Devinci Limited-Edition Troy XT - Sea Otter 2016
Devinci Troy XT
Devinci chose Sea Otter 2016 as the place to debut their latest model—the limited-edition Troy XT.
“Wait,” I can almost hear you ask, “Didn’t those guys just unveil an entire line of Troy bike a few months ago?” Why, yes, Mr. Hypothetical Reader With An Excellent Recall of Product Releases. Yes, Devinci did just roll out a new line of Troy bikes. This one, however, is orange. And it’s wearing a largely Shimano XT build kit. It goes to 11, so to speak.
Devinci redesigned the Troy for 2016 to be a more capable descender, without sacrificing its pedaling efficiency. Today, they roll out this limited-edition version wearing a Shimano XT kit.
The complete Troy XT ($5,689 USD) will only be available in the United States and Canada, but the Tang-colored frame will be sold worldwide. The carbon frame retails for $2,239 (USD) and includes an FSA Orbit headset and Rock Shox Monarch RT3 Debonair rear shock). Did I mention it was a fetching shade of orange? I may have.
That’s kind of the story here. But it’s not the entire story.
The more interesting story might actually be what happened to all the Troy models between last year and this year. Without turning the bike into some kind of unwieldy, choppered-out tank, Devinci made the Troy a hell of a lot more capable. The guys at Devinci realized that the prior version of the Troy was being ridden hard in much burlier terrain than they’d envisioned when they designed the thing. Consequently, they set about remaking it with an eye towards bringing the Troy up to the challenge.
Devinci added about an inch of breathing room to the cockpit, stiffened up the frame (yup, it’s a Boost 148 party out back) and adding a more progressive feel to the rear suspension. The extra bottom out resistance comes courtesy of both a slight tweak to the suspension kinematics and a revised rear-shock tune.
The limited-edition Troy XT comes spec'd with...yeah, Shimano XT. Most of the other models in the line are rocking SRAM kits.
The exception to the XT rule--a Race Face Next SL crank.
The Troy XT is also available as a frame only option. At $2,239, it's actually a good deal less expensive than most carbon frames in it class. It also comes with a true lifetime warranty--rather than the industry-standard "Five Year Lifetime Warranty Based On the Lifespan of a Hamster".
Specifications
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In addition to sporting Shimano's XT 1x drivetrain and XT brakes, the Troy XT comes equipped with a 150-mm travel RockShox Pike RCT3 fork, a Chromag BZA 35 bar and stem combo, a RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post and a set of DT Swiss X1700 Spline wheels.
A Closer Look
“Coming from the DH scene, our bikes are always being ridden a bit harder than other bikes in their class,” says Devinci marketing coordinator, Julien Boulais. “With that in mind, we made the changes you see here. We wanted to improve its descending ability without adding weight or sacrificing the Troy’s pedaling efficiency. We also carried that over when we brought out our new 120-millimeter travel Django. Both of those bikes can compete with ‘bigger’ bikes.”
Having ridden the 2016 Troy, I can vouch for the “rides like a bigger bike” story here. The Troy absolutely holds its own on descents with bikes boasting more travel. What is the practical advantage, to the average rider, of running an all-mountain bike that happens to have a bit less travel than the norm?
“The Troy is not meant to be the fastest race bike from point A to point B, it’s about having the most fun on the trail, looking for new, creative lines. That’s the goal. Going with a bit smaller package that feels like a longer-travel package gives you that nimbleness and playful feel, yet without ever feeling that you are missing something when you get into the really rough stuff.”
Why offer an XT build kit at this point in the season?
“We’re firm believers in 1x systems and when we first brought out the latest Troy, Shimano was just not ready yet,” explains Boulais. “Now with the new XT group out there, it was time to offer an XT build—we’re just adding more choice for riders.”
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