Pivot Shuttle SL Review

[@JasonLiebrecht72]

I’ve had my Shuttle SL for a year and absolutely love it. I spotted it on your rack on your last dirt bike video and spent a bit trying to find your review of the bike. And here it is!

[@NH-il6uc]

I ride an acoustic Switchblade. Hard to call any Pivot a “Peasant Bike” unless you mean that you’ll be a peasant after buying one as it will take all your money.

[@drewchang7921]

I swapped mine to an ohlins 160mm fork and coil shock for gnarly downs. also changed to a 35mm stem and took out some spacers as the stock setup was too high. lastly, I changed the bike to a mullet. bike is great with this setup

[@JeffKendallWeed]

A mullet?! I'm not a big fan of mullets, but that kinda makes sense to slacken it. The Geoset is my preferred method tho- slacker, but keeps the better traction, stability, and efficiency of the 29" rear wheel.

[@jason-dy5ou]

while i have not had any range issues with mine, I did make the same changes you made. I used a 35mm stem to shorten the bike and bars with more sweep and a 35mm rise. I am 6'4" and ride most bikes in the XL size. I ride a XL switchblade and I WISH I bought the Shuttle SL in a Large size. It is a long bike. I would recommend dropping down a size for those wanting a more playful bike. All that said I absoutley love mine. It is a lot of fun to ride.

[@Nutinbutmtb]

Hey Jeff, great video. I put a 160 Zeb and mullet setup to make it more enduro oriented. I am loving this setup. Also, I am able to do a local loop that's just over 20 miles and 4300 gain on the bike - 50/50 trail /eco.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

So you’re getting about 800’ more vert than I am- it’s cold here, like 40-45 degrees. Just curious, would you agree that it’s about 20% easier than riding an acoustic bike?

[@boogiedownbronx73]

up hill for sure but downhill nothing beats analog bikes @@JeffKendallWeed

[@Nutinbutmtb]

@@JeffKendallWeed Cold definitely has a negative effect on the battery. My rides were done mostly in low 60s. Rider's weight is probably more directly linked to range. I am 152lbs. Difficult to rate the % assist but I can be dead tired and still go for a few miles of riding with ease.

[@SuperSickSends]

I’ve been watching you for a while and I love your vids and I even got the Kona presses 134 because of you

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Stomp! That Process is a lotta fun!

[@Shawn-in-da-Canyon]

Nice video. I would love to see you spend some time on a Trek EXe. I’d be curious to see what changes you would make. I’ve made a lot of changes to mine and I love it. Although, I fell too, but broke 5 ribs. On New Year’s Day, of all days to fall. Give us more great videos. There’s a shortage of good MTB videos on KZbin.

[@lukelackermayer]

Thanks for another great video jeff!

[@scottpetersen7698]

Due to range issues on all the other light ebikes I test rode I ended up with an Specialized Enduro SL and at 6'4" 240 riding in Bellingham I can get over 2.3k vert on boost mode easy and add a range extender there is another 1000. You could get 3k on the bike being so much lighter than me.

[@arhamrasool43]

Would love to hear your thoughts on the pivot shadowcat!

[@LittMTB]

Or the Mach 6. 27.5 brethren!

[@Happy_Biker]

You know it's a good bike, but maybe not enough bike for Jeff.

[@AZMTB]

Hawes does allow ebikes, class 1 and. 2 only. Surrons definitely not allowed. I demo'ed the Shuttle LT right from the Pivot factory a while ago and did like it, but demo'ed an Orbea Wild a few months later and THAT bike impressed the hell out of me. I had bought an Oso in the meantime which I don't really get along with, but just got my customized Wild a few months ago and have my Oso listed for sale. I did opt for the smaller 625 watt hour battery to keep the bike a little lighter, but I'm still able to clear 3500 feet of climbing no problem (and I'm 225 pounds). But the bike handles AMAZING especially through the chunk, and it loves to turn (unlike the Oso). I'm a little surprised, I was expecting to see you do a review on the Oso given your past with them, and would love to hear what you think on the Wild (basically a Rallon with a battery and motor).

