Pivot invited their top dealers out to Arizona to come ride and learn about the new Switchblade. We spent two days on the trails of South Mountain to find out how the new version rides. Let me start by saying that the trails near Phoenix are a bit different than the trails in the Front Range. They are a bit tighter than our trails, and the climbs and descents don’t tend to be as long as many of ours. Otherwise, the trails are similar in that they are at least as rocky as our trails and have a lot of dry, sandy soil. After two days of desert riding I have a good idea of what the new bike is all about.
What’s New?
There have been a lot of smart changes made to the Switchblade. The rear travel goes up from 135mm to 142mm. The suspension is also a lot more progressive than the old system, meaning it is more supple in the beginning of the travel and ramps up to provide support deeper into the stroke. The shock is now vertically positioned which allows for a large water bottle on all sizes (great for all those short rides.) It is also coil compatible now! The front fork is 160mm with a reduced 44mm offset. The geometry makes the typical changes we expect to see. The headtube angle is slacker, the seat tube angle is steeper, and the wheelbase is longer. For those of you worried about the bike getting too long need not worry. This bike is still snappy, easy to ride, and playful. The bottom bracket height is also a bit taller than the old Switchblade so you can pedal over rocks without smashing your pedals.
What’s the Same?
It keeps the super boost rear spacing that allows for better tire clearance and short chainstays. The build kits are pretty much the same as they have been in the past. The Switchblade still fills the same place in Pivot’s line up. It’s their all mountain 29er that’s ready for anything.
How Does It Ride?
Out of the gate one of the first things I noticed was how intuitive this bike is to ride. After about 20 minutes it felt like I had owned the bike for a few years. I was jumping off of rocks and taking the fun line whenever possible. It handles its suspension really well. You can stand up on the pedals to get over tricky climbs and the bike provides support. You can descend down a rocky, eroded trail and the bike hugs the ground soaking up all the bumps like it’s nothing. I feel that the geometry is a really nice balance of high speed agility mixed with low speed agility. Uphill switchbacks? No problem! High speed alpine descents? Let it rip! It’s a bike that will feel fast at Betasso and capable in Moab. If you like to ride all over and have an appetite for technical terrain then this might be the bike for you!