Last weekend a Ben and Rowan of our Cyclepath Gravity Team took a couple Evil demo bikes out to Cold Creek for a little grip-and-rip session. The brand new Insurgent definitely left a favorable impression on Ben:
First things first. We all know that bike reviews, (and mountain bike reviews in particular) can be irritatingly predictable. “Climbs great, Descends even better!” It’s a bit like reading reviews for kitchen mixers. They’re all pretty much going to say the same thing. I am not here to overwhelm you with numbers. (you can just go to evil’s website for that.) I am going to try to put into words what this bike does all on its own: Stand out.
The limited time I was able to spend on this bike still yielded what I think to be some pretty fantastic results.
I think I am in the majority when I say I climb only to get to the descent. I don’t track my rides on Strava on a regular basis, I don’t care how many miles I rode last year, and I certainly don’t care what my heart-rate was. I just want to spend my weekends getting rad on my bike with all of my buds. Plain and simple. All this to say, I don’t feel any remorse when a ripped guy on an XC bike screams by as I’m walking this Evil Insurgent back up the trail to hit a feature again. In fact, I feel a bit smug. You can’t help but think the designers kicked all the engineers out of the meeting room and finalized the design themselves. It’s highlighter yellow and wicked looking. Looks and pantomime aside, this thing rips!
A shorter-than-most top tube makes the cockpit feel cozy and familiar. The short chainstays and a low bottom bracket will be welcome features for those of us who like to spend a lot of time on the back wheel. Pair all of that with a short stem and some wide handlebars and you have yourself the equivalent of a “Big-Wheel” to a 5 year-old.
Being asked to test the latest offering from Evil has been a blessing and a curse. Being the overgrown child that I am, I loved this bike. I want one very much indeed. Dropping your foot in the corners with fingers off the brakes with your buddy doing the same in hot pursuit while screaming is what this bike is all about. Getting loose on the Insurgent is easy because its so confidence inspiring. And getting loose is fun. So crack a beer, and re-pack that berm you just ruined.
If that doesn’t make you want to take one of these Evils out for a spin you need to check your pulse! Contact us at mitch@cyclepathpdx.com if you’re looking to try one out!