First Look: Pivot's New Mach 4SL

May 23, 2023
by Dario DiGiulio  
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Pivot has a strong presence in the world of mountain bike racing, with teams in every discipline from downhill to marathon. Today marks an update to Pivot's bike for the latter half of that spectrum, with the third version of their Mach 4SL.

Firmly focused on light weight and responsiveness under power, the team at Pivot is touting the whippet as a World Cup bike that can punch above its weight class. The frames have shaved about 300-400 grams from the previous version, with revised geometry to better handle modern tracks.
Mach 4SL Details
• Intended use: XC
• Carbon frame
• Travel: 93 or 103mm (World Cup builds) / 106 or 115mm on all other builds
• 100mm or 120mm fork
• 66.7° head angle (120mm fork)
• Small frame with rear shock (DPS): 1930 grams (4.25lbs)
• Complete bike weight under 23lbs (Size small, XX World Cup build)
• Price: $6,199 - $10,999 USD
www.pivotcycles.com

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Geometry for both the 100mm and 120mm fork variants.

The Mach 4SL comes in a 100 or 120mm fork spec, with fairly significant geometry differences between the two. The head angle goes from 66.7° to 68° when switching from 120 to 100, with an accompanying increase in reach of about 13mm. Seat tube angles are quite slack compared to other current options, sitting at 76° on the 100mm and 74.7° on the 120mm. Chainstays are the same length regardless of frame size, measuring at 432mm. Stack heights grow proportionally with each frame size, which is nice to see as you'll be able to make use of the full advertised reach.

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For speeding off into the sunset.

The Mach 4SL continues Pivot's use of the DW-link suspension design, which should continue to offer an active yet efficient ride characteristic. Even at shorter travel numbers, dual link designs can provide pretty solid grip to the rear wheel. Speaking of travel, the rear-wheel travel of the Mach 4SL can be adjusted by a few millimeters with a flip chip on the rocker link. This gives you the choice of 95mm or 103mm on the World Cup builds, and 106mm or 115mm on all other builds.

There are plenty of spec options to choose from, with prices ranging from $6,199 to $11,599 USD. There are two frame colors to choose from: Seafoam Green or Ice Blue.

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Ride builds.
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Pro builds.

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Team builds.
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World cup builds.

There are some nice details on the Mach 4SL frame, including a 3-boss mount underneath the top tube, as well as a cleanly tucked away multitool under the bottom bracket. Probably best not to use that as a bash guard, but luckily that should be easy enough if you're sticking to XC terrain. All sizes will fit a large water bottle inside the front triangle, and there's enough room on the medium to XL sizes to carry two water bottles.

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Storage.
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And tools.

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Very much a Lycra bike.

We'll be testing the Mach 4SL on some long and speedy pedals over the course of this summer, so stay tuned to see how it stacks up against the competition. To see how the team felt about the past version of the speedy Pivot, you can head here.

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Does not include pet hawk.



For purchasing options and more information on the Pivot Mach 4SL, head over to Pivot's website.




