Evil Wreckoning returns with a vengeance, super boosted with more 29er enduro travel

Written by Cory Benson Jul 09, 2020 7:00 a.m. ET

2020 Evil Wreckoning enduro mountain bike, 166mm carbon 29er gravity enduro all-mountain freeride bike

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The Evil Wreckoning is back and bigger than ever with a major technical enduro reboot almost four years since it first debuted. In those years since enduro mountain bikers keep going bigger & faster. And the new Wreckoning is up to the task with longer/slacker/more aggressive geometry that’s even more DH capable than before, a bump to 166mm of rear wheel travel, and a host of other refinements that make for a more confident big mountain bike.

2020 Evil Wreckoning 166mm carbon 29er enduro mountain bike

Evil has labeled the Wreckoning from the start as a DH bike trapped in a trail-shredding enduro bike’s body. Built around Evil’s multiple linkage-driven Delta System single pivot suspension designed by Dave Weagle, the Wreckoning is happy to pedal uphill. But now with 5mm of extra rear wheel travel – bumped up to 166mm (that “feels like 200mm“) – it’s even more of a gravity bike than ever. Ride it like a monster trail bike, race it for enduros, or take it to the bike park to thrash freeride & jump lines like a DH bike.

So what’s new? Updated enduro geometry

The Wreckoning already flirts back and forth between being an aggressive trail bike and a gravity fueled enduro weapon, with its 2-position flip chip – Low or eXtra Low – that lets riders tailor geometry across a wide range of styles, pairing the frame to anything from a 160-190mm fork.

But the updated geometry is really about getting downhill faster, with newly longer reach, slacker 64.2/64.8° headtube angle (170mm fork, Low/X-Low), and the 166mm rear wheel travel. But steepening the seat angle up to 76.5/76° (170mm fork, Low/X-Low) also helps get the bike back uphill under your own power too.

Evil builds all of their complete bikes up with 170mm, 44mm offset forks to tackle the steepest, most technical terrain. But they also know that many riders building their own super trail bikes might opt for 160mm forks.

That still gives the new Wreckoning a slack 65.2/64.6° head angle (160mm, Low/X-Low) and a steep 77/76.5° seat angle, and Evil has a 160mm fork geometry table for mountain bikers looking to go down that path. They even share full gravity geometry for riders looking to pair the bike to a single crown 190mm fork like the new Zeb.

Wreckoning – Tech details

Beyond longer travel & faster geo, the new UD carbon enduro bike now gets full internal cable routing with internal guide tubes in the slightly slimmed down, more angular shaped frame.

Plus it moves to wider Super Boost+ 157mm rear spacing and wider main pivot spacing for improved stiffness of the one-piece rear triangle and tire clearance with the still short 430mm long chainstays.

The new bike features metric Trunnion shock mounting, a threaded bottom bracket, ISCG tabs, a new smaller integrated chain guide, new extra-quiet Stealth rubber chainstay chainslap protector, plus a move to a more standard & smaller diameter 30.9mm seatpost.

Wreckoning – Options, pricing & availability

The all-new Evil Wreckoning is available as a frameset only paired with a RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate shock for $3300 in Coral Reefer orange or Blackout Drunk black in four frame sizes (S-XL), or in five standard complete bike build kits – plus option for some suspension & component upgrades.

The Evil Wreckoning GX-I9-Hydra is the most affordable at $5800 with a SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain & G2 RS brakes, the RockShox Super Deluxe Coil Ultimate shock paired with a new 170mm RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork, OneUp dropper post, plus of course the Industry Nine Enduro S Hydra wheels that round out its name.

Next up on the pricing spectrum is the $6300 Evil Wreckoning XT-I9-Hydra with a Shimano XT 12sp setup with XT 4-piston brakes, and the same RockShox Ultimate suspension, OneUp dropper & Industry Nine wheels.

Then comes the $7400 Evil Wreckoning X01-I9-Hydra with a mechanical SRAM X01 Eagle drivetrain, Code RSC brakes, RockShox Ultimate suspension, dropper & the i9 wheels.

