AM Evil Insurgent

smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
New bike day has come.

My previous bike was a 2016 Specialized S-Works Enduro 650b until a hairline crack near the shock top mount ended its riding career. Thankfully the excellent crew at BikeNow sorted out a warranty and there was a crispy fresh 2017 S-Works Enduro frame in my sweaty little hands.

After two Enduros I thought it was time to try something new, so it went up for sale. After the demo day at the You Yangs I had my heart set on a Craftworks ENR before fate intervened. A complete Insurgent came up for sale on Facebook and I offered the bloke a reasonable price for the frame only, but he wasn’t willing to split. My long-standing lust for Evil bikes got the better of me and I pulled the trigger on the complete in the hope that I could sell the surplus parts. Thankfully the gamble paid off. The upshot? An immaculate Insurgent frame for about $1100. Not bad.

The result:



The drivetrain, shock, saddle, wheels and cockpit were recycled from the old Enduro but there were a couple of parts that were due for an upgrade.

My old Pikes were the first to get the chop. They were just undergunned on a bike as burly as the Enduro and under 90kgs of my hack riding the flex was noticeable. Managed to pick up some near new 170mm Yaris and a second hand Charger 2 RCT3 damper for cheap off Facebook. A new 160mm Debonair Air Shaft and we had a Lyrik. The switch to Boost was going to mean an adaptor before a snap CRC sale had me a new Hope Pro 4 Boost for much the same price. Was even able to lace it with the same spokes!

The OCD in me struggles to cope with the Air/Coil, RockShox/Fox combo of suspension so this will likely change when the credit card recovers. Options are a PUSH ACS3 conversion for the Lyrik/Yari, or possibly a Helm coil. I struggled to see the advantage of a coil shock on the Enduro, but the Insurgent linkage should be more suitable.

Next up was the brakes. I liked the feel of my old Formula T1s but they had their issues with reliability. One Pushys sale, a few beers and a driving need to over compensate and this was the result. Hope V4 front with 203mm Hope floating rotor, paired with a Hope E4 rear and another 203mm floating rotor. The setup was a fairly involved process but first impressions are that they could stop a locomotive.

The other main change was the dropper. The old Specialized Command Post attempted a blunt force castration every time you pulled the trigger, such was the return speed. The OneUp review on here persuaded me and by my calculations the 170mm post would fit. It did. Just. At maximum insertion it’s exactly at my seat height.

The only other change that is likely to happen is a wider 35mm bar (probably Renthal FatBar or Enve M7) and a stubbier stem (Thomson X4 TR35 40mm when they become available for a reasonable price - CRC have them at way above RRP).

More pics for good measure:



 
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smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Frame: 2017 Evil Insurgent (L)
Rear shock: Fox DHX2 200x57mm with 2-position lever, 500lb Fox SLS coil and Silk Graphics stealth decals
Fork: Super Yari/Lyrik RCT3 160mm with Debonair air spring, OneUp axle and Slik Graphics stealth decals
Handlebars: Thomson Trail C 750mm
Stem: Thomson X4 50mm
Headset: FSA
Grips: ODI Rogue Lock On
Saddle: Fabric Scoop Radius Elite
Seatpost: OneUp Components Dropper 170mm with Wolf Tooth ReMote
Seat Clamp: Thomson Seat Collar.
Front brake: Hope Tech 3 V4
Rear brake: Hope Tech 3 E4
Cranks: eThirteen TRSr Carbon 170mm
Bottom Bracket: Hope 30mm
Chainguide: OneUp Components Under Bash Guard
Chainring: eThirteen Guidering SL 34t
Chain: KMC X11 DLC Black
Pedals: Crank Brothers Mallet E
Rear derailleur: SRAM XO1 11-speed
Rear shifter: SRAM XO1 11-speed
Cassette: Box Components Box Two 11-46t
Front hub: Hope Pro 4 Boost 32h
Rear hub: Hope Pro 4 32h with steel freehub
Front rim: Stans NoTubes Flow Mk3 650b
Rear rim: Stans NoTubes Flow Mk3 650b
Spokes: DT Swiss Competition
Nipples: DT Swiss Brass
Front Tyre: Schwalbe Magic Mary Supergravity 27.5x2.35in
Rear Tyre: Schwalbe Hans Dampf Supergravity 27.5x2.35in
Extras: Reaper Mudguard, Stans black tubeless valves, Invisiframe frame and fork wrap.

Total weight:
14.8kg
 
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The Reverend

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Superb looking bike you've got there. And I like the way you've gone about getting the 2019 Lyrik too!

Looking forward to hearing the ride report and that the stoke is high.
 
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Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Shit! I better get building. Here I was hoping for an easy cruise to victory. Nice bike.