Author Info:
dariodigiulio avatar

Member since Dec 25, 2016
167 articles

180 Comments
  • 94 1
 Thats... an interesting location for a multi-tool.

I wonder if that container is waterproof. Around here that thing would be blasted with water/mud/loam soup, and I'd imagine the multitool would be pretty prone to rusting.
  • 13 0
 Whilst I wouldn’t be in love with the muck - my multitool is pretty much stainless steel and Aluminium and hasn’t rusted in the last few years it’s lived in sweaty pockets or strapped to the bike. But I wonder how well this case holds up to flying rock bombardment :/
  • 59 1
 No one racing XC will carry a multitool there,forget that.
But props to Pivot for designing a XC race bike that doesn't look like 85% of all the others at the starting line.
  • 3 0
 If they'd have shifted it back a little, it would have been nicely protected by the chainring. Not sure whether rust is such an issue. I've got a basic folding tool from Crankbrothers and it definitely carries rust yet still works perfectly fine. It folds in, it folds out and the tooltips are still clear from rust (or it gets rubbed off through use). Not sure what causes more corrosion. The salt of my sweat (as I carry it in a hip pocket of my backpack) or the added moisture this close to the ground (but less salt). If something on my bike this close to the ground would corrode too quickly, there would be more parts on my bike I'd be worried about.
  • 57 0
 I have a feeling I will be finding a LOT of Pivot Topeak tool kits in rock gardens throughout New England this summer!
  • 7 1
 @ESKato: I agree, I bash my chainring almost once every ride and I know that would be gone on the first rock I tried to go over. You could mount it on the bottom of the top tube though which could come in handy.
  • 4 1
 @vinay: protected by the chainring?? They just need to not put the tool where it's 100% certain to get covered in mud on every wet ride and/or smashed on a rock/log. Somewhere like under the top tube, one one or 2 of the many bolts they thoughtfully located there.
  • 58 0
 you just flip the 8mm hex and use it as a kick stand
  • 1 0
 with so much room between the shock and the water bottle cage, it seems like they could have easily put it there
  • 2 0
 Unless they have radically changed the design from the previous version, it's not waterproof and the tool will happily rust, unless it's cared for. I would still recommend it, but maybe not placed like on this bike
  • 2 0
 Well I was not thinking about corrosion as the first problem of this layout. A decent step at slow speed (up or down) and/or a malicious rock thrown by your front wheel and you'll say bye bye to your multi-tool !
  • 7 0
 this is the kind of thing it makes me doubt how some things are designed and put out there in the market for us riders, and how the hell something gets through the design/discussion phase. Perfect place to get bashed, stuck in a branch, get mud. get everything. also. no space for a second water bottle.
  • 5 1
 Just pack any empty space around the tool with grease, voila.... Rust free multi tool. You're welcome.
  • 2 0
 @Tambo: The chainring thing was a half joke. Something that would damage a multitool would definitely damage chainring and/or chain. I'm not a racer and I understand people take chances for the sake of saving weight, but I'd never ride without chainring protection anyway. Currently a taco, on my previous bike a bashguard. I understand these new SRAM cranks come with chainrings that allow you attach a piece of bash protection in the most exposed quadrants (where you don't have the cranks) similar like you'd have in BMX, so that doesn't seem to weight much. Either way, what I'm saying is that if they'd have shifted it back a little, the chainring would have been toast before the tool took a hit. As for mud, I can't tell really. Again, no racer so I'm not told when and where to ride and I usually avoid riding deep muck just to avoid excessive erosion. But my experience so far is that most muck collects behind the bb (being supplied by the rear tire) and indeed quite some on the downtube, but really little actually under the bb.

