2015 YT Tues CF Pro Test

YT Bikes came into the scene with a new approach to bicycle sales. They launched the Tues in 2010 and sold their complete bikes direct to the consumer. Going this route allowed YT to sell complete downhill bikes with good build kits at the price of other companies frames. Their bikes have good geometry and range in price from $2800-$5000 depending on frame and build kit. For our test bike we chose the Tues Carbon Pro in size LG. This bike comes with a BOS Idylle RaRe fork and a VOID DH rear shock for a drivetrain it uses SRAM XO DH 7 spd. This is the $5000 high end bike and we are very pleased with the parts on the bike. Our size LG Tues weighed in at 36.03LBS complete with pedals.

"Imagine two boys in a jump park, stomping 3s on a bog-standard bike. Bearings were popping like Chinese crackers and the fear of something bigger going was ever present. Not that that stopped them. It was all just too fun and they were killing it! It was this scene, back in 2006, that was the catalyst to the formation of YT. “There’s got to be a way of building competition ready dirt bikes without spending a fortune,“ was Markus Flossmann’s thought; he is the founder and director of YT Industries. The idea was to produce technically innovative bikes of high quality that beginners could afford; or put another way, cool bikes for young talents (YT).

The solution was no middle men and no subsidiaries – only possible through direct marketing. YT’s 2010 TUES model was the first comp ready downhill bike in the world that delivered premium quality at an accessible price. Countless awards and test victories attest to the excellence and ingenuity of YT bikes but more importantly our products are trusted by top riders like Andreu Lacondeguy and Cam Zink. Why? Because every cell of what we produce, which is bikes by bikers for bikers, is made from YT’s love of MTB. YT wants the best bikes because they ride them."

Our YT came in an oversize box. Upon opening we saw that YT uses various pieces of labeled cardboard to hold the bike in place while in transit. All we had to do was mount the wheels and the bars onto the stem. It took us 10 minutes to have it ready to ride. This packing job was very impressive and should provide customers with undamaged bikes and get them riding fast. 

The YT Tues uses a Horst Link design suspension they refer to as the V4L. It is designed to give strong mid-stroke support while staying active throughout its travel. These designs have always proved competent at bump absorption but have typically fell short on the pedalling side of things so we are curious to see how the Tues responds to us putting power down. Nothing stands out to us in the geometry department on the YT as it all falls within the ballpark of a normal downhill bike.

The Renthal bars at 780mm are a bit on the short side from what we are used to riding. If this was a personal bike we would swap them out for a 800mm by Enve or Race Face. Keep in mind these are not the lightest wheels out there either so swapping them will shed even more weight off this already somewhat light downhill bike!

"Frame

The 3,500-gram carbon monocoque frame is our latest masterpiece. A whole kilo lighter than its aluminum counterpart, it features the much-loved characteristics of the TUES frame at a lower weight: optimum stiffness and a low center of gravity for awesome handling. Travel has been extended to 208mm, 8mm more than its aluminum predecessor.

The modern race geo features longer reach, and by redesigning the frame around 650B wheels, we were able to place the bottom bracket below the wheel axles. This combination centers the rider’s weight between the wheels, which offers several benefits: more grip in turns, comfort and control at high speed, as well as greater security and balance in the air.

Of course, our new crown jewel has been put through the harshest tests we could come up with, be it in the lab or on the trails.

Suspension

Our award-winning "V4L" rear suspension linkage provides linear, smooth, and responsive action throughout the travel.

At the same time, we made sure that it is just progressive enough not to sag excessively, and to deal with big hits without bottoming out harshly. And you can say goodbye to the suspension bob so common on yesterday’s long travel bikes!

"V4L" gives awesome mid-stroke support, reacting to the terrain while remaining unaffected by your power on the pedals."

Specifications

 

Geometry

Overall the build kit on the Tues Carbon Pro is very impressive. The only area you could say they may have tried to save money with is the E13 LG1r wheelset. The Renthal bars where a bit shorter than we have become used to they are 780mm and right when we sat down it was noticeable. Even our trail bikes have 800mm bars on them. The BOS suspension is spendy stuff the fork retails for $2000 and most owners claim the suspension works very well. It took us a bit to get the shock working well for us. Their race setting seemed to be just a bit to progressive for us to use full travel.

The frame construction on the YT looks very good as well. It as all carbon except the lower rear stay which is aluminum. We have heard of some people having problem with some companies sending out frames that are not straight. So we paid attantion when putting the back wheel in and it was a non issue. We had a few hard clunks from large rocks during our testing which left marks on the paint as any other painted frame would have done. Overall the YT has an impressive finish.

Ian W

Our first outing on the YT Tues Carbon was a trail that is about 1100 feet high. It is pretty rocky for most of it. It is not very steep but riding over soccer ball sized rocks at speeds gives a good idea how the suspension action is. A big concern for me is frame stiffness weighing 215lbs it is pretty obvious when you are riding a noodle. Luckily the YT Carbon seemed plenty stiff mashing against the rocks. It handeled the rocks well and it was easy to change lines and hop over rocks when the need arose. Once out of the rock garden the speeds increase and you enter trees with turns carving their way down the hill. In the twisty stuff the YT does a great job of offering copious amounts of traction and carrying speeds through turns.

Once we got the chance to head up to Northstar we loaded up and hit the road. Along with the YT we also brought a few trail bikes and another downhill bike. Their lifts run fairly fast and we hopped on and headed for the jump filled trail Live Wire. This is a flow trail loaded with many tabletop jumps and corners for the 2 mile run. Overall the YT Tues carried great speed and was very easy to jump and proved to be easy to maneuver when in flight. Having the 27.5" wheels may have helped on the breaking bumps and covering ground on the flatter sections of trail. The difference between them and a 26" isn't huge so it is really hard to tell how much they helped.

The next trail was Flameout which is on the left side of the mountain. This is a chunkier trail that has a few jumps. The trail has a bit more loose dirt around the rocks so line choice here can be a bit more difficult. The YT did well in the chunkier stuff here. It made up for some bad line choices on my part and the suspension never seemed overwhelmed by the repeated high speed rock hits. There are a few sections to climb on the trail and climbing on the Tues took some effort. We did not have much LSC on the rear shock at this point.

Gypsy trail is on the right side of the hill. This is a mellower trail that has some rocks, jumps and wood features in it. The Tues did well here and felt fine hitting the wood wall rides at speed. I was a bit concerned that the taller wheels would feel weird leaned over on the walls but this turned out to be a non issue.

Mineshaft is a trail that takes you from the halfway point back down to the lodge. It has some jumps a bunch of tall bermed corners and some rocks scattered here or there. This trail can literally be pumped the entire way down and you will be able to clear the jumps. The YT did well on the way back down and at this point in the day I was pretty smoked. It pumped down the jumps well and ran over any rocks in my way with no issue at all.

Initially we used the Race settings suggested by BOS and they proved to be a bit too progressive to use all the YT's travel. So we ended up going to trail setting and it was using all travel easily at this point. I added some more LSC and HSC about 4 of each and it felt just about right!

Overall the YT Tues Carbon Pro's ability to carry speed, playfulness, and geometry made for an awesome downhill bike. This bike can be had for $5000 and comes with a very solid build. The V4L suspension (Horst-Link) design is going on 30 years of age at this time. It works well at eating chunky stuff and stays active under braking as we have heard over and over again since the late 1990's. I would suggest running a bit more LSC because the bike likes to bob a bit.

