Devinci Wilson SL Review

TESTED

Devinci
Wilson SL

WORDS Mike Levy
PHOTOS Fraser Britton

Devinci's 8.5'' travel Wilson SL has been assembled around the same frame that Steve Smith and the rest of the Devinci Global Race team have been campaigning aboard on the World Cup circuit, including a matching carbon fiber swing arm upgrade that is said to greatly increase chassis stiffness. The bike's Split Pivot suspension has been designed by Dave Weagle, with a concentric pivot at the rear axle and a pull-link arrangement that positions the shock extremely low in the frame. The $6799.95 CAD Wilson SL makes use of a RockShox BoXXer World Cup fork, along with a tuned, 10.5'' x 3.5'' FOX DHX RC4 shock out back.





Wilson SL Suspension

The Wilson's rear suspension consists of four major components: the carbon fiber swing arm or wheel link, the Split Pivot concentric dropout pivot, the floating brake link (In the Wilson as the chain stays),as well as the control link that activates the shock and controls braking reactions.

The swing arm determines the rear axle's path as it moves upwards from impacts, with the high and rearward main pivot making for a wheel path with a more reward travel than if the pivot was located lower. The design is said to allow for both excellent square edge bump absorption and pedalling efficiency while at the same time maintaining excellent cornering traction. Moving towards the rear hub, the rear dropout pivot rotates concentrically around the axle, and the brake caliper is mounted to the bike's floating chain stays in an effort to neutralize the effect that the braking forces have on the suspension. Finally, the leverage ratio is controlled via the control link, a CNC'd aluminum component that rotates concentrically around the bottom bracket shell. In action, the swing arm rotates upwards as the rear wheel encounters an impact on the trail, which also pulls the bike's chain stays. This activates the control link that then compresses the shock. The unique Split Pivot setup of the Wilson allows for a low center of mass and polar moment of inertia (In other words, the bike is designed to ride like it's lighter than its actual weight).

Specifications Release Date 2012 Price $6799.95 Travel 216mm Rear Shock FOX DHX RC4 Fork RockShox BoXXer World Cup Headset Cane Creek 40-series zero stack Cassette SRAM PG-1070 10spd 11-26T Crankarms Truvativ Descendant 1.1 w/ 38t ring Chainguide e13 LG1+ Bottom Bracket SRAM GXP Pedals Wellgo MG1 Magnesium Chain Shimano 10spd Rear Derailleur SRAM XO 10spd Shifter Pods SRAM XO 10spd Handlebar Truvativ Boobar Stem Truvativ Holzfeller Grips Devinci Performance Lock-On Brakes Avid XO, 200mm rotors Hubs DT Swiss 340 Spokes DT Swiss Champion Rim Mavic EX721 Tires Maxxis Minion DHF 3C Seat Selle Italia XR Seatpost Devinci 31.6mm Compare to other DH Bikes

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Riding the Wilson SL

Sitting on the bike for the first time, the initial thought that came to mind is that the good ship Wilson has a distinctly compact feel to it. We wouldn't go so far as to say that it's cramped, but it feels less-roomy than many other ''medium'' sized downhill bikes that we've spent time on, despite its 23.5'' length. One other point was also immediately noticeable: the Wilson's drastically sloped top tube makes for an extremely low stand over height, an always appreciated quality in any bike. Up front, we were pleased to see the Canadian-made bike fitted with a Truvativ Boobar and Holzfeller direct mount stem pairing, a combo that is far from the lightest out there, but one that we find both comfortable and confidence inspiring.



Handling

It took all of ten minutes aboard the 8.5'' travel Wilson SL to conclude that this is a bike that thrives on big, toothy tracks. One might immediately retort that statement doesn't need saying given that the Wilson is, after all, a downhill race bike. But it truly does cover rough ground in such a confident manner that it makes certain other machines feel a bit, ahem, wimpy. Why is it such a monster when it comes to full-on terrain? One part of it is its outright lateral rigidity that, together with the bike's low-slung weight, give it an air of boldness when approaching the roughest sections of a track at speed. The other factor is the bike's 'back seat' riding position that puts the rider in a very confidence inspiring stance, making us feel as if we could charge into the worst of the worst without having to worry about going over the front of the bike. These two traits give the Wilson rider the mettle to let the bike carry momentum through sections that would rattle riders on those aforementioned wimpier-feeling steeds.

