I saw a blue Switchblade in the wild today. Gorgeous bike. The guy let me pedal it around a bit at the trailhead. I could see one in my stable at some point.

 

Um, you left out one tiny bit of info.

 

Some clips from the weekend.

Raced DH on the Switchblade this weekend. It was definitely the shortest-travel bike in the field! Handled it awesomely, but I need to figure out a few sections of the course to be up there on the podium. Got a couple weeks to practice before the next one. :thumbsup:

A video posted by noahsears (@noahsears) on Jul 23, 2016 at 4:40pm PDT

A video posted by noahsears (@noahsears) on Jul 24, 2016 at 1:09pm PDT

 

Noah, 27+ or 29er configuration for your DH race?

Thanks.

 

29" for everything.

 

Hi allz, does anyone know the spoke count for the dt Swiss bulid?


Live to Ride

 

Hi allz, does anyone know the spoke count for the dt Swiss bulid?

Live to Ride

I was just in a shop today looking at a 27.5+ version w/ XT/XTR kit. The DT 350 hubs were 28H straightpull.

 

The stock 29er rims are also 28-spoke.

 

Thank you so much.

Live to Ride

 

Anyone buy a Switchblade in 29" and wish they had 27.5+?

I have a spare set of original Pivot 27.5+ stock aluminum wheels. Would like to trade for same in 29" or might sell. PM me if interested.

 

How big a tire can you run with 29" rims?

 

Gents, I have a new 29er wheelset built for the Switchblade that I need to sell. I9 hubs (purple), NOX Kitsima wide carbon rims, DT Comps, tubeless ready, 157 rear Boost front. Never been mounted and ready to ship. Asking $1600 shipped.

 

Large demo SB ^^^

I drove up to Cumberland BC this weekend to demo a couple Switch Blades. I got to try a medium and large. Both in 29er format.

I want to say thanks to Trail Bikes and On The Edge the Canadian distributor for putting on the event. They did a great job and I know running demos is not free nor easy. So thank you very much. :thumbsup:

I posted a full report at my blog: https://vikapprovedblog.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/pivot-switchblade-demo/

I'll summarize for folks that don't want to go there.

I rode solid BC blue trails. Mostly rolling with a few steep punchy climbs. Rocks and roots in places, but nothing crazy. These are forest trails so while they are not super tight twisty for what we ride they are narrow. A few wooden features for some fun and a fireroad climb to start and end the loop. Compared to our local trails the Cumberland trails are less techy and faster. which I assumed would favour a 29er.

In addition to the med and large SB I got to ride an XL Mach 6 as my friend Chris is looking for a new bike and wanted to try both the SB and M6.

Pros:

- really well made.....nicest carbon bike I have seen
- impressive suspension linkages/rear triangle stiffness
- I like the subdued graphics
- excellent tire clearance for wide 29er rubber
- no BB height pedal strike issues
- efficient suspension as you would expect from DW link
- nice ramp up so you didn't bottom out on jumps
- handled slow speed tech reasonably well
- I rode elevated skinnies with confidence
- accelerate really well on straighter rolling sections
- large frame didn't seem to be any harder to get round corners than medium

Medium demo SB ^^^

Cons:

- lacklustre climbing both on fireroads and on singletrack
- steeper climbing traction wasn't amazing due to forward body position on bike
- slow steering of 29er wheels was limiting factor for how fast we could go
- not super playful
- wide BB/q-factor felt awkward
- fox suspension was "meh"....not awful, but I expected it to be a lot better

I was surprised how poorly I was climbing with the steep STA. I couldn't generate the power I'm used to and with my weight more forward on the bike the rear wheel didn't have the traction I normally have on my Mach 6.

I was also surprised how big a difference there was between 27.5 and 29er wheels in terms of steering speed and precision. The XL Mach 6 felt like a scalpel compared to either SB.

I did have some moments of 29er magic when the trail was straighter and the big wheels could accelerate freely. I can see on open trails how I'd really dig a bike like this [if I can adapt to the steep STA].

When we got back from the second demo loop I was curious what my buddy Chris thought since he was really keen on getting a 29er and had no bias towards a Mach 6. His sentiments were pretty similar to mine and he said he was pretty keen on the XL Mach 6 now since it was a lot faster and more fun on the trails.

All in all the SB is a pretty amazing bike. I can see why people are enthusiastic for it. The steep STA issue is a personal preference/body geometry thing so I don't hold that against the bike. I could remedy that with a setback seatpost. The maneuverability/playfulness on our forest trails was the bigger issue for me. If a bike doesn't have the potential to be faster and/or more fun, particularly the later, there isn't much point spending the $$.