Nate Lewis

I had the opportunity to spend a weekend on the YT Tues, riding the rough and rocky trails of Northstar. This was my first time riding a fully air sprung downhill bike, and my first time on a 650B DH bike. It was an excellent opportunity to see how DH bikes have evolved over the years, and to get some lift assisted laps in on some familiar, rough and rowdy trails.

YT did an awesome job with the look and the the build of the bike. The Tues is spec’d as if it were a custom build from the tires up, although with this bike you don’t have to pay the custom build price. It has parts that are strong, lightweight, and functional; three qualities that can rarely be attributed to a single part. The E.thirteen, BOS and SRAM components make for a bike with impressive ride quality and the strength to last.

For fork setup I followed BOS’s recommendations of 20 clicks for high speed, and 15 clicks for low speed, I prefer faster rebound so I ran 18 clicks for that. I used the recommended settings for the rear shock as well, at 12 clicks for low speed, 17 clicks for high speed and 12 clicks for rebound.  

The bike felt lively and compliant on the nasty rocky trails at Northstar. The short chain stays and slack head angle made for a bike that was confidence inspiring in tight, rutted corners. The rear of the bike could easily be thrown around, making line adjustments in high commitment situations easy to make. The bike was equally nimble in the air, the light frame and four bar linkage made for a stable feel over the lofty jumps on Livewire. On steeper lipped jumps the bike felt “poppy” for a dh bike, and the the roomy cockpit made it easy to through around.

By the end of my weekend at Northstar I felt I had rediscover the joy of flying through the air, smashing into corners and letting off the brakes. I think this is mostly attributed to the goodness of the trails at  Northstar but getting to experience them on a killer new bike certainly helps. YT has made weekends like this one slightly more accessible by producing a solid downhill bike at a reasonable price. By measures of both value and performance the Tues stands in contention with the heavy hitters of the downhill world, and is worthy of serious consideration for anyone contemplating getting a new DH bike.

YT Tues Exploded View

Conclusion

We came away impressed with the YT Tues for a few different reasons. The first is it's obvious price point which in itself is pretty crazy. But once you combine that with great geometry, and a solid frame that has a good quality to it and things start to get interesting. With many big brand bikes pushing into the $8000 and above mark for the high end builds it is very refreshing to see a complete bike for around $5000. YT hit it out of the park on the pricing of their bikes that is for sure.

The geometry of the Tues felt good the Head Angle was not to slack and the bottom bracket height felt decent. It probably could have been a bit lower but it's not to high by any stretch. We tested the large frame and having a reach that is under 18" was pushing it for riders around the 6' 3" mark. YT has released XL version of their trail bike The Capra so hopefully sometime in the near future The Tues will have an XL size as well.

We all came away from riding the YT impressed with the overall package. The parts, geometry, carbon frame and the way it felt up on the hills was impressive. This is a bike that is close to some big brands frame only pricing and with that you get a $2000 fork and an $800 rear shock! This is a bike that can get you onto a podium in Cat 3 or Pro as Mikey Sylvestry has shown us this year. We tested the high end Tues CF Pro they also have the Tues as complete bikes for $2700. This is a great way for someone starting out to get a good gravity bike for cheap or for the former Downhill rider that only uses a big bike on trips to be able to have two bikes and not spend a ton on the gravity bike.

Overall we would recommend the YT Tues Carbon Pro to a friend or any gravity rider looking for a capable dowhnill race machine. YT get the bikes built in small quantities so keep an eye out on their website. If you are after one and they are out of your size be sure to send them an email to inquire about expected delivery dates.

2016 YT Tues Pro Updates

2016 YT CF Pro BlackYT has done some updates to the CF Pro for 2016. The biggest is to make the jump from BOS suspension over to Fox. This was mainly done to help customers have easier access to service centers across the globe. The other notable change include cranks and a pure black color option.

YT Tues Owner's Manual

Trail LED DS Light Test

Having the ability to ride in the dark opens up riding opportunities to those with a chaotic schedule. It also allows riders to hit the trails when they are less busy and stay out of the heat. Lights come in many different price points and mounting styles. The Trail LED DS is a helmet mount light that falls into the high end of the price point their MSRP is $549. This is a very well made light. I have held and used other companies lights that are close in price and their build quality is lacking in comparison.

"The DS (the light formerly known as the Dark Star) has been redesigned in the image of its BIG brother, the Halo, and maintains the same quality and attention to detail.  The DS houses five of the highest performing CREE LEDs available and emits 3200 lumens.  We deliver those 3200 lumens in a solid, anodized aluminum light-body weighing 100 grams.  We have maintained tight control over both output and color temperature to give you maximum output with the best color rendition available in the industry.

The unique, low-profile, arched design and multiple lenses of the DS produce what we like to call MPSD (multi-point shadow definition), rendering unparalleled depth perception.   The unique integrated mounting system also allows unmatched flexibility and convenience in mounting.  And if all of that isn't enough, our battery packs boast a 1:1 charge ratio, meaning you only need two battery packs to run continuously.

With all Trail Led lights, no compromises have been made in materials, design or construction.  Trail Led lights are all handmade in the USA, by bikers for bikers. 

Bottom line--you are guaranteed not to be disappointed.

All lights come with 1 standard battery pack, 1 neoprene battery pouch, 1 bar mount, charger, and 2 mounting rings."

Specs 

 Lumens/Run Time:  

• High - 3200 lumens - 1.5 HRS
• Low - 1500 lumens - 3.25HRS
• Emergency - 300 lumens - 16HRS

Charge Time: 1.5 hours 

Battery: 285g

Light Body: 100g

Ian

Using lights is a great way to get in more riding. I have used a number of lights in the past. Once I opened the box and looked at the Trail LED DS it became apparent that what I was about to install onto the top of my helmet was something that was in a league of its own. The build quality of this light cannot be ignored. It is a solid chassis that contains 5 very powerful LED lamps. The finned aluminum body helps to cool the light and allows you to attach it to your helmet via the thick bands that come with it.

It fit very snug against my Troy Lee helmet. I used one band on the outside edge and it worked perfectly. I used the light while climbing in low settings and upon reaching the top of the trail I was surrounded by the night. At this point I put the light onto high. It was very bright and the trail I was riding just happened to be high speed. Typically during the day I can hit 25mph on it pretty easily. This night ride for me with the help from the Trail LED DS light had a max speed for me of 21mph. Considering it was full black I think that says alot about the lights power output loosing 4mph to be able to ride in the evening was well worth it.

They way back through town I was high beamed by a few cars because I forgot to turn the lights down. After the third time I finally went to the lower power setting. Those of you that do much of your riding at night could take full advantage of the lowest power setting that the DS offers.

Andrew Soto

Right out of the box the Trail LED Light was super easy to use. In the low mode the light puts off enough emission to ride down any trail. Once you turn the light on the bright mode, you might as well be riding in the day time. We were able to get away with only using the one light during our 3 hours rides with enough battery life to still pedal home. Typically these loops where about 20 miles with 2000-2500 feet of elevation.

I really liked how compact the Trail LED was, you don't even notice it on your helmet. The battery pack was quite small as well. I have used other lights and all of their battery packs where larger than the Trail LED. I was able to slide it in the Delane Camelbak with ease. If you're looking for a one light work horse, this is your light.

Overall I was very impressed with the Trail LED light. It had outstanding build quilty, was very powerful, and is one of the smallest lights I have ever used. If you put that all together into a package that puts out 3200 Lumens the Trail DS is an incredible light. If they had to improve something maybe an alternate way to mount besides the band method. This is personal prefernace and nit picking to be sure. They worked fine it was the only thing that I could find that could be improved!

