So im looking at buying an Evil Following frame to build up. Reviews are outstanding, but the only thing bothering me is just how ‘busy’ the shock area looks…especially when it goes up against the good old British eather. Has anyone been running one for a while? How has it been for bearing wear and reliability? Does the bike live upto the hype? Any known issues i need to be aware of?

A chap I ride with regularly has one. It looks ace and if I had the cash I’d be tempted to get one even though it’s quite different to my 160 travel 650b.

He really rates it and is riding faster, especially uphill. He’s had it around six months and rides at least once a week, and we were only saying last night that he’s not spent a penny on it yet or had any issues.

I would’t worry about the linkages wearing, I’d be more concerned about the rear triangles cracking and Evil not being very helpful honoring warranties! Use the search function on here, plenty of comments about them. QC seems to be woefully lacking sadly.

Edit – here you go: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/evil-bikes-frame-failures

According to one guy on here (who has one and sells them i think) ‘it’s a game changer’. If it could iron your clothes or pick up dog poop i would consider it a game changer, but it’s a bike and only does something if you are riding it. Much like any other really.

2 of my mates have them and I’ve test ridden one.

Very nice, clever feeling rear suspension.

Game changer?? hmm, nice bike but so are lots of others and I managed to pick up a bike that I think is also pretty awesome and I got the complete bike for less than the Following frame only price.

Key thing putting me off is unproven customer service after their last screw-ups. Sure these might be better but if their attitude was ‘sorry your bikes broken, nothing we can do’ they don’t seem like the kind of guys I would like to be in bed with for a 4K bike.

Mboy is having an affair with one; I hear he’s planning on marrying it.

Probably because he’s made it pregnant.

A mate had one, said it was great, best bike he’s ever had, best thing ever, all the way through until it cracked.

I’ve no doubt its a great bike, I’m sure they’ve improved their QC , but stuff I’ve read on the web and having spoken to a very bitter owner of one of their earlier bikes id say no, customer service sounds dreadful considering the cost

1 word… Marmite

You either get this bike or you don’t.

It’s not perfect, but for what I ride and the way I ride, it’s the best I’ve ridden by some margin. Have ridden most of the Following’s direct competitors, stands out above the crowd for being so good at so many things. It’s a real Swiss Army Knife of a bike, but one on which the tools are such good quality you don’t need to reach into your tool box to get the pukka “Snap On” equivalent for that specific job.

I won’t even begin to try to convince anyone that is turned off by them, there’s enough history with the brand to make anyone wary, but then my experience (and we’ve sold a good number of them now, 7 at last count) has been nothing but positive. Not saying there haven’t been any issues for anyone who’s had one, but none of those that have come through our hands have had any and it seems the switch to VIP for manufacturing has made the difference between the company going down the pan and it beginning to be taken seriously again.

All that crap aside… My bike has been ridden by a lot of people now, every single one of them came back with a big smile on their face. A few have stuck their hands in their pockets since, and most of the others said that they would if they could actually afford it (no getting away from the pricetag to be fair, though it’s 20% cheaper than a Yeti or Nomad CC!).

If you’re anywhere near the midlands, mine can be available for a demo at fairly short notice. It’s a Large, MRP Stage fork, 1×11 SRAM etc. Email in profile if I can be of help at all…

I get it, and I’d love an evil. The following is the only 29er that has turned my head and made me wonder if I could live with it. I just can’t reconcile the evil CS with a spend that large, at least not yet.

I have one, had it since June, game changer? What would I know, the geo looked good & hadnt like the other options I’d tried. I like it a lot, ran it with 120mm up front initally then 130mm, in the low suspension setting & it’s hoot. Very confidence inspiring, suspension took a while to get right for me, but then loaded up I am at the upper limits for the monarch shock. Though I’m hardly shredding gnarly line, I have beaten all my strava records, and not just on the downs, which surprised me no end. No pictures lately, as it laid up for while it wet.. Only because I don’t see the point of running a FS in the slop round here, not being protective of the frame or bearings, a HT just makes more sense.
As for the busy rear suspension, not a issue, some crap will sits round the lower eyelet but it all washes out without any need for poking at it. Had the more mud fill up in front of the rear wheel, but then so did everyone’s bike on the ride & it wasn’t stopping the bike.

Mboy, how have you mounted your water bottle cage? Didn’t think there were mounting holes and it’s the only thing stopping me getting my wallet out!

