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Pivot Switchblade

496K views 3.2K replies 283 participants last post by  dan23  
#1 ·
Coming May 31st, according to Pivot website. Any ideas what it is?

My old Titus Switchblade was one of my favorite bikes ever.
 
#132 ·
Right on, but I was more interested in the advantages (or not) of 1 bike that serves two riding purposes (or more) vs. two dedicated bikes. Francis made a big point of the Switchblade geo not staying the same in both configs. But wd familiarity with the bike in all other aspects outweigh the mental switching you do if you ride 2 bikes. It does take me a bit of ride time to adjust between the LT 27.5 and the ST 29 whenever I've been riding one for extended periods. Curious if the transition is more seamless when it's the same bike, just diff wheels. If there's no advantage then I go back to our original question: What reasons would be better to have one bike to do 2 configs instead of 2 bikes?
 
#135 ·
My thoughts on this is that Pivot is releasing the initial couple runs of these bikes as full kits to their best dealers only. By doing this they can control the customers experience with a controlled build and dealer service experience. It's really a good way to go for the dealers and Pivot but for those of us that like building and customizing our bike builds we have to wait for frames only.
My suggestion to those riders is ride what you got and get a frame when they release them.
This could be one of those quiver killer bikes (I personally like my quiver) for a large % of aggressive riders. Only time will tell.
There are other examples of this type of sales distribution currently in the market place.
Support your LBS as much as you are able to. It keeps the whole industry moving along and progressing.
 
#150 ·
That's good to know. I'm 5'7" and a really short inseam. I'm on a small Knolly Endorphin running a fairly long stem at 65mm. I had sized down from a Medium Nomad3. Since I'm running such a long stem on the Endo, I was thinking Medium for a Switchblade.

Francis, how long do you think the stem was on the bike you rode?
 
#155 ·
Sold my 429C on monday and had my parts list ready to order for the 429 trail I was planning to build, then this little baby was announced! Glad I waited a little before ordering all those parts (very unlike me). Getting my medium gloss blue delivered end of the week! I'm 5'10 w/ 32'' inseam. Will take pics and comment on size once I get it. :cool:
 
#164 ·
Wow this bike is amazing!

I'm flabbergasted by the geo... That TT length is bananas! I'm happy to see it, but I'm definitely going to have to test ride one to figure out sizing! It's not like any bike I've ride before!

I'm also torn whether to build it with 29 or 27.5+! So many amazingly good options! ENVE's newly announced rims look awesome! The SuperBoost doesn't bother me as I haven't yet invested in new-school hubs so I'm fine. I'm happy to be able to run a 170mm dropper on the XL (34" inseam)!

This rig is SO far removed from what I've got, I think only the drivetrain could port over... And I don't know if I'd bother. Mind as well buy a complete bike at this point!


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#168 ·
Yes. If you can get by with 3.25" tires in the snow conditions you want to ride in. ;)

People have ridden MTBs for years in snow with skinny tires so for sure it's possible, but the fact is a 3.25" tire is tiny compared to a 5" fatbike tire and will give you correspondingly less floatation.

So can you ride some snow with a 3.25" tire snow = yes. Will it be the same as a 4" or 5" fatbike tire = no.
 
#176 ·
I wanted to try Pivot Switchblade but pulled a trigger on another similar bike, especially because I'm not that customer that will go back and forth with a 27.5+ and 29. :)

From Mojo 3 site:

"It’s like a SWITCHBLADE covered in Velcro. Razor-sharp handling meets ridiculous levels of traction and control. It’s dumbfounding, actually. - Vernon Felton, veteran journalist, writing for Adventure Journal"
 
#177 ·
I wanted to try Pivot Switchblade but pulled a trigger on another similar bike, especially because I'm not that customer that will go back and forth with a 27.5+ and 29. :)
There is no need to go back and forth on any of these bikes that can take 27+/29er wheels. If I were to get a SB I'd only ever use it in 29er mode.
 
#186 ·
It's not hard to figure the delta of this 17mm HS cup vs the stock 29er HS cup. If you add 10mm of stack at the HT it would slack the bike out another .5 degrees and approx. .25 at the ST. Take the stock 29er cup and subtract it from the 17mm cup. Take the difference of the two and divide that by 20 which will give you decimal equivalent of the HA change.
Or google search for an online bike geometry calculator and plug in the numbers.
 
#189 ·
Or just have the guy/gal at Pivot sitting next to the computer with the CAD file who already has this setup info programmed type it out for us. ;)

I can take an educated guess, but since this is an approved setup from Pivot let's just have the numbers calculated the same way as the rest of geo charts for a solid comparison.

