Admittedly, Pivot took a big risk when they introduced the original Switchblade. Adding yet another standard to an already weary market was certainly a gamble, but it was one that paid off. The resulting bike with Super Boost Plus had a stiffer rear wheel, more tire clearance, shorter chainstays, and somehow, it even had room for a front derailleur. Initially only available in carbon, that same Switchblade performance is now available in aluminum.
While it’s certainly easier to make complicated designs like the Switchblade out of carbon fiber, Pivot has been honing their aluminum forming skills over the years and the results are stunning. Like their aluminum test mules, Pivot is able to create aluminum bikes with the same stiffness and performance as their carbon bikes, just out of metal instead of carbon. And while the aluminum bikes might not have the same low weights as their carbon siblings, the price should make them available to many more riders.
Like the carbon Switchblade, the aluminum version is a 135mm travel 29″ / 27.5+ paired with a 150mm travel fork. The frame and fork can run either wheel size and the aluminum frame carries forward their Super Boost Plus 157 x 12mm axle rear axle spacing. The frame also looks to have many of the same features as the carbon bike including a PF92 bottom bracket and dw-link suspension, though the cable routing is mostly external with the exception of the derailleur routing brought the chain stay and a hole for the cable to enter the downturn on the dropper routing.
Available in four different complete builds, the Aluminum Switchblade starts out at $4,099, which is $1,000 less than the starting price for the carbon models. Bikes are available now in all sizes and in either 29″ or 27.5+ builds.
