Majin
Likes Dirt
I would have bought the 36 if id known there'd a coil kit. ( makes me wanna buy one still
)My DVOs half coil, but not 100%.
)My DVOs half coil, but not 100%.
Z
Zaf
Guest
There's a guy on Facebook selling a Fox36 TALAS for $650, uncut steerer, never mounted. I think it might be a 20mm axle version though from 2016, that said, it's the right type of new and cheap to throw a coil kit in.I would have bought the 36 if id known there'd a coil kit. ( makes me wanna buy one still
My DVOs half coil, but not 100%.
EsPeGe
Likes Bikes and Dirt
The Push ACS3 kit is part coil and part air. The first 2/3 of travel is coil then it uses an air bump stop to ramp up the end of the stroke. It works!!! I might be telling you what you already know sorry.I would have bought the 36 if id known there'd a coil kit. ( makes me wanna buy one still
My DVOs half coil, but not 100%.
Majin
Likes Dirt
Interesting... I didn't know about the air part.
Ive got 15mm axles, and i sadly need the negative spring adjust to soften things
EsPeGe
Likes Bikes and Dirt
tiggerlator
Likes Bikes
Nice, like the color.
EsPeGe
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Ok guys so I’ve had a number of rides on the Wreckoning now, 3 days at Thredbo doing all the trails there including the Cannonball DH, a day at Ourimbah hitting the DH there and a day at Stromlo as well as a few rides at Mill Creek. I feel like I’ve got the bike sorted now and I’m pretty damn comfortable on it so I figured it’s time to bang up a review of sorts. I agree with everything Majin has said previously but thought I'd throw in my 2c worth.
Firstly I’m coming off a 2015 Pivot Mach 6 Carbon which if you don’t know is a 155mm travel 27.5 beast. I love the bike and had I not cracked the frame I would still be riding it. I also ride a Pivot Mach 429 Trail. Another great bike and it’s a 29er. I had been hesitant in the past to get a 29er as I’m a short arse at 171cm (5’7”) and the 29ers I have ridden were like driving a bus. They just felt shit. I think that most companies are now getting their geo’s sorted so that the 29ers just don’t feel that big anymore so I wanted to move up to a long travel 29er. I checked out a few bikes in this category but the front runners were the Evil Wreckoning and the Trek Slash. I hate Yeti’s (sorry Yeti crew I just don’t like em) so the SB5.5 was out and even though my 06 Spec Enduro is still going strong I can’t stand the look of the new Spec’s. I hate that cross frame top tube so it was down to the two bikes I mentioned. In the end after a lot of reading and watching Luke Strobel videos I had to have the Evil. I also like to have something a bit different.
Build Quality
When the frame turned up I unpacked it and was very pleased. It’s not only cockroaches that will survive a nuclear blast, this frame will too. It’s solid. The suspension linkage looked rock solid, and a pretty impressive piece of engineering. One thing that interested me was all surfaces on the inside of the frame are not smooth and glassy like the rest of the frame. They’re like 1200 grit sand paper, slightly rough. This is intentional but does make it hard for a frame skin to adhere to. Just something to be aware of. It will stick but you have to get it right first time or it’s rooted.
In keeping with EVIL’s low key, basic approach the EVIL branding is all stickers unlike the Pivots whose graphics are under the gloss coat and you can’t feel them. This didn’t matter to me as I was always going to replace them with custom stickers.
I won’t go into the full build here, if you are interested in the build you can check it out here
https://www.rotorburn.com/forums/index.php?threads/evil-wreckoning-pics.311661/
but the important thing to note is that I’m running a coil shock and a coil fork both done by Push Industries. I’ve done a review on the ElevenSix a few years back and will do a write up on the ACS3 coil upgrade soon so I won’t go into that here either. One thing I will say in regards the build though is that the cable routing internally for the dropper and rear derailleur was super easy with a nice little tube inside the main frame to rout the cables.
So how does it ride?
To say I’m impressed with the bike is an understatement. There is no pedal bob, zero. Even when I’ve got the ElevenSix in the DH mode it just sits there perfectly. It climbs really well. It is heavy and you feel it but apart from that it holds traction really well and I can climb everything that I can on my 429 Trail just slower. So for me that’s fine. I ride up because I have to and if I am going to do a lot of it I’ll take the 429 out. I ride for the downhill and that’s where this bike shines. Every review I’ve found says the same thing and I agree that the Wreckoning begs to be pushed. This bike is way faster than I’ll ever be.
On a good downhill and coming out of corners it accelerates like nothing I’ve ridden, a couple of quick pedals and it’s away. I’m also blown away by its cornering. The bike feels super manoeuvrable and I can flick it between corners with ease. I honestly forget it’s got “wagon wheels” on it. If anyone has ridden the flow trail at Thredbo lately you’ll know the new series of 14 banked corners about half way down. This thing just slays them. I can flick the back end around and its super fun. It feels every bit as good as the Mach 6 on this sort of stuff. This is a heavy bike. I haven’t weighed it but I reckon it would be at least 1.5kg heavier than the Mach 6 but on the trail I don’t feel the weight and I can pop off or over things with ease.
