2024 eMTB LITE GROUP REVIEW

DEVINCI E-TROY LITE GX 12s REVIEW

Words by Staff  |  Photos by Dusten Ryen

The Devinci E-Troy Lite left a great impression on us during the production of a Tech Check feature earlier this year. We kept the bike and have passed it around in the months since and couldn’t wait to put it head-to-head against the ten other lightweight eMTBs in our Group Review. How did this Bosch SX-powered 150mm, do-it-all eBike that is made-in-Canada perform? It’s time to find out.

We’d like to offer a huge thank you to our sponsors: Outdoor Research, Schwalbe Tires, Ride Concepts and the Running Y Resort. Without their gracious support, these types of content series would not be possible. Give them a thanks down below!

ABOUT THE DEVINCI E-TROY LITE GX

The Devinci E-Troy Lite uses a made-in-Canada aluminum frame, built around the Bosch SX eBike system. There’s a mixed-wheel setup, with no option for dual 29” wheels. The E-Troy Lite has 150mm of rear wheel travel paired with a 160mm fork. Devinci’s goal was to electrify their Troy all-mountain bike while keeping the ride quality as close as possible while extending your rides without a great penalty to the handling characteristics on the way down the hill.

DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | The E-Troy Lite is one of the two SL eMTBs in this years’ SL Shootout to use the Bosch Performance Line SX drive unit. This system features a 4.4lb (2kg) motor which is capable of producing 55Nm, but with an impressive 600W Peak Power.

Powering the Bosch SX drive unit in the E-Troy Lite is a Bosch CompactTube 400Wh battery that weighs 4.4lb (2kg), which is fixed within the downtube of Devinci’s SL eBike. It can not be removed without dropping the motor. Boosting the battery capacity for the bigger days out is the 250Wh Bosch PowerMore Range Extender, which sits neatly in the water bottle bosses inside the main frame and takes total capacity to 650Wh for its extra 1.5kg.

The Bosch SX system features the same Smart System accessories as their full-power CX drive unit. Nestled within the top tube is the Bosch System Controller, which contains the power button and five LEDs which can indicate the battery life to the nearest 10% and the power mode selected. On the handlebar the wireless Mini Remote allows the mode to be selected (out of Eco, Tour+, eMTB and TURBO) and the WALK mode to be used.

The system can be tweaked using the Bosch Flow app, offering over-the-air updates; Power Mode customization; bike tracking and much more. The 4Amp smart charger allows for the 400Wh battery to be charged to 50% in 90 minutes, and to full in three and a half hours.

FRAME AND FEATURES | The details are well covered, with internal cable routing that avoids the headset; an integrated upper chain guide, and a UDH for T-Type compatibility. The chainstays are protected with a custom-molded protector; and there’s a vented plastic skid plate to protect the motor from impact damage while helping with heat management.

To make the E-Troy Lite more weatherproof, there are double-lip sealed Enduro bearings which are less susceptible to water ingress. The front triangle has plenty of space for a water bottle, with the Medium frames and upwards fitting a 750ml bottle.

SUSPENSION | The E-Troy Lite features an eMTB-optimized configuration of Devinci’s Split Pivot suspension design, delivering 150mm travel to the rear wheel. It’s essentially a linkage-driven Single Pivot, but with the braking characteristic tuned by the use of a concentric pivot around the rear axle.

The rear shocks on all build options feature an eBike tune that configures the rear end to deliver the best performance. Their aim with the tune was to retain small bump sensitivity while still providing enough support to counteract the extra weight of the eBike.

GEOMETRY | The E-Troy Lite is given an aggressive geometry package to offer great stability and confidence to push hard on the descents. Standout figures are the slack 63.6° head tube angle, fairly short 438mm chainstays, and 20mm reach jumps between sizes letting most riders obtain a comfortable fit.

BUILD SPECS | Devinci offers the E-Troy Lite in a choice of three build specs, from the $5,499 USD NX build to the $7,399 GX AXS T-Type build. We tested the $6,399 GX mechanical build, which we think is the sweet-spot of performance and value in this range.

