Travel’s for show, geometry’s for a pro

Say hello to our two brand new trail bikes.  

The Five Evo (27.5) and Stage Evo (29) are aggressive trail bikes with a suspension set-up that defies the numbers on paper. With precision adjustments to our suspension platform’s contact points, the frame geometry gives a ride with a bottomless feel, a decisive turning ability and a lightness of step that makes climbing a joy.

We have a reputation for building some of the most robust and efficient long-travel bikes out there, but bigger numbers on suspension specs aren’t always the answer to the question.

We’ve been working on the Evo geometry on the Halifax models for a year or two now, developing shock tunes with our suspension suppliers and slowly fine tuning the ‘Evo’ platform to the point that we’re absolutely smitten with what we’ve got on our hands. We think you will be too.

The Evo Geometry Concept

The thinking behind the Evo geometry on these two models is to bring the feel and confidence of the big-travel enduro bike into the realm of the aggressive short-travel trail bike. With a lighter frame construction and audacious angles these bikes are truly eye-opening.

The geometry has a familiar effective top tube length which means your cockpit is a comfortable space when climbing. Flip that gradient downwards, slam the dropper post and step-up out of the saddle to descend and the Evo comes into its own. The long reach gives the rider plenty of space to move around the bike, keeping the weight over the front wheel - this is also helped by the reduced offset fork. 

The slacker Evo head angle lets the fork do its job, right it in the firing line, and keeps everything stable with its long wheel base. 

Ultimately you will not believe this is a short-travel platform. Rapid, reactive and beautify balanced, the Evos defy logic. They are the Evolution of the trail bike as we know it.

The Evolution of Frame Construction

Instantly, you can see the frames are Orange, with our distinctive layout and profiles. They are fabricated in 6061-T6 Aluminium by the craftsmen at our Halifax Frame Works. Brand new tooling and jigs were specifically built and developed for these new models, leaving no stone unturned when it comes to new frames' feature list. 

The laterally stiff single-pivot platform is a format we feel we own. We have more experience with this suspension system than any other bike company out there. For us, working with component manufacturers to achieve the perfect shock tunes for our frames is one of the most exciting aspects of the job. It’s a two-way street as the Orange single-pivot system is a perfectly clean platform for manufacturers to develop their shocks with too, So it’s a win-win situation for everyone.