2015 Devinci Spartan Carbon
- Thread starter Psimpson7
- Start date
Mywifesirrational
I however am very normal. Trust me.
Once you've got some Km's under your belt, will be curious to hear a comparison to the Rune.
Wheels are going to be carbon? Zelvy is off the cards now?
Wheels are going to be carbon? Zelvy is off the cards now?
Hey MWI.
So far it seems fast uphill! thats partly a function of not having 180mm Floats or 2.5" Super Tacky Minions on it! Will definetely do some comparisons when I have a few K's on it
Still planning on Zelvy rims, but need to save some more money! this has cleared out my bike budget!
New tyres will be on soon. The RaRa's were just some spares for my hardtail
Ks Lev Integra in black is also on the cards as soon as the all black one becomes available.
This is how it looks now:
So far it seems fast uphill! thats partly a function of not having 180mm Floats or 2.5" Super Tacky Minions on it! Will definetely do some comparisons when I have a few K's on it
Still planning on Zelvy rims, but need to save some more money! this has cleared out my bike budget!
New tyres will be on soon. The RaRa's were just some spares for my hardtail
Ks Lev Integra in black is also on the cards as soon as the all black one becomes available.
This is how it looks now:
27.5 x 2.4 Ardents fitted. I wanted to keep something with some rolling speed as most of the stuff I ride locally is rocky / hard pack, and I also tend to do a lot of riding on the road to get to the tracks.
Had a bit of a ride around at Daisy Hill on the weekend and so far I quite like it! Will try and get out for a better ride this weekend and get a better idea of how it rides.
Had a bit of a ride around at Daisy Hill on the weekend and so far I quite like it! Will try and get out for a better ride this weekend and get a better idea of how it rides.
Got a decent go at a long and very rocky fire-road descent today at lunch
Its a 1.9km section mostly downhill with one short pinch climb. looks like I was 6 seconds slower than I was on the Rune, and depressingly 2 seconds slower than I was on my carbon hardtail!
so far 26" wheels for the win! (all the average speeds on the section of the 3 bikes are in the 35-36kmh range)
Its not really a fair comparison though I don't think today. I had already done 30k on the Roadbike this morning, then went out at lunch time when it was 30 degrees and rode the 450m of climbing to the top in the full sun! I am already making excuses!
Will have another go tomorrow morning if I can when its cooler. Think I also need to drop my tyre pressures a bit, and maybe run slightly less pressure in the forks.
Currently the bike is set in the high geometry position. Will try and get a few runs down this section over the next week or so and try a few things. Pretty sure overall I can get it to match the Rune in terms of downhill speed. It certainly feels like its quick.
It is definitely quicker uphill, and feels just as fun to ride to me so far.
I actually feel slightly more comfortable on it in terms of position that the Rune, which I always felt stretched out on in terms of reach.
Its a 1.9km section mostly downhill with one short pinch climb. looks like I was 6 seconds slower than I was on the Rune, and depressingly 2 seconds slower than I was on my carbon hardtail!
so far 26" wheels for the win! (all the average speeds on the section of the 3 bikes are in the 35-36kmh range)
Its not really a fair comparison though I don't think today. I had already done 30k on the Roadbike this morning, then went out at lunch time when it was 30 degrees and rode the 450m of climbing to the top in the full sun! I am already making excuses!
Will have another go tomorrow morning if I can when its cooler. Think I also need to drop my tyre pressures a bit, and maybe run slightly less pressure in the forks.
Currently the bike is set in the high geometry position. Will try and get a few runs down this section over the next week or so and try a few things. Pretty sure overall I can get it to match the Rune in terms of downhill speed. It certainly feels like its quick.
It is definitely quicker uphill, and feels just as fun to ride to me so far.
I actually feel slightly more comfortable on it in terms of position that the Rune, which I always felt stretched out on in terms of reach.
Ok, to contradict my last post, this is fast! Everywhere, for what it is anyway.
I have done 170km and 6000m or so of climbing on it in the last 9 days.
Currently running under 40psi in the forks, with a couple of clicks of rebound more than they arrived with, and about 160psi in the monarch.
It feels pretty plush all round now, and with the lock out on the forks and the 3 compression settings on the shock mean its even nice on the road, fire road climbs and so on.
On rough ground the drive train and rear suspension is pretty much silent.
The forks do make some noise especially on rebound, but I believe this is a feature for want of a better word. i.e. I think Formula 35's are noisier than say the floats I had previously, or the Sids on my hardtail.