It would indeed have helped this discussion if the reviewer deliberately smashed the bb area into a rock and checked what failed first, the chainring or the tool. Would it be the chainring (which I expect, to be honest), the discussion would who on earth decided to put a chainring that low and exposed. Would love to see that.
  • 4 0
 this is low key the best multi-tool storage !
the location in those photos is a bit odd i agree but it can be install on any bottle cage mount (top tube, downtube or in that case under the BB.. mine is located under the toptube which give me a very quick access i love it
  • 4 0
 I’ve had this tool on my bike for over a year not on the BB but the lower down tube bolts instead. It’s take abuse for sure but it’s sturdy. No rusty tools either. So far so good.
  • 1 0
 @tycall13: and the lower downtube is more treacherous. My downtube has taken a beating and all scratched and chipped up but if you look under my BB its pristine. I've never once hit my bb shell on anything.
  • 1 1
 @RonSauce: this isn't on the BB shell though - it sticks out forward of the chain ring. The worst possible place for ground clearance issues, and a terrible place for dirt from the front wheel
  • 1 1
 @Tambo: you're right, I thought it was further back. That tool is DOA.
  • 44 0
 An XC bike without flex stays!
  • 47 10
 Based on the current Firebird they’ll still flex right up until they snap.
  • 7 7
 @heinous: prove it! Asking for a friend
  • 24 0
 @downtownier: check my photos for one example.
  • 5 0
 @heinous: I broke (cracked) a firebird's frame and two Reynolds wheels, but I am aware why and how, not design's fault. Haven't come across a snapped chainstay yet, so I am very curious how you did it. Some more relevant info would be appreciated. Cheers.
  • 5 0
 @heinous:
Gnarly, what happened?
  • 5 0
 @heinous: Damn, that looks scary. How did that happen? Must have been a massive impact to completely snap the carbon clean through instead of just causing it to crack.
  • 1 0
 Not likely.
  • 6 0
 @heinous: I'm on a 2017 Firebird and I love that thing, although the seat tube behind the linkage did manage to crack somehow. Not catastrophically, and I didn't even notice it riding, just noticed some peeling carbon one day. Pivot warrantied it and I was back riding again in 10 days on a brand new frame. That was a couple years ago and haven't had an issue since.
  • 4 0
 @heinous: as an Evil owner, I'm glad I'm not alone :p
  • 13 5
 @Muscovir: as close to JRA on a flow trail as possible, near new bike, showing a novice friend around trails. It’s at the joint of the drop out / brake mount and stay. A dealer told me they’ve been seeing some of them go there and even more fail next joint up at top of stay.

