Evil? Check. 29er? Check. Long Travel Full sus? Check… H8rs gonna hate fo sho!

So here it is, would have liked to have got it built earlier this week, but been very busy at work. Off down the FoD on Sunday to christen it anyway…

Far from everyones cup of tea, in fact this is going to be even more Marmite than the Following I reckon, but… It promises to be a very blunt object with which to beat the trails into submission, and that’ll do nicely for me. Quick pedal round the carpark reveals that it feels (as you would expect) a lot like a following but with more travel.

Looks quite mice. Saddle would probably benefit from being a bit higher though.. 😉

Drive would be enhanced by a sweep.

Delta-weegle-box thingy looks very weegly and boxy.

What happened to your last one?

White wrims wrong

Other than that well nice

Reminds me of a stumpjumper I had in like 1996 ( the colour)

I have been considering selling a kidney/hoppy Jr to fund one based on the blazing bikes demo one. Not sure on the white detailing there but the build spec looks good.

I lov that frame, but white rims need to be black dude! I just got ride of mine on my similarly coloured yeti for the same reason. An awesome looking frame.

You can barely see any cracks in those photos!

White mudguard needs to go too

Not keen on the white rims at all, and the bottom of the head tube looks a bit too chunky relative to the forks but very nice apart from that

Whatever you do, DONT review it 😉

Do a saddle up pic

I can’t say I’m a fan of [the appearance of] evil bikes but nor can I say that doesn’t look fun.

The white rims are fine by me, it’s the very (practical I’m sure) down tube curving so far behind the head tube that really gets me

yossarian – Member
Whatever you do, DONT review it

aaaawww don’t be mean! “ERMERGHERD I LOVE MY NEW BIKE” reviews are the best reviews!

Looks great to me and posts like this are likely to do severe damage to my financial situation in the near future. I couldn’t give a toss about the white rims. these things are expensive so any savings you can make are welcome (assuming the white rims are cheaper). Anyway if the bike is as good as it looks then they’ll be mud coloured most of the time.

For the record, I really enjoyed his ‘the following’ review and it’s the next bike I’m buying.

The responses were hilarious though.

Saddle would probably benefit from being a bit higher though

Precisely 6 inches (ooer missus!) higher per chance? 😉

Drive would be enhanced by a sweep.

If it was my driveway I’d agree…

Delta-weegle-box thingy looks very weegly and boxy.

BIG innit?!?! Houses a long old shock in there to be fair to it.

What happened to your last one?

About to be stripped and frame sold to another forum member… Will miss it but can always get another if this proves too much! 😥

White wrims wrong

Cheap and they stand out… This bike is a demo bike (though I will get to ride it a fair bit), I’d rather have to replace a rim at £40 than one at 2 or 3 times the price! It may well gain some carbon rims in the future for my own use 😛

Headtube is kind of disgusting tbh and the logos are proper rubbish. But everything else is awesome.

looks ace, love the colour, love the white contrast bits. Even the Headtube and logo

you must be chuffed . 😀

I know its got wagon wheels but looks a little too steep in the HA to be in proportion for some reason.

Otherwise if Evil now have their QA and CS in order and I could afford one I’d have one.

EDIT:…and nowt wrong with white rims OP!

Whatever you do, DONT review it

PMSL 😆

assuming the white rims are cheaper

Yeah for sure… Lots cheaper as they’re old stock!

looks ace, love the colour, love the white contrast bits. Even the Headtube and logo
you must be chuffed .

The proof will be in the pudding riding it, but quick car park test confirms it feels very much like a Following but with 30% more travel (which basically it is) and a bit more weight. Got a LOT of shock and fork fiddling to do before Sunday though as both the Lyrik’s and the dual chamber monarch are new to me. Hoping I can get a good setup with the Lyrik as last Pike I had I wasn’t that impressed with even with loads of tokens in.

too steep in the HA to be in proportion for some reason.

Optical illusion I think, it’s just over 66 deg HA Right now, and about 65.5 if I flip the chips to lower the BB.

Otherwise if Evil now have their QA and CS in order and I could afford one I’d have one.

I sold 7 Following’s last year, they’re all still going strong (and there’s plenty more out there from other shops too)… Their rep was badly tarnished for sure, but they’re certainly well on the mend…

I think there’s just a 29er optical illusion tbh, I was half convinced that I’d put the angleset in my BMC the wrong way round or something but the forks do measure 65 degrees- they just don’t look like it. My Remedy’s the same.

