Devinci Leo SL

The Devinci Leo is a fast, light and comfortable bike that's ideal for racing but confident enough in handling for the less competitively inclined.

Long established French-Canadian bike manufacturer Devinci describes their Leo as 'where professional racing machine meets a guaranteed for life Gran Fondo winner'.

The Devinci Leo's carbon composite monocoque construction uses a mix of 'Grafil HR40, Torayca T700 SC and M30 SC fibres bonded with high-strength epoxy resin, finished with a carbon nano-powder additive.' All search-engine friendly if you need to know specific details. The surface finish seems tougher than average and the build quality is superb throughout.

You can buy the Leo SL as a frame and fork or in variously equipped versions as a complete bike, and at the time of writing the UK distributor's retail outlet www.freeborn.co.uk is selling this model at a substantially reduced £2600.

Bang up to date

It goes almost without saying that it's bang up to date in terms of feeling light, stiff, precise and sprightly in terms of handling. You wouldn't expect anything else from a state of the art frame from one of Canada's finest bike fabricators. But what surprises is that it also offers a ride that needs very little adjustment time.

Some carbon lightweights exude a nervous ride quality that takes a fair amount of riding finesse or perseverance to get the best from. The Leo feels instantly ready to charge up, down and along every type of road straight from the blocks, but it also feels relatively relaxed when you're just bowling along looking at the scenery.

One of our race-biased testers managed to achieve his favoured low bar position by flipping the stem and stacking the steerer washers above it. Less competitive riders appreciated the tall head tube and the fact that, while the top tube is about the same as on most thoroughbred race bikes, the compact Easton EC70 SL handlebar reach is shorter than average. Our 56cm test bike had a 56cm (horizontal) top tube length, a 73 degree head angle, 73.5 at the seat. Smaller sizes are steeper at the seat, slacker at the head, the next size up (60cm) is 73 degrees parallel.

Every frame size has its own mould and Devinci describe their manufacturing technique as 'Dual Core Fusion'. It's a method that apparently uses collected data from the road and the rider to create the perfect blend of compliance for comfort and stiffness for power transfer.

That's not exactly a unique approach but after a couple of months with the bike we'd say Devinci has managed to go a little further than many rivals in blending an enticing mix of minimum weight, maximum comfort, excellent stability and impressive drive power.

I rode a Leo on a Pyrenean pass conquering trip last year and this model is essentially the same. The ride is a great blend of performance and comfort but has a neutral, almost workmanlike, handling quality that makes it a very easy bike to ride on demanding terrain. There was plenty of that in the Pyrenees and the last few weeks have confirmed initial impressions from last year's week long tour.

The frame

The main frame has a tapered head tube with a quality integrated Cane Creek headset that helps to keep the front low despite the fairly tall head tube. The massively profiled asymmetrical down tube, seat tube and chain stays all flare into the bulbous BB86 bottom bracket, and there's loads of room between the stays for bigger tyres than the 23mm Mavic Aksions fitted.

The seat stays are very slim near the dropouts but radically flared where they flow up to the seat tube juncture, and we like the way the double-slot seat clamp closes without any obvious crimp points. The sloping top tube means standover clearance is generous too.

All the frame sections are said to blend minimum weight with a touch of vertical compliance and lateral stiffness in the upper frame core plus torsional stiffness and sharp handling in the lower core. That's what the 'Dual Core Fusion' tag is about, and it rings true when you're riding.

The HPG (High Performance Geometry) label on the seat stays is related to the way Devinci has decided how to best sit you on the bike in terms of good ergonomics, aerodynamics, power transfer, precise control and handling. This is what almost every brand shouts about in the marketing spiel and it's worth pointing out that thoughtful parts choices and setting up the saddle, handlebar and stem just right can be even more crucial.

The Leo feels great once everything else is set up right. A few riders questioned the 39/52 Ultegra crankset, but it's manageable by most riders with a 28 sprocket out back and most shops would be happy to swap it for a 34/50 version if needed.

The finer detail on the frame is worth a mention too. Internal cable routing for the gears and rear brake is easy to access at both entry and exit points, with almost-invisible routing recessed under the bottom bracket shell, plus access points for electronic gear wiring if you choose to upgrade later. The front gear mech is of the adjustable bracket type and there are two lots of bottle bosses. There's also a polished bash-plate attached to the underside of the right hand chain stay to stop a jammed-up chain from damaging the carbon.

You get Devinci's Super Leggera fork, made from the same composite mix as the frame, with a carbon steerer and dropouts. The straight blades are aero in profile and the vibration damping characteristics are excellent.

The drivetrain is full Shimano Ultegra 6700 with 52/39 chainrings and an 11 to 28 cassette. Brakes are Ultegra too and you score Mavic Aksium wheels, an Easton EC70 EA70 stem to match the handlebar, a slimline but relatively comfy Selle Italia SLS saddle on a Monolink seat post and Velo Supersoft padded bar tape.

The ride

While the ride is surprisingly forgiving, even on the roughest roads, with 23mm tyres, you could probably fit up to 28mm if you feel the need. We had to re-fit the BB86 bottom bracket after a couple of rides as it had started to creak: that's a fairly common thing on straight out of the box bikes.

The tapered 1.125/1.5in head tube undoubtedly contributes to superb steering on high speed bumpy downhills and the large diameter chain stays and massive bottom bracket are probably a major part of the reason the Leo climbs and sprints so well.

The Leo SL would be totally at ease in top level competitive events, but it's a pleasingly compliant machine in the hands of the less experienced. Obviously a 16.8lb bike climbs well, but it's sometimes a surprise when a bike as highly tuned as this is so easy to handle on the rougher descents.

After a few minor skid twitches on damp morning corners a couple of riders said they'd prefer 25mm tyres, but that was probably more down to tyre compound. Otherwise, a wholehearted recommendation from every tester.

Verdict

Fast, light, comfortable and classy with a blend of handling manners that suits everything from racing to admiring the scenery.