I got a parking lot test on a large Transition Smuggler while in Cumby. It felt like a limo compared to the large SB and it has terrible tire clearance so it's off my list.

I'm going to try and get trail demos on:

- Evil The Following [had a parking lot demo that was promising]
- Canfield Riot [interested to see how super short CS work on forest trails]
- Lenz Behemoth
- Knolly 29er [when it gets released]

Although I am starting to wonder if I'm not going to dig any 29er for the type of riding that I do. Once I get all these ^^^ demos done I'll know. If none of them turn my crank there won't be any doubt left.

On the plus side I got back on my Mach 6 at the end of the demo sessions and it was better than the SB almost everywhere, which is good since it's paid for! Except now I wish I had an XL frame.

 

Good write up. I suspect no 29er is going to satisfy you just like I'm partial to 29ers. I do look forward to your comparisons of other bikes to the SB.

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Cons:

- lacklustre climbing both on fireroads and on singletrack
- steeper climbing traction wasn't amazing due to forward body position on bike
- slow steering of 29er wheels was limiting factor for how fast we could go
- not super playful
- wide BB/q-factor felt awkward
- fox suspension was "meh"....not awful, but I expected it to be a lot better

I was surprised how poorly I was climbing with the steep STA. I couldn't generate the power I'm used to and with my weight more forward on the bike the rear wheel didn't have the traction I normally have on my Mach 6.

I was also surprised how big a difference there was between 27.5 and 29er wheels in terms of steering speed and precision. The XL Mach 6 felt like a scalpel compared to either SB.

Vik, first let me say that your review was very well written and thorough. I appreciate the effort that went into it.

Second, wow... your opinion is almost the total opposite of mine! I rode this and had almost the exact opposite reaction to each of your 'cons.

I'm always surprised how differently people can view the same bike... I totally respect your review (as it was very well written), I am just surprised.

Can I ask a few questions?..

"- lacklustre climbing both on fireroads and on singletrack"

When you say lackluster, what do you mean? Do you think the larger effective gearing (from the taller tires) is playing a role? Or is this related to how the suspension behaves?

"- steeper climbing traction wasn't amazing due to forward body position on bike"

Are you referring to seated climbing or standing?

"- slow steering of 29er wheels was limiting factor for how fast we could go"

Do you think the slow steering was a function of the head angle or fork trail? Or did it have to do with wheel weight?

"- not super playful"

I just cannot fathom this... this bike was so super-fun (though I admit I was riding the 27.5+ version of it).

"- wide BB/q-factor felt awkward"

But the BB isn't any wider... both the Switchblade and the Mach6 use a PF92 BB.?

"- fox suspension was "meh"....not awful, but I expected it to be a lot better"

Better meaning more plush? Or more progressive? I think the shock rate is quite different on this bike due to the shorter travel. Do you think the 'meh' feeling is in the area where you could tune it out?

 

The medium SB was the only SB available when I arrived at the demo. With a seatback seatpost the cockpit dimensions and wheelbase are comparable to the large M6 I own. The large SB is a bigger bike than my large M6. I rode that as soon as it was available.

The XL Mach 6 was a demo bike my buddy wanted to try as well as the large SB so I swapped with him so he could get time on both bikes. Take look at the geo charts for the Mach 6 and the SB....the spread between med - large on the SB and large XL on the Mach 6 is not crazy.

As for setup I think the demo staff took as much time as they could given the constraints of the situation. Naturally it's not going to be perfect and demo bikes are always going to be a little beat up. I actually thought the folks from Trail Bikes and OTE handled the chaos really well to get people in and out in a reasonable time.

Bottom line if you want to disagree that's cool, but you don't need to be a dick.

You rode two bikes that didn't fit you and you rode one that had the geometry ruined by a setback post. You shouldn't have written the review. Wait till you ride one that fits you and you have ridden it for a couple hundred miles. Ok, sorry for being a dick.

 

You rode two bikes that didn't fit you and you rode one that had the geometry ruined by a setback post. You shouldn't have written the review. Wait till ride one that fits you and you have ridden it for a couple hundred miles. Ok, sorry for being a dick.

I didn't ride any bikes with a setback seatpost. You clearly didn't actually read what I wrote.

I rode the two sizes of the SB that were potential candidates for fitting me. I'm not sure what you think the purpose of a demo day is if one of the main objectives isn't to get a handle on bike fit before you spend a bunch of $$.

