Touring - Devinci Caribou, good Touring Bike?

Hi all, first post, be gentle on me.

I'm thinking about picking up a bike for loaded touring. I'm currently looking at the Devinci Caribou.

http://www.devinci.com/english/touringbikes2004.html

Does anyone own this bike? or know anything to be concerned about?

Thanks in advance.

roosmachine, I don't know this bike but I did notice the short chainstays. I tour with a converted mountain bike (street tires, Scott areo bar) and the only two things I don't really care for are the slightly harsh ride (fatter tires can take up some of the shock) and the short chain stays. I had to modify my rear rack and rear panniers to keep my heels from clipping. Other than that, the best touring bike is the one you like to ride! I always suggest test riding any bike before buying. When you find one that feels good, consider that one a possibility. Good luck in your search! -JH

know anything to be concerned about?




1) The brakes *look* like the kind you see on racing bikes (side-pulls) instead of the more powerful types found on loaded touring bikes (usually cantilevers or v-brakes.)

2) The bike has the same problem many other loaded tourers have nowadays. The gearing isn't low enough for many riders. If you head into the mountains, hauling a heavy load, I think you'd want a crankset with a small ring of 22 to 26 teeth. And I couldn't find the numbers on the cassette for the bike.

#2 can be fixed at the time of purchase. Either have them swap out the 30t granny ring for something smaller, or install an MTB crank with something like 44-32-22 rings.

If the bike has side-pull brakes, that can't be changed. This bike might be designed for light touring instead of loaded.

Try the Trek 520, Bruce Gordon bikes, Cannondale, Fuji, Bianchi, etc. The all have a real touring model in their line. Even REI's Novara touring bike.

1) The brakes *look* like the kind you see on racing bikes (side-pulls) instead of the more powerful types found on loaded touring bikes (usually cantilevers or v-brakes.)

Nope, they're Shimano canti brakes. If buying new, I might ask about upgrade cost to something a bit higher-end - maybe Avids? - but don't worry - the capacity for stopping a loaded bike is there.



2) The bike has the same problem many other loaded tourers have nowadays. The gearing isn't low enough for many riders. If you head into the mountains, hauling a heavy load, I think you'd want a crankset with a small ring of 22 to 26 teeth. And I couldn't find the numbers on the cassette for the bike.

Agreed - but it's a problem shared by all of the suggested alternates, except for the Bruce Gordon, which is in a whole different league, price-wise.



Try the Trek 520, Bruce Gordon bikes, Cannondale, Fuji, Bianchi, etc. The all have a real touring model in their line. Even REI's Novara touring bike.

The Devinci's are also real touring bikes, and the company's reputation is quite good - though their US availability is much less good ;). In fact, from a conversation at the NYC Bike Show, I believe the owner of Arkel Overdesigns rides a Devinci... and I'm pretty certain he's done some touring now and again! ;)

If you're worried about jharte's point (which is a valid one) you might consider the Destination - but I suspect that at over 40cm, the chainstays on the Caribou are already long enough to avoid fit problems with all but the largest panniers, and the component group on the Caribou is a bit better. Still, if you can, test-ride them both - and as many of their competitors as you can!

-chris

The DeVinci are being made in Québec -- in the town of Saguenay (ex Chicoutimi) -- and are very good touring bikes, with a few limitations. Much better, in my mind, than the current crop designed by Mikado (from ProCycle -- uses a MTB frame with very high bottom bracket), and Marinoni (very good bike, though too much "racing" or "very light touring" oriented)

1. Brakes. I'm not looking for numbers on Shimano's website, but the photo indeed shows a cantilever -- there are brake bosses -- and 2 years ago, they had that (or v-brakes?), not caliper brakes.

2. Frame length. I'm indeed concerned for the 435-mm chainstays. However, the frame is rigid enough that if you buy a good rack, you'll have no problem pushing panniers a little bit rearward and you'll still have a comfortable bike. I tend to prefer the frame design of the "Destination", which has a less oblique top tube, and therefore less seat tube showing... but then, I prefer a conservative design. If you have short legs, this latest commentary doesn,t apply.

3. Eyelets in the front. Neither the photo nor their description talks about them. To install fenders and a front rack, you at least need eyelets near the front hub, and you preferably need eyelets in the middle of the fork. U-bolts exist, but aren't as nice.

4. Clearance for wide tires. Brakes are not a problem, but check if you can use 700x32 or 700x37 tires with fenders. I don't know about the Michelin, but I find the rear 700x32 Top Touring 2000 (real width 29 mm) fairly minimal on my bike and much prefer the comfort of 700x37. Besides, most cyclocross tires (good for trails) exist in 700x37 and wider... so it's nice to know they fit.

5. Gearing. Others said it. You could swap rings for 48-38-24. The 48-38 exists in a ramped and pinned series (from FSA, amongst others) and would work correctly with STI.

6. Handlebars. I like them high and close... and ride on the drops. Just make sure they don't cut the steerer until you have fully tuned your position. It's better to ride with a series of spacers on top of the stem. Then, after a full month of riding, have it cut a bit so you still have an extra 10-15 mm on top. IOW, better safe than sorry.

7. Integrated Headset. For the uninitiated, it basically means less moving parts than in the semi-traditional threadless design. But some designs have gone a bit too far. For the DeVinci, I don't know what it exactly means. If it is one of those cheap designs where you can't even replace the bearings or the races, then stay away from that like the plague, because it means you need to scrap the bike if the headset needs new bearing races. OTOH, if it's one where races are still replaceable, than it's OK.

Al forks are rare on touring bikes. You can't have an Al spring, so they have to be made very ridgid.They may give a harsh ride.
It seems more of a fast-touring bike with good trail capability, OK for a weekend or weeks holiday, but not a continental tourer like the Bruce Gorden.

1. Brakes. I'm not looking for numbers on Shimano's website, but the photo indeed shows a cantilever -- there are brake bosses -- and 2 years ago, they had that (or v-brakes?), not caliper brakes.

Yep, I'm the one who cast doubt on the brakes. I looked at the model listed on the website, something like r-550, and thought it was shorthand for the 105 road calipers which are BR-5501.

Couldn't find cantilevers on the Shimano website, but I found shimano cantilever model BR-R550 on the Harris Cyclery website.

And I should have looked more closely at the photo!

As for the chainstay length: I've had problems with heel clearance on a bike with 42.4cm chainstays, but no problems on my tourer with 45cm stays. The Devinci is listed as 43.5, so it could be close depending on factors like foot size, crank length, pannier size and design, rack layout, etc.

That bike is not a true blooded touring bike, it's a hybrid; meaning that it attempts to fulfill two roles, a touring bike and a road bike.

What is the cost of this bike?

There are other better choices on the market for a touring bike. An excellent value is the Trek 520; you would be hard press to find a better touring bike then this until you go over about $2500.

Devinci sucks

Devinci sucks

Thank you for giving your opinion, but since the OP asked the question 8 years ago, I think they've already made their choice for a bike. :)

Thread closed.