The E-Troy Lite GX 12S build features Fox’s Performance Elite level 36 fork and custom-tuned Float X shock. As the name suggests, SRAM provides a GX Eagle 12-speed mechanical drivetrain, as well as the CODE Bronze brakeset with 220mm front and 200mm rear rotors.

An SDG Tellis dropper post is topped with a Bel-Air V3 MAX eMTB saddle. The cockpit and wheelset are provided by Race Face, with a Turbine alloy handlebar and Aeffect R30 wheel. These wheels are wrapped in a Maxxis Assegai EXO and Minion DHR2 EXO+ tire combo. However for this shootout, all bikes were equipped with the same Albert Radial Trail Ultra Soft control tire thanks to Schwalbe.

With these Schwalbe tires, total build weight for the Devinci E-Troy Lite GX build came in at 46.2lbs (21.0kg).

TESTING THE DEVINCI E-TROY LITE

SETUP | Straight out of the box, the Devinci E-Troy Lite was a relatively easy bike to set up and get along with. The squish was delivered from Fox Performance Elite-level suspension, with a Float X and Fox 36 (GRIP2) set at 150mm and 160mm, respectively. We are incredibly familiar with this suspension package, and finding the proper air, compression, and rebound settings is relatively easy and easily adjusted trailside if needed. Fortunately, the shock and the fork were supple yet supportive enough that we did not need to fiddle with volume reducers.

Most of our testers would have chosen 35mm rise bars and a 40mm length stem if this had been their personal bike. One tricky aspect of the bike was a dropper post/seat tube issue. While some of our taller testers would have probably preferred a longer dropper post, some of our shorter testers struggled with getting the seat out of the way. This is likely due in part to the E-Troy’s 460mm seat tube — the longest on test. A bend partway down the seat tube doesn’t allow for longer insertion lengths, so riders with shorter legs should take note while sizing this bike.

ELECTRONICS & INTEGRATION | The Devinci E-Troy Lite is equipped with the Bosch Performance Line SX drive unit, delivering an impressive 600W Peak Power for its 4lb weight. This power is very noticeable when pedaling at higher cadences, where the SX motor performs much like its CX older brother. Bosch’s LED System Controller is located on the top tube with a wireless remote on the handlebar for shifting between modes. Modes can also be toggled between the controller or the remote, and either one can power the bike on.

Devinci went with a fixed battery inside the frame. While this means the battery isn’t removable, it did allow Devinci to shed nearly one pound of the E-Troy’s weight. Removing the battery would mean removing the motor, which is tucked nicely at the bike’s bottom bracket, giving a clean look to the aluminum frame.

Any ride-tracking information can be accessed with Bosch’s eBike Flow app. This app also allows you to customize the different ride modes on the SX unit, access different information, and perform any updates to the system.

CLIMBING | When pedaling at higher cadences, the Bosch Performance Line SX drive unit delivers plenty of power. The bump in power is consistent and fast, with nothing surprising that might catch you off guard. The SX unit could easily match some full-powered units when pedaling up relatively easy trails, such as a fire road or smooth singletrack. This struck a good balance on the climbs: although you had to push harder, the Devinci delivered more power, which seemed to even things out. Some riders noticed that if your cadence decreased, the Bosch SX drive unit would fall slightly behind some other bikes in the group, possibly due to the added weight of the bike.

Aside from the drive unit’s power delivery, climbing the Devinci E-Troy Lite was quite pleasant and comfortable. The nearly 78° STA made the bike feel shorter and more manageable. A shorter stack height (626mm) kept the front end weighted, while the 35mm rise bars helped strike a good balance of feeling centered on the bike and not too far off the front. The suspension platform was supportive and provided ample traction for bumping up obstacles you may encounter. It also remains consistent while pedaling, with no need to reach for the climb switch.

DESCENDING | Pointing the Devinci E-Troy downhill was where the bike came alive. This bike is planted to the ground, and provides quite a bit of traction in hard corners and over chunky terrain. The 150mm Split Pivot Suspension seemed like it was initially hard to find the bottom of. After some more time, we found we were indeed seeing the bottom of the travel but the good bottom-out support made it a seamless feeling.

