Test: With the new Pivot Switchblade PRO XT/XTR 1x, the Americans have developed a versatile trail bike with downhill genes. The equipment, the weight and the specified spring travel at least suggest a trail bike, but once you ride the perfectly tuned bike you think of a thoroughbred enduro. PIVOT lightens your wallet by 7.499 euros with the Switchblade XT/XTR, is it worth it?
Pivot Switchblade: (Almost) perfectly finished frame
PIVOT offers the carbon frame for the Switchblade in five different sizes (from XS to XL), there is no aluminum version. The PIVOT Switchblade is available in blue or black, each with red/white accents. The first thing that catches the eye on the neatly finished frame is the dw-link rear triangle system. Together with a custom tuned FOX FLOAT FACTORY DPS EVOL KASHIMA, this delivers 135mm of travel on the rear wheel, which feels like a lot more due to the virtual pivot point. A small drop of bitterness with the rear triangle is the deflection, dirt and small stones collect here which then rub against the paintwork and cause it to flake off.
The very wide axle mount is also interesting, PIVOT relies on more than just the BOOST standard for the Switchblade. DT-SWISS supplies the required 157x12mm thru-axle, which gives the bike even more rigidity and stability. The free space provided by the wide axle not only offers enough space for 27,5"+ tires, but 29" tires can also be used without complex conversion measures and with the shortest (428mm) chainstay on the market. All the necessary lines are largely laid in the frame. But not only the cables find their place in the frame, Shimano's Di2 system can also be completely integrated into the down tube.
This is also protected from scratches and stone chips by a perfectly dimensioned down tube protection made of soft rubber. During the test, it turned out that the down tube protection quickly detaches at the contact points when it is transported on a roof rack and the imprints are visible for a long time. One of the screwed (!) covers for the cable openings also came loose and got lost in the trail rumble. Here one could expect Loctite or a better bonding for the price range.
Pivot Switchblade: Modern and agile geometry
The geometry is modern and designed for trail and enduro use. Due to the extremely short chainstays, 29" tires are no reason to lose agility. A bottom bracket height of just under 34 cm and a steering angle of 66,5° for 27,5"+ and 67,25° for 29" ensure sufficient reserves and riding fun even on rough terrain. We had the opportunity to test both wheel sets, 29" and 27,5"+. For the 27,5"+ there was a 17mm spacer that is used below the head tube to adapt the geometry to the wheelset.
Pivot Switchblade 29
XS | S | M | L | XL | |
seat tube (in mm) | 368 | 406 | 425 | 457 | 495 |
Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 555 | 581 | 614 | 635 | 660 |
head tube (in mm) | 85 | 90 | 101 | 107 | 120 |
chainstay (in mm) | 428 | 428 | 428 | 428 | 428 |
Wheelbase (in mm) | 111 | 1133 | 1167 | 1190 | 1219 |
Steering angle (in °) | 67.25 | 67.25 | 67.25 | 67.25 | 67.25 |
Seat angle (in °) | 74.75 | 74.5 | 74.25 | 74.25 | 74.25 |
Reach (mm) | 390 | 410 | 440 | 460 | 485 |
Stacks (in mm) | 600 | 605 | 615 | 620 | 630 |
Pivot Switchblade B+
XS | S | M | L | XL | |
seat tube (in mm) | 368 | 406 | 425 | 457 | 495 |
Top tube horizontal (in mm) | 555 | 581 | 614 | 635 | 660 |
head tube (in mm) | 85 | 90 | 101 | 107 | 120 |
chainstay (in mm) | 428 | 428 | 428 | 428 | 428 |
Wheelbase (in mm) | 1116 | 1137 | 11721 | 11941 | 1224 |
Steering angle (in °) | 66.50 | 66.50 | 66.50 | 66.50 | 66.50 |
Seat angle (in °) | 74 | 73.75 | 73.5 | 73.5 | 73.5 |
Reach (mm) | 380 | 400 | 430 | 450 | 475 |
Stacks (in mm) | 605 | 610 | 621 | 627 | 638 |
Pivot Switchblade: Solid Shimano equipment
frame | Switch blade carbon |
suspension fork | FOX 36 Float Factory |
Suspension shocks | FOX Float Factory DPS |
Wheels | DT Swiss XM551 |
Tire VR | Maxxis Rekon 2,8 |
Tire HR | Maxxis Rekon 2,8 |
derailleur | Shimano XTR |
Gear levers | Shimano XT |
Crank | Race Face Aeffect 30t |
Front derailleur | ohne |
Brake | Shimano XT M8000 |
Brake discs | Shimano RT-86 180/180mm |
Seat post | FOXTransfer |
Saddle | WTB Vigo Race |
Stem | Pivot Phoenix Team Enduro |
Links | Phoenix Team Carbon 760mm |
The Japanese Shimano is installed as far as the eye can see. In our test, we drove the XT/XTR version with a 1-speed drive. The cockpit was adorned with Shimano XT brake levers and a Shimano XT trigger as well as incredibly comfortable PIVOT Phoenix grips with integrated PadLoc called gel pads on the outside. Due to the diagonally sawn PIVOT Phoenix Team Carbon handlebars (760mm width), these gel pads can absorb enough forces and always ensure a comfortable position of the hands, even on long tours.