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks for sharing your Oso experience! I have been hesitant to do a video on that bike, and haven’t actually ridden one yet. Will likely wait for ibis to do another eMTB (hopefully 160 travel, SL style, small battery or Tazer style). Orbea got on the eMtB wagon years ahead of Ibis, just like Lapierre, so it makes sense that they are now a category leader.

[@OSUHARDING1ATECHNICEXPERIENCE]

I own this exact bike here in the PNW and I get a lot more range out of the battery than you described here. I am 200 lbs and not in the greatest fitness condition so something seems off with your test bike. I can get 3000 - 3500 feet with battery remaining.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

I am also getting ~3-3500 feet, riding in mid and low lodes judiciously. But you are like the fifth person to tell me that’s incorrect. I think mentioning the

[@OSUHARDING1ATECHNICEXPERIENCE]

@@JeffKendallWeed That seems to check out then as I never ride in the top boost mode. 75% in mid and 25% in low mode.

[@thescitchman]

@@JeffKendallWeed , thanks for the clarification, and great video! Maybe it's a bit like apples and oranges but I have a Transition Relay with the same drive/battery system and I'm able to climb 3k feet at the blue level and still have 50% battery left. It's a pretty steady logging road climb (booga suga!) and I'm 185lbs. Granted, I'm definitely in the dad camp, but my personal battery wears out well before the Fazua 430 😅.

[@andymtb3212]

I rode Hawes last week and it was about 50% e-bikes. Technically not allowed but no one was complaining/enforcing the policy. Could have rode twice as much if I brought the emtb 😭

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Hahaha twice as much but not twice as fun! I always enjoy my pedal bike rides more than the electric rides.

[@alexthemtbr]

Short chainstays probably caused the front wash out of nowhere. Obviously crashes happen. But that crash probably could be prevented if the bike had better balance. It’s a shame pivot has some of the best feeling suspension on the market but the rear ends are so short, it’s very unpredictable to corner

[@xav_1029]

Carbon Orbea Rise V1, cascade link, 160-170 fork FTW. Small battery on daily rides, range extender for longer. You can technically unlock full power, but don't tell Orbea that lol

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Orbea strongly urges against going longer than a 150 fork on that bike. If you ride aggressively or jump a lot, then be very careful!

[@xav_1029]

@@JeffKendallWeed 🤫🤐

[@amitsever]

Hi Jeff, Thanks for the nice review! One aspect that was missing for me was how the bike does on technical rocky climbs?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

I don’t know, we don’t have those in the PNW 🤷‍♂️

[@summerthewise6039]

I am curious how the geometry would compare to an Orbea Rise with MX wheel setup. I find the Rise in this configuration is much more aggressive due to the slacker head tube angle. That’s how I set up my Rise and I find it much more stable descending.

[@jadenharrison9420]

Awesome video! Would you be willing to review the new trek slash?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Maybe! I gotta find one with no strings attached that I can thrash for a month or so- that's the hard part. When my Stumpy and Stylus sell, I may get a Slash in for some videos.

[@jadenharrison9420]

@@JeffKendallWeed hell yeah!👍

[@jeremyallen5976]

Any chance you will review the transition patrol?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

eh, I'd rather try out a TransAm, Sentinel and a Relay, in that order, before a more free-ridey bike like the Patrol. I'm not that into mullet bikes. Lotsa folks LOVE that Patrol tho!

[@Epicdave22]

@@JeffKendallWeedvery curious about your thoughts on the Relsy.

[@richardambrose7441]

Nice review! And nice discussion of the trade-offs of the different bikes. You mentioned increased fork travel to 160mm, but didn't say how you like it. How did it change the handling? And in particular how did it change the handling on the less steep trails as opposed to the very steep Pacific NW trails? I'm pretty happy with the 150mm for the trails here in southern California, but I have thought about going to 160mm.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Rich! I haven't tried any less steep trails, I've only had the bike since December and likely need to return it before any road trips.

