Maybe essentially the most aggressive phase of the MTB market is the ‘quiver killer’ path bike. Path bikes are at this time’s model of what the first-ever mountain bikes got down to be… bikes that may deal with any sort of terrain. Since there’ll by no means be one good mixture of journey, wheel measurement, and geometry for everybody, Devinci break up their up to date Troy path bike into two fashions.
I’ve been using the 150mm/160mm Troy, which is extra appropriate for my native trails than the shorter journey Troy ST. The Troy impressed me with its preliminary sensitivity and eagerness to soak up larger bumps, whereas not giving up the assist you’d need from a path bike. The Troy’s quick rear finish and MX wheels additionally supply snappy dealing with and fast cornering, making this a succesful and enjoyable bike to journey.
Devinci Troy GX AXS 12S – Fundamental Specs:
For a full rundown of all of the options, specs, and geometry for the brand new Troys and Troy STs try my launch article. Right here’s a fast rundown of the important thing specs on the Troy GX AXS 12S I examined:
The Troy body is constructed from Optimum G04 6061 T6 aluminum. This 5th technology mannequin will get a totally redesigned body with new options like straighter tubing, inside cable routing, in-frame storage, and UDH compatibility. This path bike is on the extra aggressive aspect, providing 150mm of rear journey and a 160mm fork. All sizes of the Troy come on MX wheels however might be transformed to full 29” setups.
The entire measurement medium Troy GX AXS 12S, together with pedals, weighed in at 36.29 lbs.
Journey Impressions – Geometry/Match:
At 5’10”, I rode a measurement medium Troy (and for geo reference, examined it with its inventory MX wheelset). Devinci is updated, however not pushing any boundaries with the Troy’s geometry. The Troy is sufficiently big to really feel like a path bike of at this time, however Devinci has ensured it rides like a real path bike, not a mini-enduro.
This bike doesn’t supply any geo adjustability for those who preserve it on MX wheels, however fortunately Devinci selected very acceptable angles and measurements for it. Because the chart above exhibits, you do have two geo choices for those who run a 29” rear wheel.
The Troy’s 460mm attain is lengthy sufficient to really feel roomy, however not excessively prolonged. This permits the Troy to take care of a reasonably playful journey really feel and supply a level of stability you’d need from a contemporary path bike. The Troy’s rear finish is kind of quick at 432mm. This mixed with the 27.5” rear wheel makes for impressively agile dealing with and fast cornering. It’s additionally straightforward to elevate the entrance finish for wheelies and whip the bike round when leaping.
After testing bikes with longer rear ends, I discovered they provide nice traction on actually steep climb sections. Regardless of the Troy’s shorter chainstays, I by no means had any points with rear wheel traction on this bike. Whereas some bikes’ attain and chainstay lengths are nearer by the numbers, the Troy nonetheless feels very well-balanced. I not often felt the necessity to get out of the saddle whereas climbing, however after I did the affordable body proportions made it straightforward to throw my physique weight ahead or again as wanted.
If I had to decide on a set angle for a present path bike’s head tube, it could be 64°… and that’s what Devinci gave the Troy. This angle is slack sufficient for assured descending on steep, quick, and tough terrain, however it nonetheless handles tight uphill switchbacks properly. A seat mast angle of 77.8° leaves you in an awesome place for placing energy on the pedals.
Devinci appears to have nailed a great BB top for the Troy at 343mm. It actually doesn’t really feel excessive, however it appears it’s simply excessive sufficient to keep away from most pedal strikes. After many check rides, I hardly keep in mind tagging my pedals on something, and I did discover them simply clearing a number of rocks or roots I often be careful for.
Suspension – Setup:
My suspension setup on the Troy adopted my traditional recipe for compression/rebound settings, and it labored out rather well instantly. Devinci’s linkage does require extra air stress than ‘physique weight = psi’, so I ran 152 psi within the RockShox Tremendous Deluxe Final rear shock for my 135 lbs weight. That put me on the 30% sag supposed for the Troy. All through my testing I by no means felt the necessity to alter the settings; I don’t suppose I may have improved upon the Troy’s journey qualities with additional fidgeting!
Climbing:
The Troy proved to be a stable climber, and the one factor that stood out to me was its excellent traction on bumpy singletrack trails. Like most bikes, I might use 40-60% of the journey climbing with the shock in agency mode. Nevertheless, the Troy could be very delicate off the highest, and that offered a snug journey and nice grip even with the shock firmed up.
On easy surfaces, you possibly can see the Troy’s rear finish shifting along with your pedal strokes, however that movement is restricted to the primary little bit of journey. With the shock in agency, the bike solely dips barely earlier than its assist ramps up and retains it rolling together with good momentum. I additionally observed while you’re pushing onerous on the pedals, the Troy’s linkage places that energy to the rear wheel very effectively.
After climbing a very technical, tough path I hit 60% journey in agency mode. Even on this rocky ascent, I used to be completely proud of the traction I received in agency. The Troy’s preliminary sensitivity retains its rear wheel planted on the path, so personally I might run the shock in agency for any climb. I preferred the useful degree of pedaling assist and was by no means left wanting extra traction.
I did attempt bumping up the low-speed compression whereas climbing, however shortly determined utilizing the shock’s agency mode is less complicated and simpler. Rising the LSC did present extra assist in opposition to pedaling forces and decreased bobbing whereas within the saddle, however not as a lot as merely flipping the shock’s change.