Everything breaks, that’s ok, but Pivot were total jerks to deal with, which alone is the reason why I’ll never buy one again.
  • 1 0
 @WildboiBen: I don't want to jinks it but I too am an Evil owner and I'm dumbfounded how some regular riders can crack Evil frames so easily.
  • 1 0
 @ethanrevitch: what’s evil customer service like?
  • 1 1
 @ethanrevitch: honestly, Evil frames get a bad rep but they're just as prone to crack as any other carbon frame. And the customer service is top notch. Plus, Evils ride amazingly well.
  • 2 0
 @WildboiBen: yep. I like that fact that I can pick up the phone and call them for any random question I may have.
  • 5 0
 @heinous: I had a totally different experience with Pivot when I broke my frame. It was warrantied no questions asked. The turnaround at the factory was less than a day. 10 days I didn't have a bike were all shipping.
  • 1 1
 @loganbeck: that’s good to hear. The dealers I spoke to didn’t have good stories. It took 3 months to get mine confirmed and I quote from pivot “warranties are only processed by Pivot HQ on Mondays”.
  • 36 2
 They mounted a multitool where??
  • 49 3
 It beats their original prototype that mounted the multitool under the right pedal and the co2 inflator under the left pedal.
  • 8 0
 And people moan about under BB cable routing lol
  • 4 1
 @st-lupo: Good solution for people who are trying to find the top of their pedals.
  • 2 1
 @rich-2000: my first thought was 'and I thought under bb cables were bad' haha
  • 1 0
 @inked-up-metalhead: I've had them on some nukeproof bikes and never had any issues. The only cable snafu I've had in the past 7 years was a crash that broke the hydraulic line at the handlebar to a RS reverb post and it was stuck in the down position... fortunately the ride home was almost all downhill.
  • 7 0
 @rich-2000: I think Chris put it there just to see the PinkBike community’s response.
  • 27 1
 Can someone please inform me why Kashima gold is different on fork and shocks? It always bugs me
  • 17 0
 This is why.
  • 20 0
 I never noticed this and am promptly unreading this before I can't forget
  • 5 0
 Apparently it's because the shock receives a thicker coating? The dropper is a different color too..
  • 2 0
 Google PVD (physical vapor deposition) coatings. They don't all turn out all the same based on base material, surface texture, and length of time of depoisition.
  • 3 0
 @Trouterspace: I don't think it is thicker. PVD's only add 2-10 microns. Most likely, it is the base material texture, prior to the PVD process.
  • 8 0
 Different alloys and processes plate differently. The shock might be made out of 6061-T651 and an upper tube might be made of 7075-T651. Then one might be made from tube verses bar stock. I did a Type 3 case study because my company was color matching parts. We did Type 3 clear and the materials were 6061-T6 and T651: bar, plate, forged, and extrusion. They all came out a different shade of olive drab.
  • 5 0
 Maybe this, maybe that. Lots of guesses with scientific-sounding explanations. You're all wrong. It's literally only to trigger peoples' OCD.
  • 3 0
 That’s Factory Ultimate: Grip 2 damper plus matching kashima.
  • 2 0
 @noapathy: Thanks,that's what i figured
  • 1 0
 Different aluminum alloys are brighter or darker. Kashima is just a coating on the aluminum tube and it's closer to an anodized coating than a painted coat, still shows the base metal through the coat.
  • 27 0
 No Hawk no deal.
  • 25 0
 Looks mint!
  • 2 1
 well played
  • 16 0
 "effective seat tube angles are calculated at an average saddle height for each size frame "
That's very informative. By the looks of it, that 'average saddle height' was chosen such that the angles come out the same for each size. The common assumption is that STA is calculated at stack height, is that what is going on here too?
I want A) specification of that height B) an actual seat angle so that I can at least know what that means for me. My saddle is never at 'average height'.
  • 6 5
 So many companies play stupid marketing games when publishing seat angle numbers trying to make them appear steeper than they actually are. Super annoying that PB never calls them out on this and just blindly publishes completely uninformative 'effective' seat angle numbers.
  • 3 2
 @Linc: I agree. I've pointed out more than once that PB could add real value to the reviews by measuring and publishing the geo numbers that the manufacturers don't give you. Like actual seat angles, or the key geo numbers at sag, for example.It's a pet pieve of mine because I have very long arms and legs for my body height, so my saddle is sky high.
  • 3 2
 @ak-77: ha, exactly my body proportions too. Looks like we both became radicalised seat angle vigilantes because of it.
  • 1 0
 @ak-77: more makes are publishing actual angles now. Pivots are historically slack--I think the owner is stuck on it, and dimly recall a minor scandal with Firebird 29 geochart editing. You can see that the toptube effectives are a couple cm longer than average by frame size. Site reviews could publish actual toptubes at dropped, half-dropped, and undropped saddle heights--stem cap bolt center to post center at saddle top--but I don't know if people would be able to use the info. I just look up from bb center to saddle nose in a profile shot and make note of bb offset, bends in seat mast, saddle height and fore/aft. You are a spider
  • 2 0
 @ceecee: Yes, many brands now publish actual angles or effective angles at a nr of heights. Trek has been publishing actual angles foe a while now, kudos to them. I think the effective angles at three heights approach like e.g. Banshee does, is the most informative to most people. You could also
  • 1 0
 Oops that went wrong. Anyway, @ceecee, what do you mean by 'you are a spider'?
  • 1 0
 @ceecee: The slack seat angles on Pivot come from a combination of short rear stays and their linkage design that needs to fit the lower link between the rear triangle and the seat tube.

Another 'fun' trend to see now is brands beginning with a design philosophy of needing a 'steep' seat angle, but being stuck with proprietary linkage designs that mean the only way to achieve this is to market 450mm chainstays as a performance enhancement.
  • 1 0
 @ak-77: all arms and legs. A failed variant of 'these are tall person problems.' I'm only 1.83m but based on overall dimensions including bike length would take a Small Firebird and use it for anything. Toptube is congruous with many other makes' frame size Medium. Does this mean the seat tube is too slack? Probably

