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Took delivery of this last week. Had a demo on one late 2017 and fell in with the whole concept. I've been a big fan of high pivot bikes for a while and having had several DH bikes in this (sort of) configuration, when Deviate came up with this I have to try it out. Its all the things I wanted Zeroide to come through with, but Rob went for a more conventional layout in the end.
Yes, it has a gripshift - I get on with it well I don't see it as a deal breaker. It's not trigger, but I can certainly live with it.
The not shifting under load - old dogs, new tricks for some riders! I found I adapted quickly and this isn't an issue too. In fact I like the shifting while coasting feature, I prefer it. Went on an uplift on Friday where on one technical section you wanted gear A, then two faster corners into a set of jumps. You wanted to be on the gas out the corners and I was straight on it having got the right gear - almost gave me too much speed.
The high pivot is simply first class, great design for simply taking on rough technical trials at speed and its the gear box that allows this to be used in a good way. It feels very composed, planted and stable. Eggs you on. Not easily phased is the bast way to describe it.
The one point that gets lost (and I think the whole ripping a rear mech off is a moot point) is the lack of maintenance required and the good chainline. Its silent and simply works in truly shitty conditions. No grinding, noise, issues. None of it. Just concentrate on the riding. That is something that is completely undersold. Very good for typical uk conditions.
Yes, in true STW fashion I love the bike I just paid money for. It is different, and maybe not fair to do a straight apples is apples comparison. Its not for bumbling around the.
Overall, the sum of the parts makes this an incredible bike for the riding I do and the Deviate guys have also provided first class customer service.
And if someone can post this photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/157885304@N07/41227972111/in/dateposted-public/ too I cant make the thing work!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/157885304@N07/27353999228/in/dateposted-public/
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/157885304@N07/41227972111/in/dateposted-public/
That looks insanely sorted!
stoked for you! 👍
Nice, was going to demo one last year off the back of Sannys review, but then my toe tried to fall off, so couldn’t make the day. What sort of weight is it?
Not sure if its me or the edit button - struggling to make it work. Here is a side on view:
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Tom, weights 32lb on the bathroom scales. Portly (esp off my last bike) but not too bad. Also, I find the extra weight seems to help keep you moving on - I may be making this up and could well be a combination of things (new suspension, frame, bearings etc).
Looks fantastic! I hadn't heard of Deviate, but that looks exactly like the sort of gearbox bike I'd like. It makes the most of the gearbox and high pivot placement.
Is your rear wheel freehub silent? Must be really nice having a completely silent bike.
Enjoy!
Cheers Tom.
Apologies all for the garbled first post - My half edits have given a really odd read!
cokie - its a standard freehub, but very quiet. It is odd riding something with no chain slap, clicking or crunching. Nice for sure, and you hear a lot more of the bike on the trial and silence in the air.
To be fair a Specialized Enduro Pro is 31.5lb (and a bit more expensive), so 32lb isn't shabby.
Looks like a whole lot of fun too.
I like that a lot! What length dropper did you manage to fit? That seems to be the only limitation of this design.
I've done thousands of miles on my hub gear Brompton and I think a lot of the so-called issues with gearbox bikes regarding shifting go away once you're used to them. If we were coming from gearboxes to derailleurs I think we'd have more complaints about the latters' bizarre shifting demands.
Massively jealous.......
How do you find the 'slow pickup' a few reviewers have picked up on. Ie the double freehub scenario?
Also what size did you go for - many comments have been about the comparatively long seat tube for size. Have you found this an issue?
Im also a huge pinion fan, having tried a few variations in the past, many of the so called down sides are out weighed by the up sides. The Deviate is at the top of my 'if I won the lotto' list of trail / enduro bikes.
32lbs is very respectable given the burly build. Would love to have a go on one.
What travel fork did you go for? My idle musings reckon a 180mm one would be a riot!
chiefgroove - I went for a 480 reverb. The largest they do. At 6ft it fits me spot on slammed, and I couldn't agree more re the shifting. Its simply different and has a lot of positives. Like I said, seems some reviewers are old dogs.
Monkey - I went for a large. I demo'ed the med, that fitted well but I like larger bikes, longer reach etc so took a punt on the large. Glad I did. the seat tower is on the larger side, but shorter than my mates evo150 (pole) and comparable with some others. It doesn't get in the way for me and that's having ridden some fairly steeper trials so far (gawton / minehead) and doesn't get in the way over the jumps either. Size is a subjective thing tho.
The freehub is sort of noticable, but not in a bad way. I will be getting a singlespeed specific rear hub in due course tho. Possible one of those instant sprag jobs.
Tom - went for the 160 in the end.
Would a fixed rear hub work assuming someone like Hope could make a bolt through fixed hub with a cassette style spline on one end?
In theory yes, but in reality, God. No. The chain would be constantly spinning, which I can say from experience (my GT IT1 had exactly that) is like having a running chainsaw attached to your bike if you come off. Minus the really sharp bits, but still, sub optimal...
i guess it it wouldn’t be great for the longevity of the gearbox internals either, as they’d always be spinning while moving and creating extra drag over just a freehub, shifting performance might take a hit when not pedalling too, but not sure on the exact workings of the ‘box
Slow pick up? As someone who loves the instant feel of Chris King, I can't say that I noticed anything that could be described as slow pick up when I tested the Guide.
In my world of ideal bikes, I would have a 29er version of the Guide (here's hoping the Guide is a success so the guys contemplate a 29er version!)
sanny
I don’t think 32lbs is portly, although the one tested in MBUK this month was around 34lbs without pedals, for the Guide UK build I think. Drivetrain lag was mentioned as a bit of an annoyance, but they also raved about the quality of the suspension. Out of my price range and wrong wheel size for me, but it's nice to see something a bit different.
TINAS - as Tom said. If using a fixed rear that would ahave a constantly spinning chain. Wear and annoyance. A mate had that set up in an old Nicolai gear box. Never struck me as a good thing, more of an H&S hazzard!
Also, as Sanny noted in the review for STW, the cranks could be improved upon weight wise. I think Pinion could work with another (smaller) manufacturer to the same interface i.e. raceface / middleburn. A massive chunk of weights could be saved there.
Other bits, I put a -1.5deg angleset in and the wheels are light (BOR / Tune hubs / DT 417 rims).
Regards fixed rear hub - isn't that how the effigear (sp?) works? I think pinkbike did a bike review a year or so ago with one and said it increased drag dramatically.
Cant say I've ever noticed it the slow pick up personally when I test rode a couple of pinion bikes (one full sus, one hard tail). But if you go with a DT Swiss single speed rear hub you could get the ratchet system with ridiculous amount of engagement. I only mentioned it due to that teen mag review this month.
I'd still buy one today........ If I had the cash.
Love it! This is top of my next bike list. Keep us updated on how you get on with it
I thought I had posted earlier but I have a test ride hopefully happening at the end of the month. Good to hear the positive side from your review Sanny and the OP obviously. Really looking forward to it now.
@mactheknife, where’s that happening, this thread has fully reignited my interest, so going to get a demo booked ASAP! Today has been mostly selecting components to hang off it...
It's going to be north of the border in Stirling.
Can I ask dumb question?
Why does the chain take that tortuous route?
It's not to just allow for chain growth via a spring pulley or such is it?
poop - you are right it goes over the idler to stop pedal feedback. Works well too as a combination of large range, 'antisquat' and idler positioning; it finds mega grip on the climbs!
It’s going to be north of the border in Stirling
Did not need to know that!
edit: test ride, not demo day - phew! (Dumyat should be spot on for a test!)