Evil Bikes exists in a corner of the mountain bike world that doesn’t try to appeal to everyone. The brand out of Bellingham, Washington builds bikes for riders who want aggressive geometry, long-low-slack handling, and a suspension system that was engineered by the same person who created dw-link. That person is Dave Weagle, and the system on Evil bikes is called DELTA – Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus. Yes, that’s the actual name.
Evil isn’t a beginner brand. Their bikes are long, slack, and tuned for riders who are comfortable going fast on sketchy terrain. The lineup covers trail, enduro, DH-adjacent riding, and even a gravel bike – but everything shares the same aggressive design philosophy. If you’re looking for a confidence-inspiring all-mountain or enduro bike that doesn’t water down the geometry for mass-market appeal, this is the brand worth understanding. This guide covers the full current lineup: Following, Offering, Insurgent, Wreckoning, and Epocalypse.
Fair warning: these bikes are not cheap, and they’re not subtle. Let’s get into it.
Key Takeaways
- The Following LS (120mm) is Evil’s most approachable trail bike – still aggressive, but manageable on mixed terrain
- The Offering (151mm) hits the trail/enduro crossover sweet spot with updated 2026 geometry – more travel, more adjustability
- The Insurgent LS (168mm) runs 27.5″ or MX wheels and is built for riders who prioritize playfulness and air time over raw speed
- The Wreckoning LS (166mm) is the big-wheeled gravity weapon – closest thing to a DH bike you can still pedal to the top
- The Epocalypse is Evil’s e-MTB with 166mm travel – built on the same aggressive platform with a motor added
- All full-suspension Evil bikes use the DELTA suspension system by Dave Weagle – a linkage-driven design that provides a progressive ramp at end of travel
- Evil is rider-owned and operated in Bellingham, WA – a genuine boutique brand with actual character
| Evil Following LS |  |
Best Trail / Entry Evil | Travel: 120mm rear / 140mm fork | Wheel Size: 29″ | Price: From $3,099 | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Evil Offering |  |
Best All-Mountain | Travel: 151mm rear / 160mm fork | Wheel Size: 29″ | Price: From $3,999 | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Evil Insurgent LS |  |
Best for Playful Enduro | Travel: 168mm rear / 170-180mm fork | Wheel Size: MX or 27.5″ | Price: From $3,099 | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Evil Wreckoning LS |  |
Best Gravity / Enduro | Travel: 166mm rear / 170mm fork | Wheel Size: 29″ | Price: From $3,099 | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
| Evil Epocalypse |  |
Best Evil E-MTB | Travel: 166mm rear / 170mm fork | Wheel Size: 29″ | Price: From $8,699 | VIEW LATEST PRICE | Read Our Analysis |
More Details on Our Top Picks
-
Evil Following LS
The Following LS is the most accessible entry point into the Evil lineup, but “accessible” is relative – this is still a long, low, and slack trail bike aimed at riders who want aggressive geometry on their trail rides. At 120mm of rear travel with a 140mm fork, it sits in the downcountry/aggressive trail bracket. The geometry and the DELTA suspension make it ride bigger than the travel numbers suggest.
What makes the Following interesting is how it handles compared to bikes with the same travel from other brands. The DELTA suspension delivers a progressive ramp at end-of-travel that gives you a bottomless feel on square-edge hits, even without the travel numbers of the Offering or Insurgent. The geometry is already pushing toward trail-enduro territory with a slack head angle and longer reach – more than you’d find on a typical 120mm bike from a mainstream brand.
Singletracks reviewed the Following LS and called it “an aggressive trail bike for riders who want to lead, not follow” – which captures the character well. It rewards commitment and a slightly more aggressive riding style. If you approach it like a casual trail bike, you’ll feel like you’re underutilizing it. If you push into technical terrain, it starts making sense.
The Following is the right Evil for riders transitioning from cross-country who want more aggression, or trail riders who want Evil’s suspension quality without committing to 160mm+ travel. Just know that even at the entry level, Evil’s price tags aren’t budget-friendly.
- Rear Travel:120mm
- Fork Travel:140mm
- Wheel Size:29″
- Suspension:DELTA (Dave Weagle)
- Frame:Carbon monocoque
- Intended Use:Aggressive trail, downcountry
- Price Range:$3,099 – $6,199+
- Made In:Bellingham, WA designed
-
Evil Offering
The 2026 Offering is a meaningful redesign rather than a minor refresh. Evil bumped rear travel to 151mm (up from what was closer to 140mm before), added in-frame storage, and made the geometry adjustable via flip chip – a first for this model. The head angle dropped 1.5 degrees to 64.7 (high) or 64.1 (low) depending on the chip setting, and the seat tube steepened by 2 degrees to improve climbing position. Basically, Evil listened to the feedback and made it more capable in both directions.
