Cam Zink on Evil

by Tyler Maine

Cam Zink won the 2010 Monster Slopestyle at Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler, B.C., then he took the Red Bull Rampage and FMB Tour in Virgin, Utah. Now he's chosen Evil bikes for his 2011 season.

Moving into 2011 he's got a lot of new sponsors backing him, including his new ride, Evil Bikes. A bold move for Evil, an innovative brand that has delivered some incredible moments, as well as some serious controversy in a very short time.

Also new to camp Zink are Monster Energy, Contour, Osiris and Deft Family, while steady backers like SRAM, Deity, Oakley and Geax among others continue to carry Cam into the new decade. Here's the official word from Evil's head honcho Kevin Walsh, SRAM's Tyler Morland and Cam Zink himself on how 2011 is starting to shape up.

This marks chapter two in the book of Evil and I look forward to writing many new chapters with Cam as the star of this twisted romance novel. I have always been impressed by Cam, I mean who isn't? This guy should be on The Bachelor or something. Aside from the obvious, it's rare to find a guy who can 3 a 50 ft drop, yet be motivated, creative and business minded at the same time. If by some odd chance a female actually reads this which is highly unlikely, he is single, that's right!

But as I said before, he is the star of a romance novel so it won't be easy...I would like to think the best part about Cam is how perfectly aligned his personality and riding style are with the brand. He will play a big part in Evil part 2, and I look forward to the adventures the future has in store and getting him on a straight bike soon. Thanks for finally sending the grips Cam, they will look good on the new carbon Undead! - Kevin Walsh, Evil Bikes

We were lucky enough to work with Cameron from the start of his career and from that start it was apparent that the "the crazy" eyes would never disappoint. From highs to lows he's part of the family and we will continue to ride the roller coaster that Mr.Zink is on. - SRAM MTB PR & Media manager Tyler Morland

I'm stoked to see Cameron riding for Evil Bikes! I think they've got a great brand image that will fit right into Cameron's new relationship with Monster Energy...combining two brands that like to go big, supporting a rider that likes to go bigger should bring some excitement to 2011!! - Sean Heimdal, Monster

Cam's 2011 Sponsors:

Evil Bikes (new)
Monster Energy (new)
SRAM/Rock Shox
Troy Lee Designs
Mavic
Geax Tires
Contour Cameras (new)
Deity Components
Oakley
Sensus
Osiris (new)
SDG
Deft Family gloves (new)

I feel more at home than I have in my whole career with my new sponsors. I have the most amazing group of loving sponsors and supporters backing me to help me live out my utmost potential. There are a ton of projects in the works with Freeride Entertainment and I couldn't be happier to start the year off filming and staying healthy before the contest season. The new help and support of Monster, Contour, Evil, Osiris and Deft Family will give me no excuses to accomplish everything I can dream up. ' Life is so good I can taste it in my spit.' -Layer Cake - Cam Zink

165 Comments

Score Time

+ 32

karlheldt (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:28)

that guy will kill it on anything.

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+ 20

blackohio (Jan 27, 2011 at 5:48)

I know now why I rarely read PB comments. It's a bunch of snarky, retarded teenagers who think because they read forums they have insight into a companies financial status. Kevin and Evil are a good fit for Cam. First year bikes have issues, bikes have issues. Evil is working through them and Kevin is making sure that whatever issues were there before get corrected in the future.

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+ 11

Bmxerch (Jan 27, 2011 at 9:09)

OH MY f*ckING GOD. Leave it up to the haters.

This is another classic Martin Soderstrom thread. All you " Why would he do this " people, have some comon f*cking sense. Obviously Evil has an offer that Cam wants more than Corsairs. Leave it at that.

Cam is happy on Evil, and did not ask you for your opinions for his move. Shut up about it.

Great move as I'm concerned. I'd chose an Evil frame over a Corsair anyday.

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+ 15

jyemen (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:16)

in my opinion evil is a better brand than corsair

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tanner07 (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:20)

I will sum this up as good as i can from what i know.

Cam didn't put corsair on the map, he did help them out though with his performance last season. From what i know cam was getting paid very little by corsair (if anything at all). Corsair changed ownership last season, they are in transition with new developments and just dont have the money to pay someone like cam. Evil lost vanderham and smith, i imagine cam is getting those two guys salaries combined. pretty hard to say no to that

Evil is finally getting their stuff together after having issues with their asian manufacturer, so expect them to FINALLY start getting product out there

Last summer there was proto concepts of a carbon revolt, who knows if that is the next thing out from them or if it was just an exercise.

Evil since the beggining has had a 5-6" trail bike as a proto, they showed it at interbike a few years ago and then nothing was heard about it again. with cam now on their team, that bike, or something similar perhaps made of carbon (hence the carbon undead) will need to be released or at least have him ride it at the slopestyle events. We will be seeing a trail/slope bike from evil in 2011, if its put into production or not is yet to be unseen

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thetake401 (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:54)

why do people dislike evil bikes so much? reading through these comments, it would appear that evil is some kind of sub-par brand that sell nothing worth buying.
i reckon they're quite underrated, personally, and signing up Zink will be a great thing for both sides

stp-0 (Jan 27, 2011 at 1:43)

Agreed, i dont have anything against evil. Their bikes look sick

tom-cuthbert (Jan 27, 2011 at 1:51)

they have numerous frame issues, one being the tiny linkages have TONS of stress on them because of the leverage they get put under, which can only lead to one thing, snappage/bendage.

jezzah (Jan 27, 2011 at 4:34)

as has been said above, Evil have gained an incredibly bad rep over the last year due to frame failures / taking ages to get replacements out.