Given that the Wilson SL offers such a stable ride over rough terrain, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it dives into corners with the eagerness of a penguin on ice. It isn't exactly a playful bike, but the sub-17'' rear end could be led through the tightest of bends with ease. The same can be said for backing it in while counter-steering: the Wilson snapped around corners without needing to be muscled at all. Colour us contradicted, but this completely defies the bike's un-lively feel elsewhere on the mountain. Traction felt very balanced front to back, with no surprising 'oh shit' moments where the front or rear end broke away when we weren't expecting it, and this meant that we didn't need to weight either end of the bike in an un-natural manner. The Wilson's Minion 3C tires certainly add to its corner-smashing abilities as well. Simply put, the Wilson turns exceptionally well.

Although it does pedal well, and is also of an acceptable weight, it just doesn't have that light and snappy character that many of today's race bikes seem to have in their genes. Aggressive riders on big terrain will likely fall head over heels for the Wilson, but those who pride themselves in threading the needle on a track, or are always striving to take the smoothest of lines, might find themselves a bit over-gunned on the bike. Poppy and playful it is not, and we'd go so far as to say the bike feels a bit lazy when on any of the new-school, smooth, jumped filled trails. All of this does make sense, of course, given that it is a full-blown race bike designed for the fastest of riders, on the biggest of tracks.



Suspension

The Wilson's suspension isn't as forgiving at a slow pace as some other downhill bikes out there, but it does come to life when pushed past cruising speed. This quality is inline with our thoughts on the bike's handling, and again goes to show that the Devinci isn't the bike for those who aren't going to be pushing it hard. Doing just that, though, unleashed the back of the bike to track the chunkiest of terrain. Hard impacts in particular were dealt with in a muffled manner, with the suspension taking the clout out of missed landings and repeated square edge hits like no other. We felt the end of the FOX shock's stroke on a few occasions, although it took a hard impact to get there, and bottoming out was more of a gentle reminder that full travel had been used rather than the bell-ringing event as on some other machines. Braking has little to no effect on performance, highlighting the bike's Split Pivot suspension that allows the Wilson to stay calm and track well when on the binders.

As mentioned above, the Wilson has a decidedly planted character that we'd call less playful than many other downhill bikes. While this works for the bike at race speeds and on rough tracks, it does detract some when you just want to amuse yourself on the trail. We found that we could de-tune the Wilson's ground-hugging personality a bit by dialling out the FOX shock's rebound dial a few clicks, an adjustment that helps to get the bike off the ground. We ended up preferring a faster rebound setting on the Wilson SL than we have on any other downhill bike that we've spent time on.

Up front, the World Cup BoXXer performed as we've come to expect it to: stiff, consistent, and with effective damping adjustments that made dialling in the bike's settings an easy task. It isn't as supple at the top of its stroke as coil sprung BoXXers that we've spent time on, though. In order to balance the front of the bike with the rear, we ended up running the low-speed rebound setting a few clicks faster than what we might usually end up at. The result was a balanced ride that responded predictably and tracked well over a string of repeated impacts.



Other Ride Notes

• We mistakenly spent a day on the hill without the Wilson's chain stay pad in place, likely frightening away any wildlife within five miles. The chain slap noise is very noticeable, even with both the driveside swingarm and chain stay protected, and we'd say that it's louder than any other bike we've ridden recently.

• The previous year's Wilsons could be prone to a confounding rear brake squeal that occurred regardless of the brake model being used, likely putting the blame on the frame itself. We're happy to say that this was never an issue with our test bike - it was free of noise during the entire testing process.

• Mavic's EX721 rims have been trouble-free for us in the past, which is why we were surprised to find a crack at an eyelet on the Wilson's rear rim. We can't recall any big moments that would have caused it, but the location leads us to believe that the trigger could have been excessive spoke tension from the factory. The crack, which spans nearly the entire top face of the rim, hasn't fazed the burly hoop, bar a brief truing after its discovery.

• Devinci wanted to assemble a race-ready bike that wouldn't require any changes before heading to the hill, which is why they went with Maxxis' Minion DHF 3C tires front and back. Every rider has their own personal preference when it comes to rubber, but it's hard to beat the Minions when it comes to all-around performance. We also didn't suffer a single flat.

• e13's LG1+ guide also fits into the race-ready category mentioned above. We actually can't remember losing a chain on any bike that has been fitted with the sub-200 gram guide, the Wilson included.

• We're sure that some riders will question Devinci's choice to spec Avid's XO brakes in place of the unarguably more powerful Codes, but lighter weight XO stoppers proved to be more than adequate for our needs.


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Reviews and Tech Reviews DH Bikes Devinci Devinci Wilson