We keep banging on about how modern enduro bikes
are now more capable than ever before. Well Evil has
plainly been thinking along similar lines recently because
it has just released a new Berserker model based on
its Wreckoning LB and Insurgent LB enduro frames —
pumping up the spec to ensure it can suffer the nastiest
downhill tracks and harshest bike park abuse.
So what’s prompted this move? Is it merely a way to
save the development costs of a full-blown downhill bike?
Perhaps that’s part of the reason, but the fact that Evil
racer, Luke Strobel, has been winning downhill races up
and down the Pacific Northwest coast on a Wreckoning
LB 29er with a dual-crown fork seems to prove that it is no
sheep in wolf’s clothing.
A limited run of 80 bikes will be available for each
model, all dressed in an cold-blooded spec that includes a
180mm-travel Boxxer fork, Push Elevensix coil shock and
SRAM seven-speed DH drivetrain.
As with other Evil models, flip-chips let you adjust
the head angle and BB height, while further steering
adjustments can be made via the head tube insert and
dual-crown heights. And because this is basically a 27.5in
Insurgent or 29in Wreckoning, you could always fit a wide-
range drivetrain if an uplift isn’t available.
Fire up the crystal ball and we think this whole pumped-
up fork thing could be a trend that has legs. We’re already
seeing some riders running DH forks on e-bikes, and
Mojo’s Chris Porter has been busy developing a dual crown
upgrade for Fox 36 forks. And as an added benefit, it’s
possible to play with fork offsets much more easily if you
want to tune the steering characteristics — something
Porter has also been developing.
evil-bikes.com, mojo.co.ukgear
S a t a n i c
VerSionS
Evil’s new Berserker is designed for
chairways to heaven and the most
hellish descents
18 mbr m ay 2 019
Push shock uses two
damping circuits to give
the best of both worldsUni-directional
carbon frame looks
good enough to
hang in a galleryPush’s Elevensix coil
shock is a spec-
sheet highlight