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teK--

Eats Squid
Looks great! Just not sure of the mudguard though.
Have you used that saddle before? Thoughts?
 

yuley95

soft-arse Yuley is on the lifts again
Looks great mate. Obviously the cranks play nice with the hope bb? I’m looking to either replace bearings in my e13 bb or go for a different 30mm option such as hope. Have you tried others?
 

smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Looks great mate. Obviously the cranks play nice with the hope bb? I’m looking to either replace bearings in my e13 bb or go for a different 30mm option such as hope. Have you tried others?
Was a bit of a gamble but no issues with the Hope BB at all. Fits perfectly. Only one I’ve tried but no good reason other 30mm options wouldn’t work.

Looks great! Just not sure of the mudguard though.
Have you used that saddle before? Thoughts?
I’m not sure about the mudguard either haha. Just wanted something other than orange.

Saddles are always a personal preference but I really like it. More comfortable than anything else I’ve ridden. Had survived a few big offs too so appears to be pretty durable.


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HindleJ

Squid
Does your 170mm one up measure 170mm of full travel?
Alot of reviews say the 170mm travel only measures at 150mm.
Nice ride mate
 

smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Ride Report

After a quick squirt around the single track at Anglesea, I took it for its first proper outing yesterday up to La Larr Ba Gauwa at Harcourt yesterday and I'm a happy boy.

For context I'm comparing it to the two most recent bikes I have slung a leg over:
  1. 2016 S-Works Enduro with Pikes and DHX2. 65.5 deg head angle, 422mm chain stay, 74.7 deg seat tube, 609mm top tube and 351mm BB height.
  2. Craftworks ENR with Formula fork and Cane Creek DBIL. 65.5 deg head angle, 418mm chain stay, 75.2 deg seat tube, 613 mm top tube and NFI BB height.
By comparison the Insurgent is rocking a 65.6 deg head angle (in low setting for now), 430mm chain stay, 74.3 deg seat tube, 640mm top tube and 346mm BB height. Main differences being the longer top tube, longer chain stay and lower BB height.

I'm not sure if it is just me projecting Evil's marketing hype onto it, but it truly is a hooligan bike. It truly encourages you to boost every little side hit and hang the tail out. Jumping on it for the first time I felt immediately comfortable. Even not having ridden properly in 6 months I shaved 2 seconds off a single track descent at Anglesea that I have been riding for years.

Climbing

There's no disguising that this is a winch and plummet bike. It's long and slack and you're practically sitting over the back wheel. As a result it takes some effort to keep the front end on the ground and not wandering all over the place. That said, the suspension provides prodigious amounts of grip which lets you get up out of the saddle and really crank it without worrying about spinning out. Managed to clear some technical rocky climbs and steep slick clay sections in the wet at Anglesea that would have left me stranded on the old Enduro. You do notice the low BB. Even with 170mm cranks there were a fair few rock strikes.

Flats

Even with the suspension set up fairly plush it responds well to getting up out of the saddle and sprinting. With the 2-position lever on the rear in firm, and the Lyrik in pedal mode it's happy hammering along single track like a shorter travel trail bike. The only thing really holding it back in these circumstances is the big slow rubber.

Down

As soon as you point it downhill it's entirely clear what it's aimed at. It's immensely stable at speed and just begs you to lay it down low and really rail it into corners. On a couple of occasions I was shot out of corners having massively over-turned and shot off the track, because the bike just digs in and rails. Despite the longer chain stay compared to previous bikes it really feels like the back wheel is right under your feet which lets you easily move it around.

It really doesn't mind how you ride it, and isn't phased of you're coming in too hot to corners, grabbing a handful of brake at the wrong time or choosing shitty lines - it just deals with it. I really get the sense that it really is a bike designed for your average intermediate-advanced rider rather than a pro-racer - despite the complex linkage it feels simple and it just works. Took it down Track 2 at Harcourt. This bike was born for the track - fast, flowing, with heaps of jumps to boost off. Its super stable in the air, easy to whip around the tight berms, and responds well to being pushed down into the longer, faster corners.

The additional standover height was also really noticeable. More room to shift around on the bike and with the 170mm dropper more confidence that everything was out of the way, making it easy to get off the back of the bike.

The enduro with a coil shock was a very serious bike, you got the sense it's only job was to get from the top of the hill to the bottom as fast as possible. It lost the 'pop' that it had with an air shock - which the Insurgent does not. In the right hands the Enduro would probably be faster, but I reckon the average rider would be faster and have more fun on the Insurgent.

It's hard to compare the ENR because it's a very different bike. Through the chunder the ENR has an extra measure of stability with the rearward axle path and effectively an extending wheelbase. If I was to sum it up, the Enduro is a 8/10 race bike, 2/10 fun bike. The ENR is 7/10 race bike, 7/10 fun bike. The Insurgent is a 6/10 race bike and 9/10 fun bike.

