Devinci Hatchet Carbon GRX LTD review

Devinci is based several hours north of Montreal, an area of mountainous forests, lakes, trails and fire roads. As well as being key to the company’s mountain bike development, this location is also perfect gravel biking terrain, as I discovered when riding the Devinci Hatchet Carbon GRX LTD at the inaugural Grinduro Canada event last year.

Building on 2016’s original Hatchet, version two has an all-new frameset, greater tyre clearance and updated geometry.

The 12 model Hatchet range includes four carbon and eight aluminium bikes, with my Carbon GRX LTD model topping the tree.

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Devinci Hatchet Carbon GRX LTD kit

For a headline model, its build is quite conservative, with some of the lowest spec Shimano GRX components, a modern, wide but not especially light DT Swiss G1800 Spline wheelset, SDG saddle and Easton EA70 AX bar.

My medium bike weighs 9.41kg with 40mm Maxxis Rambler tyres and inner tubes. There are lighter bikes out there, but weight isn’t the whole story here and, besides, the Hatchet is competitively priced.

Devinci claims a medium frame with all hardware and paint weighs 1,135g with a 460g fork, but there’s no rider weight limit and this bike is built to be durable and go big.

Its twin-dropped chainstays create clearance for 700c x 45mm tyres with mudguards, and 700c x 50mm tyres fit. It’ll take 650b wheels with tyres up to 53mm, too, but I’ve seen larger fitted.

The Hatchet is designed for zero setback seatposts, allowing the LTD to come with a dropper post operated by a bar-mounted lever.

Devinci Hatchet Carbon GRX LTD ride impressions

Its 71-/73-degree angles, tall front end, 44cm wide bar and 1,046mm wheelbase together make for an utterly stable platform.

Even with 42mm wide (measured) low pressure tyres, the Hatchet always feels positively responsive when pushed and the handling is precise.

Whether navigating technical singletrack, rocks, all kinds of gravel and tarmac, deep sand or slick mud, the Hatchet has immense composure with the bike’s impressive bump absorption, poise and wide bars ensuring intuitive fine control.

Its high-speed stability is such that I descended faster on it in Canada than on any road bike in years (53mph) and found another benefit to the dropper post, too.

The Hatchet is a tremendously versatile, capable bike that’s built tough, and is simply fantastic fun to ride anywhere.

Devinci Hatchet Carbon GRX LTD geometry

• Sizes (* tested): XS, S, M*, L, XL
  
• Seat angle: 73.5 degrees
• Head angle: 71 degrees
• Chainstay: 43cm
• Seat tube: 49cm
• Top tube: 56.5cm
• Head tube: 15.5cm
• Bottom bracket height: 28.3cm
• Wheelbase: 1,046mm
• Stack: 57.5cm
• Reach: 39.5cm