Also they currently have no bike suitable for slopestyle apart from the hardtail.. So bike wise corsair seemed more suited to what Zink rides. But hey, if he can make it work then go him..

IH4LIFE (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:13)

@shred-nz-media just imagine the stress put on a bike during red bull rampage i wonder how that will turn out if its having trouble with races just think about 50 jumps

jezzah (Jan 27, 2011 at 11:38)

Well Vanderham seemed to do alright on his at the rampage this year. Its a formula for a good bike, just needs some more work done..

IH4LIFE (Jan 27, 2011 at 15:01)

Yea it is only a year old and a brand new design they will figure something out

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marco222 (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:39)

No mistake for me: I like their bikes and what they do. Just makes me wonder, but who cares at the end?

All the best to Cam!

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marco222 (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:26)

I wonder how Evil can pay for their team at all. To feature a full on world cup presence and now Zink must cost a bunch.
I mean they only make one very expensive DH frame and a few hardtails. No other stuff that at least I know of.

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samdueck Plus (Jan 26, 2011 at 22:23)

Yeah Cam! Good luck this year!

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D-ponko (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:27)

wait...what? what happened to corsair/atomblab? that was short lived. you would think he would stay with them through 2011 with their new bikes..

+ 10

elbry (Jan 26, 2011 at 23:32)

corsair was only a stop gap when he got dropped from felt, that team did not have the money to pay zink what his worth, Evil have a proper program

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vics26 (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:22)

Just looking at the latest BikeMag and it says the following about Evil and specifically the Revolt:
"There have been reliability issues with some of the Revolt frames, due to lapses in manufacturing quality control. The company has found a new vendor , and in 2011 we can expect to see the Revolt updated into a new carbon -frame DH bike that will be dubbed the Evil Undead".

It will be interesting to see what bike Cam will ride for slopestyle. Perhaps Evil will build a new SS bike or maybe they will tweak their all mountain rig to suit Cam for SS riding. http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/4119041/

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pennel69 (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:38)

do they have a slope bike for him to ride?

daigneauu (Jan 26, 2011 at 22:04)

hes going to pull a mike off and ride a hardtail in the slope contests

- 10

hoolydooly (Jan 27, 2011 at 1:03) (Below Threshold) show comment

he needs to be on Trek, riding with Cam Mccual. it would really be the perfect team for him.

dirteveryday (Jan 27, 2011 at 3:32)

He rode a dual crowned 8.5" travel bike in Rampage...seemed to work out OK for him...

daigneauu (Jan 27, 2011 at 15:17)

i wish him luck riding that in goat style and crankworks

DirtBagMedia (Jan 27, 2011 at 16:23)

^^ lawl, good one mate

dirteveryday (Jan 27, 2011 at 16:45)

I'm pretty f*cking sure Cam Zink knows what he's doing. He didn't ride anything BUT hardtails until just recently, he'll figure it out.

EeehhZink (Feb 1, 2011 at 18:19)

Ive ridden DH bikes since I was 10 years old.

dirteveryday (Feb 1, 2011 at 18:26)

What I was saying is that in just about every SS event I can remember is that you were on a hardtail. It wouldn't be a new thing to see you goin huge on either on a ht or a 3'n a full-on DH rig. Im actually supporting your choice, those dogs^^^ are doubting.

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Velzy (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:14)

Re: Evil Bikes. I have tried to place an order with Evil (for a 2011 Revolt) through one of my shops for 3 months. Virtual silence. Two things were communicated from Evil. 1. They were changing manufactures (as you know). 2. There were some family matters impacting things. At the end of the day (3 months), I simply could not wait for the sick bike I wanted to build. My money was screaming at me. I've put my money elsewhere with a keen eye on the Evil Undead and what it may bring. Evil is like a new stock. Hot IPO. Wild ride at first, but will it mature and grow or will it be relegated to the land of penny stocks and ultimately de-listed? Anybody's guess, but with Cam on board now, certainly worth paying attention to. (I still want a Revolt!)

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takakuwata (Jan 27, 2011 at 21:07)

I'm glad to hear Evil is getting back on track, I currently ride their first generation revolt frames and never had an issue with the frame. Guess I lucked out with a solid frame. Believe it or not, Evil has a 140mm full suspension frame in the works since 2009 "EVIL SECT" check out the link www.bikeradar.com/news/article/video-of-the-week-evil-bikes-sect-exclusive-23443 If the link doesn't work google search Evil Sect.

I heard a rumour the carbon frame may come out as early as spring 2011… Keep your chin up KW theirs light at the end of the tunnel!!!

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mj46 (Jan 28, 2011 at 2:39)

Didnt we see steve smith on a aluminum hardtail, kinda 4x race type of thing, called "the omen" some time ago, i like evil, but... it just seems to me like they wernt ready to relaunch the brand yet when they did so 2 years ago, in my opinion they should have had the sovergin, faction, omen, revolt, sect, divison (apparently a 6"fr/mega style rig they talked about when the fist relaunched 2 years ago, but we havnt seen or heard anything a bar a small mention in the sect video from bikeradar) to me it just seemed like they lauched with a very small range, and then failed to get any of the new bikes we were promised out to keep people interested (sect/divison/omen) and failed to get the bikes they had released out on time and fault free.

