Bike of the Week | Devinci Troy Carbon XT 12S LTD

Devinci's all-rounder in its spendiest carbon guise

Ian Linton / Immediate Media

Published: November 24, 2020 at 12:00 pm

This fourth-generation Troy is Devinci’s answer to a 140mm travel all-rounder. It’s an accomplished package that makes a lot of sense for a wide range of riders and terrain.

In its early days, the Devinci Troy was something of an outlier. Its 140mm of rear-wheel travel was considered a no-man’s-land that placed it awkwardly between more agile or more burly equipment.

Since then, we’ve embraced a new generation of aggressive trail bikes that more often than not use 29in wheels. The Troy itself was first offered with 29in wheels a couple of years ago and has now matured to be exclusively a 29er for 2021.

The 140mm of suspension travel that once made the Troy so different is now very popular indeed.

Troy Carbon XT 12S LTD
Devinci's Troy is a bike that's evolved with the sport itself. - Ian Linton

To suit a range of budgets, the Troy frame is available in aluminium, aluminium/carbon and full carbon options. That means getting seated on a complete build Troy can cost as little as €2,799.

This €6,499/$6,199 Troy Carbon XT 12S LTD build is the flagship of the range, while ‘LTD’ also dictates this model gets a 160mm fork rather than the 150mm front suspension travel of the other Troys.

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The all-carbon frame now has room for 2.6in tyres thanks to a redesigned rear shock mount and SuperBoost (157mm) rear axle spacing. Polyurethane material has been used at the down tube to minimise damage from rock strikes, while the chainstays are also protected from chainslap damage using the same material.

Devinci has introduced size-specific chainstays for consistency and balance across different front triangle sizes. Each frame also features a geometry flip chip at the lower shock mount — the two positions it offers change head tube and seat-tube angles by half a degree, and reach by 5mm as well as bottom bracket height.

Devinci Troy flip chip suspension
A flip chip at the lower shock mount offers two geometry settings. - Ian Linton

Devinci has made sure you’ll get a full-size 500ml water bottle in the frame – even if you’ve got a piggyback shock like the Fox Float X2 Performance Elite shown here.

Talking suspension, the Troy uses Dave Weagle’s SplitPivot suspension system, which places the bike’s rear axle concentric to the chainstay/seatstay pivot. The idea here is to try and minimise the influences of braking, accelerating and pedalling forces for an altogether better suspension action.

The fork used on this model is the 160mm Performance Elite version of Fox’s Float 36, complete with the sophisticated Grip2 damper that provides independently adjustable high- and low-speed compression and high- and low-speed rebound adjustments.

e*thirteen TRS Race SL Carbon chain device
The SplitPivot back-end drives Fox's Float X2 Performance Elite damper to produce 140mm of travel. - Ian Linton

The 12-speed drivetrain pairs a Shimano XT SuperBoost crankset with a 10-51t XT-level cassette, while an e*thirteen TRS Race SL Carbon chainguard keeps things secure. Stopping power also comes from Shimano in the form of its XT four-piston brakes.

Race Face ARC35 alloy wheels with 35mm inner rim widths arrive dressed in Maxxis Minion DHF/R (2.5in/2.4in) tyres. Better still, they’re the triple compound Maxx Grip variety complete with robust DoubleDown casings.

Shimano XT 4-piston brakes
Shimano four-piston XT brakes hint at this bike's big-hitting ambitions. - Ian Linton

The 34.9mm seat tube is filled with SDG’s Tellis dropper post and topped with a Bel Air 3.0 saddle. Completing the build is a combination of RaceFace Turbine and Next 35mm steering components.

Our size large example totalled 14.46kg/32lbs without pedals.

Looking to buy one? Alex Evans has been putting this bike through its paces and has now published a full review.

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