This whole site is about bike reviews and a lot of the comments are not from owners who have a chance to ride a bike for 200 miles.

If nobody was supposed in this thread who hadn't had 200 miles on a SB we'd still be on page 1 or 2.

 

I had a Mach 6 and it was a great bike. The SB (27.5+) turns better for me than M6. For that matter my 429 trail does too. Guess that's why they make all kinds of bikes for all kinds of riders. One thing for sure, Pivot makes some great bikes!

 

I regret not trying the SB in 27+ mode now just for some contrast with the 29er wheels. After getting to try two SB's I felt like I'd be hogging the SB demo fleet going out for a 3rd ride.

I am going to take my Mach 6 to Trail Bikes later this fall to get the rear suspension hardware serviced and I'll see if they'll let me demo a 27+ SB while they work on my bike.

 

One note regarding the 17mm cups: We've been installing them on all of the bikes (demo and sale bikes) so people can have the option of riding with it in (for 27.5 or 29) and not end up with a steer tube that's cut too short. It will slacken the HA but on demo bikes it lets us swap between wheels as needed. For me, I'd personally run it in 29" mode with the zero stack cup for faster handling but it wasn't really an issue riding with the 17mm cup installed (and the extra pedal clearance was kinda cool in some fussy sections)

 

Vik - definitely try it in 27.5+ mode.

 

I'm riding more techy stuff with my SB but I can see Vikb's point. Most if not all of the super aggressive riders here are rockin smaller wheels. If there was a 27.5 with longer CS, it might help with my long inseam. I might enjoy that. However, no matter how good the bike is, it can only help so much with my level of handling skills.


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I've ridden with Vik here in Phoenix, so I know he's legit. And, as he's stated several times, it's tough to extrapolate experiences based on terrain; I personally haven't ridden the terrain he's in, so I have no opinion there.

That said, my own experience with my personal 'Blade here in the fast, techy stuff in Phoenix, is nearly perfectly 180 degrees from Vik's.

I think the climbing performance is pretty snappy for what the bike is. It's not as much of a downhill war machine as, say, a coil'd E29, but it will get down a mountain with quickness. One of the more playful 29ers I've owned. I'm pretty stoked with mine here in my terrain.

 

That said, my own experience with my personal 'Blade here in the fast, techy stuff in Phoenix, is nearly perfectly 180 degrees from Vik's.

I bet I'd really dig the SB on National. That's probably no accident with Pivot HQ not far away. :thumbsup:

I totally understand where you are coming from.

 

Forgot to mention, I'm running in 29er mode with the bigger bottom cup installed. Aside from cockpit changes, my only real upgrade plan is probably moving to an X2 shock.

 

Can you compare and contrast to the M6?

 

No, sir. I did a good demo on one awhile back on known trails, but not enough to give any valid comparison. I'm not really a 27.5 guy and my knees don't tend to get along with slack seat angles, so the M6 wasn't really for me.

 

Run along now. The adults were having a conversation.

 

The temperature is rising here :madmax:

Perhaps I can provide my review of the demo bike.

Background:

Height 1.7 m (5'6 i believe?) Inseam 31 inches

I ride a Santa Cruz Mk 2 aluminium Nomad size Medium. Old 26 inch wheel bike but with a Rockshox Pike and Monarch plus debonair.

Demo Switchblade:

For my height, I should be riding a size Small for the Switchblade but there was only a Medium sized demo bike available. Demo bike was in 27.5+ mode with aluminium wheels in the mostly XT build. No dropper post though :skep:

I had time to setup the suspension settings myself, using the settings recommended on the Pivot website.

Ride Impressions:

Trail A - Mostly straight and wide gradual uphills and relatively high speed downhills. Non technical terrain.

On trail A, this bike was insane. Flying up the hills and bombing down with much ease. The M size without a dropper post was easy to maneuver and took me almost no time to get used to the bike. The bike felt much lighter than my Nomad, so I could ride faster and felt less tired. After the ride, I weighed it and it actually is the same weight as my Nomad at 13.5kg!

Trail B - Tight and technical terrain with no high speed sections

On trail B, the lack of a dropper post and the minimum seat height prevented me from going all out on the rock gardens as I would on my Nomad. The bike felt like a bus going round switchback climbs and due to either the seat post position being a little too high even at minimum or the top tube being too long, I couldn't get low and back enough to feel comfortable to bomb down the gnarly stuff.

Overall Assessment after 2 rides:

The suspension (Fox 36 and EVOL dps) I set up was spot on; no major differences from the pike and monarch plus I'm used to. Bike size M seems a little too long for me, so I'm going for the recommended S.