Conclusion

Overall the Trail LED light proved to be a phenomenal product. It's build quality along with the power output provided us with an outstanding light. We would have no problem suggesting the Trail LED DS to a friend. The lights put out a cooler color temp than other lights we have used in the past. It keeps things natural looking during the evenings. I would guess it is somwhere around 5000 on the Kelvin scale.

Everything about the Trail LED is high class. The craftsmanship is incredible and it has performance to match. If that isn't enough they are a very green oriented company making things here in the USA. I knew these lights would be amazing from what I had read and also heard from fellow riders that have owned them. It was like getting a Porsche GT3 delivered if you are going to review it. You know it is one of the best cars on the planet but you still have to take it out and see what it can do.

Trail LED Q&A

1. How did Trail LED come to be?

Back in about 2006 I was working a more than full time job and being winter the only time I could ride was at night after dark. I had a set of Vista lights with large battery packs that you had to change every 30 minutes so for a 2 hour ride that was 4 large packs to carry and change. I happened to be Christmas shopping and went into a Sharper Image store to look for some stocking stuffers. They had a small LED flashlight about the size of a lipstick tube and don’t you know it was as bright as my bike light and had a 2 hour runtime. Unfortunately it didn’t use rechargeable batteries so I immediately went to purchase a LED bike light, funny thing is nobody made them at that time. I figured a flashlight couldn’t be too complicated so I immediately destroyed my wife’s stocking stuffer to see if I could figure out a way to run it from an external pack. During my research I discovered an online forum of other people doing the same thing. Initially they were built out of very crude designs and hand built for me and my riding buddies, then one night on a trail somebody said if they looked nicer they would buy one and Trail LED was born. Our first models were hand machined on a drill press by me and sold to the local mtb club riders. As TrailLED started to make a name for itself I taught myself some machining techniques as well as anodizing so that we could offer custom light body colors to differentiate ourselves. As Trail LED continued to grow I went from hand machining to doing the cad design and then having local machine shops do the machining of the bodies for us. Assembly has always been and always will be in house.

2. Did you guys see a niche in the lighting market for high quality lights?

Yes, we are not a cheap brand, but we are a good value. We only use the highest quality components and parts and that does cause us to be more expensive, but when traveling off-road at high rates of speed a light failure can be at the least a walk home, and at the other end a trip to the hospital. A good quality light is really cheap insurance.

3. What is your background?

Farm boy. If you couldn’t build it, repair it, or adapt it you didn’t get it.

4. What sets Trail LED lights apart from the competition?

We are the only lights designed from a helmet mount first perspective. All other lights on the market are designed to fit on your bars first and then they figure out a way to strap them to your helmet. We went backwards to that method of thinking as it is far easier from an ergonomics standpoint to adapt a helmet deigned light effectively to the bars than the other way around. For off-road riding being able to see where you are going versus where the vehicle is going is a distinct advantage.

5. What where the features you wanted your lights to have before you even began designing them?

We had three design goals with this latest generation of lights.

• No more than ¾ inch off the helmet
• Helmet mount first design
• Brightest helmet mounted light in the industry

We achieved that with our Halo model and those features along with many others as a result are available in all three models of our lights.

6. With battery technology advancing so fast will we in the near future be able to have lights that have a battery plugged into them so we can leave the cords behind?

Battery technology has actually hit a brick wall, just that the major manufacturers are now catching up. We have been using li-ion for the last 10 years, it was just cheaper and the broader market didn’t demand it until recently so others finally changed from NiMH to Li-ion. There are some things we are keeping our eye on, but in the area of high powered lights I am afraid it is going to be a while.

7. Any tricks for getting the lights to hold a longer charge or to keep the batteries running longer?

Li-Ion doesn’t have any memory effect and self-discharges very slowly. We tell our customers that if you are not going to use the lights for more than 3 months to discharge them about half way as they store better long term with a partial charge. As far as longer runtimes the big button on top makes it easy to change between low and high even with full finger winter riding gloves on. The simple act of dimming the light down during a fire road climb can lead to a significant run time increase.

8. Why bands as opposed to velcro to strap the lights down?

Our first gen lights used velcro. Velcro can be cumbersome to get tight, and the bands we use are the solution we came up with to ensure that the light gets mounted as securely as possible.

9. Are there any new projects that Trail LED is working on that you care to share?

Yes but we cannot share at this time! 

10. What type of trail rocks, jumps or mixed?

My days of BMX and big air are long gone, so rocks and drops are about as adventurous as I get, however we did just hold the first ever night time enduro stage and it was a huge success both with the spectators and riders.

11. What would make the bike industry better?

The industry or the community? I guess the answer to either is a unified front on bicycle advocacy of all types.

12. Anything else our readers should know about Trail LED?

There is a lot, so the easiest way is to head over to our old Kickstarter page which has a tone of information or our website. Otherwise drop us a line and we will answer it to the best of our ability.

Trail LED Kickstarter

www.trailled.com

Gamut Cillos Stem Test

Gamut has been around a long time now. The brand has recently acquired Point One and are now in the process of updating the pedal design. They have also just released a bar and stem combo that we will be testing out as well.

"In 1999 Juan Graziosi, aka “Juano”, teamed up with his maker, Ed, on a father-son project making chain-guides for personal use. Friends and riders took notice and he began selling them at local races to cover his own race fees. As interest grew, so did the idea to create a rider-owned company. In 2003, older brother Mateo and longtime friend Mike were added to the mix to help get things organized. One year later, Gamut USA was born. The four share a passion for making intuitive, high quality products that take the hassle out of installation while delivering on performance, simplicity, and aesthetics. After all, we wanted to ride our bikes, not work on them.

As in the beginning, our goal is to add to the simple joy of mountain biking. Whether it be through product design, technical support, sponsorship, shop visits, or OEM services, we aim to improve the ride itself. Mountain biking is a huge part of our lives and we consider ourselves some of its biggest fans. We exist to serve the sport's enthusiasts and professionals alike. Every product we make goes through our own hands before it gets delivered to yours to ensure we remain connected to you, our customer.

We are proud of the products we’ve built, races we’ve won, failures we’ve endured, friends we’ve made (and continue to make), and we remain focused on the future, which for us is to improve upon the simple joy we receive from riding our bikes.

Sincerely,

Juan, Mateo, Mike, and Ed"

A

"Introducing the CILLOS Stem line. Named in part for the street upon which we grew up, the CILLOS line delivers a fresh take on stems with the quality Gamut is known for. CILLOS stems are spec’d with customM6 taper head bolts (5mm hex key), have a matte anodized finish, and clean laser etchings. Stems are available in 40, 50, 60mm lengths with 31.8 clamp diameter, with zero rise and a stack height of 43mm. Weight dependent on size is 130-160 grams. Form, function, Gamut. 

Warrantied for life."

Gamut sent us their stem in a 50mm variety. It weighed in at 145 grams just a hair lighter than claimed. These are very light stems. At this point Gamut only makes them in 31.8mm bar diameter. They said a 35mm clamp diameter may be in the works.

Cillos Stem Specifications

• Sizes:40mm, 50mm, 60mm
• Rise:Zero Rise
• Stack Height:43mm
• Weight:40mm-126g, 50mm-148g, 60mm- 172g
• Bar Clamp:31.8
• Bar Clamp Width:57mm
• Bolts:Custom m6 taper head (5mm hex key)
• Color:Slate Grey, Stealth Black, and Silver

Upon receing the stem we noticed its clean finish. It is very minimalist having much of the extra aluminum taken out to help keep weight down. We mounted it up and took to the hills. We where running a 35mm length stem before so we slid our seat forward a bit to make up for the longer stem. Going a bit longer did help to keep the front end down on climbs. Also worth noting was the added weight our bodies placed on the front wheel while descending.

