Drop bars on mountain bikes aren’t exactly new. People have been experimenting with curly bars on mountain bikes since the 1980s, but in 2025, they saw a major resurgence in popularity. With high-profile racers like Keegan Swenson — among many others — modifying XC race bikes with drop bars for events like Leadville, the drop-bar MTB became a much-hyped and frequently discussed topic for the first time in many years.
While many brands are hustling to design new gravel frames with more tire clearance and/or front or rear suspension, Pivot saw an opportunity to make some simple changes to an existing cross-country model to create a production drop-bar MTB, monster-cross, or “gr-ountain” bike, if you will. Pivot’s Les SL hardtail is among the lightest production mountain bike frames around, and now the brand is offering it with a drop bar build.
I’m currently in Tempe, Arizona, visiting Pivot’s HQ for some media camps and warm desert riding. I got the chance to check out the Les SL drop bar in person and take it for a few laps around the parking lot. While many people lament the mountain bike-ification of gravel bikes, this bike strikes me as perfect for those whose gravel rides often include frequent and regular detours on singletrack trails. I happen to fit that description, and I’m very interested in this gravel/MTB (gr-ountain bike) hybrid. My parking lot laps aren’t enough to formulate any opinions, other than wanting to ride it more.
Pivot Les SL Drop Bar Details
Pivot launched a new gravel bike, known as the Vault, in the spring of 2025. The Les SL Drop Bar is intended to complement that bike, but appeal to a different user and use case. While the Vault is more of a “traditional” or “regular” gravel bike, the Les SL Drop Bar is made for those getting a bit more adventurous and/or aggressive on their gravel rides.
Pivot took the existing Les SL hardtail frame with the GX Transmission build and essentially just made four component changes to get the drop bar version you see pictured here. The Les SL carbon frame is extremely light, weighing a claimed 800 grams in a size medium. The frame and fork are designed around 29” wheels with clearance for tires up to 2.4” wide — which should be more than adequate to fit the trendiest tires out there.
The lightweight frame is paired with 100mm of front wheel travel, utilizing the Fox 32 Stepcast Performance fork. The rest of the build mirrors the flat bar version closely, except with a Phoenix Sport Gravel Aluminum drop handlebar (size-specific widths) and a 60 mm Phoenix Gravel stem. The flat bar controls are swapped out for SRAM Force AXS HRD shifters/levers to control the GX AXS Transmission drivetrain and the Level Silver 2-piston brakes.
The only other difference from the flat bar GX build is the tires. For the drop-bar version, Pivot opted for fast-rolling 29” x 2.25” Aspen ST tires on the front and rear. It comes with a 32T chainring, but the frame is claimed to fit up to 38T. Otherwise, the frame has standard Boost spacing, internal cable routing, a UDH, and a press-fit bottom bracket. There are mounts for two bottle cages in the front triangle, as well as a tool/accessory mount on the underside of the downtube.
The complete bike, in a size large, weighs 22.5 lbs in its stock configuration, without pedals. One of Pivot’s employees has a custom build with a Factory-level fork, carbon wheels, and a wireless dropper post in a size medium, and it weighs a little less than the stock GX setup.
Geometry
The Les SL frame is a cross-country hardtail first and a gravel bike second. As such, it has cross-country race-oriented geometry that leans to the conservative side of the spectrum, though it is quite appropriate for a modern 100mm lightweight race hardtail. With a 68.5-degree head tube angle, however, it has pretty progressive geometry for a gravel bike. Reach is one of the more interesting numbers to consider, as the distance to the bar tops will be similar to a flat bar, but the reach to the hoods and drops will be stretched from that, of course.
Like the flat bar version, the Les SL Drop Bar is available in five frame sizes, ranging from XS to XL, which are claimed to fit riders with heights between 4’10” and 6’7”. Check out the chart below for more details.
Pivot Les SL Drop Bar: Pricing and Availability
The Les SL Drop Bar was launched relatively quietly and recently became available through the Pivot website or your local Pivot dealer. Buyers can pick between Black Sunset, Silver Bullet, and Blue Ribbon colorways, and it is currently only offered in the GX AXS Transmission build, which retails for $6,399.
