Revolt Downhill Bicycle
Weagle designed the suspension with a floating shock that's squeezed by the swingarm from both ends. This consolidates the bike's mass in the center of the wheelbase to reduce its "swing" weight--which means it's easy for a rider to move the bike around quickly on the trail or in the air. The Revolt's suspension moves like this: As the rear wheel moves up in response to a bump force, a small tension link connected to the swingarm drives triangular links on the frame to compress the shock from the top. The rear end of the shock is simultaneously compressed directly from the swingarm.
Nifty, but again, not the raison d'etre of the Revolt. According to Evil co-heads Gabe Fox and Kevin Walsh, the true purpose of the design is to create travel that is more controlled early in the stroke. Walsh says bikes "like the [Iron Horse] Sunday or [Santa Cruz] V10 sit deeper into their sag; you have to lift the bike back up in its travel" when exiting turns. The Revolt, by contrast, should run with 15 percent less initial sag than the V10 or Sunday. That, says Fox, nixes "precompressed travel when preloading for jumps, drops."
This suspension concept wouldn't be possible without the latest highly tunable shocks, like FOX's DHX RC4, and their immensely improved speed sensitivity. Still, the bigger deal to us is D.E.L.T.A.'s customization. Soon Evil will sell buyers different-length tension links (the vertical links connected to the top of the swingarm) to let riders fiddle with initial sag and other factors to refine ride quality. Note: Evil didn't go deep into these details, as optional link lengths are still being resolved.
Further customization is possible right now, via the Flip Chips that offer quick changes in bottom bracket height and head angle. One pair of these ovalized sleeves lives at the bottom attachment point of the tension links; the other pair brackets the shock attachment to the swingarm. Loosen and rotate the ovals for either a slack 63-64-degree head angle and low 13.78-in. bottom bracket, or a steeper 64-65-degree head angle and 14.25-in. bottom bracket height. The dual head-angle figures account for another feature: an offset sleeve at the bottom of the head tube that you can rotate for one degree of variability.
Fox says the idea is to create options rather than force riders to compromise. "Say, Diablo, New Jersey, is your home hill," Fox suggests. "And then you went to Whistler, where it's much steeper. You could make an adjustment." He says that pros usually adjust only for extremes-- such as a flatish course like Sea Otter or a very steep, rough one like Schladming.
Compared with another eight-inch-travel bike with adjustable head angles in this issue--the Intense 951 on page 76--the Evil Revolt is ballparking similar geometry targets but has a tighter wheelbase and shorter chainstays, which indicates that even if you set it up slack, it's going to be a quick-feeling bike. And that's precisely what Evil wanted. "That sport-level guy who buys this bike," says Walsh, "he's going to be using his brakes a lot more until he gets used to how fast he's just become."
- SIZES : S, M, L
- GEOMETRY (size M) : TT length (effective): 23.5 in.; ST length: 15 in.; head angle: 63 to 66 degrees; seat angle: 64 degrees; bottom bracket drop: -.09 in.
- FRAME : Hydroformed aluminum, FOX DHX RC4 shock; 203mm travel; adjustable geometry
