Devinci Troy Carbon RR - Review
While the fabled city of the same name was destroyed and rebuilt many times, Devinci is hoping that a single re-design of their Troy will be all that's required for it reach its own legendary status. The second generation Troy still sports 140mm of travel out back, which is short by all-mountain standards, but it's longer, has a more robust frame, and comes equipped with more of a party-themed build kit than its predecessor ever did. That includes a 150mm-travel Pike RCT3 fork, an 800mm wide handlebar and short stem from Chromag, and a set of 2.35'' wide Hans Dampf tires rather than the old bike's wimpier 2.25'' Racing Ralph rubber.
Troy Details
• Intended use: all-mountain
• Rear wheel travel: 140mm
• Pike RCT3 w/ 150mm of travel
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• New carbon fiber frame
• Adjustable geometry
• Internal cable routing
• ISCG 05 chain guide tabs
• 1X only (alloy frame can do 2x)
• Weight: 28.04lbs
• MSRP: $6,599 USD
• Intended use: all-mountain
• Rear wheel travel: 140mm
• Pike RCT3 w/ 150mm of travel
• Wheel size: 27.5''
• New carbon fiber frame
• Adjustable geometry
• Internal cable routing
• ISCG 05 chain guide tabs
• 1X only (alloy frame can do 2x)
• Weight: 28.04lbs
• MSRP: $6,599 USD
Old Troy vs New Troy
The name is the same but the latest Troy is an entirely new animal from front to back.
Devinci says that the old bike was often being ridden by downhillers looking for a trailbike, or just by aggressive riders who wanted a rig they could pedal around all day. Not surprisingly, these riders were outfitting their bikes with shorter stems and wider handlebars, which made it clear to Devinci that the new Troy would have to be designed with these people in mind.
And that's exactly what they did. So while the old medium-sized Troy had a 415mm long reach in the 'LO' setting, the new Troy sports a 440mm reach and comes from Devinci with a shorter stem and wider handlebar.
The rear-end does get slightly shorter as well, at 426mm. That's 4mm shorter compared to the old Troy, and it's possible due to the carbon bike's dedicated single chainring design and Boost hub spacing that provides more clearance.
The rear-end does get slightly shorter as well, at 426mm. That's 4mm shorter compared to the old Troy, and it's possible due to the carbon bike's dedicated single chainring design and Boost hub spacing that provides more clearance.
One figure that does stay the same is the Troy's 67° head angle as that number suits the 140mm-travel bike's intentions as a burly trail machine. Want something slacker? The 165mm-travel Spartan is probably what you should be considering instead.
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 The new Troy is much burlier looking than its predecessor. |
The new Troy is not only a longer bike, but Devinci is also saying that it's much more rigid than its predecessor thanks to massive carbon tubes that make it clear that it is closely related to the longer-travel Spartan. The rear-end is also all new, with burlier carbon seatstays, new aluminum chainstays, and a stiffer rocker arm that are all said to contribute to a big jump in lateral rigidity.
All that adds up to a slightly heavier frame, with the new version coming in at a claimed 6.13 pounds compared to 6.07 pounds for the old bike, a bump that Devinci clearly feel is well worth it.
Internal cable routing front to back.
The Troy's head angle and bottom bracket height can be tuned by rotating the hardware that joins the rocker arm and seatstays.
Devinci has included all of the expected trappings on the new Troy, from ISCG 05 chain guide tabs to internal cable routing that features large entry and exit ports. The rear-end is made to fit Boost hubs (but not the Pike fork), and an unthreaded bottom bracket shell is home to SRAM bearings and a set of X01 carbon fiber crank arms. There's also a bolt-on shield to keep rocks from leaving permanent damage on the underside of the Troy's downtube.
 |
| The 140mm-travel Troy features an updated version of the Split Pivot suspension layout. The heel rub marks near the dropouts are from my wonky ankles, not an overly wide rear-end, and the bike does come with frame protection that wasn't attached during my time on it. |
The Troy's Suspension Explained
Much like its predecessor, the new Troy employs Dave Weagle's Split Pivot suspension that allows the dropout pivot to rotate concentrically around the axle, a design that's said to allow more freedom for braking neutrality to be tuned separately from drivetrain-induced suspension forces. Comparing the original Troy to the new bike reveals slightly altered pivot locations between the two, especially when looking at the new rocker arm that is claimed to add a good amount of rigidity to the chassis. Sure, there might only be a few millimeters difference here and there in pivot locations between the new and old bikes, but the result is more progressive suspension that should make for increased bottom-out resistance compared to the original design.