They also havnt put anything new on their website for some time, i think more companys should take note of transition's web presence, they update reguarly, even if it's just a blog entry every week or two, there's always something to have a look at, evil have kept everything so under wraps about new bikes that they've lost all the hype and momentum they had as a brand.

Hopefully new ownership might sort this out and they can get back on it and turn evil into the brand we all got so excited about when we heard about a relaunch.

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ButtonPusher (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:48)

doesn't look overly stoked in the pic with the bike... but maybe it's cuz all the pics of him taken in the last year are of him lookin' SUPER stoked..!
hopefully he does well with this brand, if not, I'm sure other companies will be waiting to sign him up...

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jaame (Feb 18, 2011 at 21:44)

Money.

I saw a show on TV a few years ago about football agents in the UK. The golden rule was "Always take the money". If Nike want to pay you twice as much as Adidas but their boots are shit, just take the money, buy some Adidas boots and make them look like Nikes.

In this case tell them what bike you want and they'll get someone to make it and put their stickers on it. Change the colour, dropout design and subframe shape and no one will be any the wiser...

frojoe (Jun 8, 2011 at 15:38)

what Transition TR450 did with the RMB Flatline

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Chancho19 (Jan 27, 2011 at 9:04)

Well the only mention it has of a new bike is the Undead carbon. As it is not many can afford the revolt frame but once you produce a carbon it boost the price even more. Either way I think Zinc will kill it no matter what, and I am sure he would not make the move if there was no talk of a SS bike for him in the works. I like his whole line up this year, cool to see what happens next.

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trekbro (Jan 27, 2011 at 18:43)

good thing I did not spend my money on a Revolt, 3000 bucks that will crack, and wait 6 months to get it replaced and on top of that, just to get them was a nightmare, lol you have to go through Ridemonkey to contact a guy that contact them, lol. I hope they get their shiat straight, and be more serious about their bussines, the revolt is sisck but is like having the best recipe and the worst cook.

deadatbirth (Jan 28, 2011 at 10:17)

if you are dumb enough to only contact Evil through RM, then you deserve to wait on a replacement.

trekbro (Jan 28, 2011 at 15:58)

dude we sent them emails, called them a bunch of times to never get answer from them, then i talked to that guy on RM, and he actually got me evil's "owner/manager" cell phone to just get an answer machine, and finally when I talked to the guys from evil, lol it was like too "late", I had a different bike already.

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lux-freerider (Jan 27, 2011 at 12:46)

I really hope they'll get a slopestyle bike out for him. It's a shame cos corsair really looked like they gave Cam the possibility to get out all his skills and really make a splash last season

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brodieman96 (Jan 30, 2011 at 6:46)

evil is a smal company 2 FRAMES not bikes one frame there not even makeing right know my guess is he will be rideing a prototype for next season cause the revolt is to big for slopestyle but the faction is to small for the slopestyle perpuse evil i belive that they are comeing out with a new frame cause they realy dont make any bike they just sell frames so you never know

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allenstoddard (Jan 27, 2011 at 9:02)

haters gonna hate. everyone stop bitchin about it and just be stoked for him. cam and i both ride for deity so ive met him a few times and he is a way chill dude so the money or team he rides for probably doesnt really matter to him

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vics26 (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:33)

On the topic of Evil Bikes....Interesting video from BikeRadar about the Evil Sect (back from Oct 2009)

http://www.silverfish-uk.com/articles.php?articleshow=1220

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rideindawoods (Jan 27, 2011 at 15:20)

I dont care what people say, after watching Rampage Zink could ride a fully rigid fixed gear and still stick the Oakley drop. Evil might be on the comeback

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jaame (Jan 29, 2011 at 19:29)

I think Evil bikes look crap and have a crappy name. How many are they going to sell to religious folks and people who dislike music with guitars and grunting lyrics about sacrificing chickens and such? Obviously he signed with them because they are prepared to pay him more than anyone else. You've got to make hay while the sun shines in the world of pro sports. I would never buy one even if Nicole from Pussycat Dolls rode it naked down the Venice boardwalk and they showed said ride on TV every two minutes. I mean, they look crap. I'd just be looking at her cans, not the bike. I hope for them and the sport they do something about their crappy designs because not many people will be fooled into buying one just because of Cam Zink, but I could be wrong.

He's obviously good enough to make any bike work well for him, plus he can tell them what to make for him. I reckon they'll probably copy the Konig/Dominion design and paint it black in the hope no one will notice, or maybe pay Pablo a fat chunk of wedge to design something cool for them.

Bmxerch (Jan 29, 2011 at 20:15)

Are you on crack ?

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greaseturbomonkey (Feb 10, 2011 at 6:17)

he got smoked at the 2010 rampage, should get judged on the full run, its not a best trick contest! atherton came and beat them at their own game. roll on 2011, the year of the athertons!

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frosty1365 Plus (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:22)

Congrats on all the new sponsors Cam!

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longgully-freerider (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:56)

yea go cam! evil bikes are sick!