@Linc: the subtle backwards bend in the seat tube just above the lower link has a less subtle effect at saddle topout. The bend could have been even more subtle with minor changes to subframe and rocker. I don't think it's a packaging issue, since their 165mm bike in size Small has 2mm shorter stays
  • 15 3
 Is the bar so low that I instantly look for routing ports on headtube and feel relief? I dig it plenty, the very competitive weight with DW instead of flex-stays is some impressive work, overall a bike I can see myself really enjoy riding. Can't get behind Pivot's color choices though, please add a generic raw carbon option at least.
  • 11 0
 It's 25 years that PB exist, if I remember correctly, and it's been almost 20 years that I've been reading it, yet I still can't figure out why in the freaking world you always shows the geo, suspension's travel, and size of various components in metric system, sometimes even the frame/frame kit weight is in grams, but there's no way the weight of the complete bike is shown in kgs. 90% of the times is in lbs. Nothing against it, just to be clear, but couldn't we get both weights?
  • 13 3
 Pivot's frame build quality is great and their customer service was second to none. Their execution of the DW is way more reliable than Ibis's "yoke-type" mount, IMO. I'd be riding a Pivot now except they won't offer a frame only option. Instead the current new frame I'm building up is a different brand.
  • 6 0
 Word from Pivot rep is they're offering some frame only options now. Call your dealer
  • 8 1
 I've put some good rides in on a Shadowcat, 429 & a Switchblade. I liked them all. I like my Ripley more. Smile
  • 15 7
 I demo'd some Pivot bikes and really liked them, but three things keeping me from buying:

1. Super Boost (I know the Mach 4 is boost, but see reason #2 and 3)
2. Pressfit
3. No frame-only option (I am picky about my parts, have access to some component discounts, and will always build up my own bike)

So I too am riding a Ripley.
  • 2 0
 @Jshemuel: Cool but gonna' have to wait until next time around. I've got a new Santa Cruz frame in the garage getting built up. Thanks for the tip though.
  • 4 0
 @mikerj while I do respect the hell out of Pivot for their frame construction and CS, I don’t know anyone who has had a problem with the Ibis yoke and I live in a town where it seems half the people are on Ibises due to the local shop being such a big dealer.
  • 5 5
 @moabenchilada: Super Boost was the deal-breaker on a Trail 429 for me.
  • 4 2
 @moabenchilada: I'd move pressfit to #1 on your list and stop there. In a world where so many other brands have seen the light of their past PF stupidity, Pivot soldiers on.
  • 9 0
 Smart move ditching options for super expensive Live Valve and replacing where the controller box (or whatever it's called) would go with mounts for possible second water bottle cage.

I had the previous Mach 4 SL with Live Valve....it was great, but certainly wasn't perfect. After living with it (and racing XC with it) for a year I told myself if I were to get it again I would do without Live Valve.

After 2 years, when it came to sell my Mach 4....I opted for an Ibis Excie. DW Link which I love, non-flex stay which I dig, and options for 2 bottles and a little more updated geo & reach than the previous Mach 4 SL.

Like what Pivot did here based on my experience with the old ones. Curious how easy it is to use the flip-chip in reality to change the travel.....I only skimmed the article, will go back.
  • 5 0
 flip-chip is super easy. You loosen the flip chip, partially back out the bolts , then pull the chips out and rotate them to your desired position and tighten them back out. Can be done on the trail with a multitool if you have the right size (I believe it is 6mm hex bolt)
  • 3 0
 Mtb Yum Yum on youtube thought it really made a difference.
  • 1 0
 Suntour has entered the chat. Can't wait to see their version of electronic shocks.
  • 11 0
 That multi tool is going to be internally stored the first time anything substantial hits it facepalm>
  • 6 0
 Or remotely stored.
  • 7 0
 It's always so amusing when I read that "The frames have shaved about 300-400 grams from the previous version".. which results in .."complete bike weight under 23lbs"
  • 9 2
 downcountry is a state of mind maaaaaaaan
  • 4 0
 "as well as a cleanly tucked away multitool under the bottom bracket."

