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One Ride Review: Devinci Troy 650B Trail Bike

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Devinci Troy 650 Side Profile

Devinci’s first foray into the goldilocks wheelsize was recently unveiled at CrankWorx Whistler, one of mountain biking’s biggest stages. The highly anticipated bike instantly captured the hearts of Split Pivot devotees and took the CrankWorx Air-DH crown on it’s maiden voyage out the racing gate under 2013 World Cup Champion Steve Smith.

So it’s no surprise the lines were long at the Devinci tent all weekend. It took several return trips to snap up a Troy in the appropriate size, but the wait was worth it. Huck past the break to see if this bike will help you grab the rainbow strips…

Devinci Troy 650B Front

The Troy will be available in both carbon and aluminum iterations, but I was happy to take whatever was on the rack. Our aluminum demo bike weighed in at just a touch over 30 lbs (slightly more than the claimed 29.7 lbs), but the top of the line carbon build is a sprightly 27 lbs. Weights here.

The product spec is pretty remarkable for a bike which retails for $2,999. The Devinci product managers squeezed the incredible new Rockshox Pike into the price point by picking a good selection of budget bomber items elsewhere. For example, drivetrain duties are performed by SRAM’s solid X7 2×10 , which features all the same impressive tech as its more expensive counterparts – including a clutch equipped rear derailleur. The only place the company really took a shortcut was in the brake department. The bike is equipped with Elixir 3s, which also feature a ton of great trickle down tech, but can be tricky to set up perfectly. Luckily, Devinci did a great job of setting up their demo fleet and the set I rode performed well.

Devinci Troy 650B Cockpit
Schwalbe Hans Danf tires front and rear provided meaty traction

The 607mm (23.8“) top tube on our medium bike was paired with a nice Easton 70mm stem, which might seem a little long on paper for my 5’8 frame, but felt right in practice. The roomy cockpit also leaves plenty of space for those riders who prefer to run shorter stems.

A recent change in Devinci’s spec that I’d like to applaud is the inclusion of healthy 780mm wide bars, a welcome change from the narrower bars that were stock just a few years ago.

Devinci Troy 650B Rear View

On the Trail

The Devinci Troy rolls on tweener wheels and forgoes 5mm of travel compared to their popular 145mm travel Dixon trail bike. Compared to that ride, the new Troy has a steeper headtube angle, significantly lower BB (17mm), and marginally longer chainstays. As a result, this bike – formerly known as the chainsaw massacre – corners really well.

At Outdoor demo, I did not get the chance to dig in and hammer XC style because it was unbearably hot in the unforgiving Vegas desert, but Tyler has raved about the climbing prowess of Devinci’s Split Pivot suspension platform in the past. Over the course of my short loop, I was unimpressed with the bikes pedaling performance during a few short out of the saddle climbs, but that might have been ameliorated with a little more air in the rear shock. Unfortunately, time constraints really limited my ability to twiddle with the suspension.

Were the Troy shines is in the descents, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering it’s track record under Canadian Golden Boy Steve Smith (you can view our coverage of his winning Crankworx Air DH bike here). The bike feels lighter than it’s 30 lbs would suggest and easily soaked up rocks like a bike with 10mm more travel. Perhaps the highest accolade I could give the Troy is that I actually thought it had 150mm travel until I checked the spec sheet. 

Want more? Check out our full coverage of the Devinci Troy launch here.

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Jon
Jon
10 years ago

Is there a 140mm trail bike out there that won’t succumb to a little bit of pedal bob when standing?

rico
rico
10 years ago

Damn, Devinci has coome a long way. This bike looks relly nice.

Paul in VA
Paul in VA
10 years ago

Looks like a Trek.

LMFA
LMFA
10 years ago

Ameliorated…who are you, Walter White?

satisFACTORYrider
satisFACTORYrider
10 years ago

Saris – It pedals better if you have a stache

Erik
Erik
10 years ago

It’s = it is.

dave
dave
10 years ago

Jon – Banshee Spitfire V2.

Elliott
Elliott
10 years ago

Jon- A buddy of mine has an Ibis Mojo SL. It pedals like a hard tail. Truly fantastic.

Preston
Preston
10 years ago

Shame they didn’t make this atleat a 150mm travel, I would have already put a deposit on it. Steep HA and realtively long CS and odd rear travel? it seems like they tried to cover all sorts of targets and nailed none of them

boobie
boobie
10 years ago

I think most VPP (DW link, Giant, 9er, yeti) designs are pretty damn firm when you stand up.

It’s the four bar designs that require some dampening to minimize it.

Something about the reverse squat of those designs or something.

Elvis
Elvis
10 years ago

Jon – Check out the Pivot Mach 5.7
Both carbon and alloy versions are fantastic bikes. The DW link is an excellent pedaling platform and Pivot has an superb track record for durability.

r1Gel
r1Gel
10 years ago

Wow, you can actually discern a 10-mm difference in rear wheel travel? You must be a pretty sensitive guy/girl.
I wish Devinci would make a 120-mm 650B FS bike.

mikew
mikew
10 years ago

For one of the best out of the saddle pedaling bikes , try the new Foes Shaver XC 275. made in 120-130mm trav and the U.S. Just lock out fork and hit the gas . Foes new pivot placement makes this bike simple but lethal… just saying …

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