2024 pivot switch blade

The one and done bike?

If you’re reading this it’s probably because you like riding mountain bikes or road bikes or for some reason you enjoy my writings. Today we are gunna do something a little bit different I’m gunna do a review on the Pivot switchblade a bike for everyone in gravity that doesn’t need a big bike!

I had been wanting a to ride this bike for some time. Pivots have always caught my eye with their design it’s hard not to like the way their bikes are they have a new flare on a DW-link design that we all know and loved in that old school look that the iron horse Sunday gave in Sam hills peak years on the World Cup. They are super clean bikes with often long reach and short rear triangles. Makes them extremely fun to ride. The new switch blade is no exception. I was on this bike for a short period of time but was able to get enough of what I needed to understand what’s good and what’s not about this bike. Let’s start off by saying there really isn’t much bad to say about this bike. This is the Pro XT/XTR build which is a great spec for just about anyone looking to get into a higher end Mountain bike. The bike comes with a XTR rear mech, XT Brakes and shifter. Race Face Affect R cranks . Pivot stem, bar and grips. Fox Factory 36 Grip X-2 up front with 160mm of travel a Float factory X with 142mm out the back. Pared with a 200m Fox factory dropper this bikes pretty much all anyone ever would want. This isn’t even the top spec’d bike but I’d say this is the perfect built spec for everyday riding. I probably would’ve gone for a 170mm crank instead of the 175mm crank it comes with just because my legs are a bit shorter then the average rider but these are minor changes that would just make myself a little more comfortable out on the trails all day. This bike also comes with DT-Swiss wheels that is a XM1700 hoop with a 350 hub. Personally that’s the only part of the bike I didn’t actually like I am a little picky with wheels I’d probably swap these out for some Crankbrothers Synthisis e29 wheels with a i9 hub simply for how hard I tend to ride a bike