So cleanly it will probably be invisible after just a few rides anywhere with actual rocks. Will make a nice frame protector while it lasts, though.
  • 6 0
 It’s not gonna store anything very long…
  • 8 2
 Thanks for making sure everyone knows how much the XS $12k build weights
  • 5 0
 No more super boost! Specs show 148 rear hub.
  • 3 1
 I noticed that as well, would have considered this bike if it had been out 6 months sooner, now that they ditched Superboost.
  • 5 0
 @mtallman2: I don’t think the Mach 4 ever had superboost?

Another bike they just released, the shadowcat is also regular boost. Hopefully they are going away from superboost?
  • 6 0
 The Mach 4 SL never had SuperBoost. It's always been a 148 rear end. Only the bigger travel bikes were ever SuperBoost.
  • 1 0
 I wonder if people racing World Cup will actually run the World Cup versions or the more capable 120mm version of the bike.

If I had to bet on it, I'd think the slacker / more travel versions will be way more popular even at the WC level.
  • 4 3
 I've seen a few bikes now where the cables exit the downtube then run for a few inches alongside the outside toward the BB. It just seems like it's going to rattle and scratch the paint?
  • 1 0
 Not on any bike I've had.
  • 3 0
 Looks like a really great bike. I'm happy to see the ability to hold two water bottles.
  • 2 3
 I'm not seeing how two bottles will fit in that triangle
  • 2 0
 @hughbm: I assume one to the underside of the top tube.
  • 1 0
 @hughbm: The second bottle cage is in a non-traditional spot...it's underneath the top tube, near the seatstay junction.
  • 1 0
 @hughbm: what’s the expectation? One on those bolts on the underside of the top tube? Weird if so.
  • 3 2
 Pushing the front fork to 130 with the 115 rear end is what basically what the Trance 29er was just a few years ago. It would slacken it out too obviously and be a pretty decent New England bike.
  • 3 0
 130/115 puts is nearly overlapped with the 429 trail (in the trail build). Curious to see what comes of the latter bike in the near future. I imagine it's getting close to a redesign/update.
  • 2 0
 @neologisticzand: im hoping for a 429 frame only.
  • 4 0
 beautiful lines on this bike. also no headset routing so.. big ups there.
  • 5 5
 This bike looks good which I think Pivot does make a clean looking bike but unfortunately most likely wouldn't buy a Pivot again.

Had a Switchblade v2 and the rear end was super harsh from the beginning. I'm no Ed Masters but I would crash in weird ways like tiny rock gardens that I have never crashed in before or after this bike. I check my bearings and they felt like i was rotating bearings through huge pieces of sand/rock so I opened up the bearings and put some grease in to see if it would help. It helped a tiny bit but still felt pretty bad so I reached out to Pivot and they don't proceed to give me solutions but tell me that I have basically voided my warranty at this point because I open up the bearings and put grease in. He offered a one time deal of sending me one bearing for free which seemed a bit insulting. I replied with I don't need the bearing if this is how the bearings are supposed to feel and never heard back. Really left a bitter taste in my mouth. I could never get it to feel right although to be fair, I never outright replaced the bearing since it was during the shortages and couldn't really get them.

