So delays have been the theme of this one.

Having first ridden it in Decemeber, I (pre)ordered in Jan, due for March delivery, then covid happened, so March delivery became May.
April, Fox released 2021 gear. I had 2020 stuff ordered but as I was still waiting for the frame, changed to 2021. Fox then puts all the UK bound stuff on, apparently, a rowing boat given the time it took to get here, and they arrive in June.
The day the email saying the fox stuff arrives, I get an email saying the Trickstuff brakes I ordered in March (for Decemeber delivery) would be delayed another 6 months…
Couple of other small delays, incuding cack invisiframing and me having a stomach bug have brought us to mid July before I can ride the bloody thing (this weekend)

So without further ado, heres my Deviate Highlander (thread title should make sense now, if not, GTFO)

(Yes I’m aware the grass is attrocious, it’s being ripped up soon)

Large frame in Sunset Yellow. For now. I like it, but don’t really love it, the blue thats available is OK too but every bike I’ve had for the past 10 years has been black or blue, so it’s booked in at JMJ Designs for a respray next year, when the brakes arrive. You’ll have to wait and see what that will look like (happy to hear guesses/suggestions).

2021 Factory 36/X2 160mm F (may drop this, as this is going to be more trail bike than enduro smasher. 140mm R, might swap the X2 with a DPX2 I have on another, more enduro/DH, bike.

29″ DTSwiss XMC1200 30mm, thought they would come with 240 hubs, but they come with 180s which are tiny and as the total set is aroun 1500g, they weigh significantly less than the tyres (2.5 Assegai/2.4 DHRII) they are shod with.

XTR 4 pots with 203mm rotors F&R until the Trickstuff Maximas arrive, next June. May if I’m lucky. Will be worth the wait.

AXS gears and seat post. I won’t go back to cables now, they’ve spoiled me. Only needs one chain, despite the idler, although it’s running 124 links with a 10-50 cassette & 30t ring.

EEwings. Pointless bling, will fit in better with the new paint job.

Cane Creek Hellbender BB and 110 headset. Should be reliable, should last forever.

WTB Volt Ti seat, slammed forward for now, shakedown ride may see it pushed back a bit.

Burgtec DH carbon bars, cut to 780, never used them before but feel good so will give them a whirl.

Joystick Binary 35x35mm stem, looks cool, final height TBD

Will swap between clips and flats depending on how my foot is doing.

Bit heavier than I thought it would be at 31.5lbs (was hoping for around/sub 30), but guess I hadn’t budgeted for 2kgs of tyres, ho hum.

First ride is Sunday at the challenging MTB Mecca that is, umm, Sherwood Pines. Say hello if you see me, from a distance.

Let’s hope good things really do come to those who wait…

Nice…..but don’t lose your head

Crap picture 😉 It looks very cool though and very yellow, which I quite like. What colour will the respray be, if you’ve decided?

And I’d love a set of those cranks, they where still to expensive when Cotic had an ex demo set at nearly half price!

Wow, that is some spec! Hope it’s been worth the wait

Nice one buddy. I’m about 3 weeks Into riding mine and absolutely love it.

Highlander

Demo’d one today up in Banchory and rode at Scolty Hill. Very impressed, it made everything feel effortless.

Mental spec. Really nice Tom, I think it looks great in yellow. I’ll buy the brakes off you when you sell them! Enjoy!

Very, very nice.

Enjoy!!!

They do look good, although also not a fan of the colours on offer at the moment.

Given the spec, I’m amazed how heavy it is. Assuming they are only EXO tyres too?

I was seriously considering one, but that’s only half a pound lighter than my new Spec Enduro, with a coil shock. The frame must be a tank.

Might have to go back to my Tallboy plan.

Great looking bike I was surprise at weight but tyres look massive. Enjoy

Looks nice, I quite like the colour

Patience tomhoward, you have done well.

😎

Yeah EXO casing. Frame is around 6.8lbs without shock (others have weighed theirs, no idea what mine is). Comparing to SC, it’s definitely nearer the Hightower and megatower than tallboy it terms of use though, so weight isn’t much of an issue. Calling it a trail bike was probably a miss though, as that pits it against stuff like the tallboy which is always going to be lighter.

The AXS reverbs aren’t superlight, nor are 36s or X2s, the cockpit could lose a bit if I really tried. Recon there’s 3 lbs (inc tyres) to lose if I was arsed, but I’m not particularly. Might stick some XC wheels and tyres for a laugh.

