may not be riding the coolest thing on the block..you'll be riding instead of waiting for warranties.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,289
5,029
Ottawa, Canada
wow, while I expected this thread to cause a bit of a stir, I didn't think it would raise so many e-hackles...

I don't own an Evil, but think they are nice bikes. I thought this would make the fan boys happy. I really hope Evil are able to overcome this, caus' I think they're good for the sport and bring a fresh outlook to the industry...

I'm almost sorry I posted it (though I guess someone else would have if I hadn't)
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
I don't care how great people say it is, or will be, there are too many other good options out there with reliable track records to gamble on something this expensive. Wait a season, it might actually improve your season, while you may not be riding the coolest thing on the block..you'll be riding instead of waiting for warranties.
so youre saying go buy another bike while you wait for warranties?
its not like we were expecting to spend $2900+ on a frame and have it break
 
so youre saying go buy another bike while you wait for warranties?
its not like we were expecting to spend $2900+ on a frame and have it break

No.
Hes saying that resisting the urge to buy the 1st year product sometimes means you can be riding your older albeit "less cooler" frame while the 1st year buyers are not riding a full sesaon due to unfufilled warranty issues.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
Wait a season, it might actually improve your season, while you may not be riding the coolest thing on the block..you'll be riding instead of waiting for warranties.
But.....but....how can I be cool on the Interwebz then? Drilling my old frame to get current geometry? Done. Cool paint job with custom fork decals? Every kid rides it these days. Wearing TLD gear? Have you been to a race lately? Decking my ride out with all white parts? Sooooo 2009!

OK Mr Knowitall: what to do then? ;) :D
 

ZoRo

Turbo Monkey
Sep 28, 2004
1,224
11
MTL
Have you ever dealt with a Quebec based company before? Don't hold your breath! :rofl:



I Kid, I kid.
Hehehehe. Don't know about Xprezo. They have a pretty big following at QC races. Filled the blank Balfa left (still with a steel swingarm!)
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
No.
Hes saying that resisting the urge to buy the 1st year product sometimes means you can be riding your older albeit "less cooler" frame while the 1st year buyers are not riding a full sesaon due to unfufilled warranty issues.
well if everyone did that, i dont think companys would really have too much success for their first gen models huh?
 

sethimus

neu bizutch
Feb 5, 2006
4,881
2,132
not in Whistler anymore :/
But.....but....how can I be cool on the Interwebz then? Drilling my old frame to get current geometry? Done. Cool paint job with custom fork decals? Every kid rides it these days. Wearing TLD gear? Have you been to a race lately? Decking my ride out with all white parts? Sooooo 2006!

OK Mr Knowitall: what to do then? ;) :D
fyp..
 

Jason4

Monkey
Aug 27, 2008
338
0
Bellingham
I have a second batch Revolt also from June 2009 and have had good success with it. I rode it hard and put it away wet. Almost 30 days at Whistler and several over the winter in the NW. Unfortunately now it sits because I'm in the flattest part of Europe evar!

I won't say it was problem free but both times I had a problem I was able to ride again the next day.
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
there are tons of 303 pics out there, what specifically were you looking for?
I wasn't really serious. This thread stinks of a bike company headed down the drain (at least according to this thread). My post was to divert the attention to a company that perhaps doesn't stink and doesn't play marketing games and has a solid history of pleasing their customers all over the world (FWIW I don't own a Yeti). Just calling them out on that...in a moar phun way. :thumb:
 
Aug 31, 2005
33
0
First batch frame here and no problem, yet.

rode it hard this summer in those "east coast rocks" without any issues... I guess I've been lucky.
 

blackohio

Generous jaywalker
Mar 12, 2009
2,773
122
Hellafornia. Formerly stumptown.
I wasn't really serious. This thread stinks of a bike company headed down the drain (at least according to this thread). My post was to divert the attention to a company that perhaps doesn't stink and doesn't play marketing games and has a solid history of pleasing their customers all over the world (FWIW I don't own a Yeti). Just calling them out on that...in a moar phun way. :thumb:
You cant really compare a company that has a massive revenue stream, established relationships to factories, massive support network and a large financial stream to a company in it's second year, trying to grow and meet its customers demands and all the demands of starting said company. That's not really fair.
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
Hear that all you guys waiting on warranty from Evil? It's not fair to expect the same amount of customer service and performance from a new company than an older, established company. :rolleyes: :D

This is the internet, who said anything about being fair? :D

In all seriousness, I could care less about Evil. I do care a bit about Yeti, as I live in Yeti Country. And I do care how customers are treated and take that into account when I decide on a purchase. The above is just stirring the pot for entertainment. That's what the internet is for. Every company has issues. I'm sure the boyz at Evil will sort things out as they say. For now, I'll stick to Non-East Coast brands. :rolleyes: ;) :D
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
Uh, Evil is WC brother... Based in Seattle.