There’s a massive distinction between climbing this bike with the shock in agency versus open mode. With the shock vast open, the Troy willingly dips deeper into its journey with a linear really feel for at the least the primary half of its stroke. Whereas seated, I observed much more bob rolling by means of dips within the path, and the rear finish moved extra throughout standing sprints. In open mode, I hit 75-80% journey whereas climbing the Troy.
On smoother trails, the linkage itself nonetheless pedals pretty effectively, however on bumpy terrain, the open shock provides simply to impacts and doesn’t match the effectivity of climbing in agency mode. Traction is unbelievable with the shock left open, however the Troy feels much more desirous to climb with the shock in agency.
Descending:
When pointed downhill, I nonetheless discovered the Troy’s initial-to-mid vary softness was its most original and spectacular journey high quality. It smooths out small bumps within the path in glorious trend, but in addition handles medium and huge hits very effectively too. As talked about above the open shock provides an initially linear really feel that sucks up bumps willingly, however there’s a level the place mid-stroke assist kicks in.
The Troy’s Cut up Pivot linkage does an awesome job of staying composed on rooty and rocky sections filled with medium-sized bumps. The bike stays firmly planted by means of high-speed chatter and holds a line simply because the linkage absorbs and dulls the impacts of fast, repeated hits with ease. The Troy took the brunt out of virtually each sort of influence very capably, making it a simple bike to maintain on-line on rougher trails.
The progressivity of the Troy suited me completely. After many rides, I might discover the o-ring proper on the backside of the shock, but I hadn’t skilled any harsh bottom-outs or felt any cringe-worthy wheel impacts. I did handle a number of onerous knocks, however solely on giant, sharp-edged rocks and the bike nonetheless took these impacts effectively sufficient to maintain me (and the rear wheel) rolling.
Whereas I’ve emphasised how the Troy is delicate off the highest, it’s nonetheless supportive at mid-stroke… however maybe a number of mm’s deeper into the journey than some path bikes. I like this suspension really feel, because it provides top-notch bump absorption but additionally maintains ample assist for onerous cornering, pumping, and leaping. On flowy trails, the Troy’s rear finish was simply supportive sufficient to present it the vigorous journey qualities you’d need from a path bike. It simply occurs to eat up hits notably effectively too.
Whereas I’m not a really heavy rider, I discovered the Troy’s body fairly stiff. Certainly one of my ultimate rides was down a quick, tough run I really like to make use of for suspension testing, and the Troy rallied straight by means of the roughest patches. This isn’t a motorbike that squirms or flexes noticeably, it stays pointed the place you level it!
Shed Body Storage:
The Troy’s Shed body storage compartment isn’t the most important on the market, however it’s going to carry the fundamental necessities. The latch mechanism is a bit small, however I had no drawback working it with gloves on and it functioned completely. I’m completely satisfied to report I didn’t hear any rattling from the Shed storage compartment all through all my check rides.
Earlier than one journey, I observed I had the device bag stuffed a bit too vast, and it held the underside finish of the storage door barely off the body. I merely rearranged my instruments and received the door sitting flush, however that’s one thing riders may wish to be careful for. The door is skinny and versatile, so it may be latched however not sitting flush in opposition to the body if one thing inside is pushing upwards on it.
Devinci’s zippered device bag match my giant c02 canister, inflater head, valve core device, plug device, spare plugs, a spare battery for the AXS pods, and a small multi-tool with slightly room to spare. Water apart, that is every part I’d usually carry for a typical journey.
Fortunately, the Troy frames depart quite a lot of room for water bottles. With Devinci’s aspect entry cage, the medium body matches a big bottle! There’s not a lot clearance to spare, however sufficient to simply entry the bottle.
Parts:
The Troy will get a 160mm RockShox Lyrik Final fork, which carried out nice and offered greater than ample stiffness for this bike. Dialing within the fork didn’t require something particular or distinctive, sticking with my typical settings received it working nice for me.
The Troy’s SRAM GX AXS derailleur received barely skippy on me throughout one or two rides however in any other case carried out extraordinarily effectively. I loved exact shifting (even beneath load) and had no mechanical points from the AXS shift pod or derailleur. I additionally suppose the bash guard included on the GX crank is a pleasant contact.
The SRAM Code Silver brakes had been nice. They had been grabby by the top of the primary journey, and with 200mm rotors entrance and rear, they simply supply ample energy and nice modulation. The brakes remained constant and dependable all through my testing, by no means overheating or requiring any upkeep.
I’ve ridden a number of units of Race Face ARC30 rims, and so they have confirmed their sturdiness. I’ve by no means performed any important harm to those wheels, and the Troy’s held up rather well. Each wheels are working spherical and true in any case my check rides.
Devinci caught with ‘tried and true’ Maxxis Minion DHF/DHR II tires. The double-down casings stocked on the Troy are perfect for rougher path networks and saved me rolling with no pinches or punctures.
The SGD Belair 3.0 saddle was comfy sufficient, and in contrast to the identical saddle I rode on the Devinci E-Troy Lite I not too long ago examined, this one didn’t creak in any respect! The 180mm journey SDG Tellis dropper submit offered loads of clearance for a medium body.
As a ultimate contact, Devinci provides the Troy GX AXS a Race Face Period carbon handlebar. I just like the inventory 800mm width, which might all the time be chopped down if most popular.
The Devinci Troy GX AXS 12S retails for $5549. Frames can be found in Gloss/Matcha solely.