The legendary North Shore trails, the Whistler bike park, and Steve “Chainsaw” Smith – regarding mountain biking, great things have come out of Canada, but it’s been rather quiet on the eMTB front. Now Devinci has introduced several exciting options. We’ll tell you what the entry-level Devinci DC NX/GX has to offer.
In Europe, Devinci is known above all for its high-end mountain bikes – with which downhill legend Steve Smith, among others, clinched numerous victories. In North America it’s a household brand known to every child, offering everything from city bikes to high-end downhill bikes. It says “Made in Canada” on the aluminium frame of our € 5,399 Devinci DC NX/GX test bike, and it is – the frame even gets welded in Canada. With 150 mm travel at the rear, a 160 mm FOX 36 fork, balanced geometry, and 27.5+ tyres, the DC promises to be an excellent companion on the trail. To find out if it is, we rode it on rugged, high alpine trails, on trails with countless hairpin turns, and on fast, flowing trails.
The Spec of the Devinci DC NX/GX
Devinci relies on FOX for the suspension, using a 36 Performance Elite fork with 160 mm of travel. The DPS Performance Elite shock provides 150 mm of travel via the asymmetric rear end with its Split Pivot linkage. Rear end with what? The rear end offers sufficient clearance for very wide tyres, and the rear suspension remains active even when you’re on the brakes. (The SRAM Guide RE brakes offer plenty of modulation.) The powerful Shimano STEPS E 8000 motor with its fully integrated 500 Wh battery provides all of the propulsion you might need, which is transmitted to the rear wheel via a SRAM NX/GX 11-speed drivetrain. Unfortunately, the MAXXIS Rekon+ tires lack sufficient grip to bring the power to the trail – they tend to lose traction on climbs.
Fork Fox 36 Float Performance Elite 160 mm
Shock Fox Float DPS Evol 150 mm
Brakes SRAM Guide RE 200/180
Drivetrain SRAM NX/GX
Seatpost Race Face Aeffect 125 mm
Handlebar V2 Pro Risebar 780 mm
Stem V2 Pro 45 mm
Hubs SRAM
Rims V2 Comp Wide DB
Tires Maxxis Highroller II 2.8″ / Rekon 2.8″
Weight 23.82 kg
Price € 5,399
The rear end swallows even the smallest blows and is super plush. It lacks the reserves for bigger hits, however.
Thanks to the integrated battery, there is space for a water bottle – excellent!
The speed sensor is integrated into the rear end, making it well protected and almost invisible
The MAXXIS Rekon+ doesn’t offer enough grip and puncture protection for use on the trail
The geometry can be adjusted with a flip chip. We recommend the slack setting
The geometry of the Devinci DC NX/GX
| Size | S | M | L | XL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 410 mm | 420 mm | 455 mm | 495 mm |
| Top tube | 583 mm | 606 mm | 629 mm | 654 mm |
| Head tube | 105 mm | 115 mm | 125 mm | 140 mm |
| Head angle | 66° | 66° | 66° | 66° |
| Seat angle | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° | 74.5° |
| Chainstays | 451 mm | 451 mm | 451 mm | 451 mm |
| BB Drop | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Wheelbase | 1184 mm | 1209 mm | 1233 mm | 1259 mm |
| Reach | 425 mm | 445 mm | 465 mm | 485 mm |
| Stack | 594 mm | 603 mm | 612 mm | 626 mm |
The Devinci DC NX/GX on the trail
Apart from that, the DC climbs surprisingly well despite weighing 23.82 kg. Although we rode it in the slack geometry setting, the seat angle was steep enough. In combination with the low front end, you’re positioned centrally on the bike, even on steep climbs, allowing you to pedal efficiently.
Plush or playful – when it comes to the handling of the Devinci DC, you have to choose your preference in the setup. Unfortunately, the rear end of the bike doesn’t manage the balancing act between sensitivity and support. With the recommended shock setup, the rear end reacts very sensitively to rocks, roots, and edges on the trail, and even during braking, it passes almost no impacts on to the rider. Thanks to the central and integrated riding position, you can rail open corners with confidence, your weight balanced well between the front and rear wheel. When things get faster, however, the rear end dives deep into its travel and is unable to recover quickly enough. When changing direction quickly and on flatter trails, the rider’s input is lost in the suspension, making the bike feel sluggish and cumbersome. You end up simply rolling over edges and roots instead of jumping off them or playing with the bike.
We weren’t happy leaving it like that, so we breathed a little more life into the DC with a much firmer shock setup. However, sensitivity, grip, and comfort were then compromised so that the Devinci could only be ridden on smooth, flowing trails. Unfortunately, even after intensive tests, we haven’t been able to find the golden mean between being plush and supportive.
Conclusion
The stability of the Devinci DC will imbue eMTB beginners with a lot of confidence on the trail. The “Made in Canada” bike also climbs well. A good all-round bike, then, would it not have been for the weight and sluggish handling at higher speeds and with more active riding styles. We were hoping for a more aggressive bike from Devinci and are looking forward to the next generation of models.
Stärken
+ climbs very confidently
+ space for a water bottle
+ central riding position
Weaknesses
– rear linkage very undefined
– tyres too susceptible to punctures
– weight
For more info head to devinci.com
This article is from E-MOUNTAINBIKE issue #014
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Words: Photos: Valentin Rühl
