2018 Devinci Spartan Carbon X01 Eagle

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How do you make a good bike better? That's the question Devinci asked when they set out to improve an already very capable ride. The solution involved the creation of an entirely new frame for 2018, and it's Devinci's first full-carbon bike. Over the course of three months, hundreds of miles, and dozens of park laps we got intimately familiar with this wild-looking ride, evaluating exactly how it compares to the original Spartan.

Devinci Spartan Carbon Highlights

• Carbon DMC-G frame with 0.7-pound (310g) weight savings compared to previous design
• 27.5-inch (650b) wheels
• 165mm (6.5-inches) rear travel via Metric shock // 170mm (6.7-inches) front travel
• Split-Pivot suspension design with new vertical shock orientation and improved anti-squat
• Coil shock compatible
• FRG adjustable geometry via flip chip in upper seatstay pivot
• Integrated Di2 battery mount
• Kevlar reinforced carbon skid plate
• 170mm travel dropper post compatibility on sizes medium and up
• 24-ounce water bottle compatible
• ISCG tabs
• 36-tooth chainring clearance
• BB92 bottom bracket
• 27.5x2.6-inch tire clearance
• 12x148mm Boost rear axle
• Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XL
• Colors: Gloss purple and green // Matte and gloss black
• Frame Weight: 7.1-pounds (3.2kg, claimed)
• Complete Weight: Starting at 30.3-pounds (13.8kg, claimed)
• Lifetime frame warranty

Those familiar with the original Spartan will notice several big improvements while reading through the list of highlights. The Spartan's redesign took feedback from their enduro race team into account, with a considerable amount of input coming from EWS podium threat Damien Oton.

While the bike retains its Dave Weagle-developed Split Pivot and 165mm of rear travel, the new vertical shock orientation and rocker link have multiple benefits. Chris Benoit, Devinci's R&D Project Manager, filled us in on the details:

"The main difference is that the pivot/shock mount line is now a closed triangle," Chris told Vital. "By having the seatstay not cantilevered from the link pivot to the shock it made the assembly stiffer laterally. With less lateral flex on the shock, it helps increase the shock's longevity. Also, the rear triangle is more open than before and that always has an effect on stiffness. The vertical trunnion mount shock also made it possible to have both low standover height and room for a water bottle."

The new Spartan is the first in Devinci's lineup to use metric shock sizing, taking advantage of a 205x65mm trunnion-style RockShox Super Deluxe with bearings in the upper mount for improved sensitivity.

Limiting the bike to a 1X-only drivetrain also allowed Devinci to widen the main pivot a substantial amount, as did the continued use of a press fit bottom bracket. Combined with a wider Boost 148mm rear axle, there's now ample mud clearance with the stock 2.4-inch Maxxis tire and room for up to 2.6-inches of rubber.

Devinci's frames are covered by a lifetime warranty, and as a result they've been slow to introduce carbon chainstays – a high stress/impact component. With a goal of creating a lighter frame for race use, they focused more development and engineering time on crafting durable carbon stays. The result is 160 grams of weight savings. Add that to the 150 grams also saved on the rest of the frame and they've knocked a decent 310 grams (0.7-pounds) of weight off.

Keeping current, the frame can now accommodate today's longer-travel dropper posts. Sizes medium, large, and XL can sport a 170mm dropper, and the small will work for most riders with a 150mm dropper with a Connectamajig fitting.

Rubberized guards help protect the frame in key areas, and the kevlar reinforced carbon skid plate is designed to absorb a big impact should you drastically misjudge a line choice or speed. Unlike most downtube guards, Devinci's has a bit of a gap between the guard and frame to take up an impact with less potential for downtube damage. Hidden underneath the skid plate is a storage spot for securely mounting a Shimano Di2 battery.

The bike comes with several different cable ports and plugs, allowing a clean look and flexibility for both internal housing size and brake orientation. Cables and housing aren't guided by any sort of internal tubes, but the ability to really crank down on them with a zip tie at both ends helps ensure things stay pretty quiet.

Geometry

Recognizing that people tend to have a mental block with having more rear travel than front, Devinci upped the fork from 160mm to 170mm of travel and slackened the head angle by 0.8-degrees in the process. They've maintained a similar bottom bracket height and steepened the seat angle by 2-degrees.

