Devinci Destination

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2003

Favorite Ride:
UP!

Bike Setup:
Stock, upgraded the seat post and handlebars for comfort.

Summary:
From commuting, to long distance fully loaded tours, to sport/race rides the destination has eaten them all. As a commuter the setup as is works fantastically. If you're planning to use it more for training/races or have small hills around, a few upgrades to lighten the rear end are recommenced.

Strengths:
Value on the components
Comfort through long days
Gearing is great for loaded touring (30/33)
Bomb Proof Wheels/Tires

Weaknesses:
Heavy in the rear end

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at Wildrock

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Bancroft Hilly Hundred

Summary:
This is a very sturdy, comfortable bike for long rides. The positioning on the bike means that you don't get great aerodynamics, but for long rides my wrists and ass really appreciated the more comfortable set up. It is also great for country road riding where you might run across dirt roads and crushed gravel trails. It is also great that you can upgrade to disk brakes if you're hauling a kid trailer or load up your bike with paniers. I've done several long tours and been able to keep up comfortably with road bikes which are much lighter and sleeker.

Strengths:
Comfort and durability. Wheels are rock solid. Option of upgrading to disk brakes.

Weaknesses:
Headset squeaks. Heavy, slow bike.

Price Paid:  $750.00 at Toronto Bike Show

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Waterfront Trail

Bike Setup:
Tiagra/LX, with 53-42-30 front and 11-34 rear. Shifts flawlessly

Summary:
I purchased a Devinci Destination 2005/6 at the Toronto Bike Show for $750.00. Non-current and ...who wants a touring bike. Mine has the mega exo triple and Mavic rims. I really like this bike. I have used it for full touring and it handles beautifully when setup with front and rear panniers. I love the sloping downtube for touring. It comes standard with Shimano clipless pedals and although I wasn't originally too happy about the tires I have grown to appreciate them. NO flats in 1500 kms of loaded touring.

Strengths:
Ride, touring load, specs and shifting. Wheels are bombproof and commonly used on tandems.

Weaknesses:
All of the rivnuts for the bottle holders and racks were loose. Either they were not tightened at the factory or they rusted from sitting. Probably not tightened. Anyway this problem was fixed.

Similar Products Used:
OCR and Trek

Price Paid:  $1450.00

Model Year:
2005

Bike Setup:
Specs have changed on this bike; the Devinci website isn't (or wasn't) up to date. Mine came with Tiagra front/LX rear ders, Shimano canti brakes front and back (I replaced the front with an Avid disc, factored into the above price, which squeaks a little but gives a bit more positive effect in the wet), a *very* comfortable Selle Italia XO TransAm seat, Shimano clipless pedals, and FSA headset and crank. The cork/gel bar wrap is a nice touch.

Summary:
For the money this is a fine multi-purpose road bike: a quick and nimble commuter with potential for longer-distance trips. Though it's often marketed as a tourer, the frame isn't the classic long and square bag-hauler of the touring class. Still it's drilled front and back for racks and is very sturdy. I would not hesitate to recommend it for credit-card touring, at least.

But it really shines as a city commuter. The frame puts the rear wheel right under your butt, so you can really accelerate through tight turns at intersections with stability. (Notice that this also means you need a long rear rack and angled bags to avoid kicking your panniers.) The 700x28 tires mean you're not going to set any land speed records, especially with the stock Michelins, but they offer pretty good zip combined with a fairly forgiving ride over broken pavement.

This is the lowest-spec of three Devinci models built on this frame. I've found all the components to fall between inoffensive and very good. In particular the shifting is positive and fast; XTs might save a bit of weight over the stock LX rear, but couldn't be vastly better performers. Anyone looking for an all-around road bike with particular abilities for commuting and for long-weekend trips out of the city should take a hard look at the Destination.

Strengths:
Balanced package: nimble yet stable, speedy but comfortable.

Weaknesses:
Same as its strengths: A compromise. Not ideal as a tourer, nor as a racer. Slightly down-spec, too.

Similar Products Used:
Trek OCR Touring

Price Paid:  $0.00

Model Year:
2005

Bike Setup:
Bike tested had FSA Gossamer MegaExo triple crankset 52/42/30T not TruVativ, OS-140 stem and V2 handlebars not Ritchey Logic Comp as per the specs given.

Summary:
Almost bought this bike (got big sister Tosca instead). The bike just felt right on a quick spin around the block. The component mix on the bike are a real value for the price. Shimano Deore LX rear derailleur and Tiagra brifters/front deraileurs are concessions to this price point but worked flawlessly for the short rides I took. The MegaExo crankset is stiffer than anything else I tested (FSA has a sure fire winner in these cranks). Jury is still out on saddle (have same one on my Tosca) but that's a personal thing. Makes a wonderful commuter...you can put the hammer down when you are late and she will respond with good performance but is strong enough to handle day in day out commuting without issue.

Strengths:
Canadian, Eh!. Compact geometry is stiff enough to let you put the power down without being too uncomfortable. 30T small chainring along with 34T large cassette would allow you to pedal up hills right being the mountain goats.

Weaknesses:
Michelin Transworld Tires are middle of the road. They are fine on a dirt road but my riding pavement screamed for a higher performance set of slicks.

Similar Products Used:
Also tested Kona Sutra (didn't fit as nice, heavier, more expensive but liked disc brakes and Nokian tires.)
and Cannondale T800 (very comparable but slightly lower specs - Sora in a couple places and much heavier wheelset - 36 versus 32 spokes and 35 versus 28 mm tires.)
DeVinci Amsterdam (hybrid gives more bike for the buck but I wanted road bars on my road bike.)