On the more rowdy stuff the Wreckoning really shines. At Ourmibah with all it’s rocky sections it just smoked it all. Now that may also be due to the combination of the ElevenSix and ACS3 upgrade as well as the bike but either way it does the rocky stuff really well. It goes where I point it and forgives my many mistakes. I like faster flowy stuff rather than gnarly rock gardens but I feel more comfortable on this bike doing that stuff than I did on the Mach 6 which I felt was pretty good.
It jumps really well and just soaks up bad landings. It’s easy to handle in the air and I can kick the tail out and back with ease although I’m certainly not Ryan Howard here!
On the trail I find it easy to do short manuals but down the street I find it a lot harder to manual and wheelie than both the Mach 6 and the Mach 429. The 429 in particular wheelies and manuals really well. I think this may due to the seat tube angle being steeper on the EVIL than on the 429 but that’s just a guess. It’s a lot harder to find that balance point and it feels like I’m way more vertical than on the other two bikes.
What about bad points?
I honestly can’t find any yet. If I find something I’ll report back.
To wrap up, I think it’s a well thought out bike with a really great suspension linkage that I’ll have a lot of good times riding. Both the Pivots and the Wreckoning share suspension linkages designed by Dave Weagle. The Evil has the “DELTA” link whilst the Pivots have the “DW” Link. In my opinion the DELTA is a better set up. Given Dave Weagle used to own EVIL I suspect he keeps his best stuff for them but I’ve got nothing to confirm that.
I think that most of the big companies out there are building good bikes these days. I find it a rare thing to hear a bike is really crap as technology and design improves. Is the EVIL any better than these other bikes? Hard to tell. But I do think that if you bought one you’ll have a great time on it and will be happy. I know I am.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers Scott.
Firstly I’m coming off a 2015 Pivot Mach 6 Carbon which if you don’t know is a 155mm travel 27.5 beast. I love the bike and had I not cracked the frame I would still be riding it. I also ride a Pivot Mach 429 Trail. Another great bike and it’s a 29er. I had been hesitant in the past to get a 29er as I’m a short arse at 171cm (5’7”) and the 29ers I have ridden were like driving a bus. They just felt shit. I think that most companies are now getting their geo’s sorted so that the 29ers just don’t feel that big anymore so I wanted to move up to a long travel 29er. I checked out a few bikes in this category but the front runners were the Evil Wreckoning and the Trek Slash. I hate Yeti’s (sorry Yeti crew I just don’t like em) so the SB5.5 was out and even though my 06 Spec Enduro is still going strong I can’t stand the look of the new Spec’s. I hate that cross frame top tube so it was down to the two bikes I mentioned. In the end after a lot of reading and watching Luke Strobel videos I had to have the Evil. I also like to have something a bit different.
Build Quality
When the frame turned up I unpacked it and was very pleased. It’s not only cockroaches that will survive a nuclear blast, this frame will too. It’s solid. The suspension linkage looked rock solid, and a pretty impressive piece of engineering. One thing that interested me was all surfaces on the inside of the frame are not smooth and glassy like the rest of the frame. They’re like 1200 grit sand paper, slightly rough. This is intentional but does make it hard for a frame skin to adhere to. Just something to be aware of. It will stick but you have to get it right first time or it’s rooted.
In keeping with EVIL’s low key, basic approach the EVIL branding is all stickers unlike the Pivots whose graphics are under the gloss coat and you can’t feel them. This didn’t matter to me as I was always going to replace them with custom stickers.
I won’t go into the full build here, if you are interested in the build you can check it out here
https://www.rotorburn.com/forums/index.php?threads/evil-wreckoning-pics.311661/
but the important thing to note is that I’m running a coil shock and a coil fork both done by Push Industries. I’ve done a review on the ElevenSix a few years back and will do a write up on the ACS3 coil upgrade soon so I won’t go into that here either. One thing I will say in regards the build though is that the cable routing internally for the dropper and rear derailleur was super easy with a nice little tube inside the main frame to rout the cables.
So how does it ride?
To say I’m impressed with the bike is an understatement. There is no pedal bob, zero. Even when I’ve got the ElevenSix in the DH mode it just sits there perfectly. It climbs really well. It is heavy and you feel it but apart from that it holds traction really well and I can climb everything that I can on my 429 Trail just slower. So for me that’s fine. I ride up because I have to and if I am going to do a lot of it I’ll take the 429 out. I ride for the downhill and that’s where this bike shines. Every review I’ve found says the same thing and I agree that the Wreckoning begs to be pushed. This bike is way faster than I’ll ever be.