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trippleacht (Jan 27, 2011 at 11:24)

why the f*cking hell do people think that evil is a dying company??! because vanderham and smith are gone? besides i'm pretty sure it's a win-win situation or both evil and zink.
things happen for a reason

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co-slopestyler (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:24)

The bike thing I totally understand. I'm more worried about Corsair going out of business than I am of Evil going under. But the real shocker is to hear that he's single. What!!! Wonder what happend there? Maybe she got jealous of how much time he spends with Straight (exactly what he isn't). Girls just never understand the relationship between a boy, his bike, and other boys.

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sofarider1 (Jan 27, 2011 at 20:04)

Its smart PR. According to many Evil was on its way out. What better way to reinvigorate interest in the brand then to sign the biggest rider of 2010. Now many will reconsider the Evil brand.

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Rockurshoxoff95 (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:30)

HELL YEAH CAM !!!!! good choice ! I always thought he would go to evil or intense, the new monster helmet looks sick too ! gonna get one of those tld's gonna be sick !!!

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Andrew71 (Jan 27, 2011 at 21:31)

the pic where he is going down the hill is balagna. they turned the camera sidways and told hime to sit on the tire.

hampsteadbandit (Jan 28, 2011 at 2:37)

yup - that photo has been extremely rotated to make it seem "steep" = lame

look at the vegetation in the background (plants tend to grow upwards to the light) and you can see the true orientation of the terrrain (its pretty flat)

elbry (Jan 29, 2011 at 8:09)

ye that photos classic mbuk! haha

EeehhZink (Feb 1, 2011 at 18:16)

You guys need to lighten up. The photo was a joke and not to be taken as something gnarly. I was playing gaper for the camera and probably going 1mph over a section that is normally not even touched when riding it normally. Do you really think this puts anything about the article in question? I personally think the photo is hilarious, but I guess you cant see me laughing with the full face on. Smile, it is bike riding!

hampsteadbandit (Feb 2, 2011 at 14:32)

its not a case of 'lightening up'....we are all here to have fun riding bikes!

just don't B.S. the riding public with staged photos,it does not give the article or the rider any credibility because its so damn obvious what is going on in that photo

its just lazy reporting, why not shoot a cool photo showing what the rider can really do on their new bike?

simple really...

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pedalmetal (Jan 27, 2011 at 5:51)

Cam is a beast, it doesn't matter what he is riding.

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d3456vid (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:55)

Why Evil he is star of 2010 seasson he can sings with big companies why he sings to Evil I havent got idea...

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SSdomination (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:33)

Its Cam Zink, he'll destroy no matter what bike he is on!

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AMCAT (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:48)

Transiton should have jumped on Cam....

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pedaldragger (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:01)

If one thinks about it, Evil with Dave in on the suspension design is on the forefront of progressive suspension.... Why wouldn't you sign with them...

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concretesystem (Jan 27, 2011 at 17:37)

COOL dude i want to try a evil out

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freerideroli (Jan 27, 2011 at 12:01)

cam zinks is going shred with EVIL sick

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yotaWARRIOR (Jan 27, 2011 at 11:42)

if not its gonna be awesome

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Matt0cooper (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:06)

evil are a sweet company and its up to cam where he goess, why are people hating on his decisions?

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flikende (Jan 27, 2011 at 2:26)

geez, company hopping much?

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ziggyzuggy (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:53)

....evil is getting more evil....

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NMackey (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:47)

This is at Laguna Beach, the trail Telonics Im pretty sure

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yotaWARRIOR (Jan 27, 2011 at 11:42)

does evil even have a 4 inch bike for him?!

Bmxerch (Jan 27, 2011 at 20:48)

They will probably have one soon enough for him for testing.

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bigjerry Plus (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:04)

Evil is back! Way to go guys. Revolt is a killer bike!!! Now if the new ones last more than a season.... Let's hope so!

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snowtrooperjr (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:34)

Lets hope Evil has a slopestyle bike in the making

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mad-hartman (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:07)

What's he gonna ride for SS??

DARKSTAR63 (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:11)

Whatever, trust me this guy can kill it on whatever is under him.

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Xilef (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:48)

YEAH SOOOO nice! Excellent choice Monster and Evil haha sick!

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borocks (Jan 27, 2011 at 14:28)

haha they turned the picture sideways to make it look steeper hahaha

borocks (Jan 27, 2011 at 14:28)

the last picture

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pokalface (Jan 27, 2011 at 22:36)

why he leave the corsair....

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voltagerider Plus (Jan 28, 2011 at 8:46)

Why evil?????

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blackohio (Feb 15, 2011 at 18:16)

god damn there are some stupid motherf*ckers here.

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iamluke (Jan 27, 2011 at 12:16)

and what he is going to ride for slopestyle events?

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ryanreishripper (Jan 27, 2011 at 20:28)

The last pic is really trippy!

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d3456vid (Jan 27, 2011 at 5:21)

what??? evil makes slope bike??? or they make him his prototype bike

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cheapevil (Jan 27, 2011 at 20:50)

Cam the Beast on Evil Monster..... oh yeah gotta like the way that sounds!

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Cyscokidmurph (Jan 27, 2011 at 16:31)

slopestyle bike?

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shredrider07 (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:49)

Ya Cam! good luck on the new bikes this year!!

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Boyles-bikes (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:43)

new carbon ????

