Put facet by facet, the brand new Pivot Mach 4SL appears to be like fairly like the one launched in 2019, however there’s so much that’s totally different…and higher.
It drops virtually a pound off the body, has two journey choices, every with two journey changes, with 95-103mm journey on World Cup builds, and 106-115mm journey on the others.
It provides extra storage choices, and it’s additionally a bit longer and slacker. All collectively, it makes it a extra versatile race bike than ever, working for the whole lot from brief observe to XCO to marathon to multi-day epics.
“How a lot weight can we save?”
Pivot’s purpose was to “Problem the edge” with this bike. Taken two methods, it’s a motorcycle that allows you to push your personal limits, however it additionally pushed their engineering staff to design it.
Two major objectives had been “How a lot weight may we save out of this body?” and “How can we make the suspension extra playful with out giving up effectivity?”. In any case, it nonetheless must journey like a Pivot.
Founder Chris Cocalis mentioned that whereas different manufacturers had saving weight as a prime precedence on the latest bikes, Pivot’s focus was on suspension efficiency. So whereas different bikes dropped journey to 90mm and even as little as 60mm, and/or moved to a pivot-free rear dropout space through the use of a versatile seatstay, Pivot caught with their DW-link design and checked out methods to refine it and the body to enhance efficiency.
Their rear triangle, by the way in which, does not have a pivot close to the rear axle, however does use a decrease rocker arm connecting the one-piece rear triangle to the body, and the highest of the triangle pushes a rocker arm ahead, which pushes the vertically-positioned shock downward.
Enjoyable truth, the prior Mach 4SL was the primary of their fashionable bikes to have a vertical shock format, which allowed for a decrease prime tube and standover, decrease middle of gravity, and nonetheless permit for a water bottle contained in the entrance triangle. This new bike retains that design.
And, sure, shave just a few grams.
Truly, quite a lot of. The brand new Mach 4SL is 300-417g (0.65-0.9lb) lighter than earlier than, relying on body measurement.
Linkages had been one space the place they saved so much. They’re solid 7000-series aluminum that’s then machined, making it so much leaner than earlier than.
They skipped any inside sleeves for cables and hoses, which might add ~30g per line, they usually restrict the power to run the brakes moto model. All all bikes ship with Jagwire foam sleeves over the hoses inside to maintain issues quiet, and the cable port covers lock issues down to forestall looseness and rattles.
They even chosen a paint that solely provides about 25g, which is actually mild for a full coat of paint.
Claimed body weight for the Measurement Small is simply 1,660g (3.65lb) w/o shock, and 1,930g (4.25lb) w/ Fox DPS shock.
Full bike weight is beneath 23lbs for the SRAM XX SL World Cup construct, dropper seatpost, 29×2.4 tires and 30mm large carbon rims.
Enhancing suspension & journey choices
As nice as weight financial savings are, probably the most attention-grabbing function of the brand new Mach 4SL is the way in which it adjustments its persona and journey.
Some latest bikes have shortened rear wheel journey to maximise effectivity. Pivot needed to make it extra succesful, so shortening journey was positively not a means to do this.
So that they (largely) went longer. By swapping rear shocks, you will get 95-103mm of rear journey with a 40mm stroke shock, or 106-115mm with a 45mm stroke shock. Each shocks use the identical eye-to-eye size, so geometry doesn’t change when altering the shock, nor when altering modes (the Forks do, although, because the shorter stroke bikes get 100mm Fox 32 SC forks, the longer stroke ones get Fox 34 SC forks and will likely be slacker).
The prior mannequin had a hard and fast 100mm rear journey, a brand new flip chip on the higher shock mount permits you to change between two totally different journey settings for a given shock. But it surely adjustments extra than simply journey, it fully adjustments the bike’s persona.
With the shock within the rearward place, it has extra journey and the rocker has extra leverage over it, making for a plusher, extra playful bike.
Transfer to the ahead place and there’s much less leverage, so it’s firmer and extra environment friendly.
The change solely strikes the higher shock mount by 5.2mm, however it appears like a world of distinction. The bike goes from squishy and enjoyable to agency and quick (however nonetheless fairly enjoyable).
As for the kinematics, the suspension has a rising price till the rocker hits 90º to the shock, after which it’s a falling price, which helps it push by the final little bit of journey because the shock ramps up. The mixture provides them a relentless development, stopping you from blowing by the journey however nonetheless letting you utilize all of it.
For the longer-travel builds, which Pivot anticipates being 97% of their gross sales, the particular (common all through the journey) numbers are:
- 106mm mode – 2.35:1 leverage ratio
- 115mm mode – 2.55:1 leverage ratio
The longer journey setup is designed particularly across the air spring curve of the brand new Float rear shock. Regardless of the additional journey, Pivot says the longer journey model pedals even higher than the prior Mach 4SL, which was already a very good, quick bike.
For the shorter journey World Cup bikes, nevertheless, the present Fox DPS shock labored properly however begs the query, why not spec the brand new Float SL for the lightest bikes?
Cocalis says the DPS weighs about the identical because the Float SL, there’s nonetheless a number of stock of the DPS whereas the Float SL isn’t actually out there but, they usually did all of the testing with the DPS since this bike was in improvement 2.5 years in the past.
So, the Float SL will probably sub in after they’ve finished all the tuning and testing with it. But additionally, solely about 3% of their gross sales would be the brief journey mannequin, so…NBD?
