Deviate Cycles Releases Highlander High Pivot Trail Bike
Press Release: Deviate Bikes
We have designed the Highlander from the ground-up with the sole focus of creating the world's most capable trail bike. A true all-rounder, the Highlander is equally at home covering ground on an epic journey across a mountain range or smashing out laps at your local bike park. It really is a one bike quiver.
The all-carbon Highlander boasts 140mm of rear travel, 29" wheels, balanced geometry and a progressive leverage curve. At a glance, the numbers would suggest nothing too out of the ordinary for a modern trail bike. However, lay your eyes on the bike itself and the high pivot suspension design and chain idler demand attention.
This is not our first rodeo into the world of high pivot point bikes. The high pivot point gearbox powered 160mm Guide released in 2017 is an enduro bike sporting DH levels of suspension performance. Our new Highlander trail bike takes this same suspension concept and packages it up in a shorter travel, more agile and potent chassis. In a ground-up redesign, we switched the gearbox for a conventional derailleur, added 29" wheels, reduced the travel to 140mm and re-designed the suspension kinematics to create a more progressive leverage curve.
Key Features
• Full carbon construction
• 29” wheels
• 140mm rear wheel travel
• 140 - 160mm fork recommended
• Lifetime warranty
• Crash replacement policy
Why use a high pivot point?
The effect of the high pivot point on the trail is profound. The resulting rearward axle path moves the rear wheel away from impacts maintaining forward momentum. There is a reason that high pivot bikes are dominating downhill racing at the moment. The 140mm of rear travel has descending capabilities, especially when pushed hard, that rival bikes with far more rear travel. Using a chain idler allows precise optimisation of the suspension characteristics for potent climbing, calibrated for pedalling efficiency without compromising downhill performance. Anti-squat is controlled precisely with the idler placement and pedal kickback is negligible.
Geometry
The all-rounder nature of the Highlander is carried forward with the balanced geometry: featuring a 65.5 degree head angle, 76 degree seat angle and generous reach. Plenty of stand-over and the ability to run a super-long dropper defines the Highlander’s character as playful, composed, and most importantly, a confidence inspiring trail bike. This isn't a bike built to win races - even though it certainly could - it's built to put a smile on your face wherever the trail takes you.
Sizing Guide
The Highlands of Scotland
Deviate Cycles, as a Scottish bike manufacturer, has developed and tested the Highlander in the rugged Scottish Highlands. The huge variety of terrain and challenging conditions make Scotland the perfect testing ground for any bike. As the saying goes "if it works in Scotland, it works anywhere".
Frame details
An engineer's passion, up close no design details have been overlooked. To increase durability we’ve used fully sealed bearings with twin lip wiper seals on each bearing, coupled with grease ports to ensure the Highlander is ready for the worst weather conditions. An innovative cable channel keeps the brake/gear cables external for ease of fitment and maintenance while concealing the cables to highlight those oh so clean lines!
• 18t chain idler - completely silent with twin outboard fully sealed bearings with grease injection ports.
• 126 link chain - commonly available with no need to join chains.
• Sealed bearings - high quality double row, angular contact max fill bearings.
• Grease ports - fitted to all pivot and idler bearings in the name of riding all winter!
• Cable gutter - clean lines and easy maintenance.
• Frame protection - bonded rubber frame protection from rock strikes and chain slap.
• 2.8” tyre clearance
• Boost 148
• Threaded BB
• Water bottle compatible
• Accessory mounting points
How to buy
Now available to order at deviatecycles.com, the Highlander is offered as a frame only with a choice of shocks and build components. Sizes M and L are now available with XL and S planned shortly. Starting at £2750 GBP (~$3550 USD) and coming with a lifetime warranty and crash/damage replacement policy. Shipping is available worldwide.
For more information visit deviatecycles.com
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1st rule of referencing... Never let anyone know what you are referring to...
Damn, I tink I'll be old soon.
Well done! @deviatecycles
Achnashellach walkers path and the mast X-games
mmm bike is in car, the mast is 5 miles away, wasnt gonna go ride after work but am tempted now.
Also, bicycle stability at high speed is conferred not only by chainstay length but also by wheelbase. Anyone deeply concerned about stability at high speed should probably look at the longer of the available bikes and see how closely the Effective Top Tube and Seat Tube lengths meet their needs. Nothing about the cockpit of the Large bike makes me think it would be unsuited to a Medium rider towards the taller end of the range.
He said it happens every time (Knock it down)
And that's how the story goes (Knock it down)
In the land of a thousand no's (Knock it down)
We have indeed. Learnt a lot from the Guide as well, changing it's idler from 14t to 17t about a year ago.
