BFD. It's simply a definition, a quote. Who gives a rat's tuchus? We are all in the same shit box and now matter how high up on the shit pile anyone gets, they're still a POS. Hitler actually has some interesting quotes.

I know why Giant (and any of the other big players) spec their own house brand bits on bikes as it saves/makes them money. However, if you are gonna stick a top shelf price tag on a bike, then everything should be top shelf. No company out there has pulled this off well. If you disagree, then ask yourself the question when was the last time you went out of your way with your own money to purchase any house brand stuff versus buying aftermarket. I'll take a set of Chromag bars any day over anything from Bontrager, Giant or Specialized, etc. The new Trek Slash 29 has the same high ticket cost and is festooned with house brand bits. No thanks. :/

You have to hand it to Evil. Their marketing for the Wreckoning is/was virtually non-existent. There are a handful of reviews out (the Bikemag one is pretty effusive... http://www.bikemag.com/2017-bible-of-bike-tests/review-evil-wreckoning/#lj0wAz0bpGLhORqb.97) , but most of it for the Wrecker is word of mouth. This was either brilliant, insane or both on their part. Ballsy for sure, but I know a handful riders with them that won't shut up about them and they've received much adoration online. I have one on order.

Solid and informative review. Y'all do some of the best. I'm guessing the "other" bike you had planned to test was the Wreckoning or the Insurgent. Any comments/comparisons from your perspective on these bikes if you've taken them out?

^^^100%. LB wheels, built however you want from a decent local builder are the dirty little secret that the big boys don't want anyone to know about. One can build a more durable set of wheels that have all of the positives that carbon is known for without all the bs proprietary hub or spoke spoke systems, and long-winded warranty crap at a significantly lower cost.

Take it home today!!!

I've tried a million and one solutions to be able to listen to music whilst riding. There are very few that comply with the following list: 1. Possess the ability to hear ambient sounds (cars, your friends yelling at you, animals, your bike breaking down, etc.) along with the music, 2. Be unobtrusive and simple for you and 3. Not make it so everyone else hears what you are listening too (which probably sucks anyway). Standard earbuds/headphones fail number one completely, are flat out dangerous and taking out just one side sounds like crap. Mini speakers, bluetooth or otherwise fail number two mostly and suck for number three. The best two solutions I've come across are the Far End Gear ShortBuds http://farendgear.com/shortbuds/ and the Otus Mini speakers http://www.o-tus.com/. The ShortBuds are a no brainer. They convert stereo sound in a single speaker so you hear everything in one headphone and still have a free ear for ambient sound. I use these on the road as they are not effected by wind noise, but they'd do well off road too. The Otus speakers require a tiny bit more effort in rigging them up in your helmet, but sound great off road. They work particularly well with helmets that have a cut away that is close to the top of your ear, the Bell Super for example. I use some gaffing tape to direct and support these better, but they will work fine with just the heavy duty velcro supplied. It surprises me that more people haven't tried these out as they are inexpensive and far better alternatives than anything else.

The Path Riot looks like a seriously capable bike. They are not available in the US. I went into a local REI and the shop rat there looked at me like I had two heads when I asked about it. I think having demo fleets available out of REI stores would do very well for them.