The Deviate Highlander II is a mid-travel trail bike that dons everything you would expect from the brand; its high-pivot, linkage-driven single-pivot suspension layout and the UK friendly features make it simple to live with. The brand's claims of versatility ring true as it’s forgiving when red-lining through the harshest terrain but it’s friendly and plenty fun when not slapping rocks at warp speed. However, it’s a bike that needs learning, time and experience to get the most out of it.
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Deviate Highlander II Pro Build 0 - Technical details
Not to state the obvious but the Highlander II is the second iteration of Deviate’s trail bike. Where the Highlander I allowed users to choose from 140mm and 150mm of rear travel, Deviate has kitted the Highlander II with 145mm. For 2024, the brand gave the bike Universal Derailleur Hanger compatibility and the option to pick a 52mm, or 55mm chain line with the latter enabling the rider to spec SRAM’s T-Type tech.
Deviate has crafted the Highlander II to be super versatile and capable of a bit of everything whether that’s full gas efforts between the tapes or big old epics out in the country. But also, as a Scottish brand, the Highlander II is primed for the awful British conditions. As such, it gets grease injection ports at each pivot that allow the rider to squeeze out filthy grease and refill with lovely new stuff for a boost in longevity. All of the bearings are fully sealed, too, and there are twin-lip wiper seals all over the frame.
The Highlander II is certainly feature-rich but it’s a real case of all killer, no filler as the bike boasts three sets of bottle mounts with room for two bottles in the front triangle. But realistically, this offers the opportunity to carry a bottle and a couple of frame-mounted accessories.
Two of those mounts are found on the Highlander’s Cable Gutter system, which I like. It’s very much what it says on the tin, being a gulley that runs along the underside of the top tube that houses the upper half of the cables. It’s essentially external cable routing but looks as tidy as the internal alternative. The rear end is internally routed, as is the dropper post’s cable but this combination serves a real purpose – it allows for easy maintenance of the hoses and cables but without exposing them to the elements lower down on the frame.
There’s a threaded bottom bracket, a sleek-looking replaceable downtube protector, and an 18T idler pulley.
At the heart of this carbon-framed trail bike is its high-pivot suspension layout and, as a brand that prides itself on exclusively using that system, it offers numerous benefits. Those being a rearward axle path with almost no pedal kickback and that the bike should retain its geometry when under braking loads. The geometry conservation is done through kitting the Highlander II with 127% anti-rise, so the suspension should compress a little when braking which should then keep weight balanced and reduce weight being thrown towards the front of the bike.
As for geometry, Deviate has certainly been sensible with the Highlander II’s shape. The large frame on test comes with a 490mm reach, a 441mm chainstay, a 77-degree seat tube angle, and a 1,258mm wheelbase but there’s a 65-degree head tube angle, which could be seen as a little steep for a trail bike like this. However, this has been chosen to help recover some agility while balancing stability when the trails get steep.
Impressively, the standover is massive (there’s an almost minuscule 430mm seat tube that offers space for up to a 240mm dropper post). Not only does this provide potential customers with the best ability to size up, but it also opens up tonnes of space over the bike for general radness.
Deviate Highlander II Pro Build 0 - Componentry
With the Highlander II, Deviate offers three Pro build kits with prices starting at £6,000 and going up to £8,800. Here, we’ve got the middle-of-the-range Pro Build 0 2024 Edition, which means that it’s kitted with a Universal Derailleur Hanger fitment and an option to build the bike with a 55mm chain line so it can work with SRAM’s latest Transmission drivetrains.
Pro Build 0 drapes the Highlander II with Ohlins suspension, featuring an RXF36 m.2 fork at the front damping 160mm of travel, and a TTX2 Air shock at the rear, handling the 145mm.
Shimano takes shifting duties thanks to an XT M8100 12-speed drivetrain, although on this particular bike, we’ve got the SLX variant. Either way, the bike is slowed thanks to a set of Shimano XT four-piston brakes matched with a 203mm rotor at the front and a 180mm disc at the rear.
This build rolls on a set of Industry 9 Trail S 29in rims (subbed for DT Swiss’s EX511’s on this bike) laced to i9’s Hydra hubs. Those are then shod with a pair of Vittoria Mazza Enduro tyres in 2.4in widths and Enduro casings, although I swapped these out for several tyres such as Michelin’s latest Wild Enduro Racing Line MS, MH as well as a Maxxis Assegai.
Wrapping up the build kit is OneUp Components’ Carbon handlebar, OneUp’s V2 dropper with a lengthy 240mm drop on my build (buyers can pick from 180, 210, and 240mm drops) and there’s a rather nice Cane Creek Hellbender 70 headset. So while £7,000 is quite a bit to drop on a bike, Deviate is rather generous here.