If I felt like I was flying on a bike which weighed the same as my current one, I would like to know how a full carbon build would be like so I've taken the plunge into the carbon circus.

Also, I'm a full plus size convert after these 2 rides. So definitely it would be a B+ setup on my bike.

Here's me on the biggest rock garden on Trail B

And here's a longer chesty POV on Trail B

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Components Review:

XT 11 speed shifter -

the shifts are crisper and the clicks are heavier to engage vs the XT 10 speed ones. they feel very similar to the 10 speed Saint ones I am currently using

XT M8000 brakes -

these feel very identical to the M785s they replaced but look fantastic with the all black finish. Currently I'm using the XTR 9020s on Nomad, and I must say the modulation is better on the XTRs. Both versions of the XTs are more "on or off". But I love the servo wave function on all these models so I am a big fan of shimano brakes.

XT 11-42 11 SPEED WITH ONE UP 45T KIT Cassette -

My Nomad has a 10 speed setup with a 30t ring and 11-36 cassette. I did not use the 45tooth ring much for the 2 rides so I am going for a 32t chainring for my build.

 

This is bad news if sb climb slow and sluggish

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This is bad news if sb climb slow and sluggish

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Naysayers and BS,coming off a Trek Superfly Fs8,Switchback is the most all day fun on a 29er then you can imagine!

 

has anyone here tried it with the 3.25" tires?

 

Been running 3.25 Duro Crux,I had earlier posts with pics.

 

Yep. The one I rode had a 30 up front and 45 out back. Perfect for my level of fitness. And by the way to echo what others said in 27.5+ mode I thought it climbed very well and wasn't what I'd describe as sluggish. In the chunky, rocky, tech climbs it did really well out performing my dhf dhr 2 equipped Mach 6. In fact it outperformed it on the downs and flats too. I liked how it cornered also. I'm wondering about a SB or Mojo 3. I really like my Mach 6 though. Edit the M SB felt as big as my large M6.

 

Threads that go down this path partially crack me up and partially drive me mad.

Look, I know everyone wants the bike that'll turn them into Nino Schurter on the climbs and Aaron Gwin on the descents (although, to be fair, I'd like a bike that turns me into Nino Schurter up, down, and in the gym. LOL). Unfortunately, that bike doesn't exist. Likewise, a surgically precise and turbocharged climber that's also incredibly planted descending at high-speeds and untouchable in the gnar is a pipe dream. If you think it's not, and that you've ridden that unicorn, you probably don't have a realistic idea what best-in-class climbing and descending really looks and feels like.

As for my own experience on the SB (and my fiancee's), it gets me up the hill well beyond expectations, but it's the way down that's the real treat.

 

Threads that go down this path partially crack me up and partially drive me mad.

Look, I know everyone wants the bike that'll turn them into Nino Schurter on the climbs and Aaron Gwin on the descents (although, to be fair, I'd like a bike that turns me into Nino Schurter up, down, and in the gym. LOL). Unfortunately, that bike doesn't exist. Likewise, a surgically precise and turbocharged climber that's also incredibly planted descending at high-speeds and untouchable in the gnar is a pipe dream. If you think it's not, and that you've ridden that unicorn, you probably don't have a realistic idea what best-in-class climbing and descending really looks and feels like.

You just made too much sense for this thread.

It boggles my mind that people can't understand somebody else may have a different opinion about something then they do without getting a massive case of butt hurt.

Not everyone is going to come to the same conclusion about a bike especially when you factor in the variety of trails we all ride and how we ride them. :nono:

I love my Mach 6, but when Blatant posts he didn't like the Mach 6 due to the slack STA and loves his SB I don't lose my mind or take it personally. I think it's great that he's found a bike he digs and I am stoked for him. :thumbsup:

FWIW - great Trans BC photos....makes me proud to live here. And for the record I'm stoked you dig your SB!

 

I don't understand why he said the SB lack luster in climbing. It has not sufficient traction due to upper body position.

Can someone explain it to me?

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I don't understand why he said the SB lack luster in climbing. It has not sufficient traction due to upper body position.

Can someone explain it to me?

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It doesn't lack luster. Unless it's grossly the wrong size and/or the setup is wrong.

 

Aren't we all chasing unicorns? I thought that was the whole point of new bikes???

I was really hoping this was one of them.... I hope the demo truck will come to the SE sometime soon.

