Evil has produced a really fun bike. With really modern geo to help with the climbing without compromising the downhill fun, it feels like the Following can do anything. The DELTA link rear suspension gives the bike a bottomless feeling which is impressive with only 120mm of travel. The frame geo offers so much control over the bike it almost disappears beneath you which is always a cool feeling. Be careful, the confidence you gain may land you in some trouble when the trail gets too chundery.

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See Our Best Short Travel Mountain Bike Review 2021 Article HERE!

The inception of the Following seems to follow a story like the rebirth of a phoenix, a full-on rise from the ashes out of some serious trouble. Evil had been dealing with manufacturing problems for a few years on the DH 29er they had designed, like bikes broke a lot…too much. So to bring something new to the table, they opted for a 29er short travel bike. From this decision and using a mix-match of older and more modern geometry, the Following was born—five years ago. Since then, Evil has had greater successes, has created a very competitive fleet of bikes, and has updated the Following to keep up with the geometry changes as riders demand more.

Even on their website, Evil has trouble defining what the Following is or even should be. Everything from cross country shredder to an all-mountain rock garden basher, it seems like anything goes while the best purpose for this bike remains unclear. Just looking at it, it’s a beauty with two different matte colors to choose from: a black and an… eggshell white? Either way, it looks clean and mean.

The Bike

Some other minor updates include a chainstay guard that has three mounds to help reduce chain bounce and keep things a bit quieter. There is also a downtube guard for when things get a little shallow.

Climbing

Evil, like Revel, has a slogan that goes with the Following. They want you to “Win up. Win down. Follow no one.” I mean that just gets me fired up and ready to jump back on the bike. With a 77-degree head tube angle, as a rider, you’re in a prime position for climbing. The reach is 480mm on a large frame, not aggressively stretched out, so you can feel control over the front end of the bike while powering up technical terrain. The head tube angle is fairly steep at 67.9-degrees, helping to maintain the uphill maneuverability while still being playful on the downhills.

The bike has a super quick pickup when pedaling, so no power is lost during the transition from cruising to crushing. As a result, it can climb really well. Using Evil’s DELTA suspension set up, adjustable and tunable with a progressive leverage rate curve, the suspension naturally rides higher in the travel to help with climbing as well. The DELTA link has given the Following a bottomless, hoverbike feel while pedaling over chunder. This is an excellent feeling when you are trying to set a new personal record to the top of the local hill.

Downhill

For being a 120mm travel bike this thing can crush. The suspension responsiveness and DELTA link system gives it an almost bottomless feel that can handle small jumps and kickers no problem. The handling is confidence-inspiring, and a good rider who likes control will love this bike’s responsiveness.

Build Options

The Following comes in several build options. For the frame only, it will cost $3,099, and the build options go up to $7,400 for the X01 I9 Hydra set up. Build kits range from $5,799 to $7400 with all models on Hydra hubs and Industry Nine’s Enduro S wheels. At the time of this article, every build option was sold out on its website except for the solo frame. That must mean good things! The GX Eagle build is available on the Jenson USA website at the time of writing, so you can still get your hands on one!

The Bottom Line

If you’re a rider that likes a lot of control over your bike and spends as much time on the uphills as you do on the downhills, the Following is an excellent option. The new geometry is hitting that cheeky balance of powerful climber and poppy downhiller. With a steeper seat tube, slacker head tube, and short chainstay, this bike wants to go fast and will give you the confidence to let it.

The DELTA rear suspension creates a balance of keeping power in the pedals while climbing with an almost bottomless feel while bashing through a rock garden. We are really impressed with Evil the Following and hope to see a lot more of them on the trails in the future. There is a reason this bike has been revamped three times and is still selling out after 5 years of production, simple as that.

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