While the Epic Evo and Spur appear quite similar on paper, a short test ride shows that they are quite different. I would now describe the Epic Evo as a Marathon (long distance) XC Race bike and the Spur as a super-light-weight Trailbike.
The Epic Evo retains it’s XC roots. The bike puts the rider in the classic XC position with low handlebars, and a rider position over the front wheel. The general feeling is being on top of the bike. The Epic Evo feels stiff but spindly. It comes with 2.3 XC tires. I tried sizing up but the size-XL was just too big for me. So, my size-up trick would not work. The stand-over was too high and the seattube was too long.
The Spur is all Trailbike. The handle bars are higher with the front wheel being forward of the rider. The general feeling is being inside the bike. The Spur feels robust. It comes with what I think are nearly ideal 2.4 Dissector/Rekon Trail tires. There was no doubt in my mind that the Spur would be a better descender.
I bought my son the Ripley AF because it has nearly identical geo to the Spur and was an amazing value. At $3000, it comes with very good spec considering it is not a mail-order bike. I felt lucky to get a Ripley AF given the current bike shortage. I’m giving the Ripley AF the Best Value Budget Bike Award for 2021. Unfortunately, I could not find a size-L for me to test ride. So, I can’t compare the Ripley AF to the other bikes. We even got lucky with tires. We were allowed to trade away the the too heavy/slow-rolling Enduro tires the bike came with for some lighter/faster-rolling 2.4 Rekon Race tires at no extra charge. I would have preferred the regular Rekons but these tires will do for now.