Overall the stem felt great during our riding. It holds the bars well and seems to be stiff while using 800mm bars and hammering over rocks. This stem is on the lighter side abd comes in a variety of lengths.

Conclusion

Our experience with Gamut products over the years has been a good one. They make nice products that are functional, dependable and lightweight. We would for sure suggest the Gamut Cillos Stem to a friend for either their AM bike or park bike. 

We would like to see a 35mm reach verion and also one with a 35mm bar diameter as well. The way geometry has been changing and the push of larger diameter bars it will only be a matter of time.

Gamut Questions

1. How did Gamut come to be?

Gamut was born out of a passion for MTB racing, and a love of making products that work to the highest standards in the toughest conditions. Gamut is a rider-owned partnership between brothers Juan and Mateo, their father Ed, and their pal Mike. All the guys want to make a life in MTB and make product to improve the ride for all.

2. What made you decide to make your own Chain Guides?

Out of necessity really--there weren't any simple, easy to install and light-weight guides on the market when Gamut was born. We wanted something for our own race use, and lucky for us they ended up being good enough that other riders wanted in.

3. Any plans for carbon products down the road?

Carbon is always in the conversation, but if and when we do it, we want it to be the right product. We're not buying off the shelf and we're not rushing anything to market. We're believers in durability and value first--which is why alloy remains our top choice for most applications.

4. Tell us a bit about your evolution of the Gamut since the beginning?

Gamut has been around a lot longer than some people realize--we started in 2004 doing just chainguides and while that market has evolved and changed over the years we've added different things to the mix following the same values that made our first products accepted by riders: thoughtful design, good value, and great function.

5. How soon until your pedals come out?

January! We're stoked. Let us know if you want some. We know a guy. Get you a good deal.

6. What is your most popular guide currently?

For the last couple of years the Trail SXC has been killing it, though the new SXR with the integrated bash is coming on strong.

7. What type of trail would you prefer to ride flowing and jump filled or loose and rocky?

Depends on who you talk to around here, but generally we're happy riding anything. Not illegal stuff though. Never.

8. What are some of the greatest inventions for Mountain Bikes?

Suspension forks, dropper posts, knobby tires, baggy shorts, and those tasty sammiches your mom makes us after we get back from riding.

9. Who is the greatest Mountain Biker of all time?

Don't ask us to name just one. We're still arguing about it, but if we just have to name names, we're picking Greg Minnaar because he has a legit claim and we'd be terrible sponsors if we didn't.

10. Should they do two Tour De France races and have one that is drug free while the other is anything goes?

Isn't drug use already mandatory in Le Tour?

11. Any new products you guys are working on?

New stuff in guides, rings, pedals, stems, bars, and other sensual lifestyle products for the discerning dirt freak.

12. Anything else you would like to add?

Cru, just pretend you're in the lumber yard, go balls out.

2015 Evil The Insurgent Test

Evil Insurgent Complete Build

Evil as we know it today is owned by Kevin Walsh. He purchased the brand from Dave Weagle back in 2008. Since buying Evil they had some problems on the manufacturing side with their first few runs of the Downhill bikes. With manufacturing happening in big quantities it took things awhile to get sorted out. Once production issues where sorted the guys at Evil took care of customers that had problems. Their carbon trail and downhill bike have been very successful and last year Evil came out with a bike called The Following. Now it is time for Evil to enter the 650 market with The Insurgent. Evil bikes is now using the same factory as Santa Cruz bikes for the production of the full carbon bikes and with SC's experience in building carbon bikes it sounds like a good choice. With the overwhelming accolades being bestowed upon The Following it made perfect sense for Evil to jump into the 650b market. Their new bike The Insurgent is their go at the aggressive 27.5" Enduro bike market.

"Do you repeatedly attempt to seperate your tires from your rims in every corner, do you say lets take this ride mellow, does your trail bike find itself going slide ways.. Those up hill both ways days just got a little less sucky. Short snappy chainstays, long top tube and a low BB set the stage for a bike that likes to party.."

Build Kit 

• Evil Insurgent XL
• DVO Diamond 160mm
• Enve DH Bars 800mm
• Hope 35mm Stem
• Chromag Grips
• Magura MT7 Brakes 203mm F/R
• Thomson Covert Dropper
• Fabric Carbon Saddle
• Hope 170mm Cranks
• Hope 34 Tooth Chainring
• Hope Pedals
• SRAM XO Shifter
• SRAM XO 11 SPD Derailure
• SRAM XO 11 SPD Casette
• Mavic Crossmax SL Pro LTD 29 WTS Wheels

TOTAL BUILD WEIGHT 31.19lbs

Upon receiving our Insurgent we opened it up and began assembling the bike. Again the finish on The Insurgent seemed top notch just like it did with The Following. Thank God for a Threaded BB and a 142 by 12mm rear hub spacing. Having the threaded BB makes assembly a bit easier and keeps the bike from making noises that should only be heard on a bikes purchased from WalMart. (Though we are running SRAM 11spd and that at times can make our Evil bike sound like a department store bike....) Overall our build kit is similar to others we have used. Our area is rocky and rough so a full chain guide, heavy tires, big brakes, and DH based cockpit round out the build.

Evil Insurgent Profile

The Delta Suspension System

"(Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus ) Despite Delta representing Dave Weagle’s 3rd cycling specific suspension system, we thought a super tech acronym would be much more appropriate. Well, if we had our way we would say it bends in the middle, stops and goes. But let’s be realistic, we can’t get away with that simple of an explanation. As much as we would like to think that everyone will have the opportunity to test ride an Evil, the reality is most of You will buy based on reviews, friends or Weagle’s past successes.

So the following is straight from the horses mouth ( Dave Weagle being the horse ). The DELTA system was conceived to, among other things, achieve very complex leverage rate curves that can be used to tune for varying track conditions, spring, and damper parameters. The dual progressive leverage rate curve was developed for coil sprung downhill applications to take advantage of the speed sensitive shocks on the market. Mechanically, the system uses very compact links that can achieve a lot of angle and velocity change through the travel. We can tailor the leverage rate curve to really take advantage of the shock’s valving and the way that a speed sensitive damper is designed to work. Ultimately the design achieves a high degree of suppleness early in the travel, with a very predictable high traction stage through the middle and a bottomless ramp at the end of the travel.

The whole suspension system, every attribute, is developed concurrently with each other, with the shock absorber, and with the bike’s intended use and geometry in mind. Main pivot location was carefully chosen to give the best balance of acceleration and braking performance. This careful positioning lets the bike accelerate without the need for excess damping, which in turn helps us push the limits of shock setup as far as possible to achieve ideal damper setup for any World Cup track. One of the biggest advantages of the system is its ability to let riders and mechanics adjust frame geometry without changing leverage rate and wheel rate at all.

Additionally, different link kits can be used to make drastic changes in the bike’s feel. These link kits are something that Evil’s World Cup athletes will take advantage of to fine tune for the drastically different race courses that they compete on over a race season. There is no bad option.It all comes down to personal preference. If you like to run air shocks and a position sensitive damper, we can develop that tune. If you like yourframe geometry low in the BB and slack in the head angle, or vice versa and anywhere in between, it’s covered. Upgradeability, tuneability, and personalization is what it’s all about, finding that combination that’s perfect for you and no one else."

