Ok. How did you get two wheel sets?


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Ok. How did you get two wheel sets?

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They are demos.

 

I'd love to hear any comparisons between the Switchblade and the 429T (pedaling efficiency/snappiness, fit/sizing, and general riding comparisons). I've got a Large 429T right now, and while i'm perfectly happy with the travel, i would definitely change some of the geo numbers if I could. The reach is just way too small, and the front center is a bit short. I also have an Evil Wreckoning, also a large frame. The 429T feels tiny after being on the Wreck, and it feels like the smallest fore/aft movements on the 429T quickly shift you from "in the bike" to hanging over the front or off the back when riding off the saddle.

 

@fc, Have you tried the water bottle mount on the bottom of the frame? Curious if you can fit a large bottle there on a small frame without hitting the front tire when the shock compresses?

 

Uggggh... water bottle mount under frame don't count.

I'll do it for you my friend and take a photo.

p.s. I'm 5'8" and riding a small frame and it fits good with the seat pushed slightly back on the rails. I know why they put me on a Small.... the Medium is huge and it's as long as many Large frames. It affects wheelbase and all that.

 

Thanks! I am slightly worried about the sizing. I'm 5'6" (at best) and have always ridden small frames, but the cool kids all say longer is better, right?

I guess I could go XS, but I'd really like to use that second water bottle mount. Curious to know if it's good for anything before I let it sway my decision...

 

You're small size frame. This will allow you to fit well with a 50mm stem or shorter. The XS size is a radically different frame where the shock is almost in the top tube.

 

This bike looks amazing in person. I have two gripes though.

Aeffect cranks on base build - should be better IMO at the pricepoint.

An XC rear shock for a bike with a 36? Pivot needs to fix those two things.

With exception to that it looks like a fun bike.

 

An XC rear shock for a bike with a 36? Pivot needs to fix those two things.

Sell the frame w/o a shock or offer a couple shock options when buying a frame only.

That would be nice.

 

The more I think about it the more I think Pivot is shooting themselves in the foot with the release of this bike.

Why not have a Sram equipped bike and shock options?

The build kits with the one up cog seems like an afterthought.

Pivots "target customer" for this kind of bike is someone who wants to customize. For example look at Ibis…..pick your frame and bike your kit (Sram or Shimano)…….or just the frame….Brilliant!

When we got our Mach 6's I bought a frame/shock and built it up a la carte because I cared about each component choice and wouldn't have got what I wanted from a Pivot complete. My GF bought a complete XO1 build and was happy. We paid about the same $$.

So just offering a frame and a better shock option solves the issue of people not getting what they want.

With the SB if I have to buy a new shock on top of everything else to get an AM worthy bike that makes things expensive.

 

When we got our Mach 6's I bought a frame/shock and built it up a la carte because I cared about each component choice and wouldn't have got what I wanted from a Pivot complete. My GF bought a complete XO1 build and was happy. We paid about the same $$.

So just offering a frame and a better shock option solves the issue of people not getting what they want.

With the SB if I have to buy a new shock on top of everything else to get an AM worthy bike that makes things expensive.

Yes...when my son and I were building up his Ibis Mojo HD3 we purchased just the frame with the upgraded Fox X2 rear shock. No need to change a thing on the frame. Then picked out every part, saved a ton of cash for what we build. The result is HIS bike that he takes tremendous pride in.

I did the math on buying a complete build and selling of the parts I don't want.........YIKES....not worth it.

 

You can always see if your LBS will swap the shock for you when it arrives. They might be able to work something out for a float x or x2

 

Rear shocks now are tuned specifically for a frame. Float X or X2 shocks are not yet available for this frame. Cocalis was testing one but he said it is not ready.

 

The website also claims a Cane Creek DB will fit as long as you get the correct fitment. Their FAQ section is awesome!

 

They are selling them as fast as they can build them. If you know anything about Chris Cocalis, you know that he's a perfectionist and he has strong beliefs about what he thinks works. Traditionally Pivot has offered a huge variety of build kits, with both SRAM and Shimano drivetrains and brakes. Suspension duties have been primarily Fox of late. They have a very close relationship with Fox, whom they help with testing/R&D, and Fox works very closely with them to develop custom tunes for Pivot bikes. You may not see RS specced on Pivot in the near future, but no doubt you will see SRAM as well as frame only options.


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So I tried the Trail Boss today. I was skeptical. They are huge. The casing is slightly thicker than the Rekons. Weights were 1037 and 1131. Plus I forgot my gear bag which contained my helmet and SPD shoes. So a brief ride in casual shoes. I like these much better than the Rekons. They have a rounded profile so they roll fast. Braking traction is less. They and the Rekons can feel a little skittery going downhill, like an Ardent or Hans Dampf. The knobs are closer to the edge of the casing which I hope will help protect the side wall.


