Devinci

Kobain SLX Mountain Bike

Hardtails like the Devinci Kobain SLX Mountain Bike have a special place in our hearts for being fun machines with little maintenance. The skills we learn on our hardtail easily and effortlessly transfer over to any kind of bike. The Devinci Kobain is appropriately specced with trail-ready components at a drool-worthy price point. The bike speaks to aggressive riding on gnarly trails that are all but a little too big for a bike like this.

Geometry on the Devinci Kobain is more akin to an enduro bike than the trail ripper it truly is. Built with a slack head-tube angle of 65.5-degrees the bike uses its large 2.6in tire to get over just about any kind of obstacle. This hardtail bike is built for bringing confidence to our ride and exploring the limits of what a hardtail can really do. The long wheelbase of 1191mm in a size medium is longer than many full-suspension trail bikes in the same class. With a reach of 445mm in a size medium and 470mm in a size large, Devinci has purposely built the Kobain to get down the mountain even quicker than it got up.

Shimano proves the drivetrain game is all but theirs with the budget-friendly but performance-focused Shimano Deore system. Shimano's hyperglide shifting provides smooth shifts even under load, so when we're just learning the ropes on mountain biking we won't be needing to replace a chain after the first few rides. A fully capable Marzocchi Bomber fork supports the front end and supplies near endless amounts of squish at a bomber price point. The bike comes outfitted with a dropper post and burly tubeless tires, making it fully trail capable no matter what terrain we're throwing down on.