TESTED | The new Pivot Mach 4 SL is a brand new full suspension XC pinner from Pivot Cycles

[@davehoover8853]

Nice to get a well presented review from someone who has actually ridden the bike extensively and in the environment it was designed to perform in. $$$, but so it goes with Pivot!

[@bobumbel]

Thank you for sharing! I just picked up my World Cup XTR last week and it is hands down best full suspension cross country I have ever ridden! I love my Yeti but this 2020 has it all for what I was looking for. I have only put in 2 rides and first impression is over the top!!

[@benwebster8872]

Nice job Will! Best reviews in the industry!

[@singletrack]

Cheers Ben - that's very kind of you to say! Thanks for watching the video and for your feedback mate! [ST Wil]

[@Trhuster]

Another top review from you. Keep it up! 👍

[@singletrack]

Cheers mate, stoked you liked the review! [ST Wil]

[@coreymclernon]

Nice review! I just got my son last years version of that bike. He’s loving it!

[@singletrack]

Right on Corey! Hope your son is loving his new bike and getting out on plenty of adventures :-) [ST Wil]

[@dkspringer]

I'm never going to pay that for a bike but enjoyed the review. Really detailed, and interesting.

[@singletrack]

Based on my wage as a cycling journalist, I think I'm in the same boat as you Dave :-) Thanks for watching the video, and appreciate the positive feedback mate! [ST Wil]

[@jaymueller2418]

16k in Australia. WTF.

[@jamescourier1545]

My dream bike!

[@flembake]

Yeah Wil! Awesome review, packed full of great information.

[@singletrack]

Cheers Cody - glad you liked it mate! [ST Wil]

[@RATBURL]

Excellent job 👍🏻

[@gregcavanaugh6259]

Great review. Thorough.

[@singletrack]

Cheers Greg! Thanks for watching and for the positive feedback mate! [ST Wil]

[@BikeIntelligencer]

Great review thanks Wil! I always appreciate when a reviewer compares. How does this bike perform vis-à-vis others in its class, the Intense Sniper for instance? Or Canyon Lux? And so on... thanks!

[@Jyristori]

Awesome review!

[@tdavidg9176]

Nice bike, great review....curious why not 2.6” tire in rear? That seems to be the new standard for plus 29’s.

[@tgoods5049]

Tdavid G overkill for XC racing

[@andrewk3473]

Really cool type of bike, short trail/relaxed XC. Would love a shorter travel bike for smashing kms, but $16k!!!

[@singletrack]

Agreed - this type of bike is just getting more and more capable. Normally I would want a 130-150mm travel bike for the trails we were riding, but the Mach 4 SL was totally up for it, and rarely felt out of its depth. The price on that top-end model with the Live Valve suspension is bonkers right? Bear in mind that the Live Valve package is an optional $2000 upgrade. And if you're not fussed on the XTR groupset and carbon wheels, you can get into Mach 4 SL land for literally half the price! [ST Wil]

[@andrewk3473]

Singletrack Magazine yeah awesome these bikes are getting more capable, suit a lot more people than an enduro bike. Yeah I get it’s top of the line, I just can’t believe people spend so much when you could get something very similar for half the price. They obviously sell or they wouldn’t make them, so each to their own I guess.

[@matta6301]

For xc/xc marathon racing/general trail riding would you get the Pivot Mach 4 SL with live valve, pro xt/xtr build or save $1000 and get the Scott Spark premium? I've narrowed it down to these two because of what's available to me locally. Could also splurge and get the Mach 4 in team XTR build with live valve for another $1900... worth it?

[@chrisluker2312]

Interested to know how it stacks up to the SC Blur you’ve been testing with 120mm up front.

[@singletrack]

Great question Chris! I'm really keen to get a Mach 4 SL for longterm testing back home in Australia, so I can ride it on the same trails as the Blur and compare the two directly. That said, my early impressions of the Mach 4 SL are very positive. It's a touch slacker than the Blur (67.5 vs 68.1-degrees with the 120mm travel fork), and I've found the dw-link suspension to be more consistent, with better bottom-out support than the Blur's VPP suspension. Consequently, I could push the Mach 4 SL pretty darn hard - it does an amazing job at masquerading as a lightweight trail bike! The Live Valve suspension is quite something too - I imagine XC riders and racers are going to take it to it well once they get the chance to demo it on a bike like this. [ST Wil]

[@chrisluker2312]

Singletrack Magazine any idea when it comes to the UK? I’ve just had a demo with the Blur TR and SB100. Keen to try this.

