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Deviate Claymore Review - A Fast High Pivot Enduro Bike [Video]

Words by: Liam Woods

Is This The Best High Pivot Enduro Bike?

With high pivot trail bikes getting more and more love nowadays, Deviate is a brand that was early to the high pivot game. They realized the benefits of the high pivot design long before other brands that now have a high pivot option in their lineup, back in 2016 to be exact. With their popular Highlander coming in 140mm or 150mm travel, Deviate thought a bigger, more capable bike would fit nicely in their range. Enter the Deviate Claymore. This new bike features a 165mm rear travel high pivot design that is ready to slay the chunkiest terrain you can find. Born in the same Scottish highlands as their other bikes, the Claymore is ready to party with lots of travel and geometry to match. Available in two colors (Moss Green & Rowan Red) and a few different shock options, build kits are not yet available but are coming soon.

Frame Specs:

When we first got the Highlander, we were pretty amazed by all of the details that went into the design of this bike. From the external yet hidden cable routing that is held in by perfectly spaced waterbottle accessory bolts, to the idler wheel and design and the linkage hardware. Nothing was left untouched and the Claymore is the same way. With a meticulous carbon layup, the Claymore is tough enough for any trail and light enough to pedal all day.

Lifetime Warranty
Crash/damage replacement policy
High quality Enduro bearings throughout
Frame protection - bolt-on carbon downtube protector; bonded rubber chainstay protector
High quality Enduro bearings throughout
Twin lip wiper seals throughout
Silent 18t chain idler with twin outboard sealed bearings
Grease ports on all pivots and idler
Cable gutter for clean lines and external routing
2.6” tyre clearance
Boost 148
Threaded BB
Water bottle compatible
Accessory mounting points
126 link chain - commonly available - no need to join chains

Geometry:

Deviate designed the Claymore to be confidence inspiring, no matter the terrain.
The unique kinematics of a high pivot point design maintains chassis stability and geometry under heavy braking. This allows the Claymore to offer stability, while maintaining sensible geometry.
Of course, the head-angle is slack, the reach is long and the seat tube is steep, to help with climbing. But it’s not too steep; not too slack; not too long. Not every enduro track or riding spot is the same, so we’ve designed the Claymore to hit the sweet spot where flat-out stability and snake-like agility meet.

Kinematics and Leverage Info:

The Claymore's leverage curve has been carefully designed to provide a supple initial stroke, before becoming more progressive towards the end of the travel; comfort when you want it and control when you need it. The linkage is discreetly located around the bottom bracket, leading to an understated and subtle silhouette.

On-Trail Performance:

We were lucky enough to have a week with the new Claymore back in spring and take it on all of our favorite local trails. A good mix of fast chunky SoCal trails as well as some tighter stuff with switchbacks up north. The build kit was super solid with a Fox Factory 38 up front, Fox Float X2 out back, Shimano XT all around, DT Swiss EX511 rims laced to 240s hubs and a OneUp Components cockpit and dropper. It’s always nice when a bike is completely dialed out of the box - you don’t need to mess with anything or get used to any components as all those parts are familiar and high quality. This is also similar to the build kit they plan to spec soon, but of course, all parts are subject to change.

Climbing Performance:

Even though this bike is optimized for downhill performance, we have to talk about how this bike climbs, with 165mm of rear travel and a 170mm or 180mm fork. It isnt a mountain goat, but rather a donkey or mule. It might not be the fastest to get to the top of the climb, but it's smooth and consistent. This bike is great when you sit in and spin - with the steep seat tube angle, your position while climbing is comfortable and easy to maintain for hours. Of course with that much travel plus long and slack geo, the Claymore isn't the best in super-tech climbing sessions. I will say that the suspension design and idler helps keep rear-wheel traction in these sections. All in all, the Claymore climbs pretty similarly to modern long-travel enduro bikes, with good geo it helps keep you in a position to spin comfortably and still can get through some tech stuff when needed.

Downhill Performance:

What is a 165mm enduro bike supposed to ride like? Well, the Claymore is a great example of one. Point this bike downhill and it picks up speed and holds its line like no other. Having ridden some of the fast and straight Socal trails on this bike to get it dialed in, some things immediately were noticeable. Having spent about 8 weeks on the Highlander 150mm, I had a good idea of how the Deviate high pivot bikes ride, but the Claymore took all those traits and improved them in the best way possible. The Claymore eats chunk all day long, and I was able to hold speed in the rough better than any bike I've ever ridden, while still being able to pump and get some feedback through the bike. Sometimes when bikes are so compliant and at home in the chunk you lose some of that feeling and the bike feels dead. Not the Claymore.

Up north in Santa Barbara, I was able to get a full day shuttling the Claymore, getting in 4 laps and 12k of descending on some of the roughest trails around with some tight switchbacks as well. Cold Springs trail is a classic in SB and it’s known for its super long rock garden in the middle of the trail, where you are just working your hardest to keep momentum and navigate the technical chunk. Having the high pivot and so much travel, I felt like this bike just skimmed over the top while still remaining controllable to maneuver. This is by far the best place to have a high pivot bike and it’s also where I really felt the Claymore shine. I will say, when I first started to ride tight corners at speed it took a bit to get used to. With the high pivot suspension design, it actually gets longer from zero to about 50% of its travel, and this is where you live while cornering. Once I got it down, I realized you just have to predict for the longer rear end, set up early, and really lean the bike to get around some corners. Once I got that down, the Claymore held its speed through these tight corners and I actually really started to like how it felt in these switchbacks.

Worldwide’s Thoughts:

Deviate’s newest bike to its lineup, the Claymore, is a long travel, heavy-hitting enduro bike that rocks the high pivot with class. Having 165mm of rear travel, it's ready for just about anything, especially the fast chunky trails. Born in the Scottish highlands, there is no shortage of chunk to navigate and it shows in how this bike rides. It’s able to hold speed in the roughest terrain better than nearly any bike I've ever ridden, and it’s still able to climb to the top of the trail in a very comfortable manner. If you are looking for a unique enduro bike that rewards you for going fast in the rough, I would highly recommend the Deviate Claymore.

This article was written / authored by Liam Woods. Liam has been in the bicycle industry for over 10 years as a racer, professional mechanic, service manager and as of late, media and content creator. Liam has ridden thousands of different bikes, ridden countless components, tested endless MTB apparel of all kinds and written reviews on it all. He's a key piece to the Worldwide Cyclery "All Things MTB" content creation puzzle. He also makes consistent appearances on the Worldwide Cyclery YouTube channel and Instagram.