[@FireLysm]

@Jeff the only thing I would like to have is a bigger shock, would you agree?😅 Battery is plenty!

[@Yonatan.C]

Thanks for you're great videos Jeff , please make a comparison to the new specialized levo SL , I'd really like to know what your thoughts on that bike .

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks Yonatan! I haven't ridden one, but they seem VERY similar! Both can do around 3k vert, both provide around 20-25% more boost than riding acoustic. Would be neat to see how they differ on the downs!

[@randolphowen4587]

Maybe a dumb question. How did you slack out the one more degree? Did it make a lot of difference? Thanks. Great review

[@toddolson7273]

Have you tried the Pivot AM - it's the Switchblade e-bike from Pivot? Has more range, etc..

[@maplic]

I'm curious why you went with a 1 degree slacker headset, when you already felt the front of the bike felt too long for PNW trails. Can you elaborate your mindset here?

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

Pivot are way up there with yeti and santa cruz for pricing exuberance. They are probably great but unless they have a Kona 2 for 1 type of deal I'll probably never consider one 😢

[@catonabike2774]

I want to see the kitten!!!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

They've been in a buncha vids! Check the Bronson vid for the best cameo!

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I have plenty to give away, all our cats were supposedly neutered. We were living a lie 😼

[@WilliamrikerNCC1701]

The SL bikes are great in theory however you have to ask yourself if the range trade-off is worth the weight savings. For me it isn’t, but for others if you ride in an area with no much elevation or really want minimal assist then maybe the SL is better for you.

[@enzochoi923]

I'd live to see a full ebike shootout from you! another one to the team means even more comparison permutations!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

That would be fun! I have never done a shootout, but it seems easy-ish until a MASSIVE log of editing! Stay tuned, I have something similar with bicycles in the works!

[@swbroadfoot4695]

Have been waiting for you to review this one. Thanks!

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Thanks for the note! It's a great all around mountain bike!

[@hadenemslie5711]

Hi Jeff what brand is the front fender you were running on this ? thks

[@OmnieStar]

What are your local trails called btw? They look fun!

[@santanalor9771]

Time for a 429 and ripley comparison 😊

[@skylermurphy1609]

Hey! What would you think about putting a geo adjust headset on the Shuttle SL to get the angle 1 degree slacker for the steeper PNW terrain??

[@JeffKendallWeed]

100% a must do! I have a big follow up video I’ll publish very soon. The angle set, a 160 fork, and an X2 rear shock and WOW, this bike turned into one of my all time favorites! I posted a video from racing the Megavolt, and in the beginning go over all the upgrades I did to the shuttle SL to get it feeling better for Northwest style riding.

[@skylermurphy1609]

@@JeffKendallWeed Thanks!! Stoked to check that out!

[@ewxlt]

What chest pack is that?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Chest pack? It's the 40 year old, Dad-bod that spends 4 days a week in front of a computer, and 3 days a week glued to parenting a 7 year old!

[@PuffinPass]

I think you are asking about the USWE backpack with gopro harness that they offer and works awesome. Once the pack is dialed in you will forget its even on.

[@charlieharper4975]

Very good review except for two glaring errors : how well the bike climbs and how noisy the motor is. For many buyers this information is critical in making a buying decision. ( you didn't really talk about how the bike climbs on a trail, just a paved road)

[@skiboot1]

Norco Fluid review?

