Evoc - Eurobike 2012
Protector backpacks, body armour and travel luggage all feature Evoc's eye to detail. Itegrating what they see as the ultimate in features as requested by numerous athletes under their support umbrella they say their gear is designed for riders, by riders. Here we take a look at some of what they had on desplay at Europe's largest bike show including their new 35 litre photographer pack.
Evoc
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 Adventure packs doing exactly what they say they do on the tin, or sign. Evoc are proud of the journey which led them to create their lines of gear for both the bike and snow world, a theme which would appear to filter through all that they do. |
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| There were several backpacks on display from the Protector line, ranging from the 10 litre capacity FR Lite up to the cavernous 30 litre FR tour. With more and more riders exploring big terrain in remote areas those looking for some back protection while carrying a pack are increasing in number. Using what Evoc call 'Liteshield Back Protector Techlology', this a replaceable panel formed from an EPS core surrounded by polyurethane foam to create compressible segments. These absorb the bigger impacts while softer layers sit close to the body and allow it to mould comfortably to your back. The full protector line is fully certified by the German TUV stamp. It's worth noting that the replaceable panel can be worn as a separate back protector in its own right. What we really liked to see was the introduction of the 20 litre Trail Women which has redesigned straps and layout to fit more comfortably with the female body, and is available in two sizes, small and long. |
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| On the left is the 10 Litre CC Team with the 3 litre CC on the right. Team refers to the rainbow stripes inspired colour scheme and the range includes packs from the 3 litre pack shown all the way up to 16 litres with drinks bladder sizes ranging from 2 litres to 3 litres. |
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| The Bike Travel Bag is anything but a cheap bike box, and if you're the sort of rider who doesn't travel often, or is happy to throw your bike in an old cardboard box from your local store, then this one probably isn't for you. If you take your ride seriously though, or travel with it a lot, then nothing beats the security of a proper bag. The Evoc is a popular sight at World Cup races in the hands of both privateers and pros and for good reason, they're tough and thanks to the widely spaced wheels, easy to lug through airports week in, week out. |
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| Photography and biking go hand in hand. The outdoors lifestyle, amazing landscapes to be expored and skilful riding on display. It all needs documented. Frequently this takes photographers to places miles away from civilisation and this means that they themselves need to ride there too. The first item from Evoc is this 12 litre Camera Block, an insert designed to fit into larger sports packs of 20 litres and above and provide protection to expensive SLR bodies and a selection of lenses. It's shown here next to the Protector Series FR Team. |
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| Next up is a true photographers bag, the Camera Pack, a 35 litre cavern for all your gear. We spotted several features which instantly drew our eye, starting with the zip opening at the rear rather than the front. This means you open it with the front in the dirt rather than the straps and back which keeps your shirt cleaner for longer. Chunky zips with easy grab toggles, lots of pockets for small items and straps for tying gear down on the outside all add up to a pack that looks to offer a solid alternative to Lowe Pro. |
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| With an increasing number of riders eschewing elbow pads and bulky armour there's now a waistcoat/vest style of jacket in nearly every armour manufacturers line-up. Evoc build their four options around the same basic layout, offering a simple back protector and kidney belt vest, the Protector Vest, and the Protector Vest Air+ which includes low profile shoulder and flank protection. As with select packs in the Evoc range, these are available in both male and female specific designs. The back protection panel features the same technology of that in the Protector packs and incorporates a removeable coccyx pad. Additional protection on the Air+ in critical areas comes from the inclusion of silicone based padding which Evoc call Deflexion Technology. It's low profile, soft and malleable down to -20c, and breathable. The shoulder The images show the Womens specific Protector Vest Air+ in white and the blue mens Protector Vest in blue. |
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| We all do it, we get back from a ride and throw that expensive lid in the back of the car on top of the junk and drive home. These two helmet bags offer protection from travel damage for both open face and downhill helmets. Mesh panels allow sweat to dry off while the open face helmet bag also includes a sunglasses pocket. A waterproof base allows you to put it on the ground without it turning into a giant sponge and colourways are this Multicolour style or plain black. |
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| Shown on the left is the terminal bag with detachable backpack for carrying when you want to take just some of it with you. Without the additional zip-on pack the wheeled main bag fits the carry on luggage dimensions for air travel and comes in several colours. On the right is an opened World Traveller pack, a 125 litre multi compartment bag which has recently been reworked to fit in with new air travel regulations and should have no problem in swallowing up all your gear for any trip. |
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Also - everyone who complains about stuff being made in China - probably 80% of the things you own were made in China, if not more.
I love supporting home-country made products, but sometimes it's just not practical to spend that much more for the same quality product.
just like noobs says: all living things are made by God, the rest are made in China.
Tbh, I trust Taiwan to create my bike. I know with them they are going to get the welds and such right. USA would be nice, but I have a feeling people are just to "lazy" in that sense. Taiwan has that different kind of "drive" that USA lacks. Sure, you can get some guy who absolutely loves bikes to give your bike that "love"...but is he going to have all the necessary and modernized equipment to build it properly? Is he going to have the general manufacturing oversight to produce the bike efficiently? In the end that all costs more money. Taiwan can produce the same quality for cheaper, because they are good and very industrialized towards it. Therefore a bit more money gets poured into better design such as hydro-forming, metal tempering, etc, etc.
TLDR: Taiwan has the absolute capacity to create any design they are tasked to do, very efficiently and consistently. In the end, it's not like you are getting "cheaper" materials in your bike components. It's whether your designer called for that specific part and how the product is designed. A bridge can be built with the best Titanium/Alu/Metals/Steel etc, but, if designed poorly it won't matter. Now get the same materials, build it up properly with the best designers, and you got yourself the best bridge that will last forever.
Taiwan- attention to detail, fantastic Weld qc, ability to keep,high qc for 1000's of welds
Domestic manufacture- great for small runs, but quality of big runs and price make it prohibitive.
Vietnam- China getting pricey, Vietnam isn't pushing labor rates up so a lot of manufacture being moved there.
For those that say they'rd rather by Canadian etc product, fine. Are you happy to pay 2 times the cost for it?
Im not slating the Taiwanese, Chinese, Vietnamese or whoever else, in fact ive had many bikes produced out there. But, if i can help pay to keep someone with a skilled job over here i will. The reason the quality of work in the UK/ US is shit (when it comes to bulk builds) is because we've relied on Asia because it was cheaper way back when so we've lost those skillsets and now they whoop us at it. We need to get more people in the "west" back in to these industries and asap. Generally we have the engineering know how and not the means to produce any more that balance needs to be addressed.
at this time someone is being "slaved" for us get our goods