Topping out the Shimano builds is the $7900 Evil Wreckoning XTR-I9-Hydra with unsurprisingly an XTR 1×12 group, 4-piston XTR brakes, the same RockShox Ultimate suspension & i9 wheels.

Lastly, the most expensive build goes to the $8100 Evil Wreckoning AXS-I9-Hydra with a SRAM X01 Eagle AXS wireless eTap electronic drivetrain, Code RSC brakes, and a matching SRAM AXS Reverb dropper post. It still keeps the same RockShox Ultimate level Super Deluxe Coil shock & 170mm RockShox ZEB fork as the rest of the complete bikes, together with the 30.5mm internal i9 Enduro S Hydra wheels.

All of the frames and complete builds are up on Evil’s website now, with availability mixed depending on where you are buying from, size, color & build kit. Hit the site up to see if what you are looking for is in stock now.

Evil-bikes.com

Cory Benson

4,164 articles

Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com.

Cory has been writing about mountain bikes, enduro, cyclocross, all-road, gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years, even before the industry created some of these names. Prior to Bikerumor, Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability, has designed bike shops & bike components, and worked as a bike shop mechanic.

Based in the Czech Republic for 15+ years, he is a technical mountain biker, adventurous gravel rider, and short & medium-haul bikepacker. Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes, meeting with key European product developers, industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new, and what’s coming next.

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J'Anky Teal

3 years ago

You lost me at Super Boost.
There are too many great bikes around to even entertain that nonsense. Offloading the inability to build a stiff/short/whatever rear end onto the consumer feels like an engineering cop out, especially when almost everyone else manages just fine.

Riley Smith

3 years ago

Reply to J'Anky Teal

Pretty much every other brand does longer rear ends than Evil. They haven’t had an issue working with boost in the past. Some people like to say that boost 148 is the silly shoehorned standard, but honestly since it works so well and so few hub/wheel manufacturers vouch for its credibility… how is it truly silly? And realistically why aren’t we on the DH hubs that run the same frame spacing for a stronger build?

RiderMan

3 years ago

Although Evil didn’t specify the new Wreckoning as a ‘2021’ bike, I’m more inclined to think it’ll be marketed as a 2021 bike as we’re more than 1/2 way past 2020 already…

Riley Smith

3 years ago

Reply to RiderMan

Evil don’t really do model year. They might release them in time with the MY cycles, but they keep the same two colours on a frameset through a production lifecycle, whatever that might be.

3 years ago

They lost me with the cover shot of the rider thrashing the trail. As a trail builder, I hate seeing advertising that shows this kind of abuse of trails. If everyone rode like this the trails would be hammered into oblivion. I see younger riders emulating this behavior and it’s going to make it much harder to undo those habits when marketing folks use those images to sell products.

Dr Sweets

3 years ago

Reply to AP

That’s pro rider Graham Agassiz. That looks like the trails in Kamloops, BC which is (on the lower sections) made up of that very dusty moonscape terrain. Even riding there mildly results in a dust cloud. I recommend not getting your chamois in bunch as such riders and people in that scene are very attuned to potential destructive trail issues having dealt with it for more than two decades.

Jeff

3 years ago

Reply to Dr Sweets

You literally didn’t understand anything of what AP’s complaint is. It matters not who or where that picture is. the issue is that when young riders see this imagery, they emulate it at their local trails. Shocking i know, but most people live in areas that emulating this type of riding IS very destructive to the trail. I see it at my local trails too. on a busy night you will see 10-15 skid marks into any sort of down hill corner. when following riders, they are constantly trying to flick their tires in every berm. all this results in blown out berms and lots of braking bumps even on relatively flat trails.

Dr Sweets

3 years ago

Reply to Jeff

Oh I get it. This is the same argument that has been flogged forever over everything from violent video games to rock and roll music to Bugs Bunny cartoons and of course mountain biking edits. It’s really amazing that every kid exposed to such horrors hasn’t become a tire-shredding cretin let alone a murderous arsonist psychopath. No actually, it’s not. A little bit of education goes a long way. Local trail building groups, IMBA/IMBA sub groups and NICA are tremendous resources for this. Lastly, the most destructive group of riders I encounter are never the big bike types or eBikers, but rather the Strava KOM-chasing XC nimrods whom I see routinely leaving their disgusting gel packets and other trash everywhere as well as riding at mach chicken on trails crowded with kids and families. I’ve nearly come to blows with these jag offs multiple times. Ride on.