Evil Insurgent Head Tube

Rock Shox Vivid Air: Prior to performing shock adjustments, determine riding weight ( fully geared up ). Push the shock O-ring against the wiper seal and push the sag adjuster on the non drive side of the Delta Link forward. Lean up against a sturdy wall, friend, or telephone pole and sit on the bike. Being careful not to tip over, dismount the bike and check the SAG indicator. The SAG indicator should barely cover the 30% mark and the O-ring should measure between 15-17mm from the shock body for ideal setup. The Insurgent uses a high volume air canister which compliments the progressive spring curve of the Delta System Suspension, if a less progressive feel is desired then experiment with different air volume spacers.

NOTE* These are just guidelines to start you on your suspension tuning journey. Its very important to tune your front and rear suspension together to get the best set up possible. Play around and find that special tune, then write it down so you don’t forget! NOTE* The dual progressive leverage rate curve might make some spring rates seem stiff, we encourage you to try different rates that will allow you to sit deeper into the suspension travel and find that perfect set up.

- See more at: http://evil-bikes.com/products/the-insurgent-3/#sthash.Nc1m8mxF.dpuf

Evil Insurgent Features 

Evil Insurgent Features

Looking at The Evil Insurgent geometry numbers below it becomes apparent that they went for a slack and somewhat longer frame than many companies making 650b Enduro bikes. The HA and BB numbers are adjustable via The Flip Chips. We opted to run the bike in the LOW setting most of the time. Running it in X-LOW (64.8 degrees HA) with a 35mm stem made climbing some of the steep stuff around here a bit challenging. Keep in mind we tested The Megatrail and it has a BB in low setting that is 12.7" and provides 160mm of travel. The Evil isn't the lowest bike out there but with a 64.8 degree HA, it is one of the slackest bikes. Some people are concerned about crank clearance, but it wasn't much of an issue for us and the 170mm cranks. Our frame was an XL and I am 6' 2" tall.

Evil Insurgent Geometry 

Evil Insurgent Geometry

Overall, The Insurgent built up easily. The frame and shock weighed in at 7.7LBS.  With our part selection we knew we would have a bike that could handle rough terrain day in and day out. One issue we had with the frame was the lack of a water bottle cage mount. We ended up using a Jand Strap to hold a water bottle onto the frame. Wearing a pack is something we do on longer rides but the other five days a week when you're on an hour long lunch a water bottle fits the bill nicely. We opted for the Rock Shox Vivid Air shock for the back. Kevin suggested that we may want to wait for a more trail oriented shock that would provide more mid stroke support and have a climb switch. We decided not to wait and went with the DH shock. Overall the small bump on the shock is impressive. There where times when I would have liked to use a lock out shock like on long extended climbs or when commuting on the road.

Evil Insurgent Drive Side Linkage

The DELTA suspension is very supple at the very beginning of its travel. Also, the bike's suspension seems to cycle well and offers traction by the boatload. Dave Weagel initially designed The Delta Linkage for the Evil Undead and the high shaft speeds sometimes encountered during Downhill Racing. The Insurgent offers two settings through the flip chips either Low or X-Low. X-Low mode lengthens the WB a hair, lowers the BB and slackens the head angle. For a majority of the test we ran The Insurgent in the Low setting.

Evil Insurgent Chain Guide

Overall, we where impressed by The Insurgent as it did many things well. The frame felt stiff, lively, bottomless, planted, stable and pedalled well. We just finished up testing the Following so getting aboard The Insurgent a few things became clear, like The Insurgent being advantageous when the terrain is fast, chunky or steep. Otherwise the 29" bike seemed to have the advantage looking at times on mellower trails. There are a few trails in the area that are rocky and fast approaching the 30mph mark. The stability provided by the longer chassis and added travel proved to be a positive for The Insurgent on these trails.

Evil Insurgent Non Drive Side Linkage

Ian W

Evil seems to have succeeded in creating a very capable, and stable 650b trail bike with The Insurgent. The bike was very light on its feet with the ability to change lanes and rail corners like an F1 car and proved to be a very capable enduro bike. We built our Insurgent up with DH oriented parts. That being said, we have seen many below the 30LBS mark so it could easily have been lighter. This bike has aggressive geometry but it is by no means too aggressive. In fact a bike with such aggressive angles and great suspension makes a great trail bike for the DH racer.

The initial part of the travel is very sensitive and follows the terrain very well. The bike seemed to be pretty linear. We ended up running 2 volume reducer rings in the Rock Shox Vivid Air to keep the bike from bottoming to easily. The frame came with no reducers installed; luckily we had some left from our Following test. Once we added reducers it became a harder to use all the travel without affecting the initial stroke.

Evil Insurgent Downtube Protector

The first trail I took it on was a 900 foot climb. The bike climbs well and offers good traction over loose rock.  It had some bob while putting the power down while standing but not much. The trail has some rocks at the start and the suspension tracked well over the fast rocky sections. Then it changes into a turn filled smooth trail (flow) with a few small climbs. There are a few tight turns on this trail and The Insurgent needs a bit of front end weight to help hold traction in corners. After that getting to know the The Insurgent a little better I started using more body english while turning such as attempting to always have the chin over bars and arms pressing down when needed.

Many people are huge fans of short chain stays The Insurgent is not super short but close enough. It moves quick when you lean on the bars. I did notice that the 650b Evil had a wheelbase that was almost a full three inches longer than The Following we tested last. This showed in fast, steep terrain. The Following even though it has bigger wheels was just not as stable when flying over rougher terrain. The Insurgent's rear suspension does feel almost bottomless. Riding it hard over rocky terrain you cannot tell when the shock is bottoming out.

The next trail is just above the first and is much rockier for the first 300 yards or so. The Insurgent's larger wheel base benefit became apparent by riding over the soccer ball sized rocks at a blistering rate of speed. It handled the rocks well and it was easy to change lines and hop over rocks when the need arose. Once out of the rock garden the speeds increase and you enter trees with turns carving their way down the hill. In the twisty stuff the Evil does a good job of changing lines and carrying speeds through turns. Never did the longer wheel base (48.10") on the bike seem to take away from its cornering abilities.

Across the valley is a trail that many experienced riders have a strong dislike for. This is due to it be loaded with switchbacks or "woodland based crimes against humanity". This is mainly to keep speeds down because this trail is heavily used by hikers. Initially the trail has some rocks and is high speed until you hit the first switchback.  From there you go into five more switchbacks that are spaced about 200 yards between apart. The Insurgent with its long wheelbase handled these in a decent manner. You could tell it had a preference for fast loose corners more than tight slow ones.  However, at the end of the day it can do either fairly well and do them fast.

Evil Insurgent Flip Chip

Conclusion

Overall we liked The Insurgent. It has a great suspension system that works as DW designed it. The platform allows riders to put power down, climb, handle chunky terrain and provide good mid stroke support. The bike has a long wheel base and slack head angle making it stable at speed. Combine that with a stiff frame and the more common 650b wheels and you have a great option for the Enduro racer. We would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend looking for an aggressive Enduro bike.

Evil came at the 650b market in a similar fashion as they did with the 29" market. They created a slack, low, long bike with a suspension system that provides abundant traction, pedals well and essentially feels almost bottomless. Our Insurgent was built to cater to the gravity rider. Those looking for a more trail friendly version can easily shave 2 lbs off our build and get a shock with a lock out like The Monarch.

Evil Insurgent Rear Stay

There where a few things that Evil could do to improve The Insurgent. First put a bottle cage mount on the frame! There is plenty of room for it especially on the XL and LG sizes. The other thing we noticed is that the lower down tube guard could be longer. Maybe adding three to four inches onto it will help protect the frame a bit more. These are simple fixes and at this point we are just looking for anything to complain about.