This could also allow riders to run a setup that provides a slightly more forgiving top-end to the travel, but without blowing through the rest of the shock's stroke when things get a bit wild.
The rocker arm is also home to a built-in geometry adjustment system that, as on a handful of other bikes on the market, utilizes flip-able chips for hardware where the seatstays attach to the rocker arm. These provide what Devinci is calling 'HI' and 'LO' geometry settings, with the latter giving the bike a 67° head angle and a bottom bracket height of 338mm. Going to the HI setting steepens the front-end by 0.4° and raises the bottom bracket up by 5mm.
The rocker arm is also home to a built-in geometry adjustment system that, as on a handful of other bikes on the market, utilizes flip-able chips for hardware where the seatstays attach to the rocker arm. These provide what Devinci is calling 'HI' and 'LO' geometry settings, with the latter giving the bike a 67° head angle and a bottom bracket height of 338mm. Going to the HI setting steepens the front-end by 0.4° and raises the bottom bracket up by 5mm.
Specifications
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Climbing
The Troy has two personalities when it comes to ascending, one of which is a surprisingly adept technical climber that means your only excuse for not cleaning something is a lack of skill. Forks with adjustable travel are a silly compromise and, thankfully, I never felt the need to dial down the Troy's Pike, even when faced with a messy technical climb. While other bikes might call for some serious body English, or maybe even the odd wheel-pivot to weave through a section of BC's best, the Troy wiggles its way through like a little black and white French-speaking ferret escaping its cage by slipping out the smallest of cracks. For a bike that impresses on some seriously rowdy downhills, it is also surprisingly proficient and comfortable when faced with a proper singletrack climb.
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| Somewhat surprisingly, the Troy is an extremely capable technical climber. |
But while the Troy can hold its own on the tech, it's not exactly a stallion when you're pedaling up smoother trails or gravel roads. These are times when the Devinci does feel every bit the all-mountain bike that it actually is, which is in contrast to its great technical abilities. It's a bike with very active and supple rear suspension, and while the fork can be firmed up as required, the 'Pedal' setting on the Monarch RT3 DebonAir shock isn't strong enough to make the bike feel as sporty as some other bikes when the rider reaches down to flip the enduro-crutch switch.
Do you spend every day in your kneepads, ride with guys who own longer travel bikes, and pack a Red Bull and Snickers bar in your backpack? Well, then you might not care how efficient the Troy feels. But those who are coming off of shorter travel bikes might not find the Devinci to be especially sprightly.
Descending
Bikes with 140mm of travel are kinda out there on their own in a lonely place. They're a bit big to be considered a pure trail bike, and I'd argue that they're probably a little short-legged to be a full-fledged all-mountain machine, so I wouldn't blame a rider for scratching their head over just what the hell the Troy is all about. That's a problem with us mountain bikers; we always want to try and lump things into categories, and particularly by using how much travel a bike has. And the Troy? It's probably the longest travel 140mm-travel bike out there. How's that for lumping and categorizing?
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| You don't need rowdy terrain to have fun on the Troy; it's a fun bike on all sorts of trails. |
Devinci says that the old and new Troy have essentially the same bottom bracket height and share the same head angle, albeit with a 10mm longer travel fork on the new bike. Nevertheless, the Carbon RR makes its forerunner feel as if it's three feet off the ground and 5° too steep, such is the difference in handling between the two. With quite a supple first inch or so of travel and an extended wheelbase that can only help make the rider feel more confident, the Troy is one of the better cornering machines that I've been on, something that's no doubt aided by its reasonable weight. It seems to strike a nice balance between the mega-planted ride of a longer travel and heavier enduro race bike, and the fun and flicky attitude of a trail bike.
All of the above makes it a much more pleasant rig to be on than something slacker and even more forgiving when the corners are tight or require abrupt changes in course. It also feels infinitely more playful than a true enduro race bike, but its capabilities still make the Troy the Auto-Tune of mid-travel bikes. Just let it run out and the Troy will look after all sorts of things that would call for some handling skill on other bikes of similar travel.
