If you've ever cruised our Bike Check section, the largest collection of badass bike builds on the internet, you know that Vital members spare no expense when it comes to radifying their rides. Always on the hunt for a backstory, we reached out to the owners of these six shredworthy sleds to find out what went into each project. From purple to yellow and all the colors in between, these rigs all have one thing in common: they're built to charge. What do their owners have to say about them?
Uncle Cliffy's Devinci Spartan
Age: 44
Where do you live? Medford Oregon.
Favorite local trail to ride? Time Warp.
Why did you pick the Devinci Spartan? Had the first generation model and liked it a lot. My main gripes were no water bottle mount and short top tube. The new model addressed those problems, plus the build was awesome.
Is this Devinci Spartan your only bike? No, but it's my most versatile.
What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? Intense Recluse.
Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? Off the shelf XO1 Eagle/ Next R-32 with subtle changes.
What’s your favorite part about the bike? Purple!
What would you change on it? Nothing really, except I wish they'd offered a coil option at the time.
How long do you plan on riding this bike? Longer than usual I hope. I'm notorious for swapping bikes every year, but it's purple so...
If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I'm in need of a shorter travel trail bike so that's probably next.
View Uncle Cliff's bike check.
Petr Stastny's Devinci Spartan
Age: 36
Where do you live? Czech Republic.
Favorite local trail to ride? Illegal ones.
Why did you pick the Devinci Spartan? The geometry and the look. It just looks like nothing else.
Is this Devinci Spartan your only bike? No, I also have a trailbike, a dirtjump bike and a gravel bike (life is not too bad...).
What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? Turner RFX.
Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? Custom build.
What’s your favorite part about the bike? It is a rocket, super capable, stable at speed but still playful enough to have fun. And it can fit a water bottle.
What would you change on it? Mine is completely custom built so everything is to my liking.
How long do you plan on riding this bike? 2-3 years, we'll see.
If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I am kind of tempted by the new Devinci Spartan 29...
View Petr Stastny's bike check.
hugosxm's Devinci Spartan
Age: 25, my gosh 25 already...
Where do you live? South of France, Cavaillon.
Favorite local trail to ride? I'll give the names in French: La Draille de Maubec / La DH du Coteau des Gamates / Le Theatre de Roubion, and if I load the bike on the truck I'll go to Lascours / Roquevaire / Bras to run the stage of the "Trophee Enduro de Provence" and Apt / Buoux / Lourmarin... There is a shit load of stuff to do here... and a shit load of rock to ruin your tires...
Why did you pick the Devinci Spartan? Because I went to Tignes (French Alps), like I do every year for 1 week of bike park, and I broke my fork, so I rented a Spartan for 2 days...there is nothing to say more, I picked up the bike, and after the first trail I was like "I want this one!!". It feels really good after 30 seconds of riding, the geometry / position, the rear suspension with split pivot does a really good job at going fast in rough sections and breaking through it. It is lighter than my previous bike even if it is not the lightest. It feels a bit like the Wilson, in fact it is a mini Wilson, just lighter, more fun, less heavy, perfect for enduro :)
Is this Devinci Spartan your only bike? I own a dartmoor 4x just for pumptrack, I guess I have to upload it here on VitalMTB too :)
What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? A Morewood Mbuzi (here). The setup is a bit old on this post but you get an idea, 26in, single pivot, coil suspension, very heavy but very fun to ride too ! But the Spartan is wwwwaaaayyyyy better for going fast and climbing.
Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? Full custom, I bought the frame alone to the Gravity Lab shop in Tignes, this is a friend of mine who works like a pro, go see him if you need something in Tignes! Then I shopped around for every part...
What’s your favorite part about the bike? The suspension...BOS makes really good products, there was a time where the customer service was shitty, but NOW they do a really good job, 2 business day or less to service fork + shock. The feeling is really like: approaching a rock garden: oh shit I'm too fast...then everything stays under control, Kirk and Deville are doing a really god job on the hydraulic side. Yes the fork is not as stiff as the 36 VAN I had on the Morewood but it is close. There is more friction...air vs coil...but it remains acceptable because it works like a charm ! I chose BOS because I had a BOS stoy on the Morewood which was already a blast so I stayed with BOS and decided to go with the fork too for the Spartan.