Pinkbike called the 2026 Offering’s first ride a significant improvement – the extra travel gives it genuine enduro chops while the steeper seat angle helps you stay on top of the pedals on long climbs. Chainstays grew to 435mm and front center increased 20mm for more high-speed stability, which the previous version was asking for. The DELTA suspension still delivers the characteristic bottomless ramp that Evil bikes are known for.
This is the Offering’s strongest generation. It positions directly against the Pivot Switchblade and Yeti SB140 in terms of travel and intent, but the Evil brings a notably more aggressive geometric stance. Bikeradar called the Offering LS “supreme suspension and a thrilling ride” in their review – which about sums it up.
The Offering is the most logical first Evil for riders who’ve outgrown trail bikes but aren’t ready for a full enduro machine. It’s long enough to feel purposeful on technical descents and still pedals well enough to enjoy the uphills.
- Rear Travel:151mm
- Fork Travel:160mm
- Wheel Size:29″
- Suspension:DELTA (Dave Weagle)
- Flip Chip:Yes (geo adjust)
- In-Frame Storage:Yes (2026)
- Intended Use:Trail / All-Mountain / Light Enduro
- Price Range:$3,999 – $9,299
- Made In:Bellingham, WA designed
-
Evil Insurgent LS
The Insurgent is where Evil leans fully into their “long, low, slack” philosophy. At 168mm of rear travel and a mixed-wheel or 27.5″ setup, this bike is built for riders who want gravity-oriented capability with some ability to pedal to the top under their own power. The LS suffix means “Large Suspension” – this is the version with the full-travel setup as opposed to earlier generations of the frame.
Evil designed the Insurgent with aggressive enduro and casual park riding in mind. You can run it as MX (29″ front, 27.5″ rear) with a 170mm fork for a stable, high-speed setup, or go full 27.5″ with a 180mm fork for a more playful, easier-to-throw-around character. The 27.5″ option dramatically changes the bike’s feel – it becomes almost parkish in how it encourages manual and air time, even on trail features.
The DELTA suspension on the Insurgent is tuned for maximum suppleness early in the travel with an aggressive ramp-up at the end. Fanatik Bike’s review of the Insurgent and Wreckoning noted that “both bikes have an almost two-degree slacker headtube compared to the competition” – which is intentional. Evil is not trying to build a bike that’s easy to ride slowly.
The Insurgent is not for beginners or even intermediate riders looking to step up. It’s a specialist tool for experienced riders who want a bike with park-level capability that they can still pedal to the top of legitimate trails. If that’s your profile, this is one of the most interesting options in the enduro market.
- Rear Travel:168mm
- Fork Travel:170mm (MX) / 180mm (27.5″)
- Wheel Size:MX (29″/27.5″) or 27.5″
- Suspension:DELTA (Dave Weagle)
- Frame:Carbon monocoque
- Intended Use:Enduro, casual park, gravity trails
- Price Range:$3,099 – $7,000+
- Made In:Bellingham, WA designed
-
Evil Wreckoning LS
The Wreckoning is Evil’s most well-known bike, and for good reason. It’s 166mm of rear travel on 29″ wheels with geometry that sits near the slacker end of what’s acceptable on a bike you still pedal to the top. The head angle runs around 64-65 degrees depending on the linkage flip-chip setting, which means this bike is built for one thing: going down fast on rough terrain. The fact that it also climbs is a bonus, not the point.
The Wreckoning LS (current generation) received a water bottle mount inclusion on medium through XL frames, a lighter carbon fiber layup, and some color updates – but the fundamentals remain what they’ve always been. With a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate coil shock, the rear suspension is tuned for plushness and consistency over chunk rather than XC-style efficiency. This is the bike you choose when you’re willing to work a little harder uphill so you can go a lot faster downhill.
Freehub Magazine called the Wreckoning “a downhill-oriented enduro machine that strikes the right balance between nimble handling and big-terrain capability” – which is an accurate read. At 29″ wheels with 166mm of travel, it has the rollover ability to stay planted on rough, high-speed descents where smaller-wheeled bikes get deflected off line.
The Wreckoning is the bike to consider if the Offering feels like a warmup. If you’re regularly riding enduro race stages, double-black descents, or mostly do shuttle laps, the Wreckoning gives you a bike that’s genuinely built for that without tipping over into pure DH territory where you’d need a lift ticket to use it.