All of that tips my scale at 15.45 kilos and while that’s no heavyweight, it’s not particularly the lightest – it’s the upper end of the average for a modern trail bike. However, there are areas in which some grams could be shed, such as the tyres to name one.
The Highlander II is also available as a frame-only option and is priced at a competitive £3,000.
However, Deviate also takes a similar approach to Starling Cycles as the brand can build up a Highlander II to your exacting specification through its bike builder. Here you can pick from Fox and RockShox suspension and tweak the build to your heart's content from components nestled within the numerous drop-downs.
As standard, the brand offers the choice of stem length and handlebar rise, whether you’re custom building your bike or going for something off the set menu.
Deviate Highlander II Pro Build 0 - Performance
Let’s get one thing out of the way, the Highlander II is a serious looker that carries a high build quality that’s indicative of its price. It’s a low-slung, sleek collection of tubes that marries that mid to high-end class with an aesthetic that flies tastefully under the radar. The graphics fill blank space but without screaming out at you. I’m a fan of this Islay Sand colourway, too.
During the test period, I took the bike through a breadth of terrains from mellow local tracks to steeper and more technical trails further afield. While I even took it for an uplift-assisted bike park day, there was a good level of winch-and-plummet, as well as the odd traverse. Through all of these scenarios, the Highlander II lived up to the claims of versatility very well but its high-pivot suspension layout makes its ride rather distinct.
It’s different but it is a mountain bike after all, and sitting on the bike, the cockpit is spacious but not overly so. The 77-degree seat tube plonks rider weight at a good midpoint between the rear wheel and bottom bracket, so when cranking up a hill, weight is distributed fairly evenly. However, I have considered installing a shorter stem just to close up a bit of that space and perhaps boost comfort, and that’s with the saddle pushed as far forward on the rails as its guides recommend. However, I chose not to for a reason I’ll get into shortly.
With a decent pedalling position comes decent pedalling performance. I’ve not put on the fastest rolling tyres in the world but compared to some other bikes, the Highlander II is no slouch when hauling up a hill. It’s not perfect, there is still some bob and movement in the suspension under slow-going pedalling loads but the bike is far from sluggish and makes pleasant work of ascents.
It’s comfortable too as the bike is more than happy to break into its travel and allow the wheel to track the ground, soaking up imperfections and rustling up loads of grip. Then due to that rearward axle path, even more technical climbs are dealt with without sharp impacts jolting the seat tube upwards.
Where things start to get interesting is in the idler pulley. Many talk about how the addition of an idler pulley adds drag to a drivetrain and that makes perfect sense. It’s another point of friction in both the chain (as it has to bend around another pulley) and the fact there’s another bearing to turn. With this said, I found drag to be of minimal impact. The idler pulley does introduce more noise, however. Early into a ride, it’s reasonably quiet but as the chain and the idler’s teeth get dirty the system can get a little vocal.
With rather good performance up a hill, the Highlander II is superb when shown a descent as it reaps all of the rewards that the high-pivot platform has to offer. Although there's 145mm of travel at the rear, it gets the forgiveness that’s usually reserved for longer travel enduro bikes, thanks to that rearward axle path.
Under hard pedalling efforts, the bike is spritely and eager to get moving, and once it’s rolling the rear end rolls over impacts with poise, devouring momentum. Because the rear wheel copes with bumps in a different manner than low pivot, or more traditional bikes, it transmits far less trail chatter to the feet, so when speed is gaining the bike holds composure, making it easy and comfortable to deal with.
With more speed than usual, there’s more reliance on braking performance. That’s where the anti-rise kicks in which keeps the bike low, stops weight from being flung forwards, and keeps the rear wheel tracking the ground rather well, without so much of a hint of harshness. This is another trait that adds to the Highlander II’s sense of composure as under heavy braking loads, it’s still very balanced. It’s quite remarkable really, as few bikes manage this transfer of load as well and it’s another thing to get used to and learn.
The whole idea of a high-pivot bike is that it provides a more rear-ward axle path which also means that the chainstay grows as the suspension dives through its travel. This is a good thing in most scenarios, especially landing off a drop into a severe web of roots where the wheelbase stretches and the bike becomes more stable and easier to ride.
The same goes for negotiating very technical terrain too as the suspension works very well to absorb all of the hits but gets a very useful boost in stability and, perhaps, the most surprising aspect is that the bike still gathers momentum in such sections. Combined, those traits make for some serious capability that extends beyond what you would expect of a 145mm trail bike. It's unphased by lumpy terrain and actually keeps gaining momentum as it rolls through choppy sections. The rear end of this bike is so smooth that it outperforms its fork as it blends suppleness with support in a way that the fork can’t quite match.