It's not a huge ask if you want to sell me a $6K - $10K bike.
 
#192 ·
The earliest I am buying a new bike is Jan 2017 so I am in no rush. I want to see some paying customer reviews and hopefully get a demo before I make my mind up.

Unless the complete bike spec & prices are uber compelling I'll end up buying a frame and building from part anyways.
That's my take as well and I'm in no rush to buy one. It does look very good so far. Depending on how it pedals and climbs it's weight is very similar to my Following which I'm in no hurry to get rid of (still diggin the hell out of it).
I really can't buy full build bikes, I'm in the biz and get good deals on most everything I need, so I only build my own bikes.
 
#193 ·
Some moar pics!!!

157 hub and 142 hub side by side


Pivot uses the OneUp 45t cog added to the 11-42. It's a gradual step but the consistency ratio gets awkward.


Reynolds 40mm carbon rim here for the Plus. The 29er gets a 28mm rim methinks.


Rekon fornt and rear tire is an awesome choice.


Soft durometer frame protection is a great feature. Hole in the bottom is for a Di2 battery.



tight clearances for the elaborate suspension clevis.


Tire clearance is enough for a real 3.25 Plus tire.


Chainring clearance is tight but they say it can handle a 36.


tire clearance again.


To provide better heel clearance than the Mach 4, the stays are curved drastically. 180mm rear rotor is max.


cassette and wheel.
 
#197 ·
Thanks for the fotos. Hopefully the downtube protector is more durable than on the 429T. It started to peel after a couple of months of riding. The only way to enjoy this bike for me will be to buy the lowest tier build and replace everything or wait for the frame. I prefer sram for my 1x11 setup and love my guide ultimates. Also I prefer a 32 or 34 chainring. Not a fan of their bar and grips from a feel perspective. 29er rims a a bit too narrow and 27.5 rims a bit too wide for my liking to run 2.5 or 2.8, respectively. Also Lyrik over 36 for me. I am such a bike snob, but wish more companies would offer build kits like ibis with choices.
 
#198 ·
Hmmm. I could make do with the 27.5+ Di2 build. The only thing I would swap out would be the dropper. I would have to get another hub to build a 29er rear wheel. I'm currently on a Fuel EX and 429T. My concerns are:

1. Too much bike. Although Michaux and the Shed are rocky the more sustained downs out west are not here. Also I don't have the skills to push the limits of this bike. As you know a slack FS 29er going downhill can be exhilarating and also catastrophic. I have two similar bikes because usually one has some sort of maintenance issue. Even if the SB is a little more bike than what I need, will it be FUN JRA on longer rocky rides? A 10K backup bike collecting dust would be stupid on my part.

2. My Following was too slack for me on the tighter trails. It was also too light in the front on climbs. I have a very long inseam. Will the SB be more of the same?

3. It would be nice to get a little more mid range plush in the front. Not a fault of my 130mm 36 but it has to be able to absorb the bigger hits so it can feel a little chattery on choppy sections because of the higher speeds I'm able to attain on the newer slacker bikes. I wonder if there would be less wear and tear on my body. Or, would the extra suspension be negated by the equivalent amounts of transferred shock because I'm pushing harder?


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#200 ·
1. Too much bike. Although Michaux and the Shed are rocky the more sustained downs out west are not here. Also I don't have the skills to push the limits of this bike. As you know a slack FS 29er going downhill can be exhilarating and also catastrophic. I have two similar bikes because usually one has some sort of maintenance issue. Even if the SB is a little more bike than what I need, will it be FUN JRA on longer rocky rides? A 10K backup bike collecting dust would be stupid on my part.
With that geo and a 150mm fork the SB is far more enduro/AM than it is trail. With the low BB it's not really practical to under fork it for a less aggressive ride.

That said the main issue is how it will handle mellow trails not that you will die tackling 50' gap jumps. ;) I ride 160mm AM bikes and I only go as fast as I can ride in control without crashing [regularly]. Nothing about those bikes forces me to ride faster than I want or tackle features beyond my capabilities to ride despite the fact other more skilled riders could take the same bike and crush my descent times.

If your Evil Following was too slack for your trails I can't see any reason to buy a SB. It will be more of the same.

To your question about suspension you can tune most modern high end forks/shocks to feel quite different depending on the rider's wants. Just make sure you are buying the top tier versions with full adjustability. If you really need to a custom tune from Avalanche will get you pretty much anything realistic you want if you explain what you are after to Craig.