During the Highlander development we experimented with different sizes, tooth patterns and even materials to work out the best solution.
On the Highlander, as the reviews testify, the 18t idler is totally silent. It's an incredibly silent bike all around. There is no noticeable drop in efficiency either. We've used large outboard bearings and the one piece swingarm and carbon layup in that area really stiffens up the whole system so power transfer is particularly impressive.
If you're choosing to run a 140mm or 150mm fork then you're probably using the bike for more trail riding duties and in our opinion those angles work great for that. Saying that - personally, I'd be sticking to a 160mm fork for a true all-rounder as there is virtually no downside.
Great looking ride guys, quite interesting.
As much as everyone else likes 29ers, I'd like to see this bike in a 27.5
Subtotal£2,850.00
Tax-
Shipping £100.00
Total £2,950.00
£2,950.00 = $3,841.18USD
You can claim it back though.
Not sure how the claiming it back works but I'll believe you. I've ordered a few things from the UK and Europe and it's always taken off before the transaction is complete. Taking $620 off the price puts it back in the "kinda want" category.
Yeah levy's instagram does show the suspension action really clearly. We're currently working on a nice animation to put on our website showing the linkage work. Although remember, it's just a linkage that pushes the shock - the AS and pedal kickback all controlled by the idler placement.
People that prefer smaller wheels value throwing the bike around, frequently leaving the ground for as long as possible, popping-off roots and rocks, low-siding on a whim, not catching a tire in the ass, footplants, having lighter and stiffer wheels/tires (more playful). Different strokes I guess. I do agree that the geo and frame designs are getting sorted. Some people love how big wheels handle but some don’t.
Would you ride on a 24" wheel if it meant more of all of that good stuff that you mentioned?
Yes, they got almost no pedal kickback, like, you now, er....a chainless DH bike.
Yes, but that’s due to the idler pulley, not the HP. And you can put an idler pulley on whatever kinematic you like, e.g. 77design horst-link bike.
So if you accknowledge that the benefit come from no/low PK (like on a chainless bile) this is thanks to the Idler pulley, not the HP.
And to my humble knowledge there is absolutely no quantified proof in the bibliography of the advantage of a « more » rearward axle path (we are talking about 20mm rearward for 140mm upward, with 50% achieved before sag) vs. « standard » rearward component figures (2-4mm).
And from close sources, some top guns in WC DH are more annoyed by the shift in front/rear weight distribution during compression than the advantage of a more rearward axl path.
Sure for VPP bikes. But short link kinematics are already a (tortured) solution to manage chain growth vs AS, so I don't really see any benefit to put an idler pulley on them. Better go with a 4-bar that is simple to tune for shock ratio optimization.
For the results at DH WC level, a huge part is due to human factor, so it's very difficult to say from the result if you are contemplating it as a realization of a technical adavantage or a human advantage. Gwin is the absolute examplification of that, being able to win on totaly different bikes/kinematics. You can say the same with Rude and the Switch kinematic on yeti.
Moreover Commençal DH teams always get great results on WCDH, they got a kind of "savoir faire" with building great teams and finding the next top gun.
From what I know from the inside, some (not all) of HP bike pilots had issues overcoming the variation of mass distribution and geometry changes due to the HA slackening in compression inherent to HP (scissor effect).
But anyway, I really appreciate that you emphasis the importance of low/no PK on your site. You're one of the first brand going this way and acknowledging it against the high AS/PK tendency of late.
And the Highlander really looks great and dialled, one of the most beautiful, sleekest designed bike I've seen.
I would be happy to demo one.
BTW, why don't you come with a slightly more progressive ratio in the first half of travel ? Was it difficult to achieve with the HP/idler ? Is there a specific (harder) compression tune on the X2 ?
Nice looking new trail bike though guys, good luck with it ????
Again, don't get me wrong, the Guide is amazing for the job it's designed for, I haven't had an enduro bike that descends anywhere close to how well it does and the GB is, in part, responsible for that (the only thing that can match it was a HPP, twin drive gearbox DH bike), I just think the Highlander is a better 'all round' proposition.
Back to CS, at SAG they effectively grow by some additional 7mm, right?
As you notice the suspension kinematics are very different. The Highlander is an evolution of the Guide and other HPP prototypes we've being testing for years so although it is fair to say that both us and Forbidden are fans of a HPP - we've arrived at that conclusion on very different paths and hence the end result is very different. It's like comparing a Ferrari and a Porsche - both have 4 wheels and an engine but drive very differently.
youtu.be/oHg5SJYRHA0