One of the five bikes on test in RIDE #74 (volume four of 2016) is the Enigma Evade. In this issue, we skip the usual “First Impressions” feature but everyone in the office spent time riding this – quite simply because, even though it was a hectic production on a big magazine and a very busy end to the year, it was too tempting to not try this one out.
Eventually it was the owner of a titanium bike, Craig Klement, who wrote the review but you can read Rob Arnold’s first impressions (online version) below…
Or else, just listen to Rob’s comments, or click through the slideshow, or scroll down the page to admire the close-up images of the bike in the studio.
Titanium is a material that generally elicits plenty of praise and the Evade by Enigma achieved that…
(For the full review, see p.198 of #RIDE74 – on sale now.)
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Click the photo below to begin the slideshow of 40 images.
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Rob on the Enigma Evade (RIDE #74)
First impressions
“One of life’s simple pleasures… is to ride a titanium-framed bike. I had that joy again today. I’ve been out on the Enigma Evade.
“I say it every time I get off steel or titanium, but I suggest that readers who haven’t tried it ought to.
“There is so much carbon around that we’ve sort of become complacent about the characteristics of bikes and how they can be manipulated one way or another – and we forget about the simple art of frame making.
“If you look at this bike, it’s something to behold. It’s glorious in the way that it’s been finished.
“We used to talk about welds or lugs and we can go back to that old-school of bike reviewing with this because the welds are spectacular: tiny little beads [that are] really well executed, there’s no blemishes anywhere on it…
“But the thing with [this] bike was that, when riding it, I didn’t even take it on board aesthetically. I was lucky to have it prepared for me by Luke – he had everything measured up and I didn’t do anything [before the ride] other than bang a bottle into the bidon cage and click in. And off I set.
“Basically I didn’t look down again and I didn’t think much of it.
“One thing that caught my attention in a way that I had to actually concentrate a little [on] was the handlebars; it’s a strange shape and I don’t understand the concept of it. But apart from that product from Deda, I wouldn’t change a single thing.
“It’s wonderful to be back on titanium. It’s great to be back on Campagnolo: the hood shape is spectacular. If you haven’t tried any of the Campag products… I highly recommend it – it’s fabulous stuff.
“There’s nothing not to like about this bike. Even the handlebars were tolerable. The Fabric saddle deserves a little mention – we’ve got a couple of them on test bikes in this issue – it’s plush, it’s lush, it fits me well, it suits my shape.
“Otherwise, the bike itself: it is just what I know titanium to be.
“One [titanium frame] differs from one another in tiny little ways but I guess they stand out as a group unto themselves because we’re so used to carbon.
“Over the years I have ridden a lot of titanium bikes. This is one that had me thinking about price. At $8,500 for this package – as is spec’ed with the Hunt wheels and everything – you can’t go wrong. It’s fantastic.
“It really is a piece of machinery that’s worth considering for someone who wants a bike that they don’t need to replace.”
– Rob Arnold
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– Photos by Shane Lovejoy