I'm actually surprised people are talking about how great Pivot's customer service is but I guess everyone misses sometimes.
  • 5 2
 What, no one from Pinkbike got invited out to CO for a test ride?
  • 1 0
 Guarantee they got an invite but they only have so many contributors to call on. They used to have more from roadie publications that could cover XC, but Outside emptied the rosters.
  • 1 0
 @GTscoob: So it wasn't the slam of the last Mach 4 SL. You know the one, put DH casing tires on it and rode it on terrain that it pretty much wasn't suited for?
  • 3 2
 Was expecting this new bike....I am surprised though. I figured dark grey or pink would be the two color options. Instead we got puke green or baby blue.
  • 4 5
 Why would anyone choose to run less travel on an identical frame? If you're not saving weight* from a frame that doesn't need to handle the same travel range, wouldn't you just run the max travel? Especially with Pivot's usual dw-link tune, it's going to get up and go when you get on the pedals no matter if there is any extra 10mm at the other end of the travel. And since it's probably the same shock just travel limited at bottom out (Fox shocks generally all have at least a 5mm stroke range for each eye-to-eye with identical parts), it's not even like you're getting a drastically different spring on the short travel. Just limiting for the sake of limiting, seems silly.
  • 3 0
 Thats why I ditched the spur for a stumpy. Same weight MOAR better. Same reason I run a 120 xc bike because it weighs the same as a 100. MOAR better.
  • 1 3
 Those who negged this... why? Am I wrong about the shock sizing? (No.) Wrong about how extra travel at the bottom affects pedaling? (Maybe.) Wrong about saving weight? (Not as I can tell from Pivot's site: same exact frame and links)
  • 2 2
 I think every US east coast New England rider is looking at that tool and wondering WTF were they thinking with that location; won't survive one singe ride....but Pivot had to have tested the darn thing up here, right?
  • 1 0
 They are my home town brand and I ride their main test trails weekly... not only do we have rocks, but they are sharp af. I am seriously surprised they stuck that tool under there.
  • 3 0
 Man I love Pivot, their headquarters is 15 mins from me
  • 2 3
 Love how the weagle design of the lower link means that riders need to cop a hugely slack actual seat angle if they want short chainstays (as is the case for this bike). The linkage design might work on a long CS enduro or DH build. Less so for XC.
  • 2 0
 Starting at $7599. Pfffffwhaaaaat.
  • 2 0
 That red tailed hawk picture is pure gold. Hawt shawt.
  • 2 0
 Where's the new switchblade?
  • 2 3
 While I dont want all bikes to look alike - I do want all bikes to fit two bottle cages in the main frame. Pass on it for that reason alone due to racing in the desert and wanting to avoid hydration packs on short rides.
  • 2 1
 From the article above "...and there's enough room on the medium to XL sizes to carry two water bottles." And yes, that does mean IN the front triangle.
  • 2 1
 Read the article, and look close -- It CAN hold 2 water bottles in the front triangle (on medium to XL sizes)
  • 4 2
 @RR1: it has one mount on the downtube. And one under the top tube. And one on the underside of the downtube. Are you going to run a horizontal bottle mount under the top tube? Better hope it doesn't leak or come out. You going to run a bottle under the downtube? Let me know how that works to grab it on the move during an XC race. The bike has 1 usable bottle mount.
  • 1 0
 @DetroitCity: Yes I know where the bottle mounts are, I read the article, but thank you for pointing out where they are for me again.

Correct - I would not use one under the downtube, ever. I never said that I would use that one, so I won't be letting you know how that works in an XC race.

But the horizontal one under the top tube? Sure, that would be fully usable....oh good forbid if a bottle drips a little. My sweat dripping all over my bikes is probably more toxic lol. It would be less of reach to grab one from there, then in a traditional spot where the shock is.

You really think the mount under the top tube is "un-usable".? OK. Fully disagree there.
  • 1 1
 @RR1: having owned a bike with a mount there, and attempting to use it as a bottle mount. I think you're talking out the side of your neck. Its not about drips of water getting on my frame. Its about the bottle having less water than it started the race with, water that every drop counts IN A RACE. This is a RACE bike. Ever hear of gravity? Bottle cages were not designed with fighting gravity in mind.

The bike has 1 usable bottle mount for bottles in an XC race. Just riding around you can stop and switch out the bottle from under the downtube. Using the under the top tube as a bottle mount is not happening.
  • 1 0
 @DetroitCity: You make a lot of assumptions about me....but you are really clueless. And you are talking in caps now too, wow, that must mean you are very a knowledgeable subject matter expert here.

It sounds like you don't know how to close the opening of a bottle and it leaked out on you, and you are blaming the mount versus your lack of knowledge of how to work a water bottle. lol.