Unless you were talking FAR east?
You got it! Yeah, I coulda been clearer on that comedy. Perhaps I should have said "Asian Coast"? Nah, that sounds racial. :D

I also find all this interesting as an ever-learning business-type person. Like the decision to outsource to asia even when reports abound relayed the rising costs. Add to that everything is new and unproven. A new brand, new people, new invention, new tooling and fixtures, importing, etc. All that stuff. Sounds like more risk of screwing stuff up than if attempted from home turf for the first couple iterations. But of course its all about the benjamins. (In hind site) That decision would make a great case study, IMO. Whatevs I'm a nerd.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
Let's make a list of all the domestic US factories that Evil could have chosen for WC-level DH bike production.

You got it! Yeah, I coulda been clearer on that comedy. Perhaps I should have said "Asian Coast"? Nah, that sounds racial. :D

I also find all this interesting as an ever-learning business-type person. Like the decision to outsource to asia even when reports abound relayed the rising costs. Add to that everything is new and unproven. A new brand, new people, new invention, new tooling and fixtures, importing, etc. All that stuff. Sounds like more risk of screwing stuff up than if attempted from home turf for the first couple iterations. But of course its all about the benjamins. (In hind site) That decision would make a great case study, IMO. Whatevs I'm a nerd.
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
You got it! Yeah, I coulda been clearer on that comedy. Perhaps I should have said "Asian Coast"? Nah, that sounds racial. :D

I also find all this interesting as an ever-learning business-type person. Like the decision to outsource to asia even when reports abound relayed the rising costs. Add to that everything is new and unproven. A new brand, new people, new invention, new tooling and fixtures, importing, etc. All that stuff. Sounds like more risk of screwing stuff up than if attempted from home turf for the first couple iterations. But of course its all about the benjamins. (In hind site) That decision would make a great case study, IMO. Whatevs I'm a nerd.
So, would you buy a $4500 retail downhill frame? I didn't think so. Next argument?
 

dropmachine

Turbo Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
2,922
10
Your face.
So, would you buy a $4500 retail downhill frame? I didn't think so. Next argument?
Either I missed your point, or you're answering in the wrong thread. :D

Fact is, EVIL puts out some really good hype on the frames they make. Are they as good as they say? Debatable. But for the price they command, they better back them up.

As for US vs ASIA, I find it funny when people talk about asian made frames as if they were still a bunch of guys in a back alley with some hammers and a welding torch. I'd argue that some of the stuff coming out of asian soundly beats the US stuff, on both price and quality. I guess it comes down to what you want to pay the factory I guess. From what I've been told, you get levels of quality you can order just like anywhere else.

For the US factories, isn't Kinesis still running there out of Oregon? What about SAPA?
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
Either I missed your point, or you're answering in the wrong thread. :D

Fact is, EVIL puts out some really good hype on the frames they make. Are they as good as they say? Debatable. But for the price they command, they better back them up.

As for US vs ASIA, I find it funny when people talk about asian made frames as if they were still a bunch of guys in a back alley with some hammers and a welding torch. I'd argue that some of the stuff coming out of asian soundly beats the US stuff, on both price and quality. I guess it comes down to what you want to pay the factory I guess. From what I've been told, you get levels of quality you can order just like anywhere else.

For the US factories, isn't Kinesis still running there out of Oregon? What about SAPA?

Point is, if Evil tried to build completely built in the USA frames, they would coast a good order of magnitude more than they currently do...and they are already pretty pricey. And as you mention, the stuff coming out of taiwan is better than 90% of the stuff that comes out of the US anyways at this point.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,010
1,146
El Lay
SAPA, Kinesis - aren't these the factories where other popular brands such as Turner and Santa Cruz have in the past had production delays that also border on the ridiculous?
 

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,208
581
Durham, NC
SAPA, Kinesis - aren't these the factories where other popular brands such as Turner and Santa Cruz have in the past had production delays that also border on the ridiculous?
SAPA is the only one left as far as I know. Kinesis is gone from these shores. There are no contract production facilities outside of setting up shop from scratch. I would imagine the wages necessary to draw the talent we've come to expect just isn't feasible in North America. It's a shame as I'd like as much as anyone to have available a quality product built here. Not to say it doesn't exist with Intense and some boutique frame shops (mostly steel, road & XC), but as a startup, I just can't see it making sense.
 

ianjenn

Turbo Monkey
Sep 12, 2006
2,998
702
SLO
And as you mention, the stuff coming out of taiwan is better than 90% of the stuff that comes out of the US anyways at this point.
I know some tool and component manufactures that would disagree with that.
 
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