Devinci

Spartan 29 NX Eagle Mountain Bike

The self-sponsoring enduro racer can't do a whole lot better than the Spartan 29 NX Eagle Complete Mountain Bike from DeVinci. While frame material certainly plays a role in ride quality, we think it takes a back seat to a quality suspension platform and geometry. So that being said, this NX build and aluminum frame pack the same DNA as its carbon brother for blazing speed over technical terrain, offering the speed and confidence needed over steep and rugged trails, but with a much friendlier price point. Otherwise, it packs that refined geometry, long travel, and big wheels. You'll quickly be testing all 6.5-inches of its plush, rear wheel travel from its DW Split Pivot suspension platform helping to suck up big hits while maximizing stoke. It’s a frame that's right at home in the park, on shuttle runs, or anytime the trail points down and you're looking to get after it. DeVinci isn't afraid to overbuild this frame which in turn adds durability and increases stiffness, nor does it forget to add in large tire clearance for big rubber. DeVinci has also made the move over to Super Boost spacing helping to improve both frame and wheel stiffness and tunes the geometry numbers from the feedback it gets from its pro riders, so it rails descents without losing focus of the climbing efficiency needed to get you up there.

DeVinci bestows this new Spartan with a made in Canada aluminum frame for outright durability as well as lowering its barrier of entry. What it might lose to carbon in the stiffness department is made up with its move to a wider dropout stance of 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 high-grade aluminum that’s welded on-site at its Canadian HQ. By using high-quality alloys and building the frames asymmetrically by highly skilled craftsmen, the frames have a tremendous strength to weight ratio and are the ideal choice for the self-sponsoring racer. This also allows DeVinci to back up its frames with a lifetime warranty. 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.