When The Following was released all I could do was say "Damn!" I like the subtle changes to it. What shock do you run? I'd love to fit a piggyback shock on there.
I've got a following too, and… what Jon-boy said. It's an awesome ride!
I had it in low mode with a 140mm fork and it really feels like DH bike geometry set up that way.
To your question: the little monarch on the following, at the top, feels better than some coil shock 7" bikes I owned years ago. It also pedals great and seems nearly impossible to bottom out. How did they do it? Talking to Kevin he mentioned the frame being specifically designed around that little shock, shock volume [HTML_REMOVED] tune. Said the tiny shock was the trick to making it so poppy. He mentioned they pondered voiding the warranty if you ran anything else, because you could really eff up your frame by combining that leverage curve with a more linear/higher volume shock.
Kind interesting, I've found I prefer running the rebound full fast on mine.
TBH, I rode a Following before they first released, at the time I was just put off on principle by the PF BB, the high leverage/single pivot, not being able to run a resi shock, having to run crazy high pressures, unknown support, etc etc. A year later I bought one, and 6 months in it's my favorite AM 29'er yet by far. The PF92 bearings don't last very long, but it's ultra stiff and silent. Being able to carry a WB (and tools in a saddle bag) rocks.
At the Seattle area AM/DH trailheads you see like %60 evil bikes now. As a local shop guy said, at a shop that does not sell Evil, "if you test ride one, you will buy one". Strong endorsement.
Expect that maybe when the entire world goes to metric shocks, there maybe a following with a resi shock. At the moment I don't believe anyone makes one in that size/stroke.