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Awesome! Thanks for doing that. I wish they'd put the lower bottle mount higher so it wouldn't hang below the chainring, but still good to know it's an option. Glad to see flipping the shock improved the bottle clearance inside the frame, too.

 

I'm hoping that really low position is just due to small frame + big wheel and that the larger sizes have a more reasonable under DT mount position.

On my M6 the bottle under the DT is well above the bottom of the ring and it's not going to hit anything in rough terrain.

 

Not a fan of the stickers on the wheels. I wish companies didn't put their name on something that isn't theirs.

Could the pivot stickers be pealed off the rims leaving only the reynolds ones?

 

Haven't seen them in person, but my guess is that they are just vinyl decals, which should come off very easily. I'm less bothered with Pivot, or any other company putting their logo on a part made by someone else, as most companies do it, often without most people knowing (bars, stems, grips, saddles, posts...). I just don't like how the graphics look on the wheels.

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Would one be able to equip the Switchblade with the new e*thirteen cassette?

 

I don't see any reason why you couldn't

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As long as there is chain stay clearance when in the 9T cog. Most bikes I've looked at are fine.

 

One needs to have a Sram drivetrain, specifically the XD drive hub carrier to use the E-Thirteen 9-44

 

There are folks running the 9T E13 cog on the Evil Wreckoning. That bike has about the tightest chain stay clearance of anything I've seen lately. The chainring size you run will also factor in, but I suspect it will not be an issue with anything down to a 30T.


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I was thinking driver compatability.

 

Not feeling the b+ love. Will eventually sell my Reynolds wheel set or just the rims.


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Not feeling the b+ love. Will eventually sell my Reynolds wheel set or just the rims.

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I hear ya. I had a set of Nox Katsumas built for my Trail and went back to my Enve 60-40 HV's. Just too vague-feeling on that bike for where I ride mostly. I DO have some 27.5 Katsuma's (36 id) on my LES SS that I like ok, mainly for the comfort level. Ikon 27.5+ tires on 'em.

 

The ghost and the darkness

 

you knew the question was coming when you posted this...
How do they compare?

 

Yes, I miss mtbr Compar-o style articles. Essentially a modern buyer's guide. This is a good head-to-head match, that some wouldn't be able to decide by things like ownership experience and local support, considering they're both brands that can be sold and shipped online.

 

Not many ride reports out there from paying customers. Bike off to a slow start?

 

As one of the guys packing the bikes up for shipment, absolutely not a slow start! I don't think we've had a bike launch to date that was this crazy, we literally ship these ALL day right now. I'm guessing most owners are busy riding, getting things dialed in before going online.

 

This is always my conundrum. I can be riding smooth flow trails one day, and riding chunk in the "mountains" the next day. Always chasing the elusive - one bike to do it all, with the fewest compromises.

 

A longer travel DW-Link bike makes a pretty good compromise. Between the inherent efficiency of the suspension design plus the adjustability of modern forks/shocks you can tackle a lot of different terrain without hating life.

The Mach 6 does a pretty good job on this and I think a mid-travel 29er would be even better for the one-bike-rule-them-all job.

I'd rather have too much bike on a flow trail [thankfully uncommon where I live] than too little bike in steep chunk.

 

I owned a 36-38 lb., 7" DW link bike for 3 years. It was heavy but with 2.5's it could climb walls if you kept'm spinning. Even with 2.3's it was an amazing riding bike but it was porky. 66ish HA and it was fearless it begged you to get into trouble.
I think if you're taller/ bigger rider you can get away shorter stems but for small to average size riders the 50-60 range on these 29'rs seems best to help you get over that front wheel to weight it.
This seems to me to be a bike that could cover a lot of bases. It weights what the Following does and it should build up at 27 lbs. depending on tires of course. I'd have 2 sets of wheels for it and both 29". B+ would be 3rd for me. I already have a 29+ bike. [emoji6]

 

Medium Switchblade 29er with SRAM gripshift, Raceface crank, SRAM XX1 rear derailleur, and eThirteen cassette. I am using the zero stack lower cup. A couple of initial thoughts . . . Super stiff frame, climbs better than I expected, I do have to sit a little more forward on steep climbs. It is very stable on descents. Pedals very nice for 135 mm travel bike.

 

That sounds like a review I would expect. GripShift, nice!

 

Demo day is coming up in a couple of week and I'll give it a go in the 29er setting. I am not really interested in the 3.0inch 650b extravaganza but I am interested in an agressive 29er especially if it can take the abuse of a 150mm bike like the wfo.

 

My only concern is dropper post insert length,with my 33" inseam I'm at just below E in ST, even though above max insert still not much post in ST. Pretty sure Transfer is a 125mm drop, have Lev Integra 150mm and Transfer stanction definitely is shorter.With most riders downsizing these frames why not go 150mm drop with more post insert to be safe?

 

Fox Transfer is also available in 150mm. And it has a longer insert length than the Lev

 

it doesn't ride as big as the numbers state. i recommend not downsizing