Strengths: Very active and plush suspension, fox float front and rear work in perfect harmony together, 36 talas float forks suit its intended use perfectly with the travel adjustment very handy on long or steep climbs. The uninterrupted seat tube allows full range of seat height adjustment, great for getting the best position on an all day ride. It pedals well uphill with excellent traction but the best is coming back down again. On fast and rough descents it has the sort of 'point and shoot' strength and stability that belies its weight and build. It's super stable and and inspires confidence and speed on tricky descents. The quality and finish of the frame weld and paint is superb. In particular the machined rocker link is a work of art - see one being made on the Devinci website! With the exception of some of the daredevil finishing kit (see below) the spec is excellent for the price of the bike, with a functional SRAM drivetrain, Juicy 5 brakes and DT Rims. It also comes with great tyres - Maxxis High Roller 2.35's.
Weaknesses: Not impressed by some of the daredevil finishing kit, saddle & pedals look like they were taken from a £50 childs bike, handlebars way too narrow, seat post lacks sufficient adjustability of saddle angle. The stem was on the long side although that's personal preference, the stem its self is OK. The chain hits upper stay when going gets rough (as said elsewhere, it needs 2 stay protectors). Binned the pedals, seatpost, saddle, handlebars & stem immediately.
Bottom Line:
This bike is ideal for someone looking for an all day do-anything bike who is happy to put up with the extra pounds it carries over some of its competitors on the climbs for the benefit of its incredible ability when descending.
Outstanding quality of finish and rarity (in the UK at least) make it stand out from the crowd.
It would have got 5 chillies for value and if I hadn't needed to replace some of the finishing kit at additional expense.
Report will be updated following a trip to Morzine/Les Gets to see how it survives!
Similar Products Used: Orange 5, Specialized Enduro, Trek Remedy, Kona CoilAir, Orange Patriot.
Bike Setup: Replaced the daredevil parts as follows, otherwise, as it came out of the box:
Pedals, DMR V12
Seatpost, Raceface DeusXC
Saddle, SDG Bel Air
Handlebars, Easton EA70
Stem, Race Face AM 70mm
Grips, Odi Lock-ons
Bar end caps, Dangerboy with maple leaf logos to match the one on the seat tube (a bit bling, but couldn't resist!)
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Submitted by
jcinkits
a Weekend Warrior
from vancouver bc canada
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2008
Strengths: very stable instills confidence due to wow! suspension & low center of grav. light enough for up and who cares dh.
Weaknesses: none worth mentioning or i would not have bought it.
Bottom Line:
i bought this 2007 bike in 2008 and got $1000 off the regular $3500, invested the savings in aftermkt stuff and now own a $4500 ride that cost me $3500. the frame is an xs and i love the way she hugs everything gnarly, and flow! My previous ride was a norco b-line...like going from a vw bug to a jag.
Bike Setup: replaced crank with gravity lite, installed e13 2 ring chain guard,lighter stem, rear hub, chromag seat, lizard skin grips, repainted from puke yellow to mazda orange mist [ metallic copper ]plus lighter pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Josh S
a Weekend Warrior
from Prince George
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2008
Strengths: A follow-up review from top after numerous William's Lake trips:) Incredibly responsive and active travel. Completely active and plush in all situations. Pedals very well and 100% stable at high speeds. Adjustable suspension, can tackle ANY terrain you want. Simply the best feeling bike i've ever been on.
Weaknesses: If you're on the freeride side of the equation then save up for some new wheels cause these ones are strong like tinfoil. Is making other bikes feel like syrup filled beasts a weakness?
Bottom Line:
If you are a lighter more experienced, aka not hucking nasty flat junk or hacking it up, rider who wants to ride it all look no further. All who try this bike are amazed and it made me feel like a better rider instantly. Devinci completely nailed it with this bike. I'd give it 11 chilis if i could....
Strengths: Frame is sick the travel feels great and its pedals very well. Fox air suspension is so plush front and back.
Weaknesses: I'll make the wheels square by the end of the season
Bottom Line:
When this bike is being pushed downhill it rides like a much larger bike but it keeps all its agility while destroying gnar terrain. Rides long for the size but weights sub 34Lbs... SICK.
Bike Setup: Stock 2007 Hectik 2 with DMP V8 pedals, Diablous bars and Husslefelt stem.
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Submitted by
Josh
a Weekend Warrior
from Prince George, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2008
Strengths: Light and plush. Beautifully crafted frame. Bike pedals amazingly well yet feels ready for anything at the same time. VERY active suspension. I have the 08 version which has a Talas 36 fork with travel adjust which works great. Uninterrupted seat tube design. Feels incredibly nimble though i have only had for 5 days and will write again after a Whistler trip.
Weaknesses: Fork feel not as plush as rear. Hopefully will improve with some break in time. Stock bars too narrow for my tastes. Replaced bars, stem(too long), and pedals(too small). No knocking the quality of the products but just too cross country style for me. Not cheap:(
Bottom Line:
So far i'm lovin it! The future of biking. Agressive stance, beefy but light. Will report more in the future.
Similar Products Used: Santa Cruz Bullit, Specialized Stumpjumper Epic, many other demos.
Bike Setup: Fox 36 Talus R, DXH 3.0 Air, DT Swiss wheelset(nice upgrade as well vs. last year. Juicy 5's, High Roller 2.35's(sweet), Easton bars, FSA stem, Race Face XC crank, Xpedo pedals(love!) blah, blah
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Submitted by
Shaker666
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2007
Strengths: Large amount of travel for weight. Well spec'd. Extremely slack head angle (66*) makes for confident attacks on gnar. Single crown fork makes it extremely maneuverable on tight switchbacks. Horst link rear suspension is super active while pedaling and even braking... very plush while maintaining efficiency. Double chainring with bashguard stock. Pretty lightweight. Comes stock with great tires.
Weaknesses: Stock wheelset sucks. Still holding up, but will last only one season. Long wheelbase is either loved or hated. Daredevil componentry on stem, handlebars, and wheelset not great. Pedals, saddle, and seatpost are AOK. Chain mars upper chainstay arm when descending serious gnar. Needs 2 Lizard Skins, one for bottom and upper arms. Sketchy on skinnies for some reason. Not really sure why. Fell off of one and the crankarm bent. Ride XC crankarms suck. Removing the rear wheel is a major chore because the dropout and derailleur arrangment is very tight.
Bottom Line:
This bike pedals up technical like you wouldn't believe. The more energy you put into a climb, the more active the suspension gets and absorbs all the hits. Very impressive when you hit it right. The travel is quite deep and coupled with the slack head angle, makes attacking drops or taking moderate jumps a no-brainer. This is the first Fox fully air based suspension I've ridden. It is very plush and you can't tell the difference between it and the oil damping stuff. Everything is very lightweight which is a plus in most situations, but riding the Shore I find that it's somewhat sketchy and unstable at low speeds going over skinnies. It tracks well at speed, but gets a tad bit sketchy at slow. The Juicy 5 brakes are excellent. Suspension action is nothing short of amazing. The pedals and saddle are great, probably the only 2 items that should be made by Daredevil. The stock bar and stem are just not up to snuff. Neither are the Ride XC crankarms, although I'm sure they help save some weight.