It’s an outstanding bike. I’ve got nearly 10 years of GPS data on my regular rides and I have been taking massive chunks out of previous fastest times both up and down, those were times set on 150mm+ 26″ bikes on the downs and my hardtail on the ups so no mean feat. And its fun and looks ace in orange.

Mines been trouble free, linkage no problems. They seem relatively reliable generally, reports I’ve read of problems seem no more commonplace than any other bike, but the history from previous models aint great so you do need to go into it with your eyes wide open and for me it was a bit of a purchase with the heart rather than the head, which is rather unlike me but so far its been worth it.

Buy from a trustworthy LBS, pay on your credit card in case things go really wrong. As long as you don’t get a lemon I can’t recommend it enough!

Mboy, how have you mounted your water bottle cage? Didn’t think there were mounting holes and it’s the only thing stopping me getting my wallet out!

Cage fits fine, I can even fit an XL 1l bottle in!

Hi

I’m an Evil Bikes stockist, SlickShifts, and I have a Demo bike in a Medium size if you’re interested in trying one?
I’ve only just put it on Demo & had 1 ride on it so I can’t comment on stuff like reliability or bearing wear as yet!
Yes it does look a bit ‘busy’ as you say but I don’t think it’s anymore complicated that most modern full sus designs.
Anyway, you’re welcome to come n try if you’re in my area, Sheffield.
Plus we have a bit of a deal on them at the mo……..

Cheers
Leon

It’s an outstanding bike. I’ve got nearly 10 years of GPS data on my regular rides and I have been taking massive chunks out of previous fastest times both up and down, those were times set on 150mm+ 26″ bikes on the downs and my hardtail on the ups so no mean feat. And its fun and looks ace in orange.

That’s the thing, I expected I might be a bit quicker on the descents than on any of my previous bikes, but I didn’t expect to be quicker up the hills too!

For anyone that know’s the FoD’s Y2K trail, which is (when it’s dry) possibly my favourite bit of Singletrack in the UK, I rather surprised myself one day last summer… Suffice to say, I took a chunk of time off my previous best down there, and I’m sitting 13th out of 800 on there, sharing the spot with no less than Chris Porter of Mojo! Haha. Now I’ve ridden that trail dozens of times, so will concede familiarity (I am not saying I am anything like as quick a rider as Chris Porter, just on that day I matched his fastest time down that trail), and conditions were definitely optimal too. But it was still a huge chunk faster than I’d ever been down there before, much of which I have to attribute to the bike…

Mboy, how have you mounted your water bottle cage? Didn’t think there were mounting holes and it’s the only thing stopping me getting my wallet out!

The Insurgent and the new Wreckoning don’t have room for a bottle cage, mainly because of the large linkage and the longer shock required to provide the extra travel. The Following has a bottle cage mount which I make good use of on shorter rides in the summer when I CBA to carry a backpack… The Following (again unlike its siblings) even has a Front Derailleur mount too should you be such a heathen and want to fit such a device! 😉

Buy from a trustworthy LBS

Always sage advice, but you’ll appreciate that whilst there’s some shops out there that can maybe get hold of a frame for you, there’s other shops that have run them in a demo fleet and have plenty of experience riding and living with the bike. I’d wage mine has done more miles than most, whether under my own power or other customer’s, and like I said, we’ve sold a good number off the back of that…

Anyone tried 27.5+ on the following? Figure it might be pretty nice with bigger tyres.

Doesn’t fit apparently!

http://forums.mtbr.com/evil-bikes/following-27-5-plus-fail-996545.html

Anyone tried 27.5+ on the following? Figure it might be pretty nice with bigger tyres.

Doesn’t fit. The swing arm bulges right where you’d need the clearance for the smaller dia tyre and rim…

Personally I think it would dilute the Following’s character anyway, it’s a sharp and responsive bike that’s best with a really quick read tyre and the suspension set fairly firm and progressive. It’s all about acceleration and agility where a 29er traditionally falls short, big/heavy/slow rolling smaller diameter tyres would dilute that IMO.

I have one too, bought mine in November its been ridden in FOD lots of mud and dry dusty Spain, brilliant bike as far as im concerned, couple of mates who are far more competent than me have tried it and have been mighty impressed.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/CpUY7y]Following in a view[/url]

Spanish Rock

xelr8, can’t see your address on your website, where are you?

Anyone know of a shop with an XL don’t shoot me orange in stock?

Would need forks/wheels as well.

They are certainly a cracking prospect…

I’d have more faith in it, if it was made literally by anyone other than Evil. Yeah, they might use a decent factory now to make them, but the factory will only follow the process dictated by Evil when making them.