Maybe you should incorporate how to properly close a water bottle into your interval training.
  • 1 0
 @DetroitCity: do you close your bottle spouts?
  • 3 0
 Nice looking frame
  • 1 0
 Is the second bottle supposed to go in the underside of the top tube or the bottom of the down tube?
  • 2 1
 Those frames are “Stupid Light” looking
  • 2 0
 Nice badge...
  • 4 4
 Are we at the point now where we don't even mention the wheel size of a bike under review?
  • 11 0
 With an XC race bike? I'd say yes. Would be illogical if anything but 29".
  • 5 1
 It’s a mullet, 26 front, 24 rear. You know, the standard for modern XC with the gnarlier courses. I am annoyed that they don’t mention if it’s dual crown compatible.
  • 1 1
 what's the story behind this fairly new trend of mounting rear shock upside down like this?
  • 1 0
 The lockout connection is on that side. In this case at least
  • 2 1
 It’s not a great idea! I had one of these bikes…

That upside down mounted shock greatly increases service intervals—the internals get bone dry. Irritating that this is the only solution to having a lockout.
  • 1 1
 @palirojo: I don't follow. Isn't the lockout/climb at the head of the shock near the BB in this frame? That's totally unreachable during a ride.
  • 3 0
 @cmi85: it’s a cable actuated lockout so the remote is on the handlebars.
  • 1 0
 @palirojo: got it, with ya now
  • 2 1
 Colors and cable routing are a pass
  • 1 0
 Has it been asked here-where’s the frame-only option?
  • 4 4
 160mm rotors look like road bike rotors to me.
  • 4 1
 Nah, my road bike use 140mm rotors.
  • 1 1
 cuz they are
  • 2 5
 Too bad no size specific rear end. XC bikes need it just as much as bigger bike. Particularly as XC racing has become much more gnarly in recent years.

What length stem is it designed around?
  • 5 7
 Could be way more interesting if in 120mm travel configuration numbers were 475 mm for reach and 76 for seat tube.
  • 6 3
 You don’t need a seat tube angle that steep when such a short tavel bike has barely moved under sag.

170 mm rear end? Sure.

~100 mm rear end? Not so much.
  • 2 1
 just get a trail 429, that's exactly the geo number basically. Also very true, shorter travel bikes don't need as much as a steeper seat angle compared to a big burly enduro bike
  • 2 1
 @souknaysh: if shorter bikes don't need as much as a steeper seat angle compared to a big burly enduro bike, then why they did 100 mm travel with 475 mm reach and 76 seat tube angle? 100 mm is shorter, and 76 is steeper.
  • 1 2
 @wyric: because it's the same bike with over stroke shock and over fork. get a pivot trail 429 if you want a 76* and 120mm rear travel, as simple as that. The bike is designed to be an XC race bike, you're looking for a short travel trail bike with 120mm of rear travel
  • 1 3
 @souknaysh: simply saying pivot did a poor job on making different travel for the same bike. check scott spark, with 120 and 130 mm of travel it almost remains same reach and sta, but changes hta and wheel base.
  • 2 0
 @wyric: I don't think so. They offer a 95mm XC race bike that can also do trail duties by flipping the switch. T429 is more of trail/AM bike. I think their line up is spot on
  • 5 7
 Another master stroke by Chris. Also as mentioned above, finally a sub 23 pound bike without flex stays!
  • 14 3
 The ibis Exie is sub 23lbs and a DW suspension design.
  • 3 6
 Looks like the old BMC Fourstroke ridden to olympic gold by Tom Pidcock.
  • 3 0
 The Team XTR is 24lbs plus pedals....
  • 3 0
 @JohanG:

The first 40 ( 40th Anniversary editions) were under 23 lbs. Scott Nicol’s size large was 22.69 lbs.


bikerumor.com/limited-edition-ibis-exie-40th-anniversary-bikes-are-built-to-fly-as-light-as-22lbs
  • 3 5
 Crack stays.
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