Evil has produced two great trail bikes with The Following and now The Insurgent. With their newly announced The Wreckoning a long travel aggressive 29" bike Evil has almost all the bases covered. All that is missing would be a short travel XC bike and an actual DH bike. We are looking forward to throwing The Wreckoning down some trails in the near future. Until then we will keep hammering aboard The 650b wheeled Evil Insurgent.

Let’s cut the crap. There is no “one bike to rule them all”. No magical, wheeled-unicorn that can be all things to all people. Here’s what Evil have created: It’s called the Insurgent and it is fun. The uncontrollable-cackling-while-roost-flies-off-your-back-tire variant of fun. Which is exactly what Evil were aiming for. The Insurgent will get you up that long, technical sufferfest in style with plenty left in the tank to shred a trail slide ways—the kind of trail that everyone else calls a “DH trail”.

2015 Evil The Following Test

Evil The Following Profile

Evil Bikes had a rough start with their initial production run. They learned from their mistakes and have since been making carbon bikes that are aggressive in nature with a suspension platform that is very efficient.  The brand originated making the first Chain Guide that actually worked for Downhill racing. It was a small start but soon the brand found it chain retention system on a majority of bikes out there. This lead to them creating some DH and Street hardtail bikes that would eventually prove to become collectable and the thing of legend.

Evil The Following Head Tube

Evil The Following Drive Side BB, Linkage

Evil as we know it today is owned by Kevin Walsh. He purchased the brand from Dave Weagle back in 2008. Since buying Evil they had some problems on the manufacturing side with their first few runs of the Downhill bikes. With manufacturing happening in big quantities it took things awhile to get sorted out. Once production issues where sorted the guys at Evil took care of customers that had problems. Their carbon trail and downhill bike have been very successful and they have just made the jump into the Wagon Wheel segment with a bike called The Following. Evil bikes is now using the same factory as Santa Cruz bikes for the production of the full carbon Evil Following and with SC's experience in building carbon bikes it sounds like a good choice.

Evil The Following Linkage

Evil The Following Press Fit BB

With most of the industry pushing towards 650B it was somewhat of a shock to see Evil come out with a short travel, low and slack 29" bike. The difference between a 26" and a 650b is pretty small and really has very little effect on how the bike rides. Wagon Wheels on the other hand are very noticeable. They keep momentum up better, roll over stuff easier, cover more ground and provide more traction. Along with the positives there are some negatives the wheels themselves are less strong, flex more and the bikes are typically slower to accelerate out of corners.

Evil The Following Complete Build

"Monster truck wheels with a sports car feel.We really wanted to create a FUN,versatile, yet aggressive short travel, big wheel trail bike with progressive geometry that could be at home on all day adventures, slashing trails or riding jump lines."

Evil Bikes

"Evil has officially entered the market of 29" bikes - to some this may come as a surprise. Don't let Evil's background fool you though, it's their heritage that makes The Following one of the most exciting bikes that we will see in 2015. If you've ridden an Evil in the past, you likely know the fun-factor is tough to beat. Simply put, an Evil bike is an absolute blast on the trail. The Following marks Evil's third full suspension bike in their lineup, offering up 120mm rear travel and wildly aggressive geometry for a 29'er. In recent years, we've come to find that it's not necessarily the amount of travel a bike has, it's the geometry that plays the most significant role in ride characteristics. So in short, if you're a go-get'er trail rider, don't let the 120mm travel and 29" scare you away, this bike will impress even the most aggressive riders out there.

At the heart of The Following is a revamped version of Evil's DELTA suspension system, designed and tested closely with Dave Weagle. DELTA System is a modified single pivot design that provides a dual-leverage rate curve. In layman's terms, this gives The Following a very supple feel at the very beginning of it's travel, then ramps up in the mid-stroke for for pedaling performance. The latter half of the suspension travel is fairly linear, with just enough progression to prevent against harsh bottom-outs. The Following's DELTA System has been refined to provide improved lateral stiffness and easier maintenance. Evil designed the DELTA System and suspension kinematics around the Rock Shox Monarch RT3 Debonair rear shock, which is what comes stock on the frame. Thorough testing across several rear shock options proved that the Monarch RT3 offered the best performance. Piggyback shocks are not compatible with this frame, nor is the Cane Creek DB Inline.

Sticking true to Evil's roots, The Following provides adjustable geometry that will suit a wide variety of rider preferences. As with the rest of Evil's full suspension bikes, geometry is adjusted by flipping the left and right dog bone links in the DELTA System. In the low setting, the head angle is 67.2° with a 12.8" BB height and 17" chainstay length. In the high setting, the head angle is 67.8° with a 13.1" BB height and 16.9" chainstay. Fairly aggressive numbers for a 29'er no doubt, but trust us, the geometry plays a huge role in the fun-factor of this bike. These numbers are all based around a 120mm suspension fork. Evil recommends using either a 120mm or 130mm travel fork with a 51mm offset. A 130mm fork will slacken the head angles listed above by about 1°. You can theoretically use a 140mm fork on The Following, but it will result in a very slack head angle, and may adversely affect the handling of the bike.

As with the rest of Evil's full suspension bikes, The Following is built from uni-directional carbon with a one-piece molded construction at one of the most reputable carbon bike factories in the world (VIP for those who are curious). Take one look at the frame, and it's clear that Evil did not skimp on construction. The Following is built tough, but it's not overly heavy. We verified the medium frame weight at 6.5 lbs with rear shock and rear axle. Complete builds should come in at 27 lbs without excessive damage to the wallet.

The Following features internal cable routing for dropper posts as well as front derailleurs. The rear brake line is cleanly routed externally under the top tube, and on the top side of the seatstay. The rear derailleur line is routed next to the brake line on the top tube, then internally through the seatstay. Another nice detail is a crafty built-in sag meter, located on the non-driveside Delta Link. Just sit on your bike, and the dial will show you when you've reached the target 30% sag.

Although the new 12x148mm rear axle standard seems to coming, Evil opted to stick with the tried-and-true 12x142mm - a good move in our book. The Following is designed to utilize either 1X or 2X drivetrains, with a max 34T on a 1X, and a max 38T on a 2X. A direct mount front derailleur tab is fitted for those running a 2X drivetrain.

The Following frame comes stock with a Rock Shox Monarch RT3 rear shock, FSA sealed bearing headset, 12x142mm axle, and rubber downtube/chainstay protectors. The frame is backed up by Evil's three year warranty. Evil bikes and frames may only be shipped within the United States."

Fanatik Bikes

Evil The Following Rear Stays

Evil The Following Axle

We recently finished testing the Niner WFO. This is a long travel 29r geared more towards the gravity side of the Enduro market. That bike was not as low as the Evil. Overall the Evil sits atop the short travel, low, long, slack 29" wheeled bike segment. Many people claim the ability of a larger wheel to roll over obstacles makes up for the lack of travel. When it comes down to it and you are pounding rocks at high speed nothing is gonna help you more than a solid suspension platform with a good leverage curve and copious amounts of travel. The geometry of this bike will for sure assist it in the steep and fast sections.

Overall the build quality of the Evil Following looks outstanding. The finish is clean and all the parts went into the frame without issue. Is uses a tapered head tube that Evil provides a FSA headset for and they also offer a CCDB headset for those that want a slacker 29" bike. The Following has a standard 142mm by 12mm rear axle and uses a 30.9 seat post. The parts choice we used was geared towards the gravity side with Race Face SIXC, Specialized GRID tires and 14 gauge spokes laced to Stans ZTR Flow EX rims by Gravey himself! The frame we tested is a size LG with the shock on it weighed in a 6.1LBS. Our complete build was 30.19LBS see the parts list below.

