Johnny McEvoy - Vagabond first ride

What is it like to take a ride on our all-new Vagabond? How does our monstercross bike feel on rocky trails, rolling gravel and all-day epics? 

Fresh from riding the all-new Vagabond at our photoshoot, Johnny McEvoy is the man that can answer all of those questions!



In a previous life Johnny was a top-class road racer, competing in events like the Tour de Yorkshire and Tour of Britain. Now he’s converted to a life off the beaten track and was interested to try out an entirely new kind of bike. 


For the latest model, the Vagabond has undergone a large transformation. Now made from Reynolds 725 steel, it also features 12mm thru-axles, as well as a 1X groupset. 



The heavy mountain bike influence continues out on the trail, where the 29-inch wheels and 2.1-inch rubber easily covered the Peak District trails that we had chosen to ride. Over to Johnny for his thoughts….


What were your first impressions of the Vagabond?
The vagabond looked like a beast of a bike I hadn’t really seen before , I couldn’t wait to have a go - that type of bike!

It looks like an in-between sort of bike. Not a road bike or a mountain bike but the very best of both. I also loved the colour - the mix of the traditional green complimented by the red-yellow fade on the logos was really cool.

What was it like to ride?

It’s very different from what I am used to riding – I’ve come off of a carbon race bike! 

I was impressed with just how off-road you can go with the Vagabond. I was comfortable on quite extreme off-road down hills while rolling fast along any road sections I hit. Also worth noting on road climbs was how comfortable it was.

How would you summarise the day of riding on board the Vagabond?
The main thing that comes to mind is the fun I had on the Vagabond.

It’s the only bike I can go pretty fast on a road, tackle some extreme off-road and the only bike I can do a decent wheelie on, too!

The vagabond to me is a very fun all-rounder; looks fantastic, gives you many options on days out riding or multiple days touring on road, off road or even one wheel!

Sound like the Vagabond is the type of bike for you? Check out all the details on our product page. The Vagabond is also one of our most popular custom build models, so if you want to create your own monster, then take a look at our frameset option.