Field Trip: Devinci s $2,299 Marshall is a Capable All-Rounder May 10, 2021
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Words by Sarah Moore, Photography by Tom Richards
We re just about through the full-suspension reviews in our Field Trip value bike series, and next up is the Devinci Marshall 29 Deore 12S, an aluminum 29er with 130mm of rear travel and a 140mm fork that retails for $2,299 USD. It s the least expensive full suspension bike we had on test despite the fact that the frame is made in the Canadian company’s manufacturing facility north of Quebec City.
It also comes with a lifetime frame warranty, which is almost as good as a lifetime supply of maple syrup and poutine. The Marshall’s rear travel is controlled by a Split Pivot suspension design that sees the rear pivot rotate concentrically around the axle, with a rocker arm that compresses the shock from above.
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Photo: Courtesy Evil)
Over the past two seasons, we’ve seen a resurgence of well-rounded mountain bikes with 140 to 160 millimeters of travel. These are the models most mountain-bike riders should consider when shopping for one rig to cover the broadest range of terrain. Evil’s Offering hits the sweet spot, with 140 millimeters of very efficient rear suspension mated to a 150-millimeter fork on 29-inch wheels. It’s a long bike, but its 66.6-degree head angle is not the slackest in the category. That’s a good thing. We’ve found there are limits to how long and slack a trail bike can be before it feels like an under-shocked downhill bike. The best in this category blend frame geometry and suspension to produce an agile yet confidence-inspiring ride. The Offering nails this cocktail. Thanks to that rangy wheelbase, it’s eager to blast through rock gardens, while the moderately slack front end boosts maneuverability and lends an energetic feel on flow trails and jump lin
Good Month / Bad Month: DH Bike Reviews, Prototypes, Theft, & Litigation Mar 3, 2021
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DH Bike Week was awesome
We had our first-ever DH Bike Week here at Pinkbike, with group tests and more downhill bike reviews in a week than in all of last year. Two standouts from the week were the Canyon Sender vs. Specialized Demo vs. Cube Two15 vs. Commencal Supreme and the Fox 40 vs. RockShox Boxxer vs. Ohlins DH38 group test reviews, which crowned the Commencal Supreme and the Ohlins DH38 above the rest.
DH Bike Week also gave us a fun (and oddly difficult) quiz (because even the ones that look like Sessions can be misleading), an alluring throwback bike, and stats on the most successful downhill bikes of the millennium.
Devinci / Laurent Bilodeau
The Kobain is an alloy hardtail with 29in wheels and a 130mm fork. With a 65.5-degree head angle, 75-degree seat angle and generous top tube and wheelbase lengths, the Kobain’s geometry is thoroughly modern.
All Kobains use a threaded bottom bracket, have dropper post compatibility and Boost 148 thru-axle rear ends.
The Kobain is sold in two complete build kits starting with the $1,299 / €1,399 Kobain Deore 11S, which gives you a 1×11 Shimano Deore transmission, Shimano MT200 hydraulic discs and RockShox 35 Silver R coil sprung fork.
It’s also specced with tubeless-ready V2 alloy rims with a 29mm internal width. These are shod with 2.6in Kenda Regolith tyres – the largest size these frames are officially rated for.