Trail bikes are meeeegatrendy: Suddenly there are special bikes for riding on flowing forest paths in every corner of the shop - as well as trail bike clothing, trail bike tyres and trail bike trails. Many of you are now throwing your muscular arms up in the air in disgust and shouting: "Ugh! We've always ridden around on flowing forest trails and didn't need any special clothing, tyres or trails!" You're right. But a good trail bike still doesn't hurt. Otherwise you're risking your head and neck because the pimped-up XC bike can't withstand brute trail banging. Or your knees will drag on your chin on the home circuit because the converted slopestyler only has a dwarf seat tube. Now there are just the right niche bikes for the trail bike niche. So what? However, it is important that these bikes are not re-labelled all-mountain bikes with slightly thicker tyres, but consistently developed specialists that focus on having fun and playing with the more moderate terrain. They should be powerful and lively. Handy and robust. Positioned pretty much exactly between an all-mountain bike and an enduro bike in terms of character and geo.
Intense's Recluse (Google says it means hermit?) is a perfect trail bike in terms of numbers: 140 millimetres of travel at the rear and 150 millimetres at the front, a fairly slack head angle of less than 66 degrees, robust tyres and solid components. The core is a voluminous and elaborately moulded full carbon frame with VPP rear suspension system. Unfortunately, the Pike at the front comes with the cheap RC damping cartridge - probably a concession to compensate for the extra price that you have to pay in this country just for the lettering on the down tube. Of course, the Recluse is still expensive. With Evil, too, you have to pay for its exotic status by digging deep into your wallet. However, the frame, which is also made entirely of carbon fibre, is much more visually appealing: massive with an enormous head tube area and huge single-joint swingarm. The guide integrated into the chainstay and the elaborate lever position with the shock sunk deep into the frame give the bike a unique look. Unlike the Intense, the cables are routed completely externally. This is not in line with the current trend, but it is a neat solution and 100 per cent suitable for everyday use in terms of maintenance and care. The Insurgent is a little more generous when it comes to suspension travel: 160 millimetres at the front and 150 millimetres at the rear. The massive Lyrik with high-quality compression cartridge moves the bike quite clearly in the direction of an enduro bike. The geometry is similar to that of the Intense; the head angle is almost identically slack at 66 degrees and the bottom bracket is even slightly lower at just 340 millimetres from the ground. Both bikes have modern long reach values of over 430 millimetres for size M.
When stationary, the first duel point actually goes to the Evil due to the more unusual frame and the better fork, but the fat look hits the weight. The Intense is over half a kilo lighter. Therefore a tie after the car park check.
We spread the riding test over two off-road sessions: In addition to a classic trail circuit on the Isar near Munich with numerous jumps and many sprint passages, both bikes had to prove themselves for a day on the Tschilli trail in Latsch. An enduro bike is also capable of this range, but especially on the trail circuit, the modern mini downhillers lose a lot of riding fun due to a lack of dynamics. This is where the duelists need to shine if they want to live up to their trendy reputation.
The Intense surprised our smallest tester on the first few metres with a (too) long seat tube. Dwarf tester Chris Schleker (172 centimetres and 77 cm inseam) was unable to lower the Reverb dropper post far enough into the frame to use the full travel. An unnecessary problem in times of ever longer travel dropper posts. With a classic set-up (20 per cent sag at the front, 30 per cent at the rear), we first hit the Tschilli trail. The downhill position is perfect: Not too enduro-like low on the bike, with good freedom of movement and an ideally positioned front end, the Recluse is agile and can be switched from one side to the other in a flash on berms. Unfortunately, the fork and rear suspension don't work in perfect harmony because the Pike with RC cartridge tends to dive under braking and in steep sections, while the rear suspension tends to be progressive and feels firm. On jumps, you're often too front-heavy and feel a little insecure. In direct comparison, the Evil is a class above. The position on the bike is slightly more upright and lower. All testers felt more confident at high speeds and on steep sections with the Evil. The suspension is so plush that it's hard to believe you're only travelling with 150 millimetres of rear travel. However, the chain rattles loudly in the guide. The rear suspension is very linear - we increased the two spacer rings fitted as standard to four during the test. The suspension can then be balanced really well and works sensitively without the bike losing any of its dynamics. Good pop on the jump and a very safe flying position are fun. In rough terrain, the Evil rides like an enduro bike that has not yet been completely overbred: agile, lively and yet safe. Points for the Evil.
On the Isar, the Intense shows enormous propulsive power. You sit effectively above the bottom bracket and have a lot of pressure on the pedals. Ideal conditions for accelerating again and again before jumps and out of bends. The Intense is fast! However, the rear end is too stiff for the stroke on root passages and tends to hop. The VPP rear suspension is not very sensitive, especially when pedalling. And here, too, the kicking rear end and the slightly sagging fork are annoying on jumps. The Evil has a little less propulsion, but remains stable when pedalling and accelerates well. The slightly more upright position encourages you to play with the terrain - an ideal character for trail use, according to all testers. With slightly less sag at the rear (25 per cent), the bike becomes even more agile and fun.
ConclusionThe Evil clearly wins the trail bike duel with an ideal mix of agility and good suspension function. Safer and more fun than an all-mountain, but not as sluggish and unwieldy as modern race enduro bikes. In comparison, the Intense is significantly lighter and has better propulsion, but it lacks the fun factor when jumping and the balanced suspension.
Technical data and notes
Evil the Insurgent
Manufacturer information
Distribution Evil Bikes
Info www.evil-bikes.com
Material/sizes Carbon/S, M, L,XL
Price/weight without pedals 5 687 Euro/13.9 kg
Measured values
Front/rear suspension travel 160 mm/150 mm
Rear suspension system Multi-link
Equipment
Fork/damper RS Lyrik Solo Air RCT3/RS Monarch Plus RC3 Debon Air
Cranks/gears Race Face Aeffect /Sram X1
Brake system Sram Guide R
Impellers Race Face Aeffect system wheelset
Tyres WTB Vigilante Fast Rolling Tough 2.3
Reach 433 mm
Stack 604 mm
BB-Drop - 11 mm
Intense Recluse Expert
Manufacturer information
Distribution Intense
Info www.intensecycles.com
Material/sizes Carbon/S, M, L,XL
Price/weight without pedals 6 798 Euro/13.3 kg
Measured values
Front/rear suspension travel 150 mm/140 mm
Rear suspension system VPP
Equipment
Fork/damper RS Pike solo air RC/RS Monarch Plus RC3
Cranks/gears Race Face Turbine/Shimano XT
Brake system Shimano XT
Impellers DT Swiss E 1900 Spline system wheelset
Tyres Maxxis High Roller 2 TR 2 2.3
Reach 438 mm
Stack 603 mm
BB-Drop - 9 mm