Components

Brakes: With 203 rotors front and rear, V4 front and E4 rear there was never any doubt this was a big setup. Having ridden it I don't think there would be any difficulty 1-finger braking a bus into an endo. Still fiddling with the various adjustments to get them dialled, but even with such a big brake kit it never felt over-braked. There's plenty of feel to the lever and it's easy to finesse the brake power.

Fork: So far I've been genuinely impressed with the Lyrik/Super Yari. Unlike the pike it's actually possible to set up up with correct sag, avoid bottom out (with 1 spacer), and avoid masses of brake dive. The initial plushness initially had me worried that I didn't have enough pressure, but only bottomed them out once or twice on some serious hits to flat. There's a really noticeable difference with the Debonair air shaft compared to the stock Yari shaft. That plushness just wasn't there.

Dropper: No issues with the dropper at all. Just works. Very minor side to side play but not noticeable on the bike.

Does your 170mm one up measure 170mm of full travel?
Alot of reviews say the 170mm travel only measures at 150mm
Have measured it at 168mm at full extension. I'll take it up with OneUp for my extra 2mm.
 
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HindleJ

Squid
Great write up.

Also debonair air shaft is so good even in a pike.

Thank's for measuring the dropper was stuck between it and the brand x 170mm (currently running a 150mm brand x).
 

teK--

Eats Squid
Was a bit of a gamble but no issues with the Hope BB at all. Fits perfectly. Only one I’ve tried but no good reason other 30mm options wouldn’t work.



I’m not sure about the mudguard either haha. Just wanted something other than orange.

Saddles are always a personal preference but I really like it. More comfortable than anything else I’ve ridden. Had survived a few big offs too so appears to be pretty durable.


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How about this?

RapidRacerProducts-Enduroguard-Clip-on-Mudguards-Black-Orange-RRP-EGBOL-1.jpg
 

smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I don’t mind these two, but kind of like the different colour.






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smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I’m no weight weenie (obviously) but stuck it on the scales for shits and giggles. Clocked in at a healthy 14.8 kg. It’s no lightweight but I’m relatively pleased with the minimal weight gain over the Enduro which clocked in at just under 14.1kg. Considering the extra chunks of metal in the form of the Lyrik, coil shock and hope brakes it’s not bad.


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smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt


Took it out for its first runs at the You Yangs this afternoon. It was a bit muggy, but with the rain this week conditions were perfect. Dirt was a bit softer and the dust had been damped down, could really dig in and rail.

Tried out the X-Low setting for the first time. Drops the BB to 334.4mm and the head angle to 64.8deg. It’s a bit of a fiddly job, need to undo 10 bolts and flip the chips upside down. Can be done with the shock still in and on the ground though.



First impression were on the steep fire road up to Boulder Track. You do notice the extra slackness and the front wanders a little bit more but it’s not a deal breaker.

But holy shit does it make a difference when you’re pointed downhill. It’s just stable and fast. First ride at You Yangs since I demo’ed the Craftworks ENR. New PRs down Cressys, Boulder, Junction and Trav’s. And big margins not incremental improvements on tracks where I’ve had 30-40 previous runs. I think it kind of encourages you to hit things harder and faster, and generate speed by gapping sections or launching side hits. On Cressys the increased speed you could carry was noticeable. Rather than having to mash the pedals through the bottom jump section, could just coast or you would end up over shooting.

Have found myself running slightly faster rebound to suit the poppy nature of the bike and keep it a bit more lively.

Will definitely be keeping it in X-Low for the time being. Pedal hits become a big issue when you’re climbing or getting on the gas through the rough stuff though.

The only real issue I’ve had with the bike is chain slap on the chainstay. The chain practically rests on the stay in the smallest cog and hits it hard in the chunder. Sound like the rear of the bike is disintegrating. Tried Velcro first but didn’t make much difference, now fitted some foam weatherseal which doesn’t solve the problem, but makes it bearable.



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smitho

Likes Bikes and Dirt
New cockpit time. Jumped on the short and wide bandwagon.



  • Enve M7 35mm clamp, 800mm wide.
  • Thomson X4 35mm clamp, 32mm length.

Took a little getting used to on the first ride, coming off a 50mm Stem and 750mm wide bar. It’s strange because while it feels more twitchy with the shorter stem you also have more control with the wider bars. It did feel a little harder to lift the front though.





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Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
New cockpit time. Jumped on the short and wide bandwagon.



  • Enve M7 35mm clamp, 800mm wide.
  • Thomson X4 35mm clamp, 32mm length.

Took a little getting used to on the first ride, coming off a 50mm Stem and 750mm wide bar. It’s strange because while it feels more twitchy with the shorter stem you also have more control with the wider bars. It did feel a little harder to lift the front though.





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How tall are you? I found 800mm too wide for me and I'm 6'3".

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