What would you change on it? I think I changed the crankset by now, because my bike changed a little since I uploaded my bike check, I run a SIXC Race Face carbon crank instead of the Shimano saint to save weight... and I changed the saddle to for an Italia SLR, for comfort...and the grips for something black. I also changed the Deville and Kirk stickers for red ones...just to match the rest of the bike For now, I don't want to change anything else, it is perfect like it is.
How long do you plan on riding this bike? The bike is 1.5 old and I plan to keep my bike 5 years so another 3.5 years to go :)
If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? The latest version of the Spartan of course! Or a Banshee Rune or a Pivot Firebird.
Matt Staggs' Devinci Spartan
Age: 19
Where do you live? Sydney, Australia.
Favorite local trail to ride? Our private jumps.
Why did you pick the Devinci Spartan? I always loved the Devinci brand thanks to Stevie Smith, growing up he was my favourite racer and generally kids seem to like a brand more when their favourite rider uses it. 18 months ago I picked up an ambassadorship deal with Devinci’s Australian distributor, Rowney Sports, and it has gone from there. I probably would have chosen it without that partnership.
Is this Devinci Spartan your only bike? Yes, although I had another Spartan prior to this.
What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? It replaced the earlier model Spartan.
Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? It was a mix of parts. It’s the base model carbon build with GX Eagle and Code R’s, but the top of the line RockShox suspension, custom DT XM81’s laced to 350 hubs, the best Maxxis rubber, finished off with the finest of stealth components from Deity.
What’s your favorite part about the bike? Definitely the colour changing paint job!
What would you change on it? The only thing that might get replaced is the drivetrain, I’ve only heard people complaining about GX Eagle, I had 11spd GX on my previous bike and never had a problem with it.
How long do you plan on riding this bike? At least for the next 14 months, the 2020 model won’t be announced until October 2019.
If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I’m happy with the one bike, it does it all and helps me to get around while doing my job shooting events. If it came to it, I’d get a dirt jumper as all my mates are hassling me to get one.
Sandro699's Devinci Spartan
Age: 28
Where do you live? Ponte de Lima, Portugal.
Favorite local trail to ride? My own, Pé do Negro MTB trails.
Why did you pick the Devinci Spartan? Was a support bike from a store.
Is this Devinci Spartan your only bike? No, I have a road bike and a dirt/pumptrack machine.
What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? Commencal Meta v3.
Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? I custom built my dream bike.
What’s your favorite part about the bike? The red Hope components!
What would you change on it? I'd get a FOX dropper post.
How long do you plan on riding this bike? Maybe two more years.
If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? Hmmm... difficult to say but maybe the new Spartan ;)
Matt Butcher's Devinci Spartan
Age: 21
Where do you live? Gold Coast Australia.
Favorite local trail to ride? Boomerang Farm bike park.
Why did you pick the Devinci Spartan? I picked the Devinci Spartan because of the travel and because Steve Smith raced it at Crankworks and it is pretty much a mini DH bike.
Is this Devinci Spartan your only bike? No! I also have a YT Tues and YT Capra.
What bike did this replace / What bike were you on before this? The spartan replaced an Intense Tracer DVO Edition.
Did you go for an off-the-shelf build or did you customize the build? It is a full custom build with what I think are the best parts around.
What’s your favorite part about the bike? The DVO suspension, it’s very good - it ramps up from half travel to full but still has the sensitivity that you need.
What would you change on it? The only thing I would change would be the cranks.
How long do you plan on riding this bike? I have had this bike for a year so far, but I have just sold it!
If you could get another new bike (any kind/type) right now, what would you get? I just got a YT Capra, because the sizing is bigger and I wanted more travel too.
View Matt Butcher's bike check.
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Previous editions of Why That Bike?:
7/31/2018 1:46am
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