It may not have the rear wheel travel of a true enduro racer, but that doesn't stop the Troy from thinking that's its calling in life.
And what happens when the terrain changes from tight corners to sphincter-tightening? Okay, the Troy is not a Spartan (65.8° and 165mm), Slash, or Nomad, but it feels like way more of an enduro racer than you'd think given that it's shorter on travel and, supposedly, shorter on abilities. I had to search out some seriously rough and fast sections of trail in order to scare myself into thinking that I'd be better off on something with longer legs, and even then it was usually only for brief periods of time; one hundred feet here and there, and I'm sure I was faster overall on the Troy than I would be on a less responsive, longer travel steed. I know I had more fun, anyway, and I'd argue that many other riders would feel the same.
 | It also feels infinitely more playful than a true enduro race bike, but its capabilities still make the Troy the Auto-Tune of mid-travel bikes. Just let it run out and the Troy will look after all sorts of things that would call for some handling skill on other bikes of similar travel. |
The Pike RCT3 helps - we all know how good it is - but the back of the Troy is equally impressive. Awesomely sensitive but with a seemingly perfect amount of ramp-up, I can't find a fault with how it performed for me, at least when it comes to descending. That said, some riders who frequent less demanding terrain could find that it tends to spend a bit too much time deep in its travel when running 30% sag, but the beauty of today's easily tuneable air-sprung shocks makes this a simple thing to sort out.
Technical Report
• Wheels - They might fly under the radar a bit, but the M1700 Spline wheels have proven to be sturdy enough for some serious riding. They're still perfectly straight, with zero attention being required. It would be nice if they were a bit wider, however, as their 22.5mm internal width forces riders to run a few PSI more than they would be able to get away with if DT Swiss had gone with a more spacious dimensions.
• Shock Talk - The Troy is more large displacement V12 than an EcoBoost when talking about efficiency, and while the Monarch RT3 DebonAir shock works well, I did find myself wishing for firmer Pedal and Lock compression settings. As it is, the Lock setting is closer to what I'd like to see for the Pedal mode, especially for a rider who will be out all day or is faced with long, boring climbs to the top of their local mountain.
• Wide and Short - Thank you, Devinci, for not wimping out when it came to the Troy's handlebar and stem spec. The shorty Chromag stem and 800mm wide handlebar perfectly match the bike's fun-loving attitude and impressive capabilities, and those who don't need or want the leverage can simply trim the handlebar down to a more acceptable width.
Pinkbike's Take:
| The Troy is an interesting bike, one that could easily do double-duty as an enduro race machine for most riders, despite Devinci selling the bigger Spartan for those services. As I said above, it could be the longest travel 140mm-travel bike out there, which makes the Troy a good choice for the rider who doesn't mind a long pedal as long as they end up on some worthy terrain. - Mike Levy |
About the Reviewer
Stats: Age: 34 • Height: 5'10” • Inseam: 33" • Weight: 165lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None Mike Levy spent most of the 90s and early 2000s racing downhill bikes and building ill-considered jumps in the woods of British Columbia before realizing that bikes could also be pedaled for hours on end to get to some pretty cool places. These days he spends most of his time doing exactly that, preferring to ride test bikes way out in the local hills rather than any bike park. Over ten years as a professional mechanic before making the move to Pinkbike means that his enthusiasm for two wheels extends beyond simply riding on them, and his appreciation for all things technical is an attribute that meshes nicely with his role of Technical Editor at Pinkbike.
Stats: Age: 34 • Height: 5'10” • Inseam: 33" • Weight: 165lb • Industry affiliations / sponsors: None Mike Levy spent most of the 90s and early 2000s racing downhill bikes and building ill-considered jumps in the woods of British Columbia before realizing that bikes could also be pedaled for hours on end to get to some pretty cool places. These days he spends most of his time doing exactly that, preferring to ride test bikes way out in the local hills rather than any bike park. Over ten years as a professional mechanic before making the move to Pinkbike means that his enthusiasm for two wheels extends beyond simply riding on them, and his appreciation for all things technical is an attribute that meshes nicely with his role of Technical Editor at Pinkbike.