[@MrDaymien1]

I personally just don't see the case for SL bikes, under gunned under powered under distance . I suppose younger guys/gals may be attracted to an SL, but SL prices are the same or more than a top spec MTB and SL bikes are duds if your out of power. I fell Ebikes are either multiple shuttle in a ride bike or a supper long distance loop bike/s . Full power with two battery sizes i fell is best , but everyone has there own view. Killer riding as always Jeff

[@JeffKendallWeed]

All depends what aspect of riding you find the most fun. If your wheels stay on the ground, a full power, fat eMTB is fine. If you like to ride wheels in the air, jumping lots and putting a ton of input into the bike, then an SL is a lot more fun. And if you're a more casual rider, just wanting to ride regular 'ol MTB trails, the lighter SL bikes are also much easier to manage. Many of us only have ~2-3 hours to ride at a time, too.

[@Luxraeco]

I think the biggest thing for me is I don't want to ride a 55-60LB bike downhill. I want some assist to take the sting out of the climbs but don't want to be hauling a boat around trails. I ride a Kenevo SL and think that riding a Full Fat in Turbo is so overkill. My bike weighs 42Lbs full stock. The weight is huge when it comes to descending. Each to their own.

[@jamie-qz6xx]

where di u get that mudguard from m8 ?

[@JJMassar]

What brand of angled geoset did you use?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Wolf tooth Geoset, link in the description!

[@JJMassar]

@@JeffKendallWeed Thank you!

[@MightyFireL]

Video talking of breaking wife's pants published just after valentine's day... Nice timing!

[@rob16XC]

😂the wife's pants bit did NOT translate to English immediately ! Glad you clarified.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

😂

[@schuylercrippen8778]

What was your average real world mileage/vert on a full charge?

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Mileage is irrelevant for my very mountainous region- but as I mention in the review, I could get 3,000 ft (1,000 meters) of vertical if I use only the lowest and medium settings. This is very similar to a Specialized Levo SL.

[@ajandlucy]

@@JeffKendallWeed Hey Jeff, I make another comment about the range there seems something off with the battery on the shuttle sl you had maybe. My understanding is the Pivot platform is efficient and I ride with a few other midweight e-mtbs, 2 of us on Fazua (Relay and Heckler SL) and one on the Levo SL (new one) and the Heckler is the best for range marginally over the relay, only way Levo SL can manage is with the range extender. Both of us Fazua riders get well over 1000m vertical most or all of that on the highest assist setting.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

You get 3300’ in rocket?! I can barely eke out 3300’ using river and breeze carefully. It’s also cold here- 40-45 F. That’s like 5 C.

[@schuylercrippen8778]

@@JeffKendallWeed I assumed your stated range in the vid was all with towing someone. The handful of other people I’ve heard experience from can get up to 4,700 feet before the battery gets below 10%.

[@akawazzupwitdat1543]

Great video

[@PaulGPixelBike]

Wait. You can ride this bike only on "E-Bike" trails? What.

[@ajandlucy]

Hey Jeff your range seems really really low. You should get much more vertical, I easily get more than 1000m (3300ft) vertical on full max power mode even using the boost option for steep pinches and that is on the much less efficient transition relay with 170mm coil, wide open

[@JeffKendallWeed]

You got 3300, I got about 3000, seems similar? Pinkbike gets 3000 on the Levo SL. It’s about 40-47 degrees on the warmest days here right now, that also affects range.

[@ajandlucy]

@@JeffKendallWeed in full rocket mode, if used breeze it would be like 5000+ my experience matches most fazua riders I know

[@ajandlucy]

@@JeffKendallWeed I checked and I have done 3800ft in full rocket that was in warmer weather 15-20 deg C. I rode Galbraith in late Dec (6-8 deg C) when I visited my brother in Seattle and took a relay out with my son who rarely rides. I was n river (trail) mode the whole time and although I didn't have my garmin (left in the hotel) I would say we did about 2500 ft and I still had over half a battery when I dropped at Outpost. We did Evolution, Pump Track, Atomic Dog, Mullet, Cheech & Chong, Unemployment Line, Radical Dragon - you probably know what that adds up to in your head!

[@harzenduro]

I was so waiting for this video.... aaaaand now that I've seen it, I'm rather disappointed.