Build Kit

• Evil Following LG
• DVO Diamond
• Race Face SIXC 35mm Bars
• Ritchey WCS Stem 60mm
• Chromag Grips
• Hope E3 Tech 4 Brakes Braided Lines 203/183mm
• Thomson Dropper Post
• Fabric Carbon Saddle
• Race Face SIXC 170mm Cranks
• 32 Toth Race Face DM Chainring
• SRAM XO Shifter
• SRAM XO 11 SPD Derailure
• SRAM XO 11 SPD Casette
• Profile Elite Hubs
• Stans ZTR Flow EX Rims
• Specialized Grid Bliss Two Butcher
• Specialized Grid Bliss Two Slaughter

Evil The Following Downtube Guard

The Delta Suspension System

"(Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus ) Despite Delta representing Dave Weagle’s 3rd cycling specific suspension system, we thought a super tech acronym would be much more appropriate. Well, if we had our way we would say it bends in the middle, stops and goes. But let’s be realistic, we can’t get away with that simple of an explanation. As much as we would like to think that everyone will have the opportunity to test ride an Evil, the reality is most of You will buy based on reviews, friends or Weagle’s past successes.

So the following is straight from the horses mouth ( Dave Weagle being the horse ). The DELTA system was conceived to, among other things, achieve very complex leverage rate curves that can be used to tune for varying track conditions, spring, and damper parameters. The dual progressive leverage rate curve was developed for coil sprung downhill applications to take advantage of the speed sensitive shocks on the market. Mechanically, the system uses very compact links that can achieve a lot of angle and velocity change through the travel. We can tailor the leverage rate curve to really take advantage of the shock’s valving and the way that a speed sensitive damper is designed to work. Ultimately the design achieves a high degree of suppleness early in the travel, with a very predictable high traction stage through the middle and a bottomless ramp at the end of the travel.

The whole suspension system, every attribute, is developed concurrently with each other, with the shock absorber, and with the bike’s intended use and geometry in mind. Main pivot location was carefully chosen to give the best balance of acceleration and braking performance. This careful positioning lets the bike accelerate without the need for excess damping, which in turn helps us push the limits of shock setup as far as possible to achieve ideal damper setup for any World Cup track. One of the biggest advantages of the system is its ability to let riders and mechanics adjust frame geometry without changing leverage rate and wheel rate at all.

Additionally, different link kits can be used to make drastic changes in the bike’s feel. These link kits are something that Evil’s World Cup athletes will take advantage of to fine tune for the drastically different race courses that they compete on over a race season. There is no bad option.It all comes down to personal preference. If you like to run air shocks and a position sensitive damper, we can develop that tune. If you like yourframe geometry low in the BB and slack in the head angle, or vice versa and anywhere in between, it’s covered. Upgradeability, tuneability, and personalization is what it’s all about, finding that combination that’s perfect for you and no one else."

(Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus ) Despite Delta representing Dave Weagle’s 3rd cycling specific suspension system, we thought a super tech acronym would be much more appropriate. Well, if we had our way we would say it bends in the middle, stops and goes. But let’s be realistic, we can’t get away with that simple of an explanation. As much as we would like to think that everyone will have the opportunity to test ride an Evil, the reality is most of You will buy based on reviews, friends or Weagle’s past successes. - See more at: http://evil-bikes.com/tech-crap/#sthash.pOt3zZyO.dpuf

(Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus ) Despite Delta representing Dave Weagle’s 3rd cycling specific suspension system, we thought a super tech acronym would be much more appropriate. Well, if we had our way we would say it bends in the middle, stops and goes. But let’s be realistic, we can’t get away with that simple of an explanation. As much as we would like to think that everyone will have the opportunity to test ride an Evil, the reality is most of You will buy based on reviews, friends or Weagle’s past successes. - See more at: http://evil-bikes.com/tech-crap/#sthash.pOt3zZyO.dpuf

The Evil Following Features

Evil The Following Features

The Evil Following Geometry

 Evil The Following Geometry

Shock Set Up

"Rock Shox Monarch RT3 Debonair: Prior to performing shock adjustments, determine riding weight ( fully geared up ). Push the shock O-ring against the wiper seal and push the sag adjuster on the non drive side of the Delta Link forward. Lean up against a sturdy wall, friend, or telephone pole and sit on the bike. Being careful not to tip over, dismount the bike and check the SAG indicator. The SAG indicator should barely cover the 30% mark and the O-ring should measure between 10-13mm from the shock body for ideal setup. The Following uses a high volume air canister which compliments the progressive spring curve of the Delta System Suspension, if a less progressive feel is desired then experiment with different air volume spacers. We also found that the Following performs great in the “Descend” position for most riding conditions, however, for sufferfest climbs and high speed trail riding the “Pedal” position also works well.

NOTE* These are just guidelines to start you on your suspension tuning journey. Its very important to tune your front and rear suspension together to get the best set up possible. Play around and find that special tune, then write it down so you don’t forget! NOTE* The dual progressive leverage rate curve might make some spring rates seem stiff, we encourage you to try different rates that will allow you to sit deeper into the suspension travel and find that perfect set up."

The Following proved to be a very capable trail bike. It had the ability to climb well and descend with the best of them. In fact of the five trails normally being ridden the Evil was able to match or beat times on its maiden voyage. The Following doesn't really feel fast per say, buts it's times prove that it is a KOM capturing machine if that is your thing! The bike offers gobs of traction and the somewhat low BB helps to keep the bike planted in the turns.

The DELTA suspension is very supple at the very beginning of its travel. Once the bike's suspension seems to cycle well and offers traction by the boatload. Dave Weagel initially designed The Delta linkage for the Evil Undead and the high shaft speeds sometimes encountered during Downhill Racing. The Following offers two settings through the chips either High or Low. While Low mode lengthens the WB, CS and also lowers the BB. For a majority of the test we ran The Following in the Low setting. Another thing worth noting is that we had The DVO Diamond and it was set as low as possible at 140mm. Technically the frame is designed for a 120-130mm fork. So our bike was a tad slacker and taller than it would have been with a 130mm fork on the front.

Ian Wilkinson

Evil seems to have succeeded in creating a very capable, and nimble 29" trail bike. Overall the bike was very light on its feet with the ability to change lanes and cut through corners faster than Sonic! The Evil Following proved to be a very capable trail/enduro bike. With how agile this bike is and having the ability to be built up below the 28lbs mark this bike would be a very good choice for the XC rider looking to get a more aggressive bike. On the flip side a bike with such aggressive angles and great suspension can also make for a great trail bike for the DH racer as well.

The initial part of the travel is very sensitive and follows the terrain very well. The bike seemed to be very linear. We ended up running 3 volume reducer rings in the Rock Shox Monarch to keep the bike from bottoming to easily. The frame came with no reducers installed and even on very mellow smooth "flow" trails it was using full travel. Once we added reducers it became a bit harder to use all the travel. 

Overall the Following proved to be a very fast bike. The first time out on it I set a few records and came close on a few other segments. This was after a two month wait to get the Following frame! Evil cannot keep these things in stock. So if you want one make sure to place an order early or check out some of the retail shops that carry Evil such as Fanatik. 

