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Pivot Mach 427 - Mach 4 conversion

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kleinhead

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Thought I'd post up pics for my recent Mach 4 conversion to 650b.

See more pics here

Setup: Front wheel is Maxxis Ardent on Hope Pro 2 Evo with Stan's Flow EX 650b; Rear wheel is IRD FireXC Pro on Hope Pro 2 Evo with Stan's Flow EX 650b.

I built the wheelset myself -- first time giving that a go. Was pretty straight forward, just took some time.

There is about 5mm of clearance on the front and nearly the same on the rear (maybe a little less). The rear does not rub when fully compressed (all air removed from rear shock), so no need for spacers!

Will post more once Ive had a chance to ride it this weekend.
 
#4 ·
kleinhead said:
There is about 5mm of clearance on the front and nearly the same on the rear (maybe a little less). The rear does not rub when fully compressed (all air removed from rear shock), so no need for spacers!
Click to expand...
How far is the tire from the frame when fully compressed? Just remember that shock has a bottom out bumper.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Took the Pivot out today for the first ride since the wheel swap. I know that there are two camps when it comes to 650b (those that swear by it and those that are disbelievers). I have to say that I could definitely tell that the bike rolled faster and better over some of the chop. It felt more like my rigid 29er but way smoother of course.

I have to give props to the Ardent tire as well because it cornered very well. The trails were muddy (peanut butter-ish) here but I always felt in control - no sliding or squirmy-ness. My friend was running RR 29ers and he was slip sliding his way through the ride.

Need to ride it some more on a variety of the trails here, but overall I'm very happy with the change so far.
 
#6 ·
needs pic(s) for tire clearance, particularly since the latest threads about clearance in this forum are hot-n-heavy. not trolling, but comparing to a random 29'er isn't fair. could be bad size fit for your pal. could be lame tires. could be he was riding a dh bike on single track or other way around. need the details. just sayin'. :)
what year is your M4? I could look you up, but I'm lazy.
I'm curious because my next bike will roll 650b whether it's off the rack or converted. wondering if an M4 or M4c would be a good convert. looking forward to more info. glad you're enjoying your build!
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
c_rex said:
needs pic(s) for tire clearance, particularly since the latest threads about clearance in this forum are hot-n-heavy. not trolling, but comparing to a random 29'er isn't fair. could be bad size fit for your pal. could be lame tires. could be he was riding a dh bike on single track or other way around. need the details. just sayin'. :)
what year is your M4? I could look you up, but I'm lazy.
I'm curious because my next bike will roll 650b whether it's off the rack or converted. wondering if an M4 or M4c would be a good convert. looking forward to more info. glad you're enjoying your build!
Click to expand...
My M4 is a 2009 size small. There's a link to flickr pics at top of the thread showing clearance. I have about 5mm or slightly less in the rear with IRD Fire XC pro mounted to Stan's Flow EX. Rear does not rub seat tube when shock is fully compressed.

My comments about my friend's 29er were related to the Ardent tire I'm using on the front (not about the 650b conversion). For the record he has a Niner Sir 9, size medium with Schwalbe RRs front and rear.

Hope this helps.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Feedback on the 650b conversion

Thought that I'd follow-up since my post back in Feb...

I've got six months on the bike since the conversion and my experience has been all positive. You can definitely feel a difference compared to 26". The bike rolls faster as compared to its 26" form but corners just as well. The rollover in rocky East Coast chunk is better but not as good as my 29er. Before the conversion I had pretty much stopped riding my Pivot in favor of my 29er. Now it's the other way around -- I prefer my Pivot nearly 100% of the time.

P.S. Anyone looking for a 29er SS? ;)
 
#10 ·
I've got a large 2012 Mach 4 and just tossed in a 650b Nevegal 2.1 to check clearance. It JUST cleared the seat stay brace. Literally less than 1mm clearance, but it did roll without rubbing.

Didn't try taking air out of the shock to see what the seat tube/derailleur clearance was like.

Not sure if the seat stay brace is in a slightly different position or if the Nevegal is just that much taller than the Fire XC. Any chance you've got a measurement of the Fire XC diameter?
 
#11 ·
any update on converting a 2012 pivot mach 4 to 650b?

mobaar said:
I've got a large 2012 Mach 4 and just tossed in a 650b Nevegal 2.1 to check clearance. It JUST cleared the seat stay brace. Literally less than 1mm clearance, but it did roll without rubbing.

Didn't try taking air out of the shock to see what the seat tube/derailleur clearance was like.

Not sure if the seat stay brace is in a slightly different position or if the Nevegal is just that much taller than the Fire XC. Any chance you've got a measurement of the Fire XC diameter?
Click to expand...
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
stock fork

frank daleview said:
I have the same bike in a size M, did you keep the 26" fork on there? I would like to try the same thing.
Click to expand...
Yes I still have the stock 26" Fox Float RLC fork on it. It's been 2 years since the conversion and it been great. Before the conversion I was set on selling and replacing with a 429. Since the conversion I have had no desire to change bikes -- it's still my preferred bike and I ride it almost exclusively.
 
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kleinhead
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