The Ellsworth Evolution SST.2e
Ellsworth Evolution SST.2e: Out Of The Box- First Impressions- by Guitar Ted
Last week we told you about the Ellsworth Evolution SST.2e hitting the doors of the Mid-West headquarters of Twenty Nine Inches. Some of you may be aware that since that time we’ve been plunged into the deep freeze here and we have snow on the trails. Fortunately, I was able to scoot out on a long ride before that snow happened! This may be a shortened version of our usual testing, but weather permitting I hope to get out there a few more times before the Final Review.
Out Of The Box: Ellsworth bills the Evolution SST.2e as an “all day” trail bike that can cover ground like an XC bike but is capable of trail duties with its 120mm of travel front and rear. The page for the Evolution indicates that this bike is available as a frame only ($2695.00USD) or in combination with several build kits. TNI.com received a SRAM X-9 build which features a Thomson cockpit (bars, stem, seatpost) and Ellsworth branded wheels.**
The wheels are shod with the excellent (for Summertime) Kenda Honey Badger tires and these wheels are stopped by Avid Trail 7 brakes. 
The hubs and rims, as stated, are Ellsworth branded but strike me as being very similar to Sun Ringle’ Charger Pro wheels, which isn’t a bad thing if indeed they are similar to those wheels.The suspension is provided by a 120mm travel Fox Float 29 CTD with a 15QR through axle, of course, and out back we find the Fox Float CTD and both fork and damper feature Kashima coating. There are no remote controls for either end with this build. The total for the bike as presented to TNI.com is $5693.00USD
Geometry: Our size Large frame has a claimed 68° head angle and a 73°seat tube angle which we were able to verify. The tables also claimed an 18.25″ (!!) chain stay length, again which we were able to verify. However; the figures given for other geometry points were not as claimed. For instance, we found the** “virtual top tube length” to be a bit longer than claimed at 24 3/8ths inches. The bottom bracket height came out to be taller than claimed at 14 3/8ths inches (measured to the center of the bottom bracket spindle), while the wheel base was a long 48 inches, again longer than Ellsworth claims. We’re used to seeing the odd geometry numbers from Ellsworth, but the geometry charts on the web page should not be taken as gospel, apparently.
The Evolution features an amazing attention to detail. The upper link is just one example of many.Looking at the Evolution you get the sense of a pride in workmanship and a high attention to detail. Fit and finish is top notch and the frame has the added cache’ of being manufactured in the U.S.A. However; it is curious to find that this bike has a threaded bottom bracket, (good!), and no provisions for a dropper post, (not so good), but it does feature probably the best standover of any frame I’ve tested, especially for a full suspension bike.
So much for the parts and geometry quirks. Now it was time to find out how this strange brew would work out on the trails.
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First Impressions: I set up the suspension with the recommended sag and aired up the tires to about 30psi rear/28psi front, (tubed tires), and hit the trails. With the first few turns, the Evolution gave me the feel of being slightly “choppered” out in that when the bars were turned slightly off center, the inside grip would get that characteristic “heavy” feel which indicated maybe an issue with wheel flop. However; within a few turns I didn’t notice this again. The initial feel of the suspension? Pluuuuusssh!! Generally this raises a few red flags for me. In the Mid-West we have a lot of punchy, short, steep ups, and an overly plush rear end usually means that the bike will sink way into its travel, feel sluggish, and possibly have unwanted bob. Amazingly, the Evolution did not even have a hint of these traits. None! It was a bit of a task to wrap my mind around this bike’s rear suspension feel, but I went with it.
The Evolution’s rear suspension was not only plush, but very laterally stiff as well.The next thing I was very impressed with was that the rear end was very laterally stiff. Given the long, lanky rear stays, I was expecting some amount of wind up, but flex was arrested to a minimum here and I suspect that the large carbon structure, (seat stay?), with the suspension pivots being executed in large bearings was to be credited here. What flex there was I found to be mostly in the rear wheel itself, which wasn’t “carbon fiber” stable, but it wasn’t disconcerting either. So, a rear suspension that tracked the ground beautifully, had a feeling that was very linear, and was very rigid laterally. What’s not to like?
The embedded rocks and steep up here was totally erased by the ICT rear suspension.Well, that longer rear end, tall bottom bracket, and slackish front end meant that I felt very “on top” of the bike, and cornering was best accomplished by committing fully to a big lean as you entered a corner. Much like a sport motorcycle, it worked best if you got up on the handle bar, leaned in, and hoped that the Honey Badger clawed into the corner. Lack of attention or effort would result in missing the apex and going wide. This bike seems to reward an active riding style.
Suspension** balance was okay. I found leaving the rear damper in the “Trail” setting seemed to work with the fork best. Honestly, the suspension worked great in this setting. I tried the “Climb” setting for the damper, and interestingly, it sat the rear end up higher in its travel, and was also responsible for the less plush rear end which aided climbing, obviously. I mention this because the bike had a dramatic, different feel in the Climb setting which would be more accessible if there were a remote in this instance. Much more so than other full suspension bikes I have tested. The damper is not easily reached from the saddle on the Evolution, so this does not encourage using the damper to its fullest advantage here. Too bad, because the Evolution would definitely benefit from having a remote to set the rear end up for climbs without having to stop and fiddle with the CTD lever on the damper. A minor complaint? Maybe, but this bike is nearly 6G, so one might expect a certain level of refinements here.
First Impressions Conclusions:The Ellsworth Evolution SST.2e has one of the best feeling, best ground tracking rear suspension systems I have ever ridden. It is laterally stable, doesn’t sag into its travel when you stomp the pedals, and just really is quite amazing. Balancing this with the high bottom bracket, relatively sparse feature set, (no provisions for a dropper post, no suspension remotes), and loooong wheelbase finds me at a crossroads with this bike. I hope to find out a few things on my subsequent rides which may sort out my opinions on this great looking but quirky 29″er. More soon…..
Note: Ellsworth Bikes sent over the Evolution SST.2e for test and review at no charge to Twenty Nine Inches. We are not being bribed nor paid for this review and we will strive to give our honest thoughts and opinions throughout.
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