Couple of guys in the SH Massif had them. Broke them. Said they were great, until they broke. Maybe they are good for the, erm, softer riders out there.

My take was it was a decent bike, let down by the stupid slack seat angle. Being of taller stature it felt like I was pedalling a recumbent. 2 minutes on Google tells me those who arnt trying to justify purchases, or selling them seem to have a common complaint.

Meh, plenty of other bikes out there just as good that won’t make you want to rip your own face off when trying to warranty something.

Marmite

You either get this bike or you don’t.

I don’t think it’s the bike that’s Marmite, rather the company….

As above. It’s not the bikes ability that’s the issue. It’s the company’s woeful attitude and terrible cs that would guarantee them not getting my money.I sincerely hope the owners on here have a great experience with them and don’t get any issues,I just didn’t have the cojones with parting with my hard earned.

My take was it was a decent bike, let down by the stupid slack seat angle. Being of taller stature it felt like I was pedalling a recumbent. 2 minutes on Google tells me those who arnt trying to justify purchases, or selling them seem to have a common complaint.

Yes, I forgot to note that downside. On mine I run the saddle fully forward in the rails to get the seating position I want, so effective seat angle is pretty steep. Obviously this shortens the reach when seated but I find their recommended sizing a bit on the small side anyway so “sized up”- An XL Following with seat slammed right forward is very very close to the dimensions something like a L Smuggler.

I’ve had one for 6 months. I think it’s an awesome bike; shed loads of fun to ride.

The rear can get full!! I switched to proper mud tyres for the winter, so it doesn’t clog as much. Just need to brake less with the rear!!

I found you need to wash it upside down to get all the crap out.

I’ve not noticed the slack seat angle; maybe because I sized up.

xelr8, can’t see your address on your website, where are you?

Hi andycs
Not sure if I can post it on here.
So it’s in the very bottom RH corner of every page on the website.

Cheers

Anyone know of a shop with an XL don’t shoot me orange in stock?

Would need forks/wheels as well.

Hi beer247

I think you’ll struggle to find certain size stock in shops. If you’ve made your mind up you’d be better off placing an order to ensure you get one!
Silverfish currently don’t have any stock of this bike at all!

Cheers

Anyone know of a shop with an XL don’t shoot me orange in stock?

You mean like this one…?

Sadly I think we had the last free stock in the UK a couple of weeks ago, they’re on back order at the moment…

I think you’ll struggle to find certain size stock in shops. If you’ve made your mind up you’d be better off placing an order to ensure you get one!

I concur… Get your deposit down with your chosen dealer ASAP otherwise you won’t guarantee you will get one. Supply has been in fits and starts at times to be fair.

My take was it was a decent bike, let down by the stupid slack seat angle. Being of taller stature it felt like I was pedalling a recumbent. 2 minutes on Google tells me those who arnt trying to justify purchases, or selling them seem to have a common complaint.

I’ve owned 2 Mavericks! The Evil isn’t slack by their standards…

To be fair, if you’ve got long legs and a short torso, the seat angle isn’t ideal. The problem isn’t that it’s that slack, it’s just that it gets slacker the more you raise the saddle. If you’ve got especially long legs, it probably isn’t going to be the bike for you to be fair (for reference, I tried the Transition Smuggler, which to me felt like it had a ridiculously steep seat angle, putting my weight too far forwards on the bike, but then if you’re very tall and/or long in the leg, that would work quite well).

I’ve not noticed the slack seat angle; maybe because I sized up.

Looked at the geometry, decided that at 5ft10 I could ride the medium, but I’d have to run a 60mm stem and the saddle back a bit on the rails. Went for the large, running a 45mm stem and the saddle shunted forward on its rails and it feels spot on to me. The relatively short seat tubes mean that although I’ve only got a 125mm dropper on my large, I could still fit a 150mm drop if I wanted to even though I sized up!

That said, if Evil bring out a Following Mk2 at all, a slightly steeper seat angle would be nice, and as it’s effectively just a seat mast and doesn’t have any pivots or anything located on it, wouldn’t be hard to redesign it so it’s a bit steeper and doesn’t put the longer legged riders off.

The rear can get full!! I switched to proper mud tyres for the winter, so it doesn’t clog as much. Just need to brake less with the rear!!

I’ve found it has more clearance than most full sus bikes ironically, but yeah fitted with 2.3’s and ridden through the slop, it will clog up a bit. I ride my HT more in the winter though.

I found you need to wash it upside down to get all the crap out.

