Evil Offering GX Hydra review

Evil’s marketing material about the Offering is full of aggressive hyperbole, from “trail slayer” to “force of nature” and even “the dark lord of singletrack.” But on the trail, this bike is more of a playful lamb than an unstoppable force.

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Evil Offering GX Hydra frame

While the suspension layout looks complex, it’s actually pretty simple – a single-pivot swingarm drives a link, which in turn compresses the shock via a rocker. The link allows the leverage ratio over the shock to be manipulated to Evil’s specification. There’s room for a full-size water bottle on the down tube.

Substantial rubber chainstay and down tube protection, along with an integrated upper chain guide, keep the chain quiet and the carbon protected.

The rear axle is the 12 x 157mm Super Boost width, which is claimed to allow for more tyre clearance (up to 2.6in) but may make it harder to find replacement wheels.

A flip-chip lets you drop the bottom bracket (BB) height by 8mm, while slackening the head and seat angles by 0.5 degrees. It’s a fiddly job, though.

Evil Offering GX Hydra geometry

Evil Offering GX Hydra kit

A RockShox Lyrik fork is always good to see, as is a OneUp dropper post. If you order through Evil’s EU website, you can choose the dropper travel based on your leg length, which is a nice touch.

I was also pleased with the 810mm handlebar – you can always cut a bar down, but you can’t make it longer!

The Industry Nine rear wheel has an obnoxiously loud coasting buzz, which I found pretty annoying. You could quieten it down by greasing the ratchet, though.

The lacklustre SRAM G2 brakes are the main shortcoming. I’d much prefer the vastly superior, and barely heavier, SRAM Codes.

Evil Offering GX Hydra ride impressions

At 14kg exactly (in XL), the Offering is impressively light. The suspension is firm under power, too. There’s very little bob when spinning or sprinting out of the saddle. This makes the Evil a rewarding bike on which to push the pedals.

The 75-degree seat tube angle was (just) the steepest I had on test too, so it feels more efficient and less like you’re hanging off the back when tackling steep climbs. I do think it could be steeper, though, and didn’t like the frame’s ‘low’ geometry setting purely because it made the seat tube too laidback for climbing.

It’s not all plain sailing on the ascents, though. When pedalling forcefully at low cadences over bumpy ground, the high anti-squat of the suspension can make the ride choppy, with the bike seesawing over the terrain as the suspension butts up against lumps.

Despite being 1.4 to 1.6kg lighter than the Starling Murmur and Cotic Jeht Gold GX also on test, the Offering is only a little faster uphill.

However, when hopping and manualling up and over trail obstacles, the Evil requires noticeably less effort. Its short chainstays (430mm), high-rise bar and low weight make for an effortless and energetic feel when popping up and over logs and roots, and splashing through puddles.

The suspension is impressive too, when you’re up to speed and coasting. At the rear, the high initial leverage ratio gives a supple, ground-hugging feel.

With just under 30 per cent sag (measured seated) there’s a good balance of sensitivity and support, but I had to add a volume spacer or two to the shock (it comes with none) to stop it bottoming-out too easily.

The Lyrik Ultimate fork works well too, hoovering up small bumps with aplomb. Here, the bike’s relatively steep head angle (66 degrees) helps because it means the fork is better aligned with the vertical forces coming from smaller lumps, so the sensitivity is great.

Despite the boxy carbon frame, the Offering never felt harsher than the steel bikes mentioned.

However, tackling steep and rough terrain on the Offering feels notably more nervous and precarious than on its longer and slacker rivals. The relatively short wheelbase (for an XL) of 1,260mm makes it hard to keep your weight in the right place between the wheels when tackling big changes of gradient, steep turns, or big bumps and holes.

This had me understeering more (even with the same tyres) because I couldn’t load the bar confidently. Using the ‘low’ setting helps a bit, by slackening the head angle from 66 to 65.5 degrees, making the steering slightly more predictable, but this doesn’t change the wheelbase, which is the main issue for me.

Besides, putting the frame in the ‘low’ setting compromises climbing more tangibly than it improves descending. The fairly long seat tube (500mm in XL) also makes it hard to size up to get a longer wheelbase.

Evil plans to offer an angle-adjust headset, which will slacken the head angle by up to 1.5 degrees while adding to the wheelbase, all without affecting the seat tube angle.

Sadly, I didn’t get to test this ahead of this review, but it should improve the Offering’s descending capabilities without affecting its climbing.