3 years ago

Reply to Dr Sweets

I coach kids and yes, they are trying these tricks and thrashing trails. I try to educate, repair trails, and do what I can, but when all the “cool kids” are doing stuff, kids will do what they do. And it is not just kids, we have a lot of new riders on our local trails that don’t understand etiquette and responsible trail use and that has wreaked havoc as well. It certainly isn’t KOM seekers causing problems, it’s Strava segment folks that like to cut corners to shave a few seconds off. The local trail alliance has put up signs trying to educate people but they get torn down. Probably by nimrods that are in denial and trying to justify their own behavior. Ride on, responsibly.

Justin Walsh

3 years ago

Reply to Jeff

…still doesn’t get it. It’s far from any video game argument, as it’s actually happening. The whataboutism with xc riders is irrelevant. Sure that crap happens, but no one is making a promo video of littering.

I see it all too often too, AP, Jeff, and as one who also maintains local trails it’s not making things easier. It’s in the majority of marketing videos, and ‘berm slashing’ is referenced as a design success for bikes. More kids watch these videos and read reviews than participate in MBA’s unfortunately.

All that aside, I ride an Evil Offering as my trail bike and it’s amazing. If I needed/wanted a DH/Park/Enduro type bike I’d be taking a hard look at this new Wreckoning.

Author

Cory Benson

3 years ago

Reply to Justin Walsh

@All, I’m going to quickly pipe in here, not to sound off or take sides, but just to recognize that this is a discussion worth having. That said, I’m moving the dusty berm shot down into the article and away from the lead image. It doesn’t need to be the first thing you see when you think about this new bike.

I’m not specifically trying to hide it. But to be fair, it was my decision to lead with it since it does a good job of illustrating the bike. I apologize for my selection and I’ll take responsibility for giving the image so much prominence, as one of dozens of riding photos Evil shared of the new Wreckoning.

In its place is a more contemplative image. Maybe that should have been a better place to start to talk about the big bike. Personally, I’m both a firm believer of responsible riding and working hard as a trail steward & trail builder to ensure we have great places to ride – wherever you are in the world.

Sean

3 years ago

Reply to AP

The people whining about berm slashing should step back and realize why we all ride bike. It’s because it’s FUN! I volunteer a lot of my time trail building (mostly trail repairs), and I still have never felt the right to tell someone else how to have fun on their bike.

Maybe you should stop doing trail maintenance if it bothers you so much. People aren’t going to stop having fun, so the better option is to convince everyone to volunteer time to help maintain trails. Rant over.

3 years ago

Thank you. I respect and appreciate your decision. Please keep up the good work with this website. I know opinions clash sometimes, but ultimately we all come here because we love bikes and riding.

Tom

3 years ago

interesting takes on here. Much as some intellectuals might want to believe otherwise, monkey see-monkey do. Bottom line is that it is better NOT to have to undo bad behavior someone learned from seeing a glory picture. Similarly, I got panned for calling out a road pic where 4 people were spread across the entire road for a fashion shot. But having seen enough road cyclists around here riding on the yellow line, resulting many aggravated drivers, some people are clearly taking some bad lessons on board. Or maybe just oblivious to start with.

Riley Smith

3 years ago

Reply to Tom

That’s on those drivers though. Cyclists are allowed to use the road.

JJohn

3 years ago

There are plenty of other sub 435mm chainstay bikes with 148 spacing: Megatower, SB150. So not it isn’t silly, but it seems to be with DW designs that companies are adopting 157 (Devinci, Pivot, Evil). I’m guessing that’s no coincidence. I hear ‘stronger’ but 700c road bikes have been at 130 spacing. In a world where stiff wheels is perhaps even more important, we don’t see changes to hub standards.

Tim Bretches

3 years ago

Can we please talk about the seat angle of this bike. Actual seat angle 68 degrees? I can’t imagine that being a comfortable climbing position?? I imagine it climbs similar to the Trek Slash?