That extension of the chainstay is also where the bike gets a little weird. The chainstay doesn’t grow by much - Deviate says it's 23mm – but it’s a characteristic that takes some time to get used to. This stretch is noticeable as the rear wheel leaves a slow drop where the wheel feels as if it almost sits on the lip for a bit before popping off. I’ve also had to readjust my pop timing on jumps and I’ve found it can be tough to lift the front wheel as much, as the chainstay grows under compression. These aren’t necessarily negatives of the Highlander II, more a comment on what high-pivot bikes do and a trait to learn.
However, the biggest area where the growth has been more of a hurdle is the corners. Any bike’s suspension compresses under cornering load but with the Highlander II, the wheelbase grows and that’s not the most desirable quality as it sucks some agility. This has mostly required a bit of a rewiring of how I corner and I’ve learned that the bike comes to life agility-wise with a little more dynamism in my body position and cornering timing. It thrives when it's weighted with more of a forward bias in which it rewards with more grip at the front wheel and I’ve found that setting up for a corner a little earlier helps whip the bike around quicker. As before, this isn’t something that’s unique to the Highlander II but it’s something that makes a real argument for sizing down, which, as someone who often sits between sizes at 5’ 10”, I would strongly consider.
This is somewhat addressed by its 65-degree head tube angle which adds some zest to its steering. Of course, it’s not as slack as many similar mountain bikes so it can get a little twitchy when the gradient gets properly steep. Here, it’s a case of balance and for what this figure adds to steering response, it’s a good compromise. More aggressive riders, or those who love it when things get steep might appreciate a slightly slacker head tube, however. But even with that head angle, the bike loves an aggressive, front-weighted riding style as I've found the front wheel a little quick to break traction without such an emphasis on keeping it weighted and this is where the standard stem length on this bike was useful. However, If I were to size down, a head angle that's a degree slacker would come in handy.
But what is evident through the corners is the stiffness of the chassis, despite the front and rear triangles joining at a single pivot. Almost all of the rear end is overbuilt, including around the pivot’s location and the result is little lateral flex.
With all this said and done, the Deviate Highlander II is a bike that excels in fast-going chunk. It rustles up tonnes of capability all while lapping up the momentum. It might not be as flickable through the corners but it makes up for it with its ability to find speed everywhere else with a heft of comfort. Although it's at its happiest when absorbing all of the impacts, its mid-travel figure keeps it from steamrolling over anything that’s not jagged rock, making itself ripe for a serious spectrum of trail and enduro riding while adding an easygoing pedalling dynamic.
Deviate Highlander II Pro Build 0 - Verdict
With high-pivot mountain bikes gaining some momentum in the industry, the Deviate Highlander II is facing increasing competition when it comes to value for money but this particular Pro 0 build still manages to hold its own thanks to more desirable componentry almost across the board. But what’s also worth noting is how competitively priced the Highlander II is as a frame-only option.
The most recent brand to offer high-pivot platforms is Norco and the Sight C2 is right in the Highlander II’s firing line. The Sight gets 150mm of rear travel and it’s £500 cheaper but in terms of build kit, the Highlander takes down the Sight as it’s equipped with plenty of componentry that not only makes it a little posher, but it’s also better performing kit. For example, the Sight gets a TransX dropper a generic handlebar, and Stan’s Flow S2 rims on Race Face Trace hubs. There’s also RockShox Ultimate suspension and its frame-only option is £1,000 more.
Its geometry is a little more too with a 497mm reach and a 64-degree head tube angle on a comparable size. Whether that means good or bad things for the Norco, we’ll have to find out.
Of course, another big player in the high-pivot game is Forbidden and an interesting comparison comes in the form of the Druid, a bike with 130mm of rear suspension and 150mm at the front. Coming in equally at £7,000 the Druid GX RS S+ offers SRAM GX T-Type shifting, RockShox Ultimate-level suspension, and a Crankbrothers Synthesis Enduro alloy wheelset. Similarly to the Highlander, the Druid is sorted with some cool componentry from brands like OneUp Components but its geometry differs a little with a 480mm reach on an S3 (comparable to large) frame. Its chainstay is longer too at 452mm. A Druid frame will set you back £3,600 so Deviate’s got Forbidden trumped in that respect.
What both bikes have that the Highlander II currently doesn’t is the opportunity to run a mullet wheel setup but fret not, Deviate’s working on it with an MX rear end coming soon.
It took a bit of time to gel with the Deviate Highlander II but it proved to be one versatile machine that combines the engaging character of a bike typical of this travel and the heavy-hitting forgiveness of something more enduro-flavoured. Impressively, it provides as close to a magic carpet ride over some proper gnarly stuff while summoning up a solid level of support to keep the fun coming through not-so-ridiculous trails. That’s on top of its solid pedalling platform. It’s not for everyone but in the right, experienced hands, it’s a total weapon that proves that masses of travel isn't key to serious capability.
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