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tairyhesticles5 (Jan 27, 2011 at 19:43)

telonics is a great trail

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freerider856 (Jan 27, 2011 at 15:02)

take that, pink bike tread!! you said evil was dead.

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LACKEY (Jan 27, 2011 at 16:26)

Evil is a first grade brand, good work Cam!

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betsie Plus (Jan 28, 2011 at 12:23)

"Cam Zink on Crack", should have been the title :o)

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juxtapozy (Jan 28, 2011 at 10:21)

The new "Carbon Undead"?

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burning-ice (Jan 27, 2011 at 13:11)

Hell yeah!

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dorkmire (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:13)

um ya Evil is cool for downhill but not for freeride

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Below threshold threads are hidden

- 30

glory00 (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:26)

why cam...why..

+ 111

scottsecco Plus (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:35)

Evil lost Vanderham and Stevie Smith... they had to do something big.

+ 46

glory00 (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:38)

lol dont forget about lewis..but anyways.. i loved the fact that cam zink was on corsair. thats just me tho

+ 58

rexbikes (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:39)

why the hell would CAM ZINK sign with a company thats obviously going to go out of business in the near future...He just won Crankworx AND Rampage!!
He could of signed with anyone, but he signed with evil?? doesnt make sense to me

- 10

glory00 (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:39) (Below Threshold) show comment

yea! i was thinking the same thing

+ 14

tobiebiker (Jan 26, 2011 at 21:57)

are there anymore suprises i need to know about

+ 11

reillykintzele (Jan 26, 2011 at 22:37)

if he's single im going for it!!! what happened to this? http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/5485382/

iambike4lyf (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:10)

He must have been flooded with sponsor deals after his performance last year, im guessing evil had to pay big!

+ 13

carter-hill (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:22)

what slopestyle frame will he ride??? Corsair just came out with the Dominion... WTf*ck would he leave Corsair and go to a dying company after such a bomb ass season?

progression (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:31)

I'm sure they have some sort of slope bike in the worx and Cam will get the proto for 2011. And the "carbon undead" sounds interesting

+ 14

guy38 (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:35)

evil definitely needed this, but cam definitely didn't, theres got to be somthing going on with evil for 2012...

+ 84

s4nt4cruz (Jan 27, 2011 at 0:41)

@rexbikes. A company that is obviously going out of business in the near future? Is that comment based on all the incredible insight that you've acquired on pinkbike news updates? Maybe you're not aware of how things work in the bike industry, but it is very normal for riders to change sponsorship annually or bi-annually depending on where the money is. Evil recently changed ownership, and as a result, team changes were made. Zink is a perfect candidate for sponsorship after winning Rampage (and Crankworx) and the pull could not have been possible by Evil unless they were willing to let a few riders part ways. Sure they may have gotten rid of Smith, Vanderham and Lehikoinen but the amount of coverage they have received in the past year compared to Zink is nothing. Do you know how much coverage Rampage got this year? It was covered in The New York Times, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, and just about every major publication that has any affiliation whatsoever with sports. Evil going out of business in the near future?... haha we'll see who's right about that one in a year...

- 26

DirtyDee (Jan 27, 2011 at 1:24) (Below Threshold) show comment

S4nt4cruz: Lehikoinen never rode for Evil, it was Lewis Buchanan you're prob thinking of..?

thehillscrew (Jan 27, 2011 at 1:29)

DirtyDee: no Lehikoinen did but in 09

alexdjer93 (Jan 27, 2011 at 5:45)

that's Rad!! can't wait this season gonna' sooo sick !!!

DARKSTAR63 (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:06)

The plot thickens. Good for Evil, looking forward to see where they go from here.

Cmontjumper (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:38)

interesting... i wonder what he will use for a slopebike? and yea evil has lost everybody! they should get me! lol the only useful thing i could do for them is bring them water in their office or something simple like that tho... Smile

stefan-ram (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:46)

its not about the bike, its about the rider Wink

ubersmurf (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:58)

i dunno what u guys r talking about, Evil is just hittin stride, this year they are gonna come out with two new bikes that will blow everything out of the water, there is a lot of success in their future not bankrupty

+ 20

RavineRiders (Jan 27, 2011 at 6:59)

well screw you guys i think evil is f-n sick

stever (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:23)

Glory00 asked, "Why Cam, Why?". The answer is simple. Money. Pro DH'ers and Freeriders tend to have a shorter careers than many other sports, combined with a high risk of injury. You have to get paid while you can. Who knows though, there could always be other factors involved, like personal relationships, rider input, etc. etc, but at the end of the day, the Almighty Dollar is going to win.

I do kind of question whether this was the right move for Evil though. Although there are rumors of future bike releases, at the moment, their flagship bike is a DH bike, so you would think they would want/need to maintain a presence in the racing scene. Steve Smith (in my opinion) is only going to get better and better as he matures and gains more experience. He's going to be on podiums next year, and bringing a lot more publicity to whomever he rides for, so I think Evil really made a mistake letting him go.

glory00 (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:30)

yeah your 100% right but its just a shame because zink put corsair on the map! what will happen to ms evil?