I did the long travel 29″ thing a few years ago, and wasn’t overly bothered with it then.

I can see the appeal of a Smuggler, something short travel & fun, longer? Not bothered.

Did you keep the seat down to hide the ridiculously slack seat angle? 😉

Put the bloody seat up and show it off properly .

Put the bloody seat up and show it off properly .

For the XC Jeyboy’s amongst us… 😉

Did you keep the seat down to hide the ridiculously slack seat angle?

😆

Does look odd I’ll grant you, but as long as you’re not too long in the leg, the effective seat angle (which slackens as you raise the saddle due to starting way in front of the BB) isn’t too bad.

I can see the appeal of a Smuggler, something short travel & fun, longer? Not bothered.

The Following was absolutely awesome bike, way more capable than its travel and the 29er wheels would suggest. This is the logical progression though… Time will tell, and at least I’m in the fortunate position I can downsize back to a Following at will if this is too much bike… That said, have you seen the Yeti SB5.5C? Mmmmmmm 😛

Isn’t that seat angle a bit Maverick?

Odd looking thing is that.

Sure it rides amazing though.

Like mboy says the effective seat angle is pretty normal, it’s just that the seat tube doesn’t aim at the BB like in most bikes.

Did make me wonder though, I’ve had reverbs in slack seat-tubed bikes before and found they get a bit temperamental, I don’t think they like the side loading much, and this looks to be a few degrees slacker than mine were…

Isn’t that seat angle a bit Maverick?

Very much so, but then Mavericks weren’t actually all that slack, it was an illusion caused by the bent seat tube.

Besides, until I owned my first Evil, my Maverick Durance is/was my favourite bike I’ve owned in 20 odd years of MTBing anyway! I have also owned an Intense Tazer FS at one point though, now that thing was slaaaaaaaack…

Sure it rides amazing though.

I’m sure hoping so. The Following will be a tough act to follow, but all reports from US owners that have had them for a couple of months already are that it’s just like the Following but on steroids!

Did make me wonder though, I’ve had reverbs in slack seat-tubed bikes before and found they get a bit temperamental

I’ve found the key to Reverb ownership… Just expect that it’s going to break soon enough, so buy them new from a UK source so you get a full UK warranty (which means they will fix or replace asap) and have another bike to ride in the meantime.

I’ve only had to warranty 1 Reverb in 10 months of Following ownership, which is way better than average for me. On my old HT, I killed 3 in less time than that!

I demand thepodge gives his/her opinion a sap! Is this a progressive geometry or not?

I demand thepodge gives his/her opinion a sap! Is this a progressive geometry or not?

Q: Is it as long, slack and low as this?

If no, then no. 😛

Does look odd I’ll grant you, but as long as you’re not too long in the leg, the effective seat angle (which slackens as you raise the saddle due to starting way in front of the BB) isn’t too bad.

I think with my height the seat would be back by the rear axle – that picture just highlights what people are complaining about.

That said, have you seen the Yeti SB5.5C? Mmmmmmm

Yeah, that’s like being the meat in a potential warranty buttf*cking nightmare sandwich. Still, you could have fun betting on who’s going to hurt you first.

I think i’ll continue waiting patiently for the carbon Smuggler 🙂

Sweet. Just needs some stanchion graphics and I reckon it’ll be perfect. 8)

Oh dear, this has given me the giggles.

In the absence of Podge I’ll step into the breach and point out that the geometry is about average for current bikes, a bit short for my me and certainly not “long”.

I’m never gonna be paying the best part of £3k for a plastic frame from a company with a chequered history of customer service, but even if I was – I’d be looking for something with a sleeker and less fussy/confused aesthetic.

Same colour, much more my cup of tea looks-wise…

Honestly hope you enjoy it though mboy – and don’t let the negative responses (like this one) stop you posting.

😉

In the absence of Podge I’ll step into the breach and point out that the geometry is about average for current bikes, a bit short for my me and certainly not “long”.