Matt and R_B, comments noted and appreciated 😉

Looks great! Nice build, 31.5 lbs sounds fine to me. Hey Ho. EE wings are gorgeous bits of kit.

Stunner!

One of these frames in on the list to replace the Slash when I can scrape the cash together. Missus job is up in the air at the moment, so I’ll have to wait 🙂

I like both colours to be honest, but I admire your commitment to get it resprayed to a colour of your choice.

Always like how your bikes turn out.

Looks Ace, a beast of a bike.
Those cranks look amazing

Very nice mate, a long wait there which makes it even sweeter!

**** sake I’m jealous…….

Gotta change them fork decals so they match/blend in a bit better!

Always thought bike frames are an ideal place for outlandish colours and paintjobs (splatter fade) that would be a bit much on say your car or day-to-day clothing.

Gotta change them fork decals so they match/blend in a bit better!

Done.

Interestingly, these new decals have had quite an effect on performance. First ride of them today and small bumps simply don’t exist anymore, and the balance between front and rear suspension is much better. Just a local loop so nothing mega challenging or bigger stuff, but have plans for the lakes, BPW and all my other haunts once we can go places, so will dial in further.

First coil for getting on for 10 years too, but impressed so far, loads of grip, both climbing and cornering, and very little bob, might go to the slightly heavier spring though, so it doesn’t sit quite as deep in the travel.

The sticker change has added about a pound, so the plan is to offset a bit of that by replacing the spokes with some posh shoe laces. More on those later.

T-3 months on the brakes, T-4 months on the paint.

Not had as much riding on the bike as I’d hoped, more foot issues, but what I have done it’s been ace at, a really good all rounder. Not going to bother with the 150mm link either, as it’s more than capable as it is for what I want though I can see the attraction to others. Plan was to race it at a couple of local level enduroish events, but they’re all getting postponed till next year now 😕

Sunset Yellow. For now. I like it, but don’t really love it,

“Your paint job was no better than that of a small child.”

“Your paint job was no better than that of a small child.”

Crude and slow seems a fair assessment of me, tbf…

Looks epic. Very nice geom / frame. Now how does industry solve the heavy tyre issue?

Put a good few varied rides into the forks now and to save you reading the rest of the post, They. Are. In. Sane.

They’re really, really smooth out of the box, and that continues to when you ride them, on anything from super small bumps and washboard breaking bumps to 5 foot drops, (and nose down landings on those drops 😳)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNh4aFxB2sl/?igshid=x9jto1p4vxqp

What’s weird/brilliant, is that it manages to absorb small bumps like there hardly any pressure in them, whilst simultaneously having good support, but no real noticeable ramp up as you get deeper into the travel. I swear it’s witchcraft in the legs, rather than fork internals.
Cornering is a joy, they track beautifully (they’re torque cap dropouts, which might help, but I’m sceptical on how much…) and just seem to provide endless grip, despite my halfwittedness.

Remember when you first tried marzocchi Z1s bitd, having only previously experienced elastomers? It’s like that, only the part of the elastomer forks is played by 2021 factory 36’s. That my be a slight exaggeration, but the difference really is profound.

Rather embarrassingly, I can’t provide much insight into how they are set up, they arrived all done from Mojo Rising, after me telling them my weight and riding style, and I’ve no desire to ruin change the settings. Chris and Jack were super helpful though, not just with the fork and shock, so I’m sure they will help out, should changes need to be made in future.

Downsides? They aren’t light. Half a pound more than the 36s they replaced, which aren’t exactly featherweights. Performance is worth the extra IMO. Cost is astronomical, and this is very much a nice to have, rather than an essential purchase, but they aren’t that much more than somewhat ubiquitous factory 36/38s, and the same amount less than Intends.

Next change is Berd fibre spokes. I fancy me some 1300g enduro-able 30mm wheels (to offset the increase in weight from the suss). I know I said I wasn’t going to go full weenie, but here we are. The main driver for giving them a whirl was the supposed increase in ride quality, so will update when I find out what’s what.

Those 800 odd gram Wolfpack tyres do sound promising too, but I fear tyre change from the almighty Maxxis after so many years, so might be a change too far.

TTFN!

I wasted a significant number of seconds scrolling back to establish what the stock decals on EXT forks are like…

Kudos for riding out that excellent nose-diving like you meant it! 😉