DARKSTAR63 (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:44)

You never know though. Not every bike compant needs DH podium status to suceed. Maybe the DH program was just not working for them, maybe they have decided on a different direction and have chosen one of the best to help them suceed. They talk about a new chapter.........publicity? I have friends who dont bike AT ALL...........yet they have heard of Redbull Rampage. On the other hand these same people prob dont even know DH racing exists at all. Publicity? Slopestyle is looking more and more like the $$$$$ maker of the future for the mountian bike industry. I say good move Evil. Lets just hope you can put a bike under this guy that wont break. You know he sends 50 foot 360's right Evil??

glory00 (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:55)

ahaha you could be right but why design a full on dh bike just so someone can freeride it?

DARKSTAR63 (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:22)

Well they designed it to race...........but things dont always work as planned. For all we know they have a new bike in the wings.

brett878 Plus (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:47)

Does evil even have a slopestyle bike?

glory00 (Jan 27, 2011 at 8:58)

maybe the hardtail? not sure

DirtyDee (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:07)

Doh! Sorry totally forgot about Matti on Evil in 09.

On another note I think Cam will do well on any bike and I'm sure if he wants a slope/short travel that they will be able to hook him up with one.

WolfRidge08 (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:33)

Looks like there should be a slopetyle frame in the making then, cant imagine him doing crankwork on a faction or a revolt. Nice to seem him being sponsored by a big energy drink brand, will help him to get noticed outside the sport of mountainbiking.

Jobobasaurus (Jan 27, 2011 at 11:01)

whats there slopebike?

WolfRidge08 (Jan 27, 2011 at 11:14)

Dont have one yet, but im sure he will be helping design one.

McGiver (Jan 27, 2011 at 12:17)

carbon undead?...... sounds like a new frame to me.

the-freerider (Jan 27, 2011 at 12:41)

hmm i thinking if smtih snapped quite a few evils then how many is cam going to snap in the upcoming season just my view but i agree with earlier comments why go in to sponcership with a company that has had so much bad rep in the recent past i cant get my head around it

Demo-250 (Jan 27, 2011 at 14:50)

You guys don't seem to realize that the Evil nightmare of last season was largely due in part to the horrible quality control they were handed from Pacific Cycles. They sent out some of the finished frames, but apparently a huge number of them never even made it out the door. The slow wait on warranty and the less than average tolerances would likely be because of the below average job Pacific did on the frames. (Although I can see why they messed up, the Revolt is probably one of the most complex designs out there on the market to properly manufacture)

Now the brand has changed hands, the sponsorships have changed up, and they have moved their business to a new frame manufacturer. I look forward to seeing what they come out with for this year.

Oh and PS: Fanatik Bike Co. told me they would be bringing out the Carbon Revolt. We'll see if that holds true.

williebox (Jan 27, 2011 at 15:26)

i can see why he didnt

joelNZdh (Jan 27, 2011 at 15:59)

sooo wats MSevil then.

DirtBagMedia (Jan 27, 2011 at 16:22)

so does this mean they are gonna make a slopey ? i would be stoke don that !

katinasd (Jan 27, 2011 at 18:37)

Ok, I promised myself not to say anything about this, but... I will anyway.

If you hire Cam, the biggest, the man, the guru, for a shipload of money, gold and love (good to you Cam! You deserve it all and I hope one day you'll be a miljonair, happy, kids, caring wife, car, cute doggy and most important of all good health...) atleast get a few propper respectfull photos from a well paid pro photographer. Not this ****. Send him to Europe and Ill make a view killer shots of him. And I know a hand full of photographers that would do the job just as well.

Please...

Be the best you can be all the time. Peace, Love and Epicness to you all.

kevinthelilbiker (Jan 27, 2011 at 21:06)

pretty sure this move directly shows their intentions to build a slopestyle bike.

Cmontjumper (Jan 27, 2011 at 21:10)

this will be interesting. i wanna see!

nason222 (Jan 27, 2011 at 21:29)

i dont think cam would have made a bad desicsion. He probbably put a lot of though into this before he singed the paper. who knows maybe evil is brewing up something big.

mj46 (Jan 28, 2011 at 6:21)

Didnt we see steve smith on a aluminum hardtail, kinda 4x race type of thing, called "the omen" some time ago, i like evil, but... it just seems to me like they wernt ready to relaunch the brand yet when they did so 2 years ago, in my opinion they should have had the sovergin, faction, omen, revolt, sect, divison (apparently a 6"fr/mega style rig they talked about when the fist relaunched 2 years ago, but we havnt seen or heard anything a bar a small mention in the sect preview video from bikeradar) to me it just seemed like they lauched with a very small range, and then failed to get any of the new bikes we were promised out to keep people interested (sect/divison/omen) and failed to get the bikes they had released out on time and fault free.

They also havnt put anything new on their website for some time, i think more companys should take note of transition's web presence, they update reguarly, even if it's just a blog entry every week or two, there's always something to have a look at, evil have kept everything so under wraps about new bikes that they've lost all the hype and momentum they had as a brand.

Hopefully new ownership might sort this out and they can get back on it and turn evil into the brand we all got so excited about when we heard about a relaunch.

