Evil Insurgent Review

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.."

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 Test

Evil The Following Review

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.

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 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."

Evil Following Test