The first trail I took it on was a 900 foot climb. The bike climbs well and offers good traction over loose rock. I used the shock in full open the first ride. It had very little bob while putting the power down. The trail has some rocks at the start and the suspension tracked well over the fast rocky sections. Then it turns into a turn filled smooth trail with a few climbs. I learned the hard way that this bike turns quick towards the bottom of the hill on a sharp right hander that is almost 120 degree and I cut about 20 degrees to sharp in the apex! After that I used much less body english while turning. My time down was 5 seconds off my best and I made some mistakes so that was shocking. It didn't feel like I was going fast so The Following is good at masking the speed you are carrying.

Many people are huge fans of short chain stays The Evil delivers on this front. The rear of the frame being so short allows for quick turns in tight trails. It moves quick when you lean or turn the bars. Coming off the last bike we had with it's massive wheelbase I almost blew through the sides of a few corners the first time out on The Following. I did notice that having a short CS the 29" Evil had a wheelbase that was almost a full three inches shorter than the Megatrail we tested last. This showed in fast, steep terrain. The Following even though it has bigger wheels was just not as stable. But having bigger wheels allowed the bike to carry speed over rocks and along the trail very well. It covers ground quick and when you do bottom the bike the only way you will know is by looking at the o-ring on the shock. It does feel almost bottomless.

The next trail is just above the first and is much rockier for the first 300 yards or so. The climb was a bit longer so I used pedal mode. The bike is stiffer with this setting. So once I reached the top I went back to open on the shock. The following showed its larger wheel benefit by riding over the soccer ball sized rocks at a good rate of speed. It handled the rocks well and it was easy to change lines and hop over rocks when the need arose. Once out of the rock garden the speeds increase and you enter trees with turns carving their way down the hill. In the twisty stuff the Evil does a great job of offering copious amounts of traction and carrying speeds through turns. Once I got to the bottom I was within 10 seconds of my fastest time and knew I could have pushed it harder!

Once we got the chance to head up to Northstar we loaded up and hit the road. Along with the Following we also brought a few Downhill bikes and another "Enduro" bike. Their lifts run fairly fast and we hopped on and headed for the jump filled trail Live Wire. This is a flow trail loaded with many tabletop jumps and corners for the 2 mile run. Overall the Evil Following carried great speed and was very easy to jump and proved to be easy to maneuver when in flight. Having the 29" wheels helped on the breaking bumps and covering ground on the flatter sections of trail. 

The next trail was Flameout which is on the left side of the mountain. This is a chunkier trail that has a few jumps. The trail has a bit more loose dirt around the rocks so line choice here can be a bit more difficult. The Following did well in the chunkier stuff here. It made up for some bad line choices on my part and the suspension never seemed overwhelmed by the repeated high speed rock hits. There are a few sections to climb on the trail and using the shock in full open had no effect on its ability to climb.  

Gypsy trail is on the right side of the hill. This is a mellower trail that has some rocks, jumps and wood features in it. The Evil did well here and felt fine hitting the wood wall rides at speed. I was a bit concerned that the taller wheels would feel weird leaned over on the walls but this turned out to be a non issue.

Mineshaft is a trail that takes you from the halfway point back down to the lodge. It has some jumps a bunch of tall bermed corners and some rocks scattered here or there. This trail can literally be pumped the entire way down and you will be able to clear the jumps. The Following was moving through here it seems to be one of the best bikes I have ever ridden at pumping speed off features and terrain of the trail!

I ended up using pedal mode a fair amount to help since it took so long for the frame to arrive. This works well even on rocky terrain If the trail is very chunky I would suggest running it open versus pedal. But if the trail is flowyand has a serious climb or two the pedal mode will help get you up the hill some and make the bike a tad more lively when popping off of features. At Northstar we ran it open since there was almost no climbing being done!

There was a few areas I thought Evil could improve on The Following. The first is its rear tire clearance. This is very tight. We ran a Specialized Butch on the back in 2.3 Grid variant and it was very snug. Another place the frame had very tight clearance was around the shock. Luckily we ran a Rock Shox and they have minimal adjustments to be made to them. It would be nice if all air shocks could fit into the frame. The slackness of the seat post may be a bother to some it wasn't to any of our riders but maybe making it a bit steeper would help some people out.

The Evil Following's ability to carry speed, playfulness, pedaling efficiency and geometry made for an awesome trail bike (Enduro bike). I can see this being used as a Enduro racer, a weekend trail bike or a do it all bike. The travel is on the shorter side to be at a lift assisted resort all day but the bike could manage it on all but the really chunky trails. This bike is pretty awesome and it's suspension platform is every bit as impressive as one would expect it to be coming from Mr. Weagle and it seems to offer great mid stroke support while ramping up rather well towards the end.

Conclusion

Overall we where very impressed by The Evil Following. The 29" wheels unlike the more popular 650B option actually help the rider out. They cover more ground, roll over chunkier terrain, and provide a noticeable amount of more traction. This makes for a bike that is easier to ride in most instances for all but the shortest of riders. 

Combining wagon wheels with a very aggressive geometry makes the Following a joy to ride for all including those geared more towards the gravity side of the sport. It is low but not overly so and in fact we could even see it maybe coming down a bit more in the BB area. Overall the bike was decent in size. The TT did feel a bit short after coming off a bike with a 26" TT but we quickly adapted to The Following's slightly shorter geometry. If I was buying the bike personally I would get the XL and run a 35mm stem on it. I am 6' 2" with shoes one BTW. 

The frame went together well and seems pretty stiff. We had pretty heavy wheels built up. We used 14 straight-gauge spokes laced up to Stans ZTR FLOW rims by legendary wheelbuilder Gravey up in Marin county. The wheels where stiff and gave no real sign of flex. At this point on when building a 29" wheel we know where we are sending them to get done. Our total weight for the wheels was 2150 grams with the Profile Elite hubs. We gained wheel weight but never worried about a failure in any manner. 

As far as pedaling goes The Following does a wonderful job at climbing. It provides traction and plenty of it. While at the same time there is very little bob while putting down the power. We ran the shock open and in pedal mode. Pedal mode is very firm, sure if you are spinning 10 miles of flat ground to get to the trail use it. Once on the dirt it would have to be a very long climb to warrant using the shocks Pedal Mode or lock out.

We began getting close to our record times straight off the bat with the bike. This has as much to do with geometry as it does suspension design and tire size. All three of these work in harmony on The Evil Following. The bike just feels right and although we may feels as if you are going slow once you see the times you are clocking on this bike it will become apparent you are aboard something special. 

The last five months has been an adventure for us aboard an aggressive short travel 29" bike. This was one of the funnest bikes we have probably ever ridden! It is fast as hell, carves on a dime and climbs with the best of them. Evil has produced a 29" bike that can handle most trails from gravity based trails to XC loops. This is what impressed us most how useable the bike was. Many people are building these up around the 26lbs mark ours came in a 30lbs with a gravity based build on it.

The Following is surely a bike we would suggest to a friend. It ticks all the boxes that most trail/enduro riders might want. There are a few thing we think could make it better. The first would be the ability for another water bottle cage. The second would be more clearance in the rear stays for tires, it was pretty snug with the 2.3 Specialized tires we had on it. Also a threaded BB would be rad Evil did this with The Insurgent so it wouldn't be hard to get on into future Following's. Finally although it wasn't an issue for us there have been some people wanting a less slack seat post angle. I am 6' 1" with a 36" inseam the post angle was a non issue for me or the other two that rode the bike.

We sold The Following to purchase our next review bike. This was a sad day for us as it was a pure joy to ride this bike. Luckily the person that bought it is a local from town and actually works at a bike shop that just happens to sell Specialized and Santa Cruz bikes to name just a few....

Evil The Following Score Card