Climbing: very good. Doesn't waste as much effort as I felt the Rune did, especially with the bonus of the fork lockout and compression settings on the shock. Seems to have pretty good traction, and the rear wheel stays on the ground pretty well. I am running a 34T chain ring with the X01 cassette and have ridden pretty much everything I have tried.
Descending: after the first ride, I wasn't so sure, but having put some Ks in this week on it I have smashed all of my best segment times from the Rune While I know segment times necessarily the best measure of the bike, they are facts, and on the 1.9km downhill segment I mentioned in my last post, I have knocked 16 seconds off the Runes best time now! I also have taken segment times on up and down track sections off my hardtail. The only segments I haven't got my best time on are really long uphills, where the hardtail is quicker, although not by that much and its not as fun
Jumping: I will preface this to say I am not the best rider when it comes to jumps. I think I am relatively fast, and my fitness is good, but I tend to try and avoid gaps and stuff as I have more than once landed on my head. Over general trail features and smaller jumps it seems quite nicely balanced. It does however seem quite happy to stick the the ground unless you want it airborne, which probably suits my ability, although not how I wish I could ride!
On that note does anyone have any suggestions for a skills type clinic for jumps?
Fun: To me this feels just as fun to ride as the Rune. I can't say the bigger wheels are any better or worse than the 26's on the Rune, and I did have a gap between selling the Rune and getting this, which maybe makes a totally direct comparison hard.
I am definetely happier in the riding position on the Devinci over the Rune. I always felt slightly too stretched out on the Banshee. I probably should have tried a 30mm stem on it as I have on this.
So, so far, I love this bike, and I loved the Rune!
I have done 170km and 6000m or so of climbing on it in the last 9 days.
Currently running under 40psi in the forks, with a couple of clicks of rebound more than they arrived with, and about 160psi in the monarch.
It feels pretty plush all round now, and with the lock out on the forks and the 3 compression settings on the shock mean its even nice on the road, fire road climbs and so on.
On rough ground the drive train and rear suspension is pretty much silent.
The forks do make some noise especially on rebound, but I believe this is a feature for want of a better word. i.e. I think Formula 35's are noisier than say the floats I had previously, or the Sids on my hardtail.
Climbing: very good. Doesn't waste as much effort as I felt the Rune did, especially with the bonus of the fork lockout and compression settings on the shock. Seems to have pretty good traction, and the rear wheel stays on the ground pretty well. I am running a 34T chain ring with the X01 cassette and have ridden pretty much everything I have tried.
Descending: after the first ride, I wasn't so sure, but having put some Ks in this week on it I have smashed all of my best segment times from the Rune While I know segment times necessarily the best measure of the bike, they are facts, and on the 1.9km downhill segment I mentioned in my last post, I have knocked 16 seconds off the Runes best time now! I also have taken segment times on up and down track sections off my hardtail. The only segments I haven't got my best time on are really long uphills, where the hardtail is quicker, although not by that much and its not as fun
Jumping: I will preface this to say I am not the best rider when it comes to jumps. I think I am relatively fast, and my fitness is good, but I tend to try and avoid gaps and stuff as I have more than once landed on my head. Over general trail features and smaller jumps it seems quite nicely balanced. It does however seem quite happy to stick the the ground unless you want it airborne, which probably suits my ability, although not how I wish I could ride!
On that note does anyone have any suggestions for a skills type clinic for jumps?
Fun: To me this feels just as fun to ride as the Rune. I can't say the bigger wheels are any better or worse than the 26's on the Rune, and I did have a gap between selling the Rune and getting this, which maybe makes a totally direct comparison hard.
I am definetely happier in the riding position on the Devinci over the Rune. I always felt slightly too stretched out on the Banshee. I probably should have tried a 30mm stem on it as I have on this.
So, so far, I love this bike, and I loved the Rune!
Looks amazing and certainly giving me feeling of enviousness. Have you weighed the beast? 
I found the same thing with smashing old segment times when I first got my Spartan too - it just seemed to demolish them all - uphill inclusive! And that was just the alloy.
Awesome ride & progress updates btw.
I found the same thing with smashing old segment times when I first got my Spartan too - it just seemed to demolish them all - uphill inclusive! And that was just the alloy.
Awesome ride & progress updates btw.
Thanks Guys.
Re weight I still haven't weighed it. Build spreadsheet suggests @12 kgs so its somewhere in that ballpark, maybe 12.5. Will try and weigh it at some point.
Haven't been back to Nerang since nailing myself on basically flat section of track last year Mitchy! I didn't really ride off road much at all for the 6 months after July last year because of it. I have been enjoying getting back on the MTB's
Will try and get out at some point. Should maybe try and organise a ride one weekend, especially if you know your way around!