I quite agree, and hopefully is all the better for it. It’s longer and slacker than bikes most of us were riding only 3/4 years ago, but I’ve got quite a short torso and long legs for my height (5ft10) so much longer and it’d be too big for me. For instance, Whyte’s G-160 is too big for me in a medium, I preferred the fit of the small, and I wouldn’t even know where to start on a Mojo Nicolai Geometron other than asking them to make the ETT and reach a bit shorter for me!

Same colour, much more my cup of tea looks-wise…

Tried a Smuggler out last year, albeit briefly. Felt too steep in the seat angle and a bit too long to me, pedalled very well for a 4 bar though. Get the feeling it’s been designed around taller people than I am. Maybe I should have tried a small?

uld be back by the rear axle – that picture just highlights what people are complaining about.

Yeah but if you’re tall, you’d run a large or XL sized frame not this medium I’d assume? The seat masts are longer and slightly more upright for each respective size as they get bigger.

Yeah, that’s like being the meat in a potential warranty buttf*cking nightmare sandwich. Still, you could have fun betting on who’s going to hurt you first.

The SB5c and SB6c seem pretty reliable so far and have been on the market a couple of years. Granted the SB66 had its issues, but the newer models seen more reliable. Just the same as Evil have turned a corner on their woes of the past…

I did the long travel 29″ thing a few years ago, and wasn’t overly bothered with it then.

Just curious but what were you riding? Different bikes have vastly different characters of course…

Honestly hope you enjoy it though mboy – and don’t let the negative responses (like this one) stop you posting.

Don’t worry, loved my Following so this should be more of the same. Can understand why they’re not for everyone, we’re all different, but a few nay Sayers on here ain’t gonna make a bit of difference to my enjoyment of the bike!

you forgot single piviot

Nice frame colorway but it’s an ugly design fush-ho (i too prefer the trannie). H2R regardless.

I know it’s an EVIL71A3 as it says so on the downtube but not everyone here is a bike nerd, so with that in mind, can i ask what kind of Evil it is?

Good looking bike, hope it rides with a similar feel to the short travel following, a friend has one & raves about it.
I’ve ridden a insurgent & was very impressed with it, very stiff & point it down hill & it was a mini DH bike.

I wish I’d been able to demo one before getting my hightower, couldn’t say no as I got a incredible deal on the frame, look forward to reading about how you get on with it.

Each to there own re bike choices, I really don’t get slagging some one else’s choice of bike.

Euro, it’s a ‘Wreckoning’

Also, ‘Wrothless Wrarranty’

You’re nearly as up to date as the kids making jokes about why Skoda’s have heated rear windows Rorschach! Impressive stuff…

Anyway…

Up early, the sun is shining, today is going to be a good day! Very unimpressed with Rockshox QC (AGAIN!!!) though, the lowers on these Lyrik’s barely had any oil in the lowers. Last pair of SID’s we had were bone dry from the factory, and one customer had to warranty some 5 ride old Rebas cos the stanchions were already scored because again, they were bone dry from the factory! TAKE NOTE guys, if you buy a Rockshox product these days, take it apart and get the correct fluids in there before you even ride it!

chestrockwell – I demand thepodge gives his/her opinion a sap! Is this a progressive geometry or not?

This bike does nothing for me.

For anyone interested…

Got 20 odd miles, most of it quite technical, in at the FoD yesterday…

First impressions?

It feels, as you would imagine, quite a lot like a Following but with more travel. You do notice that it’s taller though, less of a feeling of being in the bike and slightly more perched on top when compared to the Following.

Climbing wise, it doesn’t feel much different to the Following, which is a good thing. It’s a bit heavier for sure, but it’s barely noticable, and for a 160mm travel bike it climbs very well. The one thing I did notice, is that despite the optical illusion, the seat angle feels ever so slightly steeper than on the Following for my correct saddle height, which is no bad thing.

Didn’t get much of a chance to get it up to speed, most of the trails we were riding were relatively low speed technical stuff, will comment more on its high speed and big terrain ability more when I’ve been somewhere like BPW on it, but it definitely wants to go fast. On the slow(er) speed technical stuff, where I’ve absolutely loved the Following, the Wreckoning feels slightly taller and less wieldy by comparison.

Only one ride done though, got to mess about with settings a bit as didn’t bottom out either end, and the bars feel like they need to go lower still (part of the problem with big travel 29ers I guess!), so got some more messing about to do yet to get 100% happy on it.