Author Info:
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Trail is more on the lighter side of things, which means if you want a cheap bike, you're not going to get durability and if you want durability you'll either have to take a big weight penalty OR put top shelf components. Now a 32lbs 165mm bike might not seem like a big deal to you but if they build a 32lbs 140mm it is pure suicide nowadays and it will set the comment section ablaze.
So the moral of the story is if you want a cheap bike that handles everything, you will have to consider getting an entry level enduro that weights a ton because if you want a trail bike that will withstand abuse, you'll have to shell out the $$$ to make it last if you're going to bring it to its limit.
The way I see it, "true" do it all bikes are not a thing yet. You'll suffer on the XC trail with an enduro and you can't really push a trail bike on DH tracks. You can get closer but it is going to cost you a lot.
I spent $6200 on a brand new SB66 and that's a lot of hashish for a middle component/ alu frame bike.
Unfortunatley, a huge majority of us don't get to purchase a brand new bike worth more than $6000 very often.
I guess we all know that higher end components are great, and carbon frames are great, but most of us can't afford both.
What about brands we haven't heard as much about.... That would be neat.
Or cheap eBay knock off's!
So you want Pinkbike, which already has a huge classified section, to push consumers to buy used / second hand bikes, and let 'suckers' buy the new stuff to supply that market.
You do know Pinkbike makes it's revenue from the advertising of companies selling NEW stuff, right?
And if there was a huge swing where the vast majority of riders only bought second hand (i.e. not the suckers), then the used market would lack supply and the used costs would go up.
Fortunately, you're not old enough to vote...pretty sure we know who you'd be voting for...
One of the few? Umm, have you ever read the comments in just about every review ever published on Pinkbike?
If you're bottoming out all the time then maybe install a volume spacer, or run your sag closer to 25%. This is not a DH race machine, it's a long-travel trail bike. I run my Wilson at 35% sag and my Troy at 25% sag. The Troy almost never bottoms out unless I'm on some seriously gnarly terrain.
Maybe you just need to learn how to ride smoother.
im not new to this game bro, i know my stuff. im a journeyman millwright by trade. i deal with ten-thousandths and microns clearance and tolerance at work.
yes maybe i need more tokens/bands whatever. im still dialing the suspension and ill try putting 1 more band on the float X2.
Then you open a bike rag, and they review something very similar to what you just bought with this written at the end of a test: "This is a excellent bike for beginners and people wanting to get into the sport.."
I like how bike testers are trying there hardest to keep there audience at the CEO level of bike spending, instead of catering to there hard core group of readers that can't drop 8 grand on a bike because the shock went to metric and what they are riding has instantly become junk.
What about testes like, this high end bike can be had for only this much if you get it like this, and works well compared to this..
Or something...
I've had my alloy Troy RS for a month now and I am absolutely loving it.
I know Pinkbike will never do such a thing, but I bet most readers would appreciate such a comparison.
I own the bike too, there is no f*cking way I can run a 2.25" shock without damaging the seat stay bridge or the frame. I'll lend you a Monarch RT3 off my Spartan carbon that is 7.875x2.25 and you can give it a test. Free shock length has nothing to do with stroke. There is also a rubber bump stop inside the shock body to prevent hard bottoming out.
Thrash your bike how you want, the warranty only covers manufacturing defect not being stupid.
You're 145 lbs and bottoming out an X2?? If the WC DH and EWS guys are running the same shock, you're doing it wrong.
You'll only get that warranty honoured with the original equipment. If you're changing the shock length you're customizing your bike. Why would Devinci honour that? That's like chipping your car: boom! Warranty voided.
I loved my Dixon SP, ran it with Fox 36 Float reduced to 150mm
Actually so damn capable it started making riding trails in the S-East of UK boring, so I sold it and got a hardtail 29'er!
fantastic bike though for the right terrain, and this new Troy looks awesome.
are you guys ever not surprised by a bike's climbing abilities? I don't think I've seen a review of a bike in the last 3-4 years that didn't include some paraphrasing of the above.
Hey pinkbike, I could write software that will randomly generate bike reviews for you - I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference, since every review you've published in the last few years has just been the same formulaic combination of a few key phrases. Might save you some money on content.
