TMB Preview: Evil Offering V2

Several months ago, deep in the singletrack of Broken Arrow, the first whispers of a new Offering was heard. Being a diehard fan of the original Offering, the best quiver killer bike I've ever known, I questioned if it's even possible to get this bike any better?

Will I still be able to call this the best cornering bike ever?

Can the mad engineers at Evil cook up some devious improvements?

The time has come to test the waters here at Thunder Mountain Bikes, as we have new Offering V2 frames in our possession for custom builds and rental bikes scheduled to be built soon. The mountain bike gods have offered, now it's our turn to shred - and we hope you join in on the shred. Be on the lookout for when our new demo bikes are available to reserve.

Comparing the new Offering V2 to the original Offering, here is a rundown of key differences:

• Super Boost rear wheel spacing, to give more tire clearance and a stiffer rear end
• Slightly longer Reach, roughly 10mm depending on size
• Much shorter seat tube length to allow for longer dropper post lengths (this is my favorite update of the V2)
• Full internal cable routing and fresh frame lines, as expected, since this same treatment was done to the latest Following and Wreckoning
• Steeper seat tube angle
• Dedicated to shorter offset forks at 150-160mm travel (I absolutely love the shorter offset on my Offering V1)
• Improved bearings in the main pivot to last even longer (always welcomed!)

But, as alluded to earlier, the original Offering has some truly magical powers. And Evil seems to recognize that by keeping some key similarities, such as using the same rear shock size and travel and keeping a similar overall geometry. It seemed to be a given that the suspension travel would bump up by 5-10mm, but it is actually a relief to see that it's the same on this new model. They truly had a sweet spot going with the Offering, not just in terms of being in-between the Following and Wreckoning, but as far as being such a fun bike no matter where you are. The high level of climbing, accelerating, jumping, dropping, cornering, descending is the real sweet spot of the Offering. It does not matter if you are racing an enduro, riding bike park, backcountry epics, or fooling around on a flat trail - the Offering delivers confidence and stoke everywhere.

All Evil needed to do was create some marginal improvements without losing the wizardry they already had going. Easier said than done when all these bike companies are swinging to outdo each other. So far, it appears Evil is right on track with this one, and we cannot wait to unleash this beast on our favorite trails here in Sedona. We hope you will be able to as well!