2 years ago
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PINKBIKE FIELD TEST
Deviate Claymore
Words by Mike Kazimer; photography by Dave Trumpore
On insubstantial the Claymore looks similar a brute, with a precocious pivot suspension design, 29” wheels, and 165mm of rear travel. It was a somewhat antithetic communicative retired connected the trail, wherever Deviate's latest c instauration ended up astonishing testers with its versatility.
Deviate stepped into the precocious pivot satellite backmost successful 2016, truthful they're nary strangers to the imaginable pros and cons of the design. With the Claymore, the extremity was to marque a agelong question enduro motorcycle that was inactive playful capable to stay entertaining connected somewhat mellower terrain. The motorcycle has a existent precocious pivot suspension layout, with the main pivot located astir halfway up the spot tube. That positioning gives it a rearward axle way of 21mm, and comparatively precocious anti-rise values, which tin assistance sphere the geometry during dense braking.
Deviate Claymore Details
• Travel: 165mm / 170mm fork
• Full c frame
• Wheel size: 29"
• Head angle: 64.3°
• Seat conduit angle: 78°
• Reach: 490mm
• Chainstay length: 441
• Sizes: M, L (tested), X
• Weight: 34.7 lb / 15.7 kg
• Price: $3,822 (frame + Float X2 shock)
• www.deviatecycles.com
On the taxable of geometry, the Deviate has a 64.3-degree caput angle, the steepest (although I wouldn't precisely telephone it 'steep') retired of the 7 bikes we had connected test. It besides had the longest reach, astatine 490mm for a size large. That fig is tempered by a 78-degree spot angle, which helps guarantee the motorcycle doesn't consciousness overly agelong portion climbing. The chainstays measurement 441mm connected each 3 disposable sizes.
From a distance, the Deviate definite looks similar each of the lodging runs done the main frame, but that's lone existent for the dropper post. The rear brake and derailleur lodging beryllium successful a transmission underneath the apical conduit earlier traveling done the swingarm connected the mode to their last destinations. Funny enough, the lone existent sound ailment we had came from the dropper station lodging – adding foam tubing astir that enactment is highly recommended.
Other framework details see country for up to a 2.6” rear tire, a threaded bottommost bracket, and grease ports connected the idler and pivot bearings. The 18-tooth idler uses 2 concern people sealed bearings, and the bracket that surrounds it helps guarantee that the concatenation can't travel off.
The Claymore is disposable arsenic a framework lone with a Float X2 daze for $3,696 USD. That's not cheap, but it is astir $550 little costly than a Santa Cruz Megatower framework and shock. Complete bikes aren't available, but Deviate does person an online configurator that allows customers to prime the parts they privation and past nonstop that accusation to a trader to person a quote.
Our trial motorcycle was built up with a kit that included a Shimano XT drivetrain and 4-piston brakes, DT Swiss EX 511 wheels, a OneUp dropper post, and a Fox Float X2 / Fox 38 suspension combo. The Claymore is besides coil daze compatible for riders funny successful going that route.
Climbing
“Not bad” is the benignant of faint praise that typically gets handed retired to bikes successful this category. After all, if you're pedaling astir a motorcycle with 165mm of question the absorption is intelligibly connected descending (or astatine slightest it should be), and climbing is typically a means to an end. The Deviate isn't your emblematic enduro bike, though, and it ended up being an highly competent climber, with balanced handling that elevates it good supra the 'not bad' designation.
That steep spot space provides a bully and upright climbing position, and the chainstay magnitude combined with the rearward axle way creates makes it casual to enactment centered connected the motorcycle – determination wasn't ever immoderate consciousness of being excessively acold implicit the rear wheel, adjacent connected truly steep climbs.
The beforehand extremity steering is simply a interaction quicker than immoderate of the slacker bikes that we had connected test, which makes the Claymore easier to maneuver successful tighter sections of trail, particularly compared to the Commencal Meta SX oregon Contra MC. The Claymore besides happens to beryllium 1 of those bikes that rides lighter than it really is – I'd happily caput retired for a long, multi-hour pedal connected this bike, thing that I'd beryllium little inclined to bash connected immoderate of the bigger bruisers successful our radical of trial bikes.
The idler was occupation free, and it was lone connected the wettest and muddiest days that a small other rumbling arose from the soiled concatenation traveling implicit the idler pulley. Otherwise it was creaseless and silent, escaped of immoderate noticeable drag.
Descending
The Claymore defies expectations astir however a high-pivot, idler-equipped motorcycle should behave. Yes, it has fantabulous traction, and smooths retired unsmooth sections of way incredibly well, but determination was a liveliness to its handling that was a invited surprise.
The Contra MC inactive takes the barroom erstwhile it comes to outright straightline velocity and stability, and the Intense Tracer has a much poppy consciousness to it, but the Claymore is precise well-rounded, with neutral, predictable manners. Bump absorption was excellent, nary substance the size of the hit, and I tin lone ideate however overmuch grip a coil daze would deliver. The Float X2 felt similar an due choice, though, and determination was plentifulness of end-stroke ramp up to support it from bottoming retired connected bigger hits.
The precocious pivot plan and the information that the motorcycle gets longer arsenic it goes done its question does spot it person to the mediate of the battalion erstwhile it comes to cornering; it doesn't person the aforesaid propensity for berm blasting arsenic the Transition Patrol, for example. Still, it ne'er felt unwieldy, and its smooth, comfy thrust enactment this motorcycle connected each of our abbreviated lists of favorites.
Overall, the Claymore would marque for a large contention bike, oregon a long-travel do-it-all machine, with capable question to grip unexpected surprises, and geometry that allows it to radiance connected a assortment of tracks. Yes, the idler adds a small much complication, but it does instrumentality a modular 126 nexus chain, and didn't origin immoderate occupation during our trial period.
Pros
+ Excellent suspension performance, particularly implicit tiny and mean square-edged bumps
+ Not conscionable a singleminded DH instrumentality – it's inactive amusive connected mean terrain
Cons
- No size small, and the chainstay magnitude is the aforesaid connected each sizes
- Dropper station lodging rattled successful frame
The 2022 Enduro Bike Field Test is presented by Rapha, POC, and Continental. Thanks for keeping america dressed, safe, and rolling rubber broadside down.
