I'm in the market for a new bike and want to know how the new Switchblade rides. Any owners out there?
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2020 Switchblade ride reports
Ineedmorecowbell
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57 Posts
Thanks great to know. (My SB130 LR i settled on the X2 after running a DB coil. Eventually sold the bike but never got to try a progressive coil.)
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74 Posts
I was looking at both of these bikes - I chose the Rascal over the SB. But I live in Idaho and most of our trails are long, flowy, buff singletrack with a lot of climbing. We don't get much tight, rocky, rooty stuff. I thought the Rascal would be better for the climbs but still capable for the DH. The Ripley, or even a more XC oriented bike like the Top Fuel is probably a better choice, but the Rascal is so fun.
I think for you it depends on whether you want a little more performance in the climbs or DH. People really seem to love the SB. Give CyclePath in Portland (OR) a call - Bill sells a ton of SBs and a few Rascals, and he can give you a proper comparison.
To answer your question, I think the SB might be a bit better for you in the trails you're running.
I raced the Switchblade at China Peak(gnarly rocks and slabs with a good amount of pedaling in the stages) a couple of weeks ago and was able to pilot it into 2nd place for Sport class 40-49. I think it could handle just about anything i threw at it. I wasn't wishing for a slacker head angle or more travel. I only bottomed it a couple times. I run 3 spacers in the front and the stock .6 in the dpx2. I think it is a great bike and am totally happy with the improvements from the V1 switchblade which I owned for 3 years and 4200 miles.
Just some early thoughts on fork setup here. Similar to an earlier post, I'm more of a trails Rider. I wasn't seeing nearly enough sag and removed the spacer and still have the same sag problem.
Talked to super cool guy at Fox and he recommended that I still stick with the recommended air pressure so I set that up and put a shockwiz on the bike to test it out... the attached shows the current results. Still running 8% sag.
I'm going to drop the SAG to about 20% and ride the same trail today to see what kind of report I get back.
![Image]()
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Talked to super cool guy at Fox and he recommended that I still stick with the recommended air pressure so I set that up and put a shockwiz on the bike to test it out... the attached shows the current results. Still running 8% sag.
I'm going to drop the SAG to about 20% and ride the same trail today to see what kind of report I get back.
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Following up here for anyone interested. Dropped my PSI to 56 and rode the exact same trail again with much better results.
Really confused with Fox's reco .. almost makes me wonder if there is something wrong with my fork?
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![Image]()
Really confused with Fox's reco .. almost makes me wonder if there is something wrong with my fork?
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Yep... Just reread the pivot recos... Much closer to what I'm running.
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120 Posts
At the Fox recommended pressure, I get no sag and hurt my wrist trying to compress the fork to 50%.
Running 55 PSI and it feels much better. Full travel on drops and ~75% on trail.
Ironically, I just read the online Pivot guidance and it says to set the PSI to 55 for my weight. Feel dumb I didn't see that, but didn't come with the bike... But the Fox manual did. Go figure.
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864 Posts
The bikes ship to the dealer with a printed version of that same set up guide from the website. That paper work is often lost or forgotten at the dealer. Glad you found the info though, and it's telling that our suggestions and your final set up ended up at the same place. You've have good insight on what it should be set at, nice work!
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1,500 Posts
First reaction post after a typical ~10 mile ride w/ 1600' of climb, medium tech
Old bike: 2017, XL, Pro X01 build, Reynolds wheels
New bike: 2020, XL, Pro XT/XTR build, DT Swiss wheels
Interestingly, the bike feels bigger in the cockpit, though the measurement differences are really small. It could be just going from 760mm bars to 800mm. I'm likely to change that out. I'm halfway thinking about going to a shorter (35mm) stem, though I might wait until after I change the bars out and get used to that change first.
I could feel the extra 20mm of wheelbase in switchbacky corners on the climbs, but nothing I won't get used to. I haven't even begun to think about messing with the suspension yet... will get the geometry sorted out first.
The difference in climbing was surprisingly large. I'm used to the old bike and have adapted to keep the nose down. This bike pretty much won't lift its nose except in extreme cases. Is that completely due to the chainstays? Or chainstays AND wheelbase?
It's a little more stable on the downs, though that difference didn't feel as big as the climbing.
It is a little less nimble, at least at first blush, but perhaps I'll get used to the difference in size and that will go away.