[@jeffrogers2180]

Peasant? Acoustic? They're just bikes... Only the e-bikes require a special designation. 😊

[@hifiandmtb]

Agree. Bike, and e-bike.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

LOL In a few years, it might just be "bikes and peasant bikes" hahaha! I hope not!

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

@@JeffKendallWeed They are already both bikes in one...

[@OmnieStar]

I think I'm just gonna start replying to these anti E-bike comments with something that expresses all the disdain I have for people who discount a part of a hobby based on some unrealistic form of "purity". Or the fact that the group of people they hang out with also circle jerk each other into believing that an E-bike, isn't just a bike. I'm gonna just go with. ~Manual~ that will be the comment. Edit: Manual because.. They are both manual bikes. =/

[@BankBoy21]

If this bike had more travel it would be a keeper.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

An SL firebird would be amazing!

[@BankBoy21]

Mach 6 would be enough for me:)@@JeffKendallWeed

[@roddas26]

The toggle is pure trash. And the cables rattling in the frame are a slight annoyance. Other than that I liked it.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

All eMTBs I've ridden make some more noise than peasant bikes. What's wrong with the twist toggle? I only use it a few times a ride, it seems fine to me.

[@roddas26]

@@JeffKendallWeed felt like it was super flimsy to me. And would probably not last a hard impact? The "bike" however felt great. For me it was a no. Mostly due to price honestly. Levo SL gen 2 got the nod instead. Would enjoy your review of that rig. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Isn’t that Levo SL the $14,000 USD bike?!

[@roddas26]

@@JeffKendallWeed I have the $7999USD version. But am lucky enough to work in the industry.

[@WillRippstein-di1vx]

Show kittens more please:)

[@JeffKendallWeed]

last few videos, they've been in! Bronson review had a fun Rocco cameo!

[@WillRippstein-di1vx]

I love it!@@JeffKendallWeed

[@nadersedaghat5694]

This bike is going for 30% off and still no one is buying them. Shame because it is a great bike

[@JeffKendallWeed]

I don't see any discounts on them at all.

[@nadersedaghat5694]

@@JeffKendallWeed yes when you look online no discounts due to the competition. Some people actually go to the bike shop to buy these and they will offer you a discount. I picked one up last week from Rock and road cyclery for 30% off . Slx/XT spec model.

[@ark530abe]

Towing people will definitely wear out the motor way faster. Also these low power ebikes are pointless as they dont have much range so whats really the point.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

The point? They don’t suck to jump! Besides, I don’t have 4+ hours to wander around the woods… 2-3 is usually all this dad has to ride. The range extender should help. But even big eMTBs can’t go more than 6-7k vert.

[@freezer4230]

Full face. It will look fine in the videos.

[@JeffKendallWeed]

I don't want to spend 6 hours riding my XC loops in a full face helmet. I need to drink water, eat food, look at my phone, and most important of all, speak with all the other trail users (hikers and horses). Full faces prevent all of that.

[@OmnieStar]

Yeah but you rock those XC trails like its a free style comp LOLOL @@JeffKendallWeed

[@trailhobbit9103]

Electric Bikes (EMTB) = "E" Bike ...... Acoustic,/Analogue/Amish (AMTB) = "A" Bike! Much simpler

[@soular420]

Cool bike, hideous colour scheme.

[@mrpachuco696]

Si

[@Coors1974]

The peasant bike term doesn't make any sense and calling them analog really makes no sense and there not acoustic either..we ride bikes ..not electric assisted motorbikes..

[@JeffKendallWeed]

Peasant is just an overly ironic, sarcastic way of pointing out that regular 'ol bicycles will always be more affordable.

[@OmnieStar]

Manual!

[@robertkeith9620]

lost me at E bike..

[@JeffKendallWeed]

TBH I prefer peasant bikes myself, but it's still REALLY fun trying out the eMTBs! And as I say often in my riding tutorials, riding as many different types of bikes will really help improve one's skills in their primary discipline, too.