There are a couple of bolt holes where the mud/water collects, especially underneath the shock and by the front mech cable exit point, but you quickly learn where they are. It’s not the easiest bike to clean (buy a rigid singlespeed if that concerns you!) but I’ve owned worse (Giant Reign X to name one).

The problem isn’t that it’s that slack, it’s just that it gets slacker the more you raise the saddle

The angle remains the same, whatever the saddle height – slack. There’s no way I could ride that.

The angle remains the same, whatever the saddle height – slack.

No it doesn’t… That’s the point!

The interrupted seat tube design means that you’ve got 2 angles… An actual seat angle (which doesn’t change, but means naff all as it’s about 68 degrees but starting inches in front of the BB) and an “effective” seat angle, which is the one that matters. Due to the design, the effective angle slackens as you raise the saddle. Drop the saddle as far as it will go into the frame, and the effective angle will be something like 74 degrees. Raise it all the way to the limit on a 420mm post, and the angle will drop to something like 71 degrees.

The angle remains the same, whatever the saddle height – slack

It would if it was a straight seat tube originating from the BB, but it’s probably neither.

I have a friend here in town who is a notorious bike breaker, been through several Nomads (Carbon and Alu), Rocky Mountains and a Specialized and so far his has lasted three months with no issues. For reference Nomads would usually last a year or so under him. He also really rates it, says it is the best he has ridden. I hope to bum a ride when the weather clears a little to see what the hype is all about.

No it doesn’t… That’s the point!

The interrupted seat tube design means that you’ve got 2 angles… An actual seat angle (which doesn’t change, but means naff all as it’s about 68 degrees but starting inches in front of the BB) and an “effective” seat angle, which is the one that matters. Due to the design, the effective angle slackens as you raise the saddle. Drop the saddle as far as it will go into the frame, and the effective angle will be something like 74 degrees. Raise it all the way to the limit on a 420mm post, and the angle will drop to something like 71 degrees.

Whut? THat stupidly slack seat tube and “effective” angle only make sense if you’re running an “average” height saddle?

As can be seen by the orange one pictured above, if you need a “high” saddle because you’re tall, you’ll end up with the saddle way behind the BB. The setback looks more like what you’d find on a road bike, not an MTB (where I thought the current trend is to go really steep in the seat angle so you’ve got more weight over the front for steep climbs?)

On the seat angle thing…

Had one of these back in the day…

Similar design in principle, and Spesh have continued to use ever since.

But in a “that’s not a knife, this is a knife” kinda way… I owned one of these for a while too…

Even tried to pedal it up a slight gradient once (unsuccessfully)! Bit of a specialist machine though but hey.

As can be seen by the orange one pictured above, if you need a “high” saddle because you’re tall, you’ll end up with the saddle way behind the BB. The setback looks more like what you’d find on a road bike, not an MTB (where I thought the current trend is to go really steep in the seat angle so you’ve got more weight over the front for steep climbs?)

You’ve just regurgitated my point entirely, but tried to make me look like I don’t know what I’m talking about at the same time?

TBF I didn’t really read/understand your post, so I just assumed you were wrong and I was right. As I usually do 😀

I have an XL one of these, which I got from mboy in June or something last year, I am also reasonably tall at 6ft 3 and have long legs (36inch inseam). I find the bike spot on and don’t really get all these arguments about seat angle as I don’t find it a problem at all (i’m sure in theory its a problem but not for me). I also have 140mm Pikes on it and run it in the slack setting, both of which should make it worse.

Previous bike was an SC Tallboy Ltc (XL too) which got nicked, I ride the Peak, Lakes and Cannock when I’m allowed out, when I’m not allowed out I ride the road bike.

Can’t say I’ve found the Following any worse at climbing than the TBLtc, if anything the suspension is a little less wallowy on the Following and therefore easier to get out of the saddle and power over an obstacle. maybe I have to sit on the front of the saddle on real steep stuff (I’m talking about things like the top of Fermington edge in the Dales, where judging by the ‘ard rock, most people walk anyway) a little bit more but the forks are longer than they should be.

It has less travel than the TBLTc but I’m faster downhill and round corners – once you get how to ride it, it corners very well. I think the faster downhill thing is the additional confidence due to the slacker head angle.

Its heavier than the TB but not by much.

Thats my experience, I love riding it and I feel it makes me better than I am.

Can anyone comment on the bikes ability to do longer, flatter rides? I’m considering one but would need it to be good over longer distances on less steep terrain to warrant changing the Capra for.