Deviate Highlander II
Wheel Size: 29’’ front and rear (27.5” rear option available soon)
Travel: 145 mm rear / 160 mm front
Geometry Highlights:
- Sizes offered: S, M, L, XL
- Headtube angle: 65°
- Reach: 490 mm (size Large)
- Chainstay length: 441 mm
Frame Material: Carbon fiber
Price:
- Highlander II Frameset 2024 Edition: $3,300 USD / $4,500 CAD
- Complete bikes: $7,329 to $10,750 USD / $8,746 to $12,811 CAD
Intro
Deviate was an early adopter of high-pivot suspension designs for Trail / Enduro bikes. Their Highlander 140 was released in 2020, followed by a longer-travel adaptation of the same frame in the Highlander 150, but the Highlander II (apparently there can be more than one) gets an all-new frame.
The Highlander II is positioned as a versatile all-rounder and features some interesting and thoughtful frame details beyond just its high-pivot layout and big idler pulley. Let’s dig into the details to see just what Deviate has brought to the table with the Highlander II.
The Frame
The story of Deviate starts with the Guide — a carbon-framed, high-pivot, Pinion-gearbox-equipped Enduro bike. Released in 2017, it was both an early expression of Deviate’s commitment to high-pivot bikes and a showcase of their willingness to think outside the box. Fast forward to today, and the Highlander II and its burlier stablemate, the Claymore, still share a strong familial resemblance with the Guide.
[For a whole lot more on the Guide and the history of Deviate more generally, check out Ep.177 of our Bikes & Big Ideas podcast with Deviate co-founder Ben Jones.]
Also crafted from carbon fiber, the 145mm-travel Highlander II is built around a 160mm-travel fork. That puts the Highlander II on the aggressive side of the “Trail bike” spectrum, and Deviate’s description of the bike makes its all-rounder intentions pretty clear.
At the time we’re writing this, the Highlander II comes with 29” wheels only, though Deviate has announced that mixed-wheel compatibility (via a 27.5” rear triangle kit) will be available as an upgrade purchase in late May / early June for $800 USD / $1,050 CAD; mixed-wheel-specific Highlander II MX frames will be available for pre-order starting in July. The dedicated 27.5” rear triangle will reportedly preserve all the geometry figures of the full-29” version.
As you’ll likely notice the first time you see it, the Highlander II features a high-pivot suspension design with a link that rotates around the bottom bracket to drive the shock. In addition to lending a rearward axle path (about 23 mm of rearward travel for the Highlander II), high-pivot designs also typically allow for better control over anti-squat and pedal kickback. The Highlander II has fairly high anti-squat stats (about 122% at sag), falling to around 117% at the end of the travel. Its leverage rate is fairly progressive, starting just under 2.9:1 and ending just above 2.4:1, with most of the progression occurring after 70-80 mm of travel.
The Highlander II is a linkage-driven single-pivot bike. That’s worth mentioning because a high-single-pivot layout tends to harbor certain suspension characteristics, most notably high levels of anti-rise, meaning that the suspension tends to compress slightly and feel firmer under braking. The Highlander II’s anti-rise starts just over 140%, ending at just over 115% at bottom-out.
Moving past the eye-catching linkage, Deviate has brought some nice frame details to the Highlander II. All of its pivot bearings have redundant twin-lip wiper seals for added protection, grease ports for easy maintenance, and the idler gets a large (and very nice looking) 18-tooth pulley for reduced drag.
Fit & Geometry
Deviate offers the Highlander II in four sizes, labeled Small, Medium, Large, and XL, and its geometry looks sensible and modern without being over-the-top aggressive.
All four sizes get a 65° headtube angle and 441 mm chainstays. The reach on the size Large is 490 mm, a bit longer than the 480 mm number that seems to be the norm on other Large bikes, and that reach is paired with a 630 mm stack and 635 mm effective top tube length. The reach varies by 30 mm per size — a slightly larger-than-average jump between sizes — but nothing too far outside of normal.
The Highlander II’s seat tube angle sits at 77°, which feels suitably steep for a Trail bike that is likely to see a lot of miles on rolling terrain. The seat tube length is quite short at 430 mm on the size Large, while seat post insertion depth is more than adequate at 325 mm — running a dropper of your preferred length should be no problem on the Highlander II.
The Builds
Deviate offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to builds, with a configurator tool on their website letting you choose from a huge assortment of parts in order to spec a Highlander II to your preferences. Partial builds are available as well. If you’d prefer a pre-configured build, Deviate also offers three standard “Pro” builds, dubbed C, O, and R, in order of escalating price.
The base-level C build is still quite high-end, with DVO suspension, Shimano XT shifting, Industry Nine wheels (w/ flagship Hydra hubs), and Magura MT7 brakes. The O and R builds step up to an Ohlins TTX2 air shock and RXF36 m.2 fork, with the O build getting Shimano XT brakes and drivetrain along with Industry Nine wheels; the top-end R build gets SRAM’s XO Transmission and DT Swiss wheels. All builds also get OneUp’s popular carbon handlebars and Vittoria Mazza tires.
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Magura MT7 w/ 203 mm
- rotors
- Fork: DVO Diamond D1 (160 mm)
- Shock: DVO Topaz D1
- Wheels: Industry Nine Trail S Hydra
- Dropper Post: OneUp V2.1 (180, 210, or 240 mm travel selected at checkout)
- Drivetrain: Shimano XT
- Brakes: Shimano XT M8120 w/ 203mm rotors
- Fork: Ohlins RXF36 m.2 (160 mm)
- Shock: Ohlins TTX2 Air
- Wheels: Industry Nine Trail S Hydra
- Dropper Post: OneUp V2.1 (180, 210, or 240 mm travel selected at checkout)
- Drivetrain: SRAM XO Transmission
- Brakes: SRAM Code Ultimate Stealth w/ 200 mm rotors
- Fork: Ohlins RXF36 m.2 (160 mm)
- Shock: Ohlins TTX2 Air
- Wheels: DT Swiss 240 hubs w/ DT Swiss 481 rims
- Dropper Post: OneUp V2.1 (180, 210, or 240 mm travel selected at checkout)
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) The Highlander II’s 145 mm of rear travel and 160 mm fork place it on the aggressive end of the ever-nebulous Trail bike category. Does it truly fit into the Trail class in terms of ride quality, or does the rearward axle path help it blur the lines with the Enduro segment?
(2) Some high-pivot bikes we’ve ridden in the past have exhibited some unusual braking characteristics. How do the Highlander II’s higher levels of anti-rise impact performance on the trail?
Bottom Line (For Now)
Deviate was ahead of the curve with their commitment to high-pivot suspension designs, and the Highlander II is still one of the shorter-travel high-pivot bikes out there. So does it feel like a true do-it-all Trail bike, more of a mini-Enduro sled, or something else entirely? We’ve got a Highlander II in for review and have started spending time on it to find out.
Flash Review: Our Initial On-Trail Impressions
BLISTER+ members and those who purchase our Digital Access Pass can check out the Flash Review below to read our initial on-trail impressions. Get our Digital Access Pass to view all our Flash Reviews and Deep Dives, or become a BLISTER+ member today to get access to that and a LOT more, including the best worldwide Outdoor Injury Insurance, exclusive deals and discounts on skis, personalized gear recommendations from us, and much more.