PMBA - Empire Cycles

MX6-EVO REVIEW
I've been meaning to demo the Empire MX6 Evo since the start of the year, but being a awkward git didn't want just an hour, I wanted a few days testing on proper trails. I missed a couple of chances around
May/June and then went and broke myself at the MegAvalanche and had to have 3 months off the bike.
Its only a couple of weeks since I could properly grip the bars again and my fitness both in legs and arms has suffered and yet I stupidly(?) entered one of the gnarliest enduro's we have in the UK. The now
classic Dudes of Hazzard event in Kinlochleven was also the final of the Scottish Enduro Series. Having done the event since the first one 3 years ago I didn't want to miss this year, especially as it had become
a social weekend where I could tag along with the Hope Technology crew. I knew the stages were gnarly and wasn't confident on tackling them on my current lightweight carbon 140mm travel bike given my
recent injury, so with a little persuasion I blagged myself Empires development/demo machine for some extra skill's compensation.
It wasn't the ideal size for me [a medium] but I adjusted the seat to get a comfy enough position to ride and swapped out the nobby nics for a high roller / magic mary combo more suited to the terrain I was
expecting. The rest of the bike's spec was fine, Pikes up front and a Monarch at the rear, X9 10 speed with a Hope 40T-rex and single front ring, Reverb stealth and a wide set of bars with awesome Hope
Tech3/E4 brake combo 180mm all round to complete the spec
First Impressions
Before heading north I popped to Calderdale for some Hebden Tech with Singletrack mag, this would be the first taste of how the bike was and my initial thoughts were on just how well this beast pedaled.
There were some steep climbs but almost zero pedal bob; I'd say it was better than my current Giant Trance Advanced (VPP) or my previous Heckler (single pivot). The rain was torrential and the group
decided to cut the ride short before I'd really managed to push it on some techy descents but so far I was impressed.
Gnar testing
I'd arrived at Kinlochleven about midnight and after a rare pint had got comfy in an even rarer hotel bed rather than my usual #VanLife. The morning brought sunshine, which was a surprise, although there was
still plenty of damp on the ground it was great to be facing a day of awesome trails again after so long off the bike. I soon discovered a niggle, - no bottle cage bosses! [Production bikes to have bottle cage
bosses, I was loaned a pre-production bike]. Luckily there was a decent sized group of us so I could beg some drink off others as I hadn't packed a bladder for my back pack as my preference is for a bottle on
the bike. Off up the big climb we decided to do stage 2 first, the biggest descent and the longest transition, the views were spectacular and I got this shot on the way up as we passed by the start of stage 1.
Now and over the weekend it attracted plenty of comments from other racers, many of them loving it, some looking oddly at its distinctive looks. One thing though, those people that had ridden one or whose
mates had one raved to me about it, that says something. I was beginning to really like this bike and I'd not yet had a proper downhill blast on it which is where I was expecting the main strengths of it to be, but
that was about to change as I got to the start of stage 2.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at the top of the stage, I knew roughly what to expect and I knew that one off could put my recovery back months. The top of the stage is a flattish pedal and I soon had my
speed up, by the time the trail started to drop significantly I'd forgotten i was supposed to be going steady as I was having too much fun. The bike was controlled and stable, even in the high speed rocky ruts it
held its line yet when asked it had the agility to change direction. Couple of rests on the way down made the stage seem much easier than I'd remembered, although I made a mental note that tomorrow I
wouldn't be doing the tricky last bit feeling as fresh. After the first proper gnar on the bike I was left impressed by the stability and agility of it.
Back up the long slog to practice S1 the pedaling efficiency was still surprising me, although now I was very glad of the T-Rex as my lack of fitness kicked in. Soon however I was soon on stage 1 blasting
downhill again with a big smile on my face, a bit too fast through a rocky gully and the lack of a top guide meant I lost the chain, narrow wide's are good but a guide is still essential for racing speeds especially
on a trail like this and with a old mech with little clutch left. Chain back on and I carried on down the stage, there are a couple of big stepped switchbacks towards the bottom that I didn't ride, not a bike issue but
by this time my thumb was throbbing and I was being sensible & safe not wanting to overdo it.
Final spin up the other valley for the Stage 3, Sooks pipe and a its notorious bog. I did as well as expected to keep moving but still ended up walking a few stretches, but did get to see Sam Flan faceplant the
bog - he must of done ok on race day as he ended up 3rd overall. I wasn't too bothered with my lack luster ride down here, I knew it would be a lot different tomorrow.
Race Day
I'd promised myself I'd be sensible and not race if I was aggravating my injured thumb, but all seemed fine and at 9:11am myself along with a dozen of the Hope Tech crew rolled off to climb up to S1.
Great fun on the stage although I was still sensibly cautious and jumped of the bike for the couple of high risk stepped corners.
Ditching my backpack before going to S2 to make the climb easier seemed like a good plan as this was my 3rd day on the trot back riding my legs were feeling it and therefore walked some part of the
transition.
Summoned all my energy for the sprint at the start of S2 so that I didn't look slow to the line of riders waiting to start but then quickly settled into a steadier pace. I ploughed through the rutted run, and down into
the trees, this was the longest stage and half way down my arms were pumped, legs were pumped but I was still smiling. Think I could well have been clipped in right to the end before fumbling the last climb
before the dibbers.
I stayed at the finish to recover while also shouting some encouragement (heckle) some of the lads following. By the time I setoff to stage 3 I'd lost touch with the main bunch of Hope guys I'd been riding with
and been picked up Team Manball instead. 1 more stage and that would be it. Safe and steady run went without issue and I rewarded myself with a free Redbull given out at the stage finish before rolling back
into town and handing back my dibber to get my times.
I was never going to be fast here, and the result showed that with a 75th place from ~120 masters and 222nd overall from almost 450 signed-on riders with a considerable number of DNS/DNF's
MX6-Evo : The Verdict
So how was this demo for me is what your all asking. I was impressed, its not the lightest bike but its stiff and pedals really well so I didn't really notice the few extra pounds over my carbon 140mm bike. The
bike was incredibly stable at speed, while still being agile in the tight slow stuff. It was very confidence building in the techy gnar with predictable handling and plenty of travel; I'm sure the Pikes helped with that
especially as I've been riding Fox 32's all year and noticing the flex when the going gets rough - sometimes lighter isnt better.
I'm in the market for a bike to ride in the Trans Savoie next year and I think I've found it. Without a much bigger budget I cant see anything that's going to get close to the reliability and capability of this machine.
The long relentless alpine singletrack stages dictate you need a bike that will lap up the abuse and treat you kindly.
I'd tweak the spec slightly; adding a chain guide, more Hope goodness, going up a size and using a 203mm front rotor to keep temperatures under control when racing for 20-odd mins on a single stage.
Sizing
One thing well worth mentioning is that although the sizes are small/medium/large/XL the design means the stand-over height is the same for all so I'll go for the large, for even more stability even though I'm
only 5'8". I'll then get a longer top tube (almost 62cm), use a shorter stem and all without compromising the saddle height range.
I do wonder is short/medium/long/extra-long is more descriptive of the actual sizing options for this frame design.
Saddle height for taller/shorter rides is controlled by the seatpost/dropper seatpost length/travel alone so a 125mm dropper is the right one for my leg length.
Learn more about the Empire Cycles MX6-Evo here http://empire-cycles.com/product.php?xProd=42
Kev - PMBA Events and Communications