Jobobasaurus (Jan 28, 2011 at 10:15)

well right now they only have two frames

thehillscrew (Jan 28, 2011 at 10:19)

they have 3, revolt, sovereign, fraction but no slopestyle

Demo-250 (Jan 28, 2011 at 16:13)

They have had about 9 or 10 (including the past/protos/etc) and I believe they have 4 currently? Click the links to view a pic.
1. Evil Imperial - Obviously the big old hardtail, everyone has seen this thing. http://i.min.us/ie5XXw.jpg
2. Evil DOC (Drug of Choice) - Also an older frame, no longer produced. http://i.min.us/ie1nRA.jpg
3. Evil Sect - All Mountain 140 mm proto. Some definite Revolt styling in it. http://i.min.us/icklYm.jpg
4. Evil Division - "Mini DH" 6" bike that would have likely looked similar to Sect. No pics, sorry.
5. Resident Evil - Still produced? It's a commuter w/ some awesome styling anyway. http://i.min.us/icoLzw.jpg
6. Evil Faction - The sick cromo DJ/Park bike. http://i.min.us/icprxs.jpg
7. Evil Sovereign - The all mountain hardtail. http://i.min.us/icoPFC.jpg
8. Evil Revolt - Probably their most well known bike. http://i.min.us/ie5Yb0.JPG
9. Evil Order - The aluminum Slalom/DJ bike. To be released soon? http://i.min.us/ie1JT8.JPG
10. Carbon Revolt (Possibly not called Revolt now) - Just a spy shot. http://i.min.us/icpnhg.jpg

mj46 (Jan 29, 2011 at 3:40)

Thats all well and good listing all of those but the only ones in production (aka availible to buy) by evil mk2 (calling it evil mk2 as when they relaunched they didnt continue to produce any of the old models, just reused the sovergin name with a similar frame) are the Revolt, sovergin, faction, and the resident fixies/alfine model.

The point i was making is they promised so much when they relaunched, but the sect is late (they told us ready in a year 2 years ago...), the division we havnt even seen, the order isnt in production and may not ever go into production as only a few were made as a 4x bike for MS/Evil team, they probably wont make the imperial again, the doc isnt really needed anymore with the faction in the range now, the revolts were late/not up to standard, residents were hard to get hold of for the first 3 months (so i guess you could say they were late too) which leaves us with them getting two bikes right, on time and up to standard. (sovergin and faction) both (nice riding, but) quite easy to produce being steel hardtails.

Just dont know why they didnt wait untill they had the sect and divison ready before the relaunch, it'd be more acceptable if they updated the website from time to time and let us know how it's going with the new models, i was really excited about the sect or maybe a division but now my moneys gone elsewhere.

just hope they get their act sorted out now they've got a new owner, i like evil's bikes, just think their company is a bit of a shambles atm

Demo-250 (Jan 29, 2011 at 12:07)

I wasn't arguing against your point though. I completely agree with it actually... all I did was show everyone the history of Evil and their different frames. The mention of Zink joining means we can almost certainly see the Sect and Division being released. (Or at least something very similar)

And about the website - I've heard from someone who knows people at Evil that they have a new website being designed. Hopefully it will be launched soon if they know what is best for their company and their public image. They've got hype back with the signing of Zink, now they just need to deliver on it.

juxtapozy (Jan 31, 2011 at 18:54)

So, probably the "UNDEAD" means CARBON REVOLT? as said before if they care about their company they ought to do something, but they actually got to do it NOW...

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TheLongMan (Jan 27, 2011 at 3:38)

the eevil revolt is the sickest dh bike on earth....he deserves it!

glory00 (Jan 27, 2011 at 7:25)

haha yeah to some people the revolt is..too bad he's a freerider not dhiller

fubb (Jan 27, 2011 at 9:25)

what did vanderham use at rampage ? yeah it was a dh bike like 99% of the riders in rampage

bigburd (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:04)

there is f*ck all difference between a Dh bike and a FR bike (when i say FR i mean big mountain style ) it's all in the sales hype

fubb (Jan 27, 2011 at 10:43)

read the comment above mine ,i was replying to that stupid

Bmxerch (Jan 27, 2011 at 20:45)

fubb, ever think he's replying to glory ?.....

bigburd (Jan 28, 2011 at 10:01)

Bmxerch knows ^^ and fubb , chill dude ! if you thought for a second you would see that my statement is in agreement with yours Smile

fubb (Jan 28, 2011 at 11:26)

oops sorry mate , it just popped up on my dash , just assumed it wa dirceted at me , sorry bigburd

bigburd (Jan 29, 2011 at 3:40)

no worrys

TheLongMan (Jan 30, 2011 at 10:40)

why giving me neg props for expressing personal opinion on the bike? Smile

Bmxerch (Jan 30, 2011 at 11:01)

Because unfortunately for us that are happy for Cam, there are twice as many douches out there.

TheLongMan (Feb 1, 2011 at 10:46)

It's obvious I'm happy for Cam too!

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nickkozak (Jan 27, 2011 at 19:23)

nothing more then a desperate company signing a rider that had an above average year is hopes it up sales. hopefully both can disappear back into obscurity.

Bmxerch (Jan 27, 2011 at 20:50)

Someone's a little cranky.

Go back to your cave unless you can match Cam Zink's level of performance, or can design a bike like the Revolt.

nickkozak (Jan 27, 2011 at 23:46)

ah I can tell you are younger, you think you know whats going on but the sad reality is you dont, hence why you tried to attack me personally. Evil was/is a company on the downslide, what better way to hide a companies faults (bikes breaking and poor customer service) then by singing "the best rider of last year"? (This doesnt mean the bike design is bad, so please get that part through your head). So more little brats like yourself will buy their junk. Its a pretty simple and easy way to try and up marketing. I mean they had Steve Smith and Thomas Vanderham signed but even they couldnt hide the above said problems. and now for shits and giggles, please explain to me why Zink wasnt signed by another high name company? or better yet why he bounces from company to company?

pedaldragger (Jan 28, 2011 at 5:51)

do you really know what your talking about

Bmxerch (Jan 28, 2011 at 10:22)

See, unfortunaly for you nick, you can't control the situation.

