SOC15: Pivot adds XL Mach 4 27.5 – plus pro bike checks!

Written by Tyler Benedict May 17, 2015

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Pivot was holding off new models for the time being (though they promise some things are coming later this year), but they did let loose this new XL frame size for the Mach 4 27.5. Until now, the XL was reserved for the Mach 4 SL 29er, so this adds the largest size for those wanting the mid-sized wheels.

It gets a 20″ seat tube, 25.28″ top tube and 27.56″ standover. Bottom bracket height stays the same at 12.8″. Available now.

Their team riders were on hand and we nabbed two of them for pics with their bikes, plus a look at the Les Fat set up with 27.5+ tires in place of it’s usual 26″ fat bike tires…

The Pivot Phoenix 27.5 downhill mountain bike was introduced at last year’s Sea Otter, getting a new, lighter frame to handle the larger wheel diameter. This one belongs to pro Emilie Siegenthaler, who’s running a Shimano Saint group with Race Face SixC cranks and MRP G3 chain guide.

Shock is the new Fox DHX2 with dual hi/low speed compression and rebound controls. Check our tech post on their 2016 suspension for internal cutaways and all the details on how the new shocks work.

A bottom out bumper on the linkage gives the shock a bit more support at the end of the stroke, reducing impact pressure on the shock’s mount.

Just about everything on Emilie’s bike is available to the rest of us…

…except the wheels. Reynolds has been teasing and testing carbon DH rims for quite some time with Pivot’s riders, and looks like they’re still at it. These are laced to Industry Nine’s Classic hubs.

Bernard Kerr was racing his Mach 6 for Sea Otter’s gravity events. There’s something prototype on his bike, we just aren’t allowed to tell you what it is. Hopefully we’ll be able to tell the story after we visit Pivot’s HQ later this month.

Kerr’s running a Race Face cockpit and cranks. His grip preference leans towards extremely thin and worn out.

Fox DOSS dropper seatpost complements the Fox suspension.

A mix of Saint drivetrain parts drive a 10-speed road cassette. Brakes are XT, wheels are Reynolds Black Label carbon and tires are Maxxis Ikon.

The Les Fat was introduced in January as one of the most versatile bikes you could own. Not just a versatile FAT bike, but just plain bike. Capable of running 26×4.8 fat bike tires, 27.5+ and even 29+, take your pick of setups to match your terrain. For Sea Otter, they were showing it off with the industry’s current darling, 27.5+ with some tires you can’t get quite yet.

The Maxxis Chronicle was introduced for last year as a 29+, and at Taipei Show we learned they’d have a 27.5+ version by this summer. So, it’s likely these were just preproduction versions with a prototype decal.

PivotCycles.com

Tyler Benedict

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Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves finding new travel adventures to share with his family and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter. And, he’s totally gone down the NFT rabbit hole.

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Quickie

7 years ago

Pivot’s bikes ride really well, but they keep getting uglier.

Yetiman

7 years ago

@Quickie, Mate…you need a new spectacles 🙂

Dave

7 years ago

@Quickie. Pivot’s look amazing. What brands do you think look better? And yes they ride great. which is why I have 3 of them.

CalliforniaCondor

7 years ago

@Yetiman assuming you like a particular turquoise company out of Colorado…

that being said, I agree, even if Pivot’s are incredible to ride, some of them hideously ugly. If I’m spending thousands on a new rig, I need to like everything about it.

Yes, I do realize aesthetics are subjective.

Paul

7 years ago

“There’s something prototype on his bike….” – That rocker link on Bernard’s bike looks much bigger than the standard version

7 years ago

Why does the XL xc bike have a lower standover than the dh bike.

Bendy tubes for no reason is dumb.

Oh. And pivot. Your cable routing sucks arse! But obviously you know that as your pro riders are zip tieing the cables to random frame tubes to make it suck a little less

henrik

7 years ago

I’ve ridden a handful of Pivot’s over the years and dig them, but ugh, the bendy and swoopy tubes these days are getting so bad! Like Ellsworth bad.

Jake

7 years ago

@J The cable routing on the new Mach 4 and 429sl is much better. All internal. No cables above the shock anymore.

Also, how is more standover a bad thing? Do you like whacking your nuts on the top tube if you have an involuntary dismount?

Mike

7 years ago

Cable routing on the Mach 6 was definitely an afterthought of the the design. It is horrible, and Pivot learned quickly how vocal dealers could be about something they thought as not much of an issue.

That is most likely why you see the refocus on cable routing with the introduction of the Mach 4C and the Mach 429SL.

Routing is simple and elegant with these two new bikes, and the cable port options make running whatever you need clean and secure.

However, on Bernard’s up there, he’s running end to end full housing, which is why it’s zip tied on the rear triangle, instead of being ran through the cable guides.

Mitch

7 years ago

@Paul I think you’re right. The angle and size of the upper linkage is definitely different. From this side shot it looks exactly like the 5th gen DW Link.

Matt

7 years ago

I have been waiting for a while now for them to put out a new 27.5 Mach 5.7c. It is an insult that they are trying to sell their current 5.7 with a 27.5 adapter kit as opposed to selling a bike that was made specifically for the wheel size. They should be a little embarrassed by that and know it is hurting a brand that has built up a lot of respect over the years. I know that they are waiting to sell out of their current 5.7s but I am not going to wait much longer. Pivot, do the right thing and release the new Mach 5.7c 27.5.

Dave

7 years ago

Matt,

So if you were Pivot what would you have done? Just thrown away the bikes? Let the internet discounters sell all of the bikes at a deep discount?

As a shop owner I applaud Pivot. They took a difficult situation in having 26″ bikes that most customers did not want and found a solution without dumping the product which would devalue the brand / bikes.

It looks like Pivot sold out of the 27.5 / 5.7 conversion as I have sold quite a few and the customers were very happy and now they are all gone. Looks like people wanted these anyway.

I am sure there will be a redesigned 27.5 / 5.7 soon.

Matt

7 years ago

Dave, good question. If I were leading Pivot, I would have evaluated the situation and tried to come up with a solution that met the core values of the Company. I would have hoped that would have led them to a couple of decision points including 1) is the old technology a sunk cost, 2) is holding back new technology from the customers we serve so that we can sell more of the outdated technology the right thing to do and does it support our core values, 3) is selling a conversion kit that is not the new technology and inherently won’t be as good as the new 5.7 version detrimental to the brand and are we serving our customers as well as if we had released the new version, 4) can we offer the old technology at a different price point in order to limit and/or recoup costs – is there a segment of customers that are price sensitive and are willing to accept the older technology, 5) by holding back the new technology are we putting an economic proposition ahead of our market leadership and core values, and 6) how do we best serve our customers.