I was doing music show reviews in the early 2000s and unless you're doing those to showcase your writing skills or it was one of the very few show who blew your mind, they all come down to the same. Yeah the band played, yeah people were into it, yeah it was fun. This was the tracklist and I'm disappointed they didn't play X song.
Bronson: VPP
Stumpjumper: FSR
Troy: DW Link (Split Pivot)
Not sure I would compare this to the Bronson though but I guess you could.
These are questions I want to know when it just seems like manufacturers keep churning out their version of the same bike.
Desperately need a pinkbike trailbike shootout
.
In regards to frame design, frame dimensions only tell one story on how the bike will handle and fit. But once you have ridden the different suspension designs you will develop a preference of what you like and not depend on such a review as no review is going to say how YOU like a bike.
Don't get me wrong, bike shoot outs a great, especially if you bought a bike in the shootout. All I'm saying is at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference.
40 mile day--no problem
Farlow Gap-- terrifying, but I can't afford a DH bike as well
Stage Races-- won't be winning, but who cares. More me than the bike
My Troy allows me to perform all sorts of Tom Foolery in the thicket of woods.
My last bike was a 150mm FSR, & other than the wallow, it pedaled far worse. fire road climbs are much more enjoyable on the Spartan.
Same suspension , XG gears and shimano brakes
Brakes are similar to XT and actually pretty good although only a 160 rear disk
No chromag either just V2 own brand stuff?
Wheels are okay although rear hug is formula with terrible engagement
Write up is very good from my experience riding the bike
Descends as good as the Transition Suppressor with 160mm forks I previously had
The difference is its more fun, steering is precise and not wallowy on climbs
Review is true regarding the bob when on flat ground, I run mine on middle and lock out for flat and climbing
Will try different sag to see how that goes
Also did not come with downtube protection though which is worrying
My focus was DH so i bought a bike that would be "more bike" than a local trail ride requires but could handle DH duties therefore if i were to choose between these 2 it would be the spartan. but for you it may be different.
That's funny - I'm pretty sure that's a marketing/manufacturer problem. I've been wanting a 120-140mm rear travel all-mountain bike for years... excited to see the manufacturers have broken out of their categorization a little and started offering this.
Bottom line, this is a sweet bike that totally rips on the downs, and is decent on the ups. Coming off a 2012 RM slayer, it feels more playful, climbs better, and is more of an all arounder....although they have a steep st angle in common.
@mikelevy How are rockshox dual position forks a compromise? In my experience the pike dual position is way more supportive than a solo air even pre dpa bottomless tokens...In fact I just sold my dpa lyrik due to the fact that it feels too similar to the solo air pikes I've ridden...you can stuff it full of as many tokens as you want..it will still blow through the first 50% of the travel before ramping up too much for the last few inches...The dpa pike rides higher in the travel in my opinion and has a much more consistent feel to it..I'll admit that on a 140mm travel bike the dpa is probably an unnecessary spec but when you are doing 5kft of climbing on a bike with a 65* head angle it makes a huge difference, especially when the travel adjust versions feel better for fast riders to begin with...just don't understand the travel adjust hate on the newer forks
Also I can't imagine where I would possibly mount a "bolt-on shield" on my frame, it doesnt have any screw holes or anything.
I was able to improve things significantly by swapping the shock with a CC Db Coil IL and the fork with a Fox 36 with 160 travel. The bike is now much more stable on rough terrain. The reason I went through all the trouble and did not simply sell the bike is because the bike is very playful, excellent climber and fun to ride in general.
For reference, I ride on the North Shore and Squamish mostly.
Old boost 148, no boost up front, no metric shock, not enough clearance for +tires.
And they claim they could gain 4 mm of chainstay lenght with boost 148, wow !
I don't comment on its ride abilities, it's certainly a great bike (had recently the occasion to ride the new Spartan from a firend, awsome !) but having a new bike every six month doesn't makes sens. Manufacturers should take more time between new versions to integrate the latest standard and let us enough time to save money for a new bike.
FWIW, the bike is super fun and poppy, loves being pushed at high speeds and climbs better than expected. A good mix of being nimble on the trail but still stable. But it is a bit heavy and sluggish on the flats & fire road climbs.
In a review that uses the word 'burley' several times, do you feel the rear end of the new Troy could benefit from a Monarch Plus or Super Deluxe?