An extra 30+ millimeters of reach on each size brings the bike firmly into 2018, widening the range of rider heights it's claimed to suit to 5'0"-6'4" (1.52-1.93m) tall. Considering the geometry updates, our 5'10" (1.78m) tall test rider went from a size large on the previous Spartan to a size medium on the new bike and still gained reach in the process.

Geometry is adjustable using Devinci's FRG flip chip system located at the top of the seat stays where they connect to the rocker link, allowing you to change the head angle by 0.4-degrees while also tuning the bottom bracket height by 5.5mm and seat angle by 0.4-degrees. Making the adjustment can take a few minutes and require an extra set of hands.

On The Trail

How do the improvements noted above impact the ride experience? Having also spent several months aboard the previous Spartan back in 2015, it was our goal to find out. We tested the new Spartan on the full gamut of trails in Durango, Colorado, from smooth and fast rips around town to rugged high country gems and Purgatory Resort hot laps. Visits to Angel Fire Bike Park and Whistler were also on the menu during our three months of testing, exposing the new bike to a good variety of terrain.

Following three months of use in a variety of weather conditions, hundreds of trail miles, and several dozen park laps, we're pleased to report no major durability concerns.

The RockShox Lyrik RCT3 fork is a reliable, proven performer with a very smooth feel and stout chassis that works well in combination with Devinci's improved frame. Adding a Bottomless Token is advisable given the more progressive nature of the rear.

SRAM's X01 Eagle drivetrain offers remarkably smooth shifting, ample range across the 10-50 tooth cassette, and a notable reduction in friction compared to their previous 11-speed drivetrains. Devinci includes an upper chainguide (not pictured) to ensure the chain stays in check no matter how rough things get.

In our eyes, three components could use improvement. First, Devinci specs SRAM Guide RSC brakes, which we'd love to see replaced with Code brakes on a bike with these intentions. Swapping the stock brake pads helps get a little extra stopping power, however. Second, Devinci's lock-on grips are overly large for most hands and caused some hand pain. Finally, despite their claims of long-travel dropper compatibility, we were surprised to see a short 125mm RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper on our size medium bike. We feel 150mm (pictured) is much more appropriate and hope Devinci makes a rolling change in the future.

Long Term Durability

Following three months of use in a variety of weather conditions, hundreds of trail miles, and several dozen park laps, we're pleased to report no major durability concerns. Devinci backs all of their frames with a lifetime warranty, which says a lot about the confidence they have in their creations. There's a one-year limit on the pivots, but the sealed bearings are quite large and shouldn't present any early issues. All pivots are easily accessible for bearing replacement. Our Spartan test rig proved to be trouble free with no bottom bracket creaking.

What's The Bottom Line?

Devinci has done a great job of updating every aspect of what was an already very capable, well-thought-out bike. The Spartan can now go toe to toe with some of the best enduro race bikes on the market thanks to notably improved pedaling performance, a full carbon frame that weighs less, better handling in rough terrain, and all the modern features and geometry numbers one could hope for. Once relegated to descent-heavy rides, the new Spartan is now an excellent all-rounder and has proven to be very competitive in the Enduro World Series. We feel the highly progressive suspension design works best with a coil shock, though the stock air shock offers much better performance than the previous Spartan ever had.

Visit www.devinci.com for more details.

Vital MTB Rating

• Climbing: 4 stars - Excellent
• Descending: 4.5 stars - Outstanding
• Fun Factor: 4 stars - Excellent
• Value: 4 stars - Excellent
• Overall Impression: 4 stars - Excellent

About The Reviewer

Brandon Turman - Age: 31 // Years Riding: 17 // Height: 5'10" (1.78m) // Weight: 175-pounds (79.4kg)

"I like to have fun, pop off the bonus lines on the sides of the trail, get aggressive when I feel in tune with a bike, and really mash on the pedals and open it up when pointed downhill." Formerly a Mechanical Engineer and Pro downhill racer, Brandon brings a unique perspective to the testing game as Vital MTB's resident product guy. He has on-trail familiarity with nearly every new innovation in our sport from the past several years and a really good feel for what’s what.

Photos by Brandon Turman, Paris Gore and Brian Chapel