Talking of tuning, they spec lighter shock valving for XS/Small frames.
Lastly, you gained’t discover Reside Valve suspension on it, solely handbook lockouts. Which, for a model like Pivot that’s been a giant fan of Reside Valve since its inception, could appear odd. However, let’s be actual, Reside Valve has been out for some time, and if patent filings are considered as studying the long run, likelihood is one thing new is coming quickly sufficient that it didn’t make sense to construct all the additional mounts and wire ports into this bike in the event that they’d be outdated quickly.
Learn into that what you’ll, however Pivot added that placing these holes and ports and mounts into the body didn’t match properly with their stiffness and weight objectives for this body both.
Additionally they added that the they designed this bike to carry out extraordinarily effectively beneath pedaling, minimizing the distinction between the previous bikes with Reside Valve and these bikes with out them. Talking of holes within the body…
Mach 4SL body design & options
Two issues that you just gained’t discover listed here are stealth cable routing and threaded backside brackets.
For the cables and hoses, they do run internally, however you gained’t discover Pivot working them by a headset cap anytime quickly on their mountain bikes.
Why? “We really feel it actually complicates the angles of the cables, they usually aren’t optimized at these angles,” says Cocalis. “It’s additionally not optimum for the headset, and it creates entry factors for water, and so forth. We’re simply not there but.”
For the PF92 backside bracket, they do their very own machining and dealing with of the carbon shell to a a lot larger customary than you’ll discover in most locations, which has led to them not having any points with creaking.
And, for Race Face cranks, they use a custom-designed Enduro bearing with double-row bearings that makes it bombproof.
Bottles & storage
All frames have measurement particular layups and tube shapes and diameters. Mix that with the numerous shock tuning and also you get bikes that ought to really feel and carry out equally for all rider sizes.
Gone are the 5 mounting factors on the downtube that allowed XL riders to suit two brief bottles there. Now, Medium and bigger frames can match two water bottles utilizing the accent mounts beneath the highest tube, however all sizes will match a big water bottle on the downtube. And there’s an additional mount beneath the downtube, too.
Why not inside storage? As a result of it provides weight.
You need to use the highest tube mounts for an additional bottle cage or instrument and wrap mounts, and there’s a further flip-flop panel beneath the BB that can be utilized to mount some Topeak Ninja instrument kits (it’s the place the Di2 battery went on the prior fashions to energy the Reside Valve system).
Cockpit
Curiously, they pay fairly a little bit of consideration to their cockpit components, too. Their MTB flat handlebar is 35mm x 760mm, and is designed by them, with a layup particularly designed for compliance the place it counts, measuring to be as “snug” as another extremely popular handlebars available on the market. Which principally means two issues: It’s not just a few generic carbon bar they slapped a label on, and it’s not one thing you’ll have to improve anytime quickly.
All bikes include a rear lockout utilizing the Rockshox TwistLoc distant, and World Cup fashions add one other line popping out of that to concurrently lock out the fork, too.
Chainline, gearing & brakes
The 4SL makes use of regular Increase axle spacing as a result of they needed to suit the narrowest Q-factor cranks from Shimano, regardless that they spec Race Face cranks on all the Shimano builds (as a result of they typically higher availability and value much less).
That allow them use 52mm chainline chainrings for the SRAM XX SL and Shimano+Race Face builds, which is healthier for an XC bike than the “do all of it” 55mm chainline that’s approaching a number of cranks these days, together with the brand new XO T-Kind cranks.
The chainstays clear as much as a 38t chainring, and the bikes match 29×2.4 tires, with the caveat that they imply rounded-profiled 2.4 tires like a Rekon Race, not an aggressively knobbed DHR.
Brake mount is designed for a 160mm rotor, however it’ll match any 180mm rotor with an adapter besides Hope.
Pivot Mach 4SL Geometry
Attain and wheelbase are longer and the pinnacle angle is slacker… 0.5º slacker with a 100mm fork, and 0.9º slacker with a 120mm fork.
Whereas the prior mannequin’s geometry was designed across the 120mm fork, this one was really designed across the shorter journey WC fashions first, regardless that they anticipate these shorter journey builds to be solely about 3% of gross sales.
As soon as that was dialed, they put the 120mm fork on it and made minor changes, dropping the BB and steepening the seat angle a bit extra in order that it hits the fitting spot for each builds. Technically the BB top is about 0.4mm larger than earlier than, however all bikes now include 2.4″ tires moderately than 2.2″, which raises issues up. The brand new geo places the WC bikes in a barely extra aggressive place than earlier than.
Pivot Mach 4SL pricing, builds & precise weights
All fashions are available in mild blue or inexperienced in sizes XS to XL, with Shimano and SRAM drivetrain selections at every spec degree. Key variations between the World Cup and different fashions is using the Switch SL dropper publish versus customary Switch posts.
The Journey and Professional fashions include DT Swiss alloy wheels, all others get wider Reynolds Black Label carbon wheels with Business 9 Hydra hubs, and Professional has the choice to improve to carbon. Click on any picture to enlarge.
World Cup XTR & World Cup XX SL
Staff XTR and Staff XX SL
Professional XT/XTR and Professional XO AXS
Journey SLX/XT and Journey GX/XO1
Bikes can be found now. Keep tuned for first impressions and journey overview.
