TECH CHECK

The New Devinci E-Troy Lite

BOSCH SX-POWERED ALL MOUNTAIN RIPPER

Words by Robert Johnston
Photos & Video by Cole Gregg

Devinci is launching their brand new E-Troy Lite, a lightweight Electric All Mountain Bike designed to offer an agile ride with solid assistance to extend your rides. With a Made-In-Canada aluminum frame fitted with Bosch’s Performance Line SX system, the E-Troy Lite hopes to offer the best of all worlds in the SL eBike category. We’ve had a very fun time out on the trails so far as we created this Tech Check feature on Devinci’s new light-assist eMTB.

Editor’s Note: Tech Check Features are made with the help of partnering brands to share the latest news and technology about products. These are not our official reviews as we don’t have enough time in the products to have thoroughly vetted them for recommendation. We look forward to putting a lot more miles in these products and will be reporting back with our honest and objective input in the near future.

DETAILS OF THE DEVINCI E-TROY LITE

MADE-IN-CANADA ALUMINUM FRAME | Devinci manufactures the frame of the E-Troy Lite in Canada. They claim a “knockout strength-to-weight ratio” from their 6061-T6 aluminum tubing, and achieve very reasonable weights for an alloy bike in this category. The E-Troy Lite is built for a mixed-wheel setup exclusively, with no provisions to run a 29” rear wheel. With 150mm in the rear and 160mm fork, it’s designed to be a well-rounded lightweight eBike to handle a variety of terrain well.

Devinci packs the E-Troy with premium, well-considered features to make their price points feel very reasonable. Cables are routed internally through the headtube, avoiding the contentious headset routing. A sleek upper guide keeps the chain in place; and there’s a Universal Derailleur Hanger for easier replacements and T-Type compatibility.

The suspension pivots are fitted with high quality Enduro double-lip sealed bearings, helping to keep the elements out and the suspension moving smoothly. Generous protection is added to the chainstays to keep the E-Troy Lite quiet and free from damage. Surrounding the motor is a vented plastic skid plate, fending off impact damage without insulating the drive unit and causing heat issues. To satisfy hydration needs or fit a range extender with room to spare, all sizes of frame will fit at least a 500ml water bottle inside the front triangle.

BOSCH SX SYSTEM | Devinci opted to equip the E-Troy Lite with Bosch’s lightweight, mid-power Performance Line SX drive unit. This drive unit will produce 55Nm Torque and an impressive 600W Peak Power for its 2kg weight. The system is controlled with the wireless Bosch Mini Remote on the handlebar. Battery life and power mode are displayed on the LED display neatly integrated into the top tube.

Powering the Bosch SX drive unit is the CompactTube 400Wh internal battery. This utilizes 21700 cells to pack 30% more energy over the typical battery cells. By opting to make the battery fixed inside the frame, Devinci was able to optimize the frame structure to shave an impressive 400g (0.88lbs) from its weight compared with a removable system.

Charging the Bosch system is their 4A Smart Charger. Providing a 50% charge in 90 minutes and full charge in three and a half hours, riders can get charged up and ready to hit the trails fast. For riders looking to cover more ground, Bosch offers the PowerMore 250Wh range extender, which can boost total capacity to 650Wh.

Bosch’s eBike Flow app allows full customization of the power modes of the Bosch SX system, letting riders tailor their preference of speed and range. It can also be used to access a vast array of information; check battery life to the nearest percent; and update the system’s software.

E-MTB OPTIMIZED SPLIT PIVOT SUSPENSION | Devinci equips the E-Troy Lite with an eMTB-optimized configuration of their Split Pivot suspension design. This design takes the form of a single pivot with a rocker link driving the shock, and has a concentric pivot around the rear axle to tune braking characteristics.

Devinci claims the eMTB-optimized suspension of the E-Troy Lite is very sensitive for small bump compliance, and so far this is proving to be true. The eMTB tune aims to keep the suspension active during acceleration to retain traction on the rear tire under high torque, letting riders put the power down effectively.

