Devinci

Spartan Carbon 29 GX Eagle Mountain Bike

Going fast or racing over technical terrain requires a pretty capable bike if you're looking to have fun and maybe even step atop a podium. Three things we've found that help us out in the speed and confidence department are refined geometry, deep travel, and big wheels. The Spartan Carbon 29 GX Eagle Complete Mountain Bike possesses all of this and we've found ourselves pegging the fun meter on all 6.5-inches of plush, rear travel from its DW Split Pivot suspension platform a few times now. This bike is right at home in the park, on shuttle runs, or anytime the trail points down and you're looking to get sendy. What we love from DeVinci is that it isn't afraid to overbuild a frame for durability and increased stiffness as well as not forgetting to add in large tire clearance for big rubber. DeVinci has also made the move over to Super Boost spacing helping improve frame and wheel stiffness and don't forget to add in progressive geometry that kills it on the descents without sacrificing climbing efficiency to get you up there. Built up with a value-packed GX Eagle drivetrain, quality Rockshox suspension, and wide Race Face hoops, this bike is dialed for aggressive riding and will help you go fast and master new lines.

DeVinci bestows the new Spartan with a full carbon frame to help drop some weight as well as improving its stiffness and responsiveness so nothing is wasted when pedaling and pushing the bike hard. It ups the ante by widening the dropout stance to the Super Boost standard of 12 x 157mm. Several other brands have gotten on board and we firmly believe that this is the "new standard" that you'll see coming in the future. After all, who doesn't want improvements to the spoke bracing angle which results in a much stiffer wheel that resists lateral flex while cornering, braking, and charging through technical terrain? In addition to the stiffness benefits, Super Boost allows DeVinci to keep the chainstays super short while still clearing a 29 x 2.5-inch tire and up to a 38 tooth front chainring, pretty impressive numbers that give you a wide range of tread and gearing options. Let's also pause here and praise DeVinci for spec'ing a threaded bottom bracket, always our preference as it eliminates the creaking that often plagues press fit systems and it's easier to service.

DeVinci full-suspension frames are well regarded for its Split Pivot rear suspension platform. Designed by suspension guru Dave Weagle, Split Pivot is the third such platform you'll see in the bikes we carry that's a Weagle original (the other two being DW-Link and DELTA). Its comprised of a main pivot and a concentric rear axle pivot separated by the chainstay (hence the name Split Pivot), as well as the brake link (seatstay) that floats between a rocker link and the concentric rear pivot. The floating brake link sets Split Pivot apart from other suspension designs by its ability to isolate braking forces from acceleration and suspension forces, resulting in unflappable traction across ruts, roots, and rock gardens while braking or pedaling. Often, suspension designs tend to firm up under braking, causing a loss of traction and reduced sensitivity, when you need it most. Split Pivot remains fully active throughout its travel and soaks up braking bumps and square-edged ax head hits with a plushness unmatched by most suspension designs, all while providing a supportive platform for pedaling, climbing, and popping off trail features. Suspension performance is further improved by the RockShox Trunnion-mounted metric shock as its top pivot rotates on bearings rather than bushings, reducing friction and stiction for a more sensitive suspension feel, especially off the top of the stroke.

Suspension performance is great, but you have to have some nice geo numbers to go with it if you want to get the most out of the bike. The Spartan gets very modern geometry that excels up and down the mountain. It packs a longer reach with a slack head tube for stability on fast, steep descents letting you get into plow mode and ensures that every line is the right line. That Super Boost rear spacing we spoke of above affords DeVinci the ability to keep the chainstays to a shorty 16.9-inches to go along with that massive tire clearance, giving you a bike that loves back wheel and blasts berms like no other. The geometry also gets two-way flexibility that's easily adjusted trailside via an eccentric widget on the upper linkage, allowing you to switch from a slacker "low" position to a "high" one that raises the bottom bracket and steepens the head angle to improve pedaling performance and agility on those days where extended climbing is very much part of the ride.

DeVincis are well known for their ruggedness and this frame is constructed of its mountain bike specific DMC-G carbon lay-up. It employs a process using EPS molding, creating a monocoque carbon frame with zero voids, no resin-pooling or any other inconsistencies that can negatively affect the strength or weight of the frame. Riding in the Canadian backcountry requires a hardy frame and DeVinci puts frame strength and rigidity at the forefront during construction and this carries over to confidence and long-term durability, two things we absolutely appreciate even if that comes at the expense of a few extra grams. This also allows DeVinci to back up its frames with a lifetime warranty. Helping to preserve the frames clean lines and prevent contamination of the housing is its internal cable routing throughout, and extra special touches come in the form of molded frame guards for the downtube and chainstay to protect your investment from errant trail debris while silencing chain slap. We're also happy to report that the frame will accept a water bottle in the mainframe, something that'll please forum audiences everywhere.

This DeVinci is value packed and built with durability in mind. It gets a RockShox Lyric fork with a Charger2 damper for improved small-bump sensitivity and pairs perfectly with the RockShox Super Deluxe RC3 rear shock. SRAM's dependable Eagle drivetrain shifts crisply across the wide range cassette, ensuring a gear that prevents spinning out on descents as well as for clawing up steep pitches. Stopping duties are handled by SRAM's powerful Guide R brakes that pack a punch and have great modulation for more control. Lastly, the Race Face Next AR3 rim stand up to enduro-style abuse and have a healthy 35mm internal width that's ideal for the included 2.5 and 2.4WT.