Click Here to shop all Deviate Cycles.

Deviate now has two models, the Deviate Claymore and the Deviate Highlander. Both bikes were conceived and tested in the Highlands of Scotland, and was designed to handle the hardest, roughest terrain in the Scottish mountains. The single high-pivot rear suspension design creates a rearward axle path which helps the rider maintain momentum over rough terrain while eliminating pedal kickback, and the idler pulley helps maintain anti-squat for minimal pedal bob while climbing. The Claymore is the ultimate high pivot enduro bike, with 165mm of high pivot travel pairing to your choice of a 170mm or 180mm fork, its ready to party. The Highlander is equally at home on your local singletrack ready for bike days on the bike or your favorite bike park jump trail. Now the only question is are you going for the Highlander 140, or the slightly slacker and longer travel Highlander 150?

The Deviate Highlander is a very unique bike with a high pivot suspension design. High pivot designs have been gaining some traction for shorter travel bikes in the last few years. Aimed at being the ultimate trail bike, as Deviate claims, let's dive into what makes this bike special and if it is actually the ultimate trail bike. This is Deviate’s second model, after the Guide, a high pivot gearbox enduro bike with 27.5 wheels. The Highlander sports a traditional drivetrain but still keeps the high pivot in the suspension design. The Highlander also comes in two travel options, a 140mm travel and a 150mm travel. It's a subtle change but it can make the difference between a trail bike and an all mountain bike. Why a high pivot point? When moving pivots around on a rear suspension layout, millimeters can make the difference between an amazing riding bike and a bike that doesn't really work too well. When you move the main pivot on the bike higher (away from the ground) that typically makes a bike's rear suspension have a much more rearward axle path, allowing the wheel to move back and out of the way from rocks and features on the trail. The issue with having a higher pivot and the rear axle path growing so much it means that the anti-squat as well as pedal kick back are now not ideal measurements. That is when the upper idler pulley comes into play. It allows Deviate to tune in the anti-squat numbers so the bike has very little bob while pedaling at roughly 127% anti-squat as well as almost zero notable pedal kickback.

How does this work on the trail? Having put some time into a Deviate Highlander 150, what they say is right. You immediately notice the differences with the Highlander and its high pivot design compared to your more standard bike with a Horst link or multi-link design. While the suspension action is very smooth and consistent, you feel the bike growing when doing a few compressions on flat ground. But let's be real, parking lot tests are pretty much good for nothing.

Climbing on the Highlander was better than expected for me coming from bikes that feel very lively while climbing. The Highlander is certainly a more calm climber. The suspension doesn't have any noticeable bob while pedaling so that certainly helps along with the steep seat tube angle getting you up and over the front end. Both of these I think really help this bike in the uphill area. This bike feels great when you are spinning up a relatively smooth fire road. While it's not a race bike, I think it falls on the better side of a middle ground. Once you get the Highlander into some technical climbing terrain is where you start to feel the bike's length and rearward axle path. I felt as though it took a little more effort to make it up and over some technical sections. While I still made it over everything I needed to, I think it took a bit more effort. This is worth noting if technical climbing is a must have for you. Of course, if a technical sufferfest is your idea of fun, maybe look at a smaller travel bike. This does have 150mm rear travel at the end of the day.

Once pointed downhill is where the Deviate really does what it's intended to do: go fast and remain stable over rough terrain and sweeping corners. Taking this bike all over from local trails, to up north in Santa Barbara, to down south in Laguna, I was able to put the Highlander through a lot of different terrain. Right off the start you can feel this bike's stability, allowing you to ride fast with confidence. When the speed picks up the bike feels so planted to the ground. The rear end tracks extremely well, giving you support over rough terrain. I felt the most comfortable over the fast backcountry style single track that consists of off-camber shale and exposed switchbacks. I had a grin from ear to ear when this bike performed like that.

When the terrain gets rough, and if you know Santa Barbara you know it gets really rough and awkward at times, the Deviate shines. The Highlander held its own through all of this, feeling like those initial big hits were swallowed by the rear suspension, keeping momentum through the rough and awkward sections. On steep spots the bike remains predictable and the rear end stays active under braking. Where I felt the length of this bike was in super tight corners. The 180-degree switchbacks and consecutive S-turns where you are leaning the bike back and forth from one side to the other is where it becomes the most obvious. While I started to get used to the bike and was able to make it around tight corners more easily, it certainly is still harder as your wheelbase grows and as you weight the bike in the middle of the corner. It also isn't the most playful bike, feeling like the bike wants to stick to the ground, pump and hold speed versus pop off side hits and hit that little jib jump mid trail.

If you are looking for a bike that is fast, eats chunk for every meal of the day, and gets you to the top without much trouble, the Deviate Highlander 150 is certainly a bike that checks those boxes.