Bike Check: Matt Fairbrother's Deviate Highlander II & Kayak System - NZ MTB Rally 2024
Matthew Fairbrother, the bikepacking enduro racer, has signed himself up for another mad endeavor, but this time it’s in his own backyard. The NZ MTB Rally is a 6-day enduro race based in the Nelson region of the South Island and uses shuttle systems to access the best trails the area has to offer.
In true Matt Fairbrother fashion, he has chosen to tackle this race the hard way and will be travelling on his Deviate Highlander II, a high-pivot aggressive trail bike, and by kayak, to the start of each day. The numbers are staggering, full-stop.
Matt isn't exactly sure of the total distance he'll cover, but the total vertical to be gained is a whopping 18,000m of climbing, averaging 3000m each day. The commutes between stages are massive as well, with the shortest at 30km and the longest being 90km. In order to make the start cut-off time, he’ll have to begin pedalling well before the shuttle trucks head up the hills, which means setting off before dawn some days.
For the overnight water crossing, Matt has devised a simple and speedy system to strap the bike to his kayak while using the stars to navigate. The only support Matt will have is the staging and retrieval of the kayak - no, he won't have to tow the kayak behind him on the road, but he'll still need to carry enough supplies to pedal his way around the expansive area. Basically, he won’t stop moving in order to pull off the feat!
Matt Fairbrother
Age: 19
Height: 170cm / 5'7"
Weight: 74 kg / 163 lb
Residence: Christchurch, New Zealand
Sponsors: Deviate, WorldWide Cyclery, Trailone Components, Ergon, Mons Royale, Motorex Bike, Ride Fox, Race Face, Shimano, Crankbrothers, Cushcore, Tailfin Cycling, POC Sports
Instagram:@matthewfmtb
Jumping back to the bike details, Matt has chosen the Highlander II, Deviate’s 145mm travel bike. The high-pivot trail bike look very similar to the larger Claymore that he regularly rides for the Enduro World Series races, but this build is just as burly.
 | For a challenge like this, I find that the key is keeping my heart rate as low as possible. That's easy to do when I'm pedalling around between stages, but much harder to do when I'm actually racing. |
Bike Details:
Frame: Deviate Highlander II, size M, 145mm travel
Fork: Fox Factory 36, 160mm, 79 PSI
Shock: Fox Factory DHX2, 425 spring
Wheels: Raceface Turbine R 29"
Tires: Maxxis Assegai 2.5 DH casing, MaxxGrip - front / Maxxis DHR II 2.4 DH Casing, MaxxGrip - rear
Inserts: Cushcore XC - front / Cushcore Trail - rear
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail brakes, metallic pads, 203 rotors F&R
Bars: Trail One Crockett Carbon bar, 750mm wide
Stem: Trail One Rockville Stem, 32mm length, 35 diameter
Grips: Trail One The Farlow Gap
Shifting: Shimano XTR 12-spd derailleur & shifter, 10-51t cassette, 126-link standard length chain
Cranks: Shimano XTR, 170mm w/ 30-tooth ring
Pedals: Crankbrothers Mallet DH
Saddle: Ergon SM Pro
Post: Fox Factory Transfer, 175mm drop
Frame: Deviate Highlander II, size M, 145mm travel
Fork: Fox Factory 36, 160mm, 79 PSI
Shock: Fox Factory DHX2, 425 spring
Wheels: Raceface Turbine R 29"
Tires: Maxxis Assegai 2.5 DH casing, MaxxGrip - front / Maxxis DHR II 2.4 DH Casing, MaxxGrip - rear
Inserts: Cushcore XC - front / Cushcore Trail - rear
Brakes: Shimano XTR Trail brakes, metallic pads, 203 rotors F&R
Bars: Trail One Crockett Carbon bar, 750mm wide
Stem: Trail One Rockville Stem, 32mm length, 35 diameter
Grips: Trail One The Farlow Gap
Shifting: Shimano XTR 12-spd derailleur & shifter, 10-51t cassette, 126-link standard length chain
Cranks: Shimano XTR, 170mm w/ 30-tooth ring
Pedals: Crankbrothers Mallet DH
Saddle: Ergon SM Pro
Post: Fox Factory Transfer, 175mm drop
| I've selected and set-up the parts so that will allow me to just let the bike eat terrain so I can expend less energy and effort. |
A Fox 36 at 160mm travel is a perfect match for the 145mm travel Highlander II.
The size medium frame and 175mm post length make for a saddle height that works perfectly for Matt to run the post slammed completely into the frame.
Race Face Turbine R alloy wheels no doubt see a lot of miles and abuse, but they’ve held up well, despite being put through multiple races.
Tailfin's frame bag ties in nicely with the frame shapes.
In 10,000km, Matt has only replaced the 18-tooth idler once.
Trail One components is an affiliate of WorldWide Cyclery. They donate $1 from every component sold to the trail system the goods are named after, or a specific association if specified by the purchaser.
The Trail One carbon handlebars have a 20mm rise and are cut to 750mm. He is running the short 32mm Rockville stem that is CNCd in Calfornia.
A Granite Stash RT Ratchet tool kit lives in the steer tube and has all of the bits necessary to wrench on the bike, pedals included.
Keeping the XTR component scheme running throughout the bike, Matt has chosen the XTR Trail brakes with 203mm rotors front and rear.
Cushcore ensures he has the ability to finish a stage on a flat tire rather than rim protection, plus he's running running downhill casing tires for even more security.
And now for the kayak setup - it's a quick and dirty strap system. Matt doesn't have time for fooling about.
A 16.5' -ish sea kayak will take Matt across Tasman Bay.
It'll certainly be a grunt.
Strapped and sea ready? Matt's gung-ho for insane missions.
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Ben Hildred snagged a non-stop Olympus Mons riding skippers laps. Something in the water here in NZ.
- Because it is there.
But it was Mallory who said “because it’s there”
Mallory and Irvine potentially made it to the top (we'll never know) but never made it down anyway, in 1924.
Yeah - I figured there was some confusion there. Interesting to see a few people didn't like me pointing this out!!
Wasn't there some recent excitement about finding an old camera that might have belonged to Mallory - wonder if they managed to develop the film that may have captured their summitting.
Or is the small keel there to prevent this ?
I've paddled a few Necky boats and they were all fairly beamy with a good bit of primary stability, but once you started leaning them over too far, they became really unstable. I imagine with all that weight up top, it works fine in smooth water given that, but if it gets rough then things could get bad.
Just my observation as a former casual sea kayaker, I obviously never tried putting this much weight on the deck of the boat. I quit and focused on riding bikes because small boats in big water are terrifying to me.
Oh wait, no