Bugger on the rear mech! that sucks!
Re weight I still haven't weighed it. Build spreadsheet suggests @12 kgs so its somewhere in that ballpark, maybe 12.5. Will try and weigh it at some point.
Haven't been back to Nerang since nailing myself on basically flat section of track last year Mitchy! I didn't really ride off road much at all for the 6 months after July last year because of it. I have been enjoying getting back on the MTB's
Will try and get out at some point. Should maybe try and organise a ride one weekend, especially if you know your way around!
Bugger on the rear mech! that sucks!
mitchy_
Llama calmer
Definitely! I'm no expert but I know a few of the trails there. I quite like 3 hills, a couple of the new jumps they've added I've chickened out of though haha.
I'm actually picking up a Zee mech from daisy hill tomorrow, so will chuck the bike and tools in the car and have my first ride there hopefully.
The rear Ardent (exo casing) didn't last long... 3 holes in it yesterday morning at speed on a very rough fire-road descent....
Stans fluid wouldn't even look at them so had to put a tube in and head home early....
I had covered 28k with nearly 1100m of climbing before it failed and the Bakery I had to ride past did a great big breakfast though so it wasn't all bad.
Not sure what to do with tyres now. I quite liked the Ardent / Ardent combo, although it was quite drifty on the back, which I didn't mind most of the time.
I ran 2.5 Minions on the Rune and never punctured one, but they are heavy, and I do quite a lot of road riding to get to the trails during the week. I don't really like High Rollers for some reason, and my experience with Schwalbe tyres hasn't been great either..
I'm thinking the Minion Semi slick could be an option when its available, but then I imagine when its wet, I will spend most of my time on the ground...
Continental trail kings maybe...
Or maybe I just fit normal 27.5x2.5 minions and suck it up!
Stans fluid wouldn't even look at them so had to put a tube in and head home early....
I had covered 28k with nearly 1100m of climbing before it failed and the Bakery I had to ride past did a great big breakfast though so it wasn't all bad.
Not sure what to do with tyres now. I quite liked the Ardent / Ardent combo, although it was quite drifty on the back, which I didn't mind most of the time.
I ran 2.5 Minions on the Rune and never punctured one, but they are heavy, and I do quite a lot of road riding to get to the trails during the week. I don't really like High Rollers for some reason, and my experience with Schwalbe tyres hasn't been great either..
I'm thinking the Minion Semi slick could be an option when its available, but then I imagine when its wet, I will spend most of my time on the ground...
Continental trail kings maybe...
Or maybe I just fit normal 27.5x2.5 minions and suck it up!
Rhys_
Likes Bikes and Dirt
What about a 2.3 EXO DHF or DHR II? I know technically they still only have a EXO sidewall but I'm sure they will be much tougher than an Ardent. I've been rocking mine for close to a year now, and ridden some pretty rough tracks overseas without any dramas at all.
2.4 both ends already unfortunately!
Hey Rhys, Will have a look. How big do the 2.3 Exo dhf's look when fitted? Are they true to size?
Rhys_
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I don't know what's true to size any more haha. They look decent to me. Not that much smaller than your 2.5 Minion. Definitely smaller than a 2.35 Schwalbe (like a Hans Dampf) but they are huge tyres for their stated size
Have entered a few varied events coming up so will be interesting to see how it goes.
First up is a 50k XC race on Sunday, then Round 3 of the Gravity Enduro series at Mt Joyce in June, then the 87k Flight Centre Epic in September.
I started to change back to the RaRa's for this weekend earlier but got so pissed off with trying to get the first one to bead even using my large workshop compressor I took it off in disgust and refitted the Ardent which beaded instantly.
So I will be racing the 50k XC race on 2.4" ardents on a 160mm travel bike! seems ideal!
Also managed to clip a tree with the bars on Sunday at Daisy Hill and got thrown off which thankfully didn't seem to do any real damage to myself or the bike.
First up is a 50k XC race on Sunday, then Round 3 of the Gravity Enduro series at Mt Joyce in June, then the 87k Flight Centre Epic in September.
I started to change back to the RaRa's for this weekend earlier but got so pissed off with trying to get the first one to bead even using my large workshop compressor I took it off in disgust and refitted the Ardent which beaded instantly.
So I will be racing the 50k XC race on 2.4" ardents on a 160mm travel bike! seems ideal!
Also managed to clip a tree with the bars on Sunday at Daisy Hill and got thrown off which thankfully didn't seem to do any real damage to myself or the bike.