On a good downhill and coming out of corners it accelerates like nothing I’ve ridden, a couple of quick pedals and it’s away. I’m also blown away by its cornering. The bike feels super manoeuvrable and I can flick it between corners with ease. I honestly forget it’s got “wagon wheels” on it. If anyone has ridden the flow trail at Thredbo lately you’ll know the new series of 14 banked corners about half way down. This thing just slays them. I can flick the back end around and its super fun. It feels every bit as good as the Mach 6 on this sort of stuff. This is a heavy bike. I haven’t weighed it but I reckon it would be at least 1.5kg heavier than the Mach 6 but on the trail I don’t feel the weight and I can pop off or over things with ease.
On the more rowdy stuff the Wreckoning really shines. At Ourmibah with all it’s rocky sections it just smoked it all. Now that may also be due to the combination of the ElevenSix and ACS3 upgrade as well as the bike but either way it does the rocky stuff really well. It goes where I point it and forgives my many mistakes. I like faster flowy stuff rather than gnarly rock gardens but I feel more comfortable on this bike doing that stuff than I did on the Mach 6 which I felt was pretty good.
It jumps really well and just soaks up bad landings. It’s easy to handle in the air and I can kick the tail out and back with ease although I’m certainly not Ryan Howard here!
On the trail I find it easy to do short manuals but down the street I find it a lot harder to manual and wheelie than both the Mach 6 and the Mach 429. The 429 in particular wheelies and manuals really well. I think this may due to the seat tube angle being steeper on the EVIL than on the 429 but that’s just a guess. It’s a lot harder to find that balance point and it feels like I’m way more vertical than on the other two bikes.
What about bad points?
I honestly can’t find any yet. If I find something I’ll report back.
To wrap up, I think it’s a well thought out bike with a really great suspension linkage that I’ll have a lot of good times riding. Both the Pivots and the Wreckoning share suspension linkages designed by Dave Weagle. The Evil has the “DELTA” link whilst the Pivots have the “DW” Link. In my opinion the DELTA is a better set up. Given Dave Weagle used to own EVIL I suspect he keeps his best stuff for them but I’ve got nothing to confirm that.
I think that most of the big companies out there are building good bikes these days. I find it a rare thing to hear a bike is really crap as technology and design improves. Is the EVIL any better than these other bikes? Hard to tell. But I do think that if you bought one you’ll have a great time on it and will be happy. I know I am.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers Scott.
Majin
Likes Dirt
Have you tried it in XLOW yet?
EsPeGe
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Not yet, I find the cockpit set up pretty good but it is a lot shorter than I expected. I am glad I went the medium as I would've been super cramped on the small. I think if I drop it to the XLOW setting I'll need a longer stem. Even though it's only bringing the head angle back .6 of a degree I feel that it would be just that little bit cramped. I've got a little squeak in the suspension linkage somewhere so I'm going to pull it down and lube it etc maybe I'll give it a shot then. How about you?
Majin
Likes Dirt
Nope
Stromlo doesn't really call for it, I'd be pedal striking everythingI upsized on mine as well.
Ive got a 31mm stem on mine and its great
But ive used a 50mm on it as well and it does make a differenceCheck your main pivot, I've heard of them making noises
Hiya, sorry to take this off topic but I'm pretty interested in getting Pivot Mach 429 Trail and want to know your thoughts.
I'm about 5'6". What size are you riding? - the guy at the shop seems to think I'll be medium but I'm very sceptical. I'm also concerned about going to 29. I've currently got a 27.5 and I got that cos I was sheepish about 29. Anyway - I'd love to hear a few things about the 429 trail if you have the time.
ozzybmx
taking a shit with my boobs out
Also wondering what difference it would make if I dropped my Following to the low setting, interested to hear from anyone that dropped their Evil to the low setting over the 'Hi' setting. Its beast of a bike already and as I climb as much as I descend, thinking it will only make the climb that little bit harder.
ozzybmx
taking a shit with my boobs out
Mine obviously has less travel but it's on my mind to drop it down, just to try it.
Saying that, it feels slack as.... Coming from riding fully rigid singlespeeds, fully ridgid HT's and Fatbikes, my venture back to a FS bike was a XC 9.9 superfly. I see so much front wheel its crazy, looking at the fork bridge had been a long time since my Nicolai back a few years now.
Just a bit inquisitive what it might feel like.
Saying that, it feels slack as.... Coming from riding fully rigid singlespeeds, fully ridgid HT's and Fatbikes, my venture back to a FS bike was a XC 9.9 superfly. I see so much front wheel its crazy, looking at the fork bridge had been a long time since my Nicolai back a few years now.
Just a bit inquisitive what it might feel like.
hifiandmtb
Sphincter beanie
Is that measured sagged or unsagged 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Majin
Likes Dirt
I took the air out of the Monarch so no sagIs that measured sagged or unsagged
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Z
Zaf
Guest
And the fork?I took the air out of the Monarch so no sag
Z
Zaf
Guest
Lower than Barry White's dulcet tones!!!