Continuing our series of Bike Checks, here’s Deviate’s Production Manager and his Claymore.

This is Tom Simpson (no, not that one) and his ready-for-anything Deviate Claymore.

Who are you then?

Tom Simpson: “Production Manager and lead mechanic is the office title, but I just prefer being referred to as t’he guy that does the tools’. Never been one for official titles, they have always sounded a bit pompous to me.

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“My day-to-day consists mostly of building bikes for orders, and servicing existing customers bikes. I also answer the phone and emails, to help anybody with technical question they have best I can. We are a very small team tho, so if anyone is needing a hand with something, we all jump in to relive the pressure if we are able to. Oh and don’t forget making the brews, we get thirsty round here.”

What size frame?

TS: “My Deviate Claymore is a size Medium.”

What’s your favourite component?

TS: “Favourite component is probably my stem, DMR defy, 50mm reach 31.8 size. It’s been swapped over from so many bikes, it’s probably about 15 years old at this point. I like how it looks kind of like a DH stem on the clamp area. Also really like my ODI Longnecks push ons, they’re a must. Best grip ever.”

Where does this bike excel?

TS: “Enduro trails where it’s got a lot of chunk and high speeds. That high pivot magic is hard to beat. Saying that, I’ve never had any trouble jumping it or getting round tight turns. It’s a brilliant all round beast in most situations. Point it at something and you’re generally grinning ear to ear.”

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What’s the next tweak for the bike?

TS: “I do have the latest colour frame at work for me, but am too busy riding in my spare time to bother swapping over to it! Other than that, probably just a bit of general maintainance. I have had a set of 50mm bars to try for ages sitting in the workshop, but thery’e not Renthal and am a bit of a ‘Renthal is the only handlebar kinda guy’, but they don’t make the 50s in a 31.8 clamp. I just don’t like the way a lot of 35 clamps look due to the bulbus area, and they’re a bit stiffer too.

“It could probably do with a new chain and cassette too, and I might eventually cut down that steerer…”

Fork – settings?

TS: “Fox Factory 38, about 75psi, fairly open compression and a medium setting rebound.”

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Shock – settings?

TS: “Fox X2 Air, 250 psi, and same as above.”

How is the suspension set-up generally?

TS: “Balance between front and rear is key I feel. I don’t like it to feel wildly dissimilar. Plush and not too fast seems to be my style. But as it’s been really quite dry for Scotland recently and it’s running faster, I’ve been adding more speed to the rebounds.”

What do you think it weighs?

TS: “I weighed it recently at work, and it was 17.9kg with pedals, pump, EDC and water bottle.”

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Specification & geometry

Frame // Deviate claymore, 165mm rear travel.
Shock // Fox x2
Fork // Fox factory 38 170mm
Wheels // Hope Pro 4s laced to a set of 10-year-old Six Element carbon rims
Front tyre // Continental Kyrptotal Super Softm Cushcore inside
Rear tyre // Continental Kyrptotal Enduro Soft, Cushcore inside
Chainset // Shimano XT 165mm cranks and 30t chainring
Brakes // Shimano XT 4-pot, a few Ti bolts and some Uber Bikes Race Matrix pads
Drivetrain // Shimano XT cassette and derailleur
Stem // DMR Defy 50mm 31.8 clamp
Handlebar // Renthal FatBar 40mm rise 31.8 cut down to 760mm
Grips // ODI Longnecks super soft, push ons, glued. Used these all my life on BMX, they are the best grip ever. Don’t buy into lock-on grips, thery’e twice the price for half the rubber cushioning!
Seat post // OneUp 210 V2 dropper seatpost, TI clamp bolts
Saddle // Ergon Ti railed saddle. Given to me by Deviate team rider Mathew Fairbrother!
Head angle // 64° on a 170mm fork
Effective seat angle // 78°
Seat tube length // 410mm
Head tube length // 92mm
Chainstay // 441mm but grows to 460mm as it goes through its travel
Wheelbase // 1,233mm with a 180 fork, so mine will sit a few mm shorter than that
Effective top tube // 592mm
BB height // 30mm drop, giving my bike a bb height of about 350mm from the floor
Reach // 460mm
Pedals // Flats for the win! Sam Hill signature enduros, best pedals ever, been well and truly battered, but still ticking.

deviatecycles.com

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