They say if you need a hero to get things done, you have a problem. Well, the bike industry has a problem and it’s looking like we are going to need a hero to get ourselves out of this one. A massive surplus of inventory combined with a slowdown in sales to near sloth-like speeds have led us to a point where companies are realizing this fire is not starting with the current kindling we are using. It’s obvious we need something much more drastic to get these flames to catch.
I remember when I was a kid camping, sometimes the fire would get low or not catch, and I would take charcoal lighter liquid and pour it in. The flames would erupt and oftentimes would be just what was needed to get the real fire going. The bike industry currently needs charcoal lighter fluid and I truly think that lighter fluid is Evil Bicycles.
I remember working in bike shops throughout college and admittedly, most of my time during the day was spent watching mountain bike edits while no one was looking (sorry Mark from Pro Bike Supply if you are reading this). I was surrounded by bicycles from every boutique brand, but there was one brand that would eventually make me genuinely jealous, and that was Evil Bicycles.
At the time 29ers were still not considered playful or poppy. Niner had just released the WFO 29 following their RIP9 RDO, and this was the standard for 29er’s. Ibis had a Ripley at the time that had more flex than a Yoga studio in Newport, but admittedly was on the playful side. The industry itself was struggling to see if 29 would stick, or if they should move on to 27.5 and at one point even 27.5+ (I'm to blame here, I bought into this one).
Then you had Evil. Evil Bicycles released one of the most game changing 29ers of the sport, the Evil Following. This bike started off as folklore in bike shops. We had all heard about this 29er that was supposed to make you ride 10 levels above where you currently stood skill wise. It was supposed to be beefy enough to handle whatever you could throw at it, but light enough to feel like you were on cheater mode on the way up. Then one of our friends got one and would have the most magical experience ripping our local trails. This would lead to another friend getting one and then eventually our shop becoming a dealer.
Things got taken up another notch when Evil released the Wreckoning, a long travel 29er. On paper there was no way a long travel 29er was going to appeal to any of us at the time. 29ers were not meant to be playful, they were meant for rollover and that was it. That is when I saw the edit of Luke Strobel riding his Evil Wreckoning and absolutely destroying corners. It was an edit so simple that when I rewatched it today I realized, this is it. This is the hero we need.
You see, there were no fancy red cameras in this edit or weird cinematic voice overs by movie stars. Luke also didn’t look like a power ranger or nascar driver covered in logos and branding. The edit by Vital was so simple, Luke shredding the Wreckoning 29 so hard he rips his tire off and me watching thinking that's what I need, even though my skill level says otherwise. Then I rewatched the Luke Strobel Following 29 edit and the same thoughts I had years ago flashed back to my head. I want to ride my bike immediately! I want to get out there and pretend to ride like Luke Strobel, even though there is no planet where we are on the same skill level.
And most importantly, it made me want an Evil. The stoke created by watching an edit like those on a bike that pushes boundaries, is the fuel the bike industry needs to get this fire to take off. We need more bikes like the Following and Wreckoning made in today's market. Personally I think Evil can do it. Looking at their website, the Following 29er still has insanely progressive numbers for a bike from 2020. Can you imagine if they made that bike slacker, lighter, longer and lower? What monster would be created with their Delta suspension design, a slight different version of DW-Link, which already feels so good! Can you imagine a 27lbs 120mm 29er with a 65 degree head angle, 77 degree seat angle, low bb, long reach, and RockShox new Flight Attendant plus Evils suspension design? And what about the Wreckoning? Once again, a truly updated version of that bike and re-signing Luke Strobel is exactly what the bike industry needs right now!
I truly believe if there is any company that knows a thing or two about making bikes that are mind-meltingly fun to ride it is Evil Bicycles. Afterall, I'm typing this article without ever having even ridden one of their bikes. That's how good the simple marketing approach of making a ripping bike and handing it to Luke Strobel to film a well shot, simple edit worked. It fueled a fire in the bike industry that was struggling to accept 29ers.
And in the year 2024, the bike industry needs Evil to come out of the darkness and save it once again.
-Mo Awesome