Be HAPPY for the guy. You know, maybe Evil's gotten a better customer service rep, and better manifacturing, as stated.

As I've said, unless you can match the level of performance of Cam Zink, or design and build a bike like the Revolt, don't talk shit about the two.

If a*sholes like you wouldn't comment like you did, there would be less of us " little brats " running around. Goes both ways, dude. Besides, I never once said I knew what the " reality " was. But, it's obviously got something Cam likes more than Corsair had to offer. So how about a*sholes like you stop commenting like that, and we can all get along ?

P.s. I'm more of an Intense kinda kid. Just saying I'd ride Evil over Corsair.

nickkozak (Jan 29, 2011 at 12:51)

First off I never said I was mad that Zink got signed by Evil. Like I said before they had Vanderham and Smith which to me had me more interested in the brand.
If you want to take a chance on the "maybe" Evil has gotten their shit together be my guest, but I am not blowing a large chunk of change on something that has question marks around it.
This "talking shit" as you call it is the reality of the whole situation, granted Zink has stuck with MTB through injuries and bad times. Its pretty obvious once again why Evil signed him.
And "a*sholes" like me can and will comment on posts like this because otherwise it would be diluted with young kids posting "OMG teh best riderz ever on 1 of da best biek brandz evar!!1!!1!!!!". Once people can open their eyes and see the how, why and brutal reality of things, they wold be better off.
You dont have to agree with the things I am saying but just please note I am not the only one saying these things

Bmxerch (Jan 29, 2011 at 15:22)

Now you're being judgemental. Which is, and always will be, a sack of shit. I'm not gonna go running to a bike because my fav. rider is on it.

Jared Graves ? - Yeti. My soon to be 4X and Downhill bikes ? - Intense

Tory Nyhaug, and Barry Nobles ? Tory rides Factory Redline, Barry rides Factory SE Racing. I'm riding for Factory Avent.

" hopefully both can disappear back into obscurity. " It's comments like THIS, that piss people like ME off. Are you on a factory sponsorship ? Do you know how Sponsorship works ?

Would you like it if you were a rider of Cam if some dumbass comments on your bike company switch saying shit like you did ?

nickkozak (Jan 29, 2011 at 16:10)

Jesus christ kid you couldn't have swung any harder and missed the point. You are the kinda kid that could walk up to a burning house and be told it is on fire and be like no its smoldering. If you don't like what your reading look away, the truth sucks and maybe one day you will get it. Using the "well are you this and what if you were him" tactic wont work here, all that is a sign of is someone who has no good factual arguments.
Cheers mate.

Bmxerch (Jan 29, 2011 at 20:13)

And you couldn't be more of a douche. First off, don't swear in god's name. Dick.

If you didn't UNDERSTAND, I'm stating that you saying a young kid, basicly me, would be screaming on here saying Cam Zink is the greatest person to ever live, is a crock of shit. And that it's just a marketing ploy to get little " Brats " like me, to buy their bikes because my favourite rider is on it. Being Jared Graves, Tory Nyhaug, and Barry Nobles, I don't want any of the bikes they have. So, no, it's not all a marketing ploy.

The " well are you this..... " tactic, is me trying to get you to think... What if you were in Cam's shoes ? 120g's a year from Corsair to do everything they want of you. Or 150g's a year to do Freeride and DH, etc. Being a sponsored rider can be a mindf*cker at times.

What would you choose ?

And I'm the kinda kid that gets my nose out of joint, because I hate shit talkers. Not because I'm just that stupid. Because people like you, ruin the reps of places like Pinkbike.

nickkozak (Jan 29, 2011 at 20:36)

I don't believe in god so lets not bring that little ditty into it. Maybe you don't fit the majority of the young demographic of today's bike industry which is nice but the point I made was Evil signing Cam for one reason and one reason only, to bring interest to their product. Now who are they aiming for? the young demograph.
Now what would I choose? Seeing as you are still ignoring my questions above I will have to say the direction that actually puts you on the track to retire without a shit load of injuries and a nice fat savings account. Since that isn't a answer you posted I would go with Corsair.
Now this site was alot better back around 2005-2007, what ruined this site was the large influx of people that saw this "hobby" sport as something cool, while knowing nothing about it.
Now I will admit the comment above stating "So more little brats like yourself" was outta place and should have been reworded to "so more brats around your age"

Bmxerch (Jan 30, 2011 at 9:50)

They're aiming for the newbies. Who go " Oh hey, that guy won something ? Hmm, maybe I'll look into your bike "

I completely missed your questions.. My bad.

Zink wants something Evil has to offer. That's about the best answer anyone could give someone, because they aren't Cam Zink. And with all sponsorships, of course they are going to use the riders to promote their product.

Equal statement as above for the next question. He bounces because more companies are noticing him.

"hobby" sport ? Nahh, it's in the Olympics, it's just a sport.

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