 

Some great commentary here, and interesting view points from multiple perspectives. vikb, I'm curious what other 29ers you've ridden on similar terrain, and how they compared, particularly in regard to the "lackluster climbing". I was especially surprised to hear that you felt the bike didn't have the traction you normally have when climbing from s seated position. I believe you said it was better when standing. You noted that you thought it was down to the steeper STA. I think there might be something else at play here. While the STA is steeper, effectively moving your center of mass (CM) forward, the rear end is a touch shorter (2.5mm), with a longer front center than the M6. This puts the rider back in the middle of the bike on the SB. If the geometry of the SB were closer to the M6, but with the steeper STA, the rider's weight would most certainly be moved forward while seated.

The position of the CM while climbing in a standing position will relate directly to the pitch or a leg of the slope. Most people struggle with maintaining traction from a standing position vs seated because riders typically move their CM further forward when standing, also applying less consistent torque, but more of it at peaks in the pedal stroke.

My question about your experience with other 29ers is more about my personal observations after riding dozens of different bikes over the past few years. Different wheel sizes, along with variables in components (wheelset, tired, tire pressure, etc.), can sometimes have a more noticeable effect on "feel" or "sensation" then on performance. I know I'm not the only one who's felt slower on some bikes or setups only to have the clock tell a different story. Many of the 29ers I've ridden have felt slower on sustained climbs. At times they even feel slower descending, like on flowy or mellow sections of trail. More often than not, the slower feeling I observe when testing a 29er back to back with a smaller wheeled bike is completely blown out of the water by actual, measurable data. For me, and many others I've spoken with as someone that works in the industry, 29ers can feel slower when grinding up a climb. This might be down to the way bigger wheels translate power to forward movement, not being as instantaneous or cat like in how they jump forward when we pour on the power. On the downs, 29ers tend not to feel like they are going as fast, probably due to being pretty planted, maintaining more contact area, and smoothing out smaller trail chatter. Talk to anyone who's spent some reasonable time on a 29er and you'll most likely hear a story or two about coming into a turn too hot. This isn't because modern 29ers don't turn well. They carry speed very well, and they tend to disguise how fast we are actually going.

Having spent a decent amount of time on the M6 as well as the 429T, 429SL, Mach4, 2016 Stumpjumper (650 and 29er), Salsa Horsethief, multiple Santa Cruz VPP bikes, Yeti 4.5 and 5.5, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of how the SB performed for me compared to several other direct and peripheral competitors.

I thought it climbed quite well for a bike in its category. Slightly less snappy in 650+ mode. More efficient than the Stumpy, particularly without a shock platform switched on. More planted and centered than the other Pivots. Not as sprightly as the shorter travel bikes though (4, 429SL, 429T). The 5.5 pedals as well, maybe better, but is more work to get around slow, tight corners, especially climbing. The 4.5 is a rocket going up. None of the VPP bikes feel as efficient or smooth when pedaling, particularly through undulating or rougher terrain.


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Some great commentary here, and interesting view points from multiple perspectives. vikb, I'm curious what other 29ers you've ridden on similar terrain, and how they compared, particularly in regard to the "lackluster climbing".

This would be my first FS trail/AM 29er I've ever ridden. I own a 29+ Surly Krampus I bikepack on, but don't use for trail riding. Riding with camping gear is a totally different ballgame so no real comparison. This is why I am keen to try a few more 29er FS bikes to see what's just part of the 29er feel and what's bike specific.

My two normal bikes for this kind of riding are my Mach 6 and a 26er SC Nomad.

The best explanation I can give you of the difference in seated climbing between my M6 and the SB is that on the M6 my weight is right over the rear wheel [see photo above for saddle at ride height]. That loads up the rear tire and it feels like it's digging in on climbs. It literally never breaks loose. If I want to move my CM forward on the M6 it's easy to scooch forward on the saddle while staying seated. I might do this for 5 or 10 mins on a 3hr ride.

On the SB it felt like my weight was further forward than on the M6 and the rear tire would more easily start to spin. Since I was at the back of the saddle already it wasn't possible to move my CM backwards without standing up.

Many of the 29ers I've ridden have felt slower on sustained climbs. At times they even feel slower descending, like on flowy or mellow sections of trail. More often than not, the slower feeling I observe when testing a 29er back to back with a smaller wheeled bike is completely blown out of the water by actual, measurable data.

I agree that having some GPS data would be useful. If I can collect some back to back runs on the same trails in the future I will.

One bit of external data I have is that I was unable to out climb my friends on the SB on a climb I would normally dust them. They had no issues staying with me. As soon as I got back on my Mach 6 I dropped them on that climb without killing myself. That's not as good as GPS data for sure, but the difference wasn't close.