Old bike: 2017, XL, Pro X01 build, Reynolds wheels
New bike: 2020, XL, Pro XT/XTR build, DT Swiss wheels
Interestingly, the bike feels bigger in the cockpit, though the measurement differences are really small. It could be just going from 760mm bars to 800mm. I'm likely to change that out. I'm halfway thinking about going to a shorter (35mm) stem, though I might wait until after I change the bars out and get used to that change first.
I could feel the extra 20mm of wheelbase in switchbacky corners on the climbs, but nothing I won't get used to. I haven't even begun to think about messing with the suspension yet... will get the geometry sorted out first.
The difference in climbing was surprisingly large. I'm used to the old bike and have adapted to keep the nose down. This bike pretty much won't lift its nose except in extreme cases. Is that completely due to the chainstays? Or chainstays AND wheelbase?
It's a little more stable on the downs, though that difference didn't feel as big as the climbing.
It is a little less nimble, at least at first blush, but perhaps I'll get used to the difference in size and that will go away.
Longer chainstays and steeper STA - seat tube angle makes a big difference in keeping your weight forward on climbs and thus keeping the front wheel more planted.
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1,500 Posts
PHP:
Currently 6'3" and around 220#. The weight sometimes goes up, but the height is always the same.
Long inseam (~36") and reach (~36-37" sleeve).
PSI Starting Point
I'm confused and need some advice from Pivot Moderators on the recommended starting point for fork PSI.
The Pivot suspension setup sheets included with my bike say 62 psi for 190 lb rider.
![]()
That has now changed based on the recent download on the website this morning to 82-94 psi. It does say that some riders need to run 1-2 steps below their weight to achieve full travel.
![]()
While the Fox site says 80-89 based on DTMX ID #.
![]()
Lately, I've been experimenting with 63 psi on my local OH super rooty trails. This seems super plush but is using ~70% of travel.
I'm confused and need some advice from Pivot Moderators on the recommended starting point for fork PSI.
The Pivot suspension setup sheets included with my bike say 62 psi for 190 lb rider.
That has now changed based on the recent download on the website this morning to 82-94 psi. It does say that some riders need to run 1-2 steps below their weight to achieve full travel.
While the Fox site says 80-89 based on DTMX ID #.
Lately, I've been experimenting with 63 psi on my local OH super rooty trails. This seems super plush but is using ~70% of travel.
I'm not a moderator, but IMO there's not one magic psi number that is the only correct amount of pressure to run. It depends on the terrain you're riding, your riding style, and preference for fork feel. I think the only requirement would be that if you are regularly bottoming your fork, you need to add pressure or volume spacers.I'm confused and need some advice from Pivot Moderators on the recommended starting point for fork PSI.
The Pivot suspension setup sheets included with my bike say 62 psi for 190 lb rider.
![Image]()
That has now changed based on the recent download on the website this morning to 82-94 psi. It does say that some riders need to run 1-2 steps below their weight to achieve full travel.![Image]()
While the Fox site says 80-89 based on DTMX ID #.
![Image]()
Lately, I've been experimenting with 63 psi on my local OH super rooty trails. This seems super plush but is using ~70% of travel.
Personally, I prefer a plusher feel up front, so I run lower pressure than recommended and have added a couple volume spacers to add progressive ramp-up and prevent bottoming on larger drops/hits. I also dial in more compression damping if I'm about to hit a large roll-down or am on a trail with repeated drops/hits, in order to keep the fork higher in its travel. That works for me and my terrain/preference, but others may desire a different feel or behavior.
What do you want to change about the current behavior you're getting at 63psi? Do you WANT to use more than 70% travel, or are you happy having some in reserve for bigger hits? Do you like the plush feel, or do you want more stiffness/support?
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48 Posts
Wow good find. This has changed considerably the last version. I'm in the same weight category as you, and will be interested to see what you find out from a Pivot moderator.I'm confused and need some advice from Pivot Moderators on the recommended starting point for fork PSI.
The Pivot suspension setup sheets included with my bike say 62 psi for 190 lb rider.
![Image]()
That has now changed based on the recent download on the website this morning to 82-94 psi. It does say that some riders need to run 1-2 steps below their weight to achieve full travel.![Image]()
While the Fox site says 80-89 based on DTMX ID #.
![Image]()
Lately, I've been experimenting with 63 psi on my local OH super rooty trails. This seems super plush but is using ~70% of travel.
Per above, I found the earlier chart was right on when validated with a shock wiz.
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