A Shimano XT M8000 brake with ICE-Tech and 180mm rotors decelerates on the front and rear wheels. It can be dosed cleanly in all trail situations, but also ensures proper deceleration and is also considered one of the most low-maintenance brakes on the market. DT Swiss supplies the wheels for our test bike, we had the DT XM series with an inner width of 27,5mm for the 40"+ version and the XM series with an inner width of 29mm for the 25" version. Both variants took the matching MAXXIS tires well and provided good grip in the tubeless construction.
The rear wheel is shifted to a Shimano XT M8000 11-46 11 speed cassette with Shimano XTR 11SPD GS rear derailleur. Seat post and suspension fork come from Fox. The Fox Transfer, which is very easy to use, can be lowered without much effort and is also extended again quickly. When it is in position - whether extended or retracted - you receive clear acoustic feedback from the dropper post, which signals the driver the final position. We really liked this feedback during the test drives. A Fox 36 Factory Elite with 150mm travel works on the front wheel, this suspension fork showed us from the start what terrain the PIVOT Switchblade was made for. Buttery and perfectly tuned, the 150mm on the front wheel harmonize very well with the 135mm on the rear wheel. Despite the rather short suspension travel for enduro use, even in the bike park test, you never had the feeling that the PIVOT Switchblade and its chassis were being pushed to their limits or even to the limit. All in all, our test bike is very solidly equipped and exudes durability. It only gets better with the PIVOT Switchblade TEAM, which is also available with Shimano Di2 components.
Pivot Switchblade: precision for the rough
The PIVOT Switchblade is designed for 29" and 27,5"+ tires and, as mentioned, we tested both wheel sizes. Let's start with the 29" wheels: For me as a 650B rider, I was very skeptical about these "wagon wheels" at the beginning, but this quickly turned out to be unjustified - at least on the downhill. Due to the extremely short rear end (the shortest on the market), it was playful and agile despite the tire size, even on technical sections you never had the feeling that the bike was in your way. Small obstacles were simply rolled over and therefore there was relatively little rolling resistance even on the uphill, but I felt that a slightly easier gear on the cassette to the reserve was still missing. The 46 teeth pedal a little harder in combination with the 29" tires.
The 27,5"+ wheels behaved differently. The relationship between 46 teeth and the tire circumference seems to fit here. They were also a bit more agile, but above all much more full on the trail. The high volume of the MAXXIS Recon+ was simply noticeable, this supported the 150mm/135mm chassis again and still gave enough feedback from the track even with low air pressure of around 1 bar. With an even lower air pressure of around 0,8 bar, the tire tended to buckle but still stayed on the rim.
Pivot Switchblade: One chassis - smooth as butter
A 150mm FOX 36 Factory Elite on the front wheel, a FOX Float Factory with custom tuning for the Switchblade on the 135mm rear triangle. PIVOT relies on precision here. In addition to an air pressure table for the suspension fork - which is individual for each bike and rider's weight - there is also a small, useful plastic attachment on the damper. The SAG indicator is individualized for each PIVOT bike and offers the possibility to set the negative spring deflection ideally defined by PIVOT. This customizing brings harmony to the actually different spring deflections on the front and rear wheels. If you lock the damper, you arrive at the summit relaxed and "no rocking". If you open it again, stones and roots are almost swallowed up.
Sitting on the relatively stiff frame is comfortable to sporty and the WTB saddle specially made for PIVOT cushions well. If you have accelerated, the gears are changed very precisely by the Shimano XTR rear derailleur, even under load, and on rough descents the Shadow Plus system tensions the chain and thus reduces the beating on the frame, which is secured by a chainstay protection. In this way, disturbing background noises are almost eliminated. The Shimano XT brake with the 180mm rotors on the front and rear wheel can be dosed very cleanly, and we also noticed the tool-free lever reach adjustment.
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