- Rear Travel:166mm
- Fork Travel:170mm
- Wheel Size:29″
- Suspension:DELTA (Dave Weagle)
- Shock:RockShox Super Deluxe (coil)
- Flip Chip:Yes (geo adjust)
- Intended Use:Enduro, gravity, shuttle laps
- Price Range:$3,099 – $8,499
- Made In:Bellingham, WA designed
-
Evil Epocalypse
The Epocalypse is Evil’s take on the e-MTB category, and they approached it the same way they approach everything else: build an aggressive, gravity-capable machine and add a motor. At 166mm of rear travel on 29″ wheels, the Epocalypse is an enduro e-MTB through and through. It doesn’t try to be an efficient pedaling bike with some motor assistance – it’s a heavy-hitting gravity machine with a motor that helps you get back to the top.
The DELTA suspension carries over from the acoustic lineup, which means you get the same progressive end-of-travel ramp and Dave Weagle-engineered kinematics on the e-bike platform. At $8,699 to $9,499, it’s priced in line with competing enduro e-MTBs from Santa Cruz and Specialized, and it brings the same character the Evil brand is known for: longer, lower, and slacker than most.
The Epocalypse isn’t for someone new to electric mountain bikes. The geometry is demanding – you need to be comfortable managing a long, slack bike on technical terrain, because the motor doesn’t fix handling skills. What it does do is extend your ride day substantially and open up terrain that requires more climbing than most fit riders want to do unassisted.
If you’re already a fan of Evil’s geometry and want to add assist, or you’re coming from a traditional enduro background and transitioning to e-MTB, the Epocalypse is an honest extension of the brand’s design philosophy rather than a compromise product built to hit a price point.
- Rear Travel:166mm
- Fork Travel:170mm
- Wheel Size:29″
- Suspension:DELTA (Dave Weagle)
- Type:E-MTB / Electric enduro
- Intended Use:Enduro e-MTB, gravity-assisted
- Price Range:$8,699 – $9,499
- Made In:Bellingham, WA designed
How to Choose an Evil Mountain Bike
Evil doesn’t have a casual entry point. Every bike in the lineup rewards a specific riding style, and understanding those differences will save you from buying the wrong one.
The Long-Low-Slack Philosophy
Evil’s design language is deliberate. Every bike runs a slacker head angle, longer wheelbase, and lower bottom bracket than comparable bikes from mainstream brands. This geometry makes bikes stable at high speed on rough terrain and confident in steep, technical sections. The tradeoff is maneuverability in tight, slow-speed technical moves and climbing on very steep switchbacks. If you’re used to shorter, more neutral-geometry bikes, the first ride on an Evil will feel unusual – give it time before judging, because the geometry rewards a committed, forward-leaning riding position.
Understanding DELTA Suspension
DELTA stands for Dave’s Extra Legitimate Travel Apparatus – Dave Weagle, the same engineer who designed dw-link for Pivot. DELTA uses a linkage-driven single pivot design that achieves a highly progressive leverage curve. What that means practically: the suspension is very supple early in the travel (good traction on small bumps), then ramps up aggressively at end of travel to give you that bottomless feel. Unlike simpler single-pivot designs, DELTA provides good pedaling efficiency and consistent performance whether you’re on the brakes or accelerating. The flip chip on most Evil models lets you adjust the leverage curve slightly to preference without changing the suspension architecture.
Travel Selection: Following vs Offering vs Insurgent/Wreckoning
The Following LS (120mm) is the gateway into Evil – aggressive trail, not full enduro. The Offering (151mm) is where Evil’s character really starts to shine, and it’s the most balanced pick for riders who want one bike for everything from fast trail to enduro stages. The Insurgent (168mm, 27.5″/MX) is for riders who prioritize playfulness and air time. The Wreckoning (166mm, 29″) is for maximum speed on the descents – it’s a pedal-able DH bike, not an enduro bike with extra travel. If you’re between models, the Offering is almost always the right answer for trail riders who want to go harder.
Evil vs Yeti vs Santa Cruz vs Pivot
All four brands occupy premium mountain bike territory, but they have distinct characters. Yeti uses Switch Infinity suspension and tends toward a more balanced, controlled ride feel. Santa Cruz with VPP suspension is known for a playful, lively character. Pivot with dw-link emphasizes pedaling efficiency and consistent suspension performance. Evil’s DELTA is the most progressive and gravity-focused of the four – expect a more planted, go-fast feel at the expense of light handling. Our Yeti mountain bikes guide breaks down the Yeti comparison in detail. And after you’ve read both, check the Pivot mountain bikes guide to see how dw-link compares to DELTA – the two brands represent different takes on Dave Weagle’s suspension philosophy.
