There are a lot of brands out there you expect to make a gravel bike. Evil Bikes is probably not one of them. But then again, not all gravel bikes are created equal. Some are specifically built for long distance suffering in mostly straight lines across the state of Kansas. Others are decidedly more shred-worthy, which is where Evil’s newest bike comes in. Amusingly named the Chamois Hagar, this is not your typical gravel bike – which means it will likely appeal to an all new group of riders.
I’ve often remarked that there seems to be two different camps when it comes to gravel bikes. The Hagar is certainly in the more aggressive camp, but to be honest, it’s essentially on its own in an even more wild, third camp. Evil says that instead of starting with a “squirrely road bike and relaxing things into borderline manageable,” they instead came at it from the mountain bike side of things. And it shows. There aren’t many (any?) other gravel bikes built around a 66.67° head tube angle and a 50mm stem. Hell, I just finished a review on the Ibis Ripley which has almost the same head tube angle. Evil calls this their Velocity Geo and Real Reach. Evil guarantees this longer front center will provide no toe overlap ever, or Noeverlap. There’s also a massive 80mm of bottom bracket drop for even more stability.
To make it all work, Evil created their own rigid fork with a 57mm offset and a 428mm axle to crown measurement. Up front is a 100 x 12mm axle and flat mount brakes to match the rear.
Going along with that longer top tube and shorter stem, we find a massively dropped seat tube which is designed for 125mm dropper posts while still offering room inside the front triangle for three water bottle cages or a frame bag.
While the Hagar is built for shredding, it’s also built for bike packing adventures with up to 6 bottle cage mounts (five for size small), top tube mounts, and fender mounts.
All of this would be pointless without massive tire clearance, so the Hagar offers room for 700c x 50mm. Rear axle spacing is kept to 142 x 12mm with 430mm chainstays, and the 68mm threaded bottom bracket shell keeps things simple. Internal routing is used throughout the frame and fork, but Evil says the frame is “weather sealed” to keep out the elements.
Available in one color – Blackout Drunk, the Chamois Hagar starts at $4,799. Builds can be customized through the Evil website, and it’s also available as a frame only for $2,799.