The geometry of the E-Troy struck a decent balance in most applications however we did find it performed best on steeper trails, or when speeds were high. A moderate 1264mm wheelbase and a 481mm reach, paired with a 63.6° HTA, gave the E-Troy that planted, plow-over-the-top feel when the trail got a little rowdy. Another issue we noted on tighter, corners was a feeling that the front wheel was a bit far out in front of us. The slack head angle meant that we had to consciously weight the front tire if we weren’t in berms tall enough to fully lean the bike over. Flatter corners at mid speed were the only place we really had this issue.

On the other hand, the wheelbase and head angle encouraged control and confidence to attack and ride hard. The mixed-wheel setup paired with 438mm chainstays still allowed the bike to snap around corners and hop between lines as it ripped down the trail. The E-Troy popped off roots and rocks well, feeling firm and planted in the lips of jumps while retaining a sense of control in the air if you needed to move the bike.

The Devinci E-Troy has our riders feeling a bit prone when the trail was at its steepest. Descending steep rock rolls and chutes, we felt a bit more over the front of the bike than we’d like. While the lower stack provides a feeling of control over the front, we sometimes wanted a bit more height, which could likely be remedied for most riders by installing a higher rise bar. This was especially true in conjunction with the longer seat tube that was previously mentioned.

FINISH AND VALUE | The Devinci E-Troy Lite was our only aluminum frame on test, which stood out when the E-Troy was placed in a line-up with the other bikes for this series. First impressions make the bike look like a bit of a clunky bruiser, but riding the E-Troy gave very different results on both the ups and the downs. Despite the more industrial look, the bike handled well and tackled everything we threw at it. And for the record, we love aluminum bikes.

The Devinci E-Troy had a build to match its workhorse frame. Equipped with Fox Performance Elite suspension, the E-Troy also saw SRAM Code Bronze brakes and a GX drivetrain — not the lightest, but certainly built to last. A Race Face Aeffect R30 alloy wheel build rounded off the spec sheet and brought the Devinci E-Troy Lite to a respectable $6,399 — our most affordable bike on test.

COMPARISON AND RANKING?

Finding common ground with several different testers across eleven bikes can be incredibly challenging. Fortunately, our eleven bikes on test could be put into various categories. Perhaps the easiest was to divide them up based on travel numbers, creating a short, mid, and long-travel category.

With 150mm of travel, the Devinci E-Troy Lite was quickly placed in the mid-travel bike category or the equivalent of an “all-mountain” bike. This category was our largest, with the E-Troy up against five bikes performing reasonably well.

The E-Troy’s suspension performed well over the rougher terrain, better than most all the other bikes in this group, including the Amflow and the Santa Cruz Heckler. However, the Heckler took the cake regarding playfulness, and no bike could touch the DJI drive unit on the Amflow. The Cannondale Moterra performed just as well over the rough as the Devinci, but only on straighter bits of track. And the Orbea was a solid all-around bike, but some of the playfulness present on the mixed-wheel bikes in this category was lost on the full 29er Rise.

Considering all the bikes in this mid-travel category — Orbea Rise, Amflow, Santa Cruz Heckler, Cannondale Moterra, and Devinci E-Troy — the E-Troy indeed climbs to the top of the ranking as far as affordability. At more than $2,000 less than the others mentioned, Devinci would undoubtedly climb to the top for many. However, by taking price out of the equation, it seems the Devinci drops closer to the middle of the pack, as it performed quite well all around but wasn’t usually a bike that had us screaming for joy. It’s a solid all arounder nonetheless.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Aside from some seat post and seat tube height issues, the Devinci E-Troy Lite is a solid performer. Especially for someone looking for a more affordable option, the alloy E-Troy did as well as many carbon bikes on test but cost thousands less. If you are in the market for an alloy eMTB that’s made in North America and can hang with bikes costing thousands more, the Devinci E-Troy Lite is worth considering as long as you’ve got the skills and speed to make that head tube angle work.

Price: $6,399
Weight: 46.2 lbs (21.0kg)
Website: Devinci.com

Thanks again to our amazing sponsors who made this group test possible.

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