Are Evil Bikes Good for Beginners?
No. That’s not an insult – it’s an accurate statement about what Evil builds. Their geometry is demanding, their travel ranges are aimed at experienced aggressive riders, and even their most accessible bike (the Following) assumes you already know what you want from a trail bike. New riders should spend their first season on a more neutral-geometry trail bike before exploring Evil. Our beginner mountain bikes guide and the broader best mountain bikes hub are better starting points if you’re early in your riding journey.
Evil Mountain Bike Comparison
A quick side-by-side of the full current lineup.
| Model | Rear Travel | Fork | Wheel Size | Intended Use | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Following LS | 120mm | 140mm | 29″ | Aggressive Trail | $3,099 |
| Offering (2026) | 151mm | 160mm | 29″ | Trail / All-Mountain | $3,999 |
| Insurgent LS | 168mm | 170-180mm | MX / 27.5″ | Enduro / Park | $3,099 |
| Wreckoning LS | 166mm | 170mm | 29″ | Gravity / Enduro | $3,099 |
| Epocalypse | 166mm | 170mm | 29″ | E-MTB Enduro | $8,699 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions people actually ask when they’re seriously considering an Evil bike.
Who makes Evil bikes?
Evil Bikes is a rider-owned and operated company based in Bellingham, Washington. The brand was founded by Kevin Walsh and has always had a distinct “built by riders for riders” culture. Dave Weagle – the engineer behind the DELTA suspension system – is closely associated with the brand’s technical development. Evil is genuinely independent and boutique-scale compared to major brands like Trek or Specialized. Their bikes are designed in-house in the Pacific Northwest and manufactured as carbon frames overseas, assembled and quality-checked in the US. The European arm (eu.evil-bikes.com) is a separate entity called Evil Bikes Global, SL.
Are Evil bikes good for beginners?
Short answer: no. Evil’s geometry is optimized for experienced riders who know how to work with long, slack handling and aggressive trail positioning. Even the Following LS – the most accessible Evil – assumes a rider who is already comfortable on technical trail terrain. That said, “beginner” in MTB has a wide range. If you’ve been riding for 2-3 years and are already comfortable on black trails, some Evil bikes might make sense as a step up. If you’re newer than that, check our beginner mountain bikes guide first. Build the skills, then revisit Evil when the geometry stops feeling foreign.
How does Evil compare to Yeti and Santa Cruz?
All three are premium American-designed brands with excellent build quality and devoted followings. Yeti (Switch Infinity suspension) tends toward a more controlled, predictable ride with strong XC-to-trail range. Santa Cruz (VPP suspension) is known for a playful, poppy character across their trail lineup. Evil (DELTA suspension) is the most gravity-focused of the three – slacker, longer, and tuned for riders who prioritize descending over climbing efficiency. In terms of pricing, they’re comparable. In terms of feel, Evil is the most specialized – you buy it knowing exactly what it’s for. Our Yeti bikes guide goes deeper on the Yeti comparison, and the best mountain bikes guide puts all three in context against the full premium market.
What is DELTA suspension and how does it work?
DELTA is Evil’s proprietary suspension system designed by Dave Weagle – the same engineer behind Pivot’s dw-link. DELTA uses a linkage-driven single pivot design that creates a highly progressive leverage curve. In practice: the suspension is very supple and sensitive early in the travel (great for small bumps and traction), then ramps up hard at the end of travel so you never feel like you’re running out of suspension. The design also maintains reasonable pedaling efficiency despite the long travel, and the flip chip allows fine adjustment of the leverage curve to personal preference. DELTA is exclusive to Evil bikes.
Where can I buy Evil bikes?
Evil sells direct through evil-bikes.com, which is often your best bet for current-year models and availability. They also have authorized dealers including Jenson USA, which regularly carries exclusive builds. The Competitive Cyclist sometimes stocks Evil frames. Evil does not sell through Amazon or most big-box retail channels – this is a boutique brand with selective distribution. If you’re buying used, The Pro’s Closet typically has Evil inventory at competitive prices.
🚲 Buy the Right Bike - Without Overpaying
Join our newsletter for honest buyer's guides, budget-friendly picks, and the occasional deal alert. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