[@singletrack]

@@chrisluker2312- Not 100% sure mate, but I'll see if I can find out for you! [ST Wil]

[@chrisluker2312]

Thanks Will

[@bubbastard]

Looks like a Turner Czar

[@BikeIntelligencer]

My thought too. Dave way ahead of his time ...

[@calcite84]

Great stuff Wil, lovely machine but how many do they expect to sell at that price point?

[@singletrack]

Cheers for watching! I'm not too sure how many they expect to sell, probably more than you and I would expect! Though Pivot admitted that the lion's share of its sales are likely to be in the Pro XT/XTR spec. In total, there are 10 different spec levels available with the new Mach 4 SL. The entry-level model is literally half the price of the Team XTR bike we were riding at the launch, so there's quite a range of price options available. Oh and there's an even more high-end version with SRAM AXS! Of note is that each one is available with Live Valve as an optional upgrade, and the cheaper spec options can also be upgraded to carbon wheels. [ST Wil]

[@phx4669]

Looks like a Trek Top Fuel.

[@singletrack]

If you squint really hard and totally ignore the dw-link suspension design, then yes, yes it does :-) [ST Wil]

[@pbenjlo]

I really don't get it why manufacturer still give you 29i wheels on size XS and S frames. I'm sorry but anyone that small won't feel confortable on such big wheels.

[@singletrack]

You might want to tell that to Chloe Woodruff then Pierre :-) In all seriousness, she played a large role in the development of the Mach 4 SL. She stands at 158cm tall, and was previously riding an XS Mach 4 Carbon. However, she was finding that during some World Cup races that she was losing time over riders on 29ers. So Pivot made alloy prototypes of both 27.5in and 29in versions, and through testing, she found her times were faster on the big wheels. Because of the new suspension orientation, the new frame has more standover clearance (actually more than the old 27.5in Mach 4 Carbon!), and she was able to find the right riding position she needed, while still having room for a large size water bottle cage. Also bear in mind that because of the demand for 29in components for XC racing, there is now less development is going towards 27.5in wheels, tyres and forks - and that's a problem for World Cup racers, who need that choice. Because of all this, and the fact that they were able to make it down to an XS size, Pivot committed to 29in wheels with the new Mach 4 SL. Hope all that makes sense, but if you'd like to read more, check out the full story here; singletrackworld.com/2019/05/review-pivot-cycles-mach-4-sl-team-xtr-fox-live-valve/ [ST Wil]

[@garywhiteman8837]

Oh well the Mrs has to go for me to get this bike

[@simonassouline45]

Pivot are great bikes with new Shimano XTR Drivetrain! But Raceface Raceshit are the worst cranks on the Planet! Had a Raceface next sl, aeffect, and Next R! No matter how many times one washes their MTb, any amount of fine sand or dirt that may enter the bottom bracket, Creaks and Grinds without stop! Broke the Next Sl and Next R Carbon Arms Twice, Shimano Spd pedals broke off from the carbon threads! Went to Shimano Crankset, Smooth as Butter with no Annoying Sounds and broken parts! RaceFuck, hate the crankset! Raceface should go out of business!

[@tgoods5049]

Want

[@futebolguy84]

How is this bike even remotely worth the price of any of the build kits?? Particularly when you can get a full mid-level build Merida 120 or Trance 29 for less than the price of frame only...Their base level XT 11-speed setup is almost $9k here in NZ, so $2.5k for suspension+dropper, $500 for drivetrain, say another $500 for the other bits to be generous, and $5.5k for the frame? Even Santa Cruz frames are less dear. It's a pretty bike, but not sure how they expect anyone apart from dentists to be riding this.

[@ay_yal5217]

Absurd

[@christianfranco479]

bikes at this price are just ridiculous..i could get a bad ass motorcycle for that