Maybe essentially the most aggressive phase of the MTB market is the ‘quiver killer’ path bike. Path bikes are right now’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 excellent mixture of journey, wheel dimension, and geometry for everybody, Devinci cut 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 brief 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 take a look at 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 era mannequin will get a completely redesigned body with new options like straighter tubing, inner cable routing, in-frame storage, and UDH compatibility. This path bike is on the extra aggressive facet, providing 150mm of rear journey and a 160mm fork. All sizes of the Troy come on MX wheels however could be transformed to full 29” setups.
The entire dimension medium Troy GX AXS 12S, together with pedals, weighed in at 36.29 lbs.
Trip Impressions – Geometry/Match:
At 5’10”, I rode a dimension 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 large enough to really feel like a path bike of right now, however Devinci has ensured it rides like a real path bike, not a mini-enduro.
This bike doesn’t supply any geo adjustability in case you 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 in case you run a 29” rear wheel.
The Troy’s 460mm attain is lengthy sufficient to really feel roomy, however not excessively prolonged. This enables 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 brief at 432mm. This mixed with the 27.5” rear wheel makes for impressively agile dealing with and fast cornering. It’s additionally straightforward to carry 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 hardly ever 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 hard and fast angle for a present path bike’s head tube, it will be 64°… and that’s what Devinci gave the Troy. This angle is slack sufficient for assured descending on steep, quick, and tough terrain, nevertheless it nonetheless handles tight uphill switchbacks properly. A seat mast angle of 77.8° leaves you in a fantastic place for placing energy on the pedals.
Devinci appears to have nailed a super BB top for the Troy at 343mm. It definitely doesn’t really feel excessive, nevertheless 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 regular recipe for compression/rebound settings, and it labored out very well straight away. 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 meant for the Troy. All through my testing I by no means felt the necessity to alter the settings; I don’t suppose I might have improved upon the Troy’s journey qualities with additional fidgeting!
Climbing:
The Troy proved to be a strong climber, and the one factor that stood out to me was its excellent traction on bumpy singletrack trails. Like most bikes, I’d use 40-60% of the journey climbing with the shock in agency mode. Nonetheless, the Troy could be very delicate off the highest, and that supplied a snug journey and nice grip even with the shock firmed up.
On easy surfaces, you’ll be able to see the Troy’s rear finish transferring 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 whenever you’re pushing exhausting 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 pleased with the traction I received in agency. The Troy’s preliminary sensitivity retains its rear wheel planted on the path, so personally I’d run the shock in agency for any climb. I preferred the useful stage of pedaling assist and was by no means left wanting extra traction.
I did strive bumping up the low-speed compression whereas climbing, however rapidly determined utilizing the shock’s agency mode is simpler and simpler. Growing the LSC did present extra assist towards pedaling forces and lowered bobbing whereas within the saddle, however not as a lot as merely flipping the shock’s swap.
There’s a massive distinction between climbing this bike with the shock in agency versus open mode. With the shock extensive open, the Troy willingly dips deeper into its journey with a linear really feel for no less than 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 nicely, however on bumpy terrain, the open shock offers simply to impacts and doesn’t match the effectivity of climbing in agency mode. Traction is unimaginable 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 unusual and spectacular journey high quality. It smooths out small bumps within the path in wonderful trend, but in addition handles medium and huge hits very nicely too. As talked about above the open shock presents 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 Break up Pivot linkage does a fantastic 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 straightforward bike to maintain on-line on rougher trails.
The progressivity of the Troy suited me completely. After many rides, I’d 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 couple of exhausting knocks, however solely on massive, sharp-edged rocks and the bike nonetheless took these impacts nicely sufficient to maintain me (and the rear wheel) rolling.
Whereas I’ve emphasised how the Troy is comfortable off the highest, it’s nonetheless supportive at mid-stroke… however maybe a couple of mm’s deeper into the journey than some path bikes. I like this suspension really feel, because it presents top-notch bump absorption but additionally maintains ample assist for exhausting cornering, pumping, and leaping. On flowy trails, the Troy’s rear finish was simply supportive sufficient to provide it the vigorous journey qualities you’d need from a path bike. It simply occurs to eat up hits notably nicely too.
Whereas I’m not a really heavy rider, I discovered the Troy’s body fairly stiff. Considered one of my last rides was down a quick, tough run I like to make use of for suspension testing, and the Troy rallied straight by means of the roughest patches. This isn’t a motorcycle 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 can 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 happy 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 extensive, 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 would possibly wish to be careful for. The door is skinny and versatile, so it may be latched however not sitting flush towards the body if one thing inside is pushing upwards on it.
Devinci’s zippered device bag match my massive c02 canister, inflater head, valve core device, plug device, spare plugs, a spare battery for the AXS pods, and a small multi-tool with a bit room to spare. Water apart, that is every part I’d usually carry for a typical journey.
Fortunately, the Troy frames go away a variety of room for water bottles. With Devinci’s facet entry cage, the medium body suits 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 supplied 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 operating 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 nicely. I loved exact shifting (even below 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 tip 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, they usually have confirmed their sturdiness. I’ve by no means completed any important injury to those wheels, and the Troy’s held up very well. Each wheels are operating 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 stored me rolling with no pinches or punctures.
The SGD Belair 3.0 saddle was snug sufficient, and in contrast to the identical saddle I rode on the Devinci E-Troy Lite I lately examined, this one didn’t creak in any respect! The 180mm journey SDG Tellis dropper publish supplied loads of clearance for a medium body.
As a last contact, Devinci offers the Troy GX AXS a Race Face Period carbon handlebar. I just like the inventory 800mm width, which may 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.
devinci.com
