{"id":1933379,"date":"2026-05-13T08:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T05:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1933379"},"modified":"2026-05-13T08:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T05:09:54","slug":"this-4-9kg-evolve-bike-undercuts-western-brands-by-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1933379","title":{"rendered":"This 4.9kg Evolve Bike Undercuts Western Brands by Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_5300.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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Josh Ross<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Published May 13, 2026 02:09AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Welcome to Velo\u2019s China Cycle coverage, where we share our favorite things we\u2019ve found at the 2026 show. Bikes, components, accessories, and more: if we think it\u2019s cool, you\u2019ll see it. See the rest of our <\/i>China Cycle<\/i> coverage.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s no shortage of lightweight bikes scattered across the show floor at China Cycle, but 4.9kg (10.8 pounds) is deep down the rabbit hole of hill-climb specialty bikes. It\u2019s the kind of number that might have meant cutting the drops off the bars in the past. Today, it\u2019s achievable without any radical tricks, and what\u2019s more, Chinese brands are offering it at a price that deeply undercuts Western competition.<\/p>\n

Elite Wheels is a sister brand to the somewhat well-known Chinese brand Evolve. Both brands share a factory, and the two are often paired. Although I already reported on the Elite Wheels Drive Mono 65D, the brand wanted to show something else that isn\u2019t quite ready for sale.<\/p>\n

\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Elite Wheels Drive 40D is an existing wheelset with good but not special specs. The Elite Wheels Ultra 40D is a new variation that apparently pushes the boundaries and manages a 990g quoted weight. The real magic, though, is the price. Elite Wheels isn\u2019t quite ready to commit, but the expected price is $2,000. That undercuts the Zipp 202 NSW by more than half, and it\u2019s a lighter wheelset.<\/p>\n

\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That wheelset is actually so light that it lets Evolve manage a 4.9kg build weight on the Evolve Cima. That\u2019s remarkable because the Cima is a 650g frame (unpainted in size medium) that\u2019s light, but hardly in the running for the overall lightest bike. Getting it to that final number is a lot about the wheels, but it\u2019s helped along the way by a Dura-Ace groupset, a Cybrei 24 carbon crankset, a house-brand Kreuza handlebar (305g for 400mm x 100mm), and a full carbon saddle.<\/p>\n

\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Again, though, the real news here is the price. The Cima is a $2,500 frameset that\u2019s sold as a chassis (handlebar, frameset, and seatpost) for $2,500, including the upgraded one-piece handlebar. The wheels are, as stated, an estimated $2,000, and from there, it\u2019s a matter of adding up the extra pieces. You can expect to build this for about $8,800, and it\u2019s about a kilogram lighter than the comparable $14,000 Specialized Aethos 2.<\/p>\n

For more information, visit the Elite Wheels or Evolve Bicycles websites.<\/p>\n

\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Evolve
(Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Josh Ross<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Published May 13, 2026 02:09AM<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-gear\/4-9kg-evolve-bike-china-undercuts-western-brands\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_5300.jpg”] Josh Ross Published May 13, 2026 02:09AM Welcome to Velo\u2019s China Cycle coverage, where we share our favorite things we\u2019ve found at the 2026 show. Bikes, components, accessories, and more: if we think it\u2019s cool, you\u2019ll see it. See the rest of our China Cycle coverage. (Photo: Josh Ross\/Velo) There\u2019s no shortage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1933379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1933379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933379\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1933379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1933379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1933379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}