MODERN TRAIL GEOMETRY | Devinci selected the geometry of the E-Troy Lite to provide a well-balanced, all-round trail performance. A Slack 63.6° Head Tube Angle gives good steering stability and confidence. A 77.6° Seat Tube Angle gives a seating position that balances steep terrain ability with rear tire traction.

Reach lengths grow by just 20mm per size, letting most riders between 160cm and 198cm (5’3” to 6’6”) get close to their sweet spot of fit. A size Large has a Reach of 481mm, which is paired with a 626mm Stack height. Chainstays are consistent across the size range, measuring in at a middling 438mm. The bottom bracket sits at a relatively low 346mm.

With a Wheelbase of 1264mm for the size Large we tested, it’s safe to say the E-Troy Lite has some purposeful and well-rounded geometry numbers.

E-TROY LITE BUILD SPECS | Devinci is offering the new E-Troy Lite in a choice of three build specs initially. These begin with the $5,499 USD NX build and top out at the $7,399 GX AXS T-Type build. We were provided with the $6,399 GX mechanical build, which feels to offer very solid value and dependable performance.

Suspension duties are handled by Fox’s Performance Elite level 36 fork and Float X shock combination, offering solid adjustability and performance. The fork has adjustable High and Low Speed Compression and Rebound, and the shock has Low Speed Compression and Rebound adjustments with a climb switch.

SRAM provides a GX Eagle 12-speed mechanical drivetrain, with the single-click eMTB shifter that’s a welcome sight. SRAM’s CODE Bronze brakeset provides dependable stopping power with its 220mm front and 200mm rear rotors.

Raceface’s Turbine alloy handlebar and Aeffect R30 wheelset should offer dependable performance. The wheels are wrapped in an excellent Maxxis Assegai EXO and Minion DHR2 EXO+ tire combo. While we would have liked to see burlier tire casings, so far this Maxxis pairing has held up amicably.

An SDG Tellis dropper post topped with a Bel-Air V3 MAX eMTB saddle rounds out a solid overall build spec.

THE WOLF’S FIRST IMPRESSION

As with all of our Tech Check features, this is not intended to be a long-term review of the new Devinci E-Troy Lite. So far we’ve logged two solid rides to get an initial impression, but you’ll have to wait a couple of months before we get enough saddle time on this new SL eMTB to give a final verdict as to its performance.

From the get-go, the E-Troy lite has been an easy machine to get along with, though we’re still working on getting the suspension setup dialed in perfectly. Even so, preliminary testing has yielded an energetic and fun ride both up and down the hill. We’ve been encouraged to push the boundaries of our abilities on the local trails, as you may notice in the riding footage.

The Bosch SX system is one of our favorite lightweight eBike systems on the market currently. It does have a unique feeling though, which demands a different approach to pedaling in order to unlock its full potential. Where most systems are optimized to give power in the 80-100 rpm cadence range, the Bosch SX system comes alive above 100 rpm and up to around 120 rpm. This typically means gearing down and spinning the legs faster than you might be used to. If you’re able to do so, you get an impressive 600W peak power. This makes the E-Troy Lite feel just as fast as a full-power eMTB, if not faster. The Devinci’s geometry and suspension platform let you harness the Bosch SX motor’s power effectively, making for a spritely climbing E-machine.

On the way down the hill, the E-Troy Lite is proving to be a riot thus far. The geometry strikes a good blend between agility and stability. The fairly compact rear end lets you get onto the back wheel easily and whip around tighter sections of trail. This is countered by the slack Head Angle, which adds stability to the steering and inspires attacking the trail. There were a few occasions where we struggled to weight the front wheel aggressively enough in the loose sand of the High Desert, but otherwise the geometry was comfortable and well suited to Devinci’s intentions with the bike.

Value is an area where the E-Troy Lite ranks well in our books. With Lifetime Warranty on the Made-In-Canada frame and a well-selected build, the $6,399 price tag feels reasonable. The finish quality leaves little to be desired, too, with the details all covered well.

We’re excited to keep this bike in our test fleet for its long-term review, as so far it’s feeling like a solid all-round SL eMTB.