Devinci Hatchet Pro review

My first rides of the season were on the Devinci Hatchet Pro. The bike, as well as the Hatchet Vista and the E-Hatchet Tour, launched in late February, too early to get outside. But, I had the test bike by the time conditions were good enough for riding—me dressed in umpteen layers, the side of paved roads essentially turned to gravel tracks thanks to the deposits of retreating snowbanks and the actual gravel roads littered with ice sectors. Truly the terrain of a bike designed and assembled in Chicoutimi.

The new Hatchet Pro is quite a departure from Hatchet Carbon. The older model was a mountain bike-inspired gravel rig, a natural direction for the company that’s known for its downhill and trail bikes. The Hatchet Pro is more on the all-road side of the gravel bike spectrum, built for racing, not bumping along in the woods. “The official number for the Hatchet’s increase in stiffness is 30 per cent, which is insane,” said Devinci marketing manager Bastien Major. Thirty per cent is a big figure, one that would make me suspicious without Major’s context. “The previous generation of Hatchet, the carbon version, that bike was a noodle. It was super comfortable, compliant and fun. But for the new Hatchet, we needed a stiffer chassis.”

Many elements of the old Hatchet Carbon, aside from its pasta-like qualities, have made their way to the Hatchet Vista. The Vista, with its aluminum frame, sports a more relaxed geometry, a ton of mounts, wider range cassette to tackle climbs and even knobbier tires. It’s the bike that’s more trail-oriented. The E-Hatchet Tour features a Mahle X30 hub-drive system. It’s 237-Wh battery can add a maximum of 45 Nm of torque paired to your pedal strokes.

My test bike, Hatchet Pro, has a carbon layup and geometry for taking on fast rides. The tubes have truncated airfoil shapes to help them cut through the wind better. The handling is road bike-like. It was easy to set up the Hatchet Pro in an aggressive position. If I were to line up for an event, one with a minimal amount of singletrack, I’d opt for a stem slightly longer than the 80-mm Easton EA70 that came on my size medium test machine. I did, however, like the less stretched-out position with my early season (low) flexibility and cold-weather layers.

Officially, the Hatchet Pro can run 45-mm-wide tires. Major pointed out to me that it’s the largest size that most riders use. I took his point. We hear a lot about pros using wide treads for their races. It’s a trend that’s barely a year old. Lachan Morton fitted a 2.1″ (53 mm) tire on his front wheel at Unbound in 2024. A few months later when the Trek Checkmate debuted, it received some criticism for its 45-mm clearance. But remember, the development of these bikes began years before their release. In the case of the Hatchet Pro, it was 2021 when things got underway. Also remember that 45-mm-wide tires leave 6 mm of space between the frame and the fork of the Hatchet. If you follow gravel racer Julien Gagné, you have seen that he put 29 x 2.0 Maxxis MaxxLite tires on the Hatchet Pro he raced at this past April’s Sea Otter Classic gravel race.

There’s a storage door on the down tube. Devinci introduced its Shed storage system in September 2024 when it released the aluminum version of its Troy trail bike. The Hatchet’s Shed uses all the same parts as the Troy. I found the Shed door worked well. It was rattle-free. My one critique is that the latch can give you a false sense of being fully engaged if you’re not careful as you put it back on. But once you ensure it’s in place correctly, its hold is solid. Inside the frame, you’ll notice the guides for any cables you might need to run. They are a great feature that will keep you from fishin’ and cussin’.

At the bottom bracket, Devinci opted for a press-fit 386EVO standard. It’s happy with the performance of press-fit on its carbon bike, as well as the weight savings it provides. On the E-Hatchet Tour, there’s a T47 threaded bottom bracket, which is required for the Mahle system. The Hatchet Vista uses the T47, too.

The Hatchet Pro takes a 27.2-mm-diameter seatpost. It can also run a dropper post. There’s even a cable port at the headset you can use for routing a cable-actuated dropper. Also at the headset, you’ll notice the brake hoses enter the frame just above the head tube. This setup keeps things neat and clean. Sure, the hoses aren’t completely hidden within the stem like a total aero racer, but this arrangement makes maintenance a little easier for the home or shop mechanic. Inside the head tube is a double seal that allows the hoses to pass through while protecting the bearing from moisture and grime.

On my rides, I was not only struck by the handling of the frame—perfect for my area with a lot of tarmac to connect not-so-technical gravel—but the wheels, too. The Easton EC70 AX hoops roll quickly and smoothly. The 40c WTB Vulpine S tires worked pretty well for all the paved roads and adequately on the gravel. Ice? Meh. I wasn’t going to run spikes just for those sectors. They were more “no brakes, no mistakes” affairs. When I found better traction, the bike was fast and fun, just the way it was designed to be.

Devinci Hatchet Pro

Components SRAM Rival eTap AXS with 12-speed, 10–36 tooth cassette and 48/35-tooth crankset, Easton EC70 SL handlebar, EC70 seatpost and stem, BB386 bottom bracket, universal derailleur hanger
Wheels Easton EC70 AX with 40c WTB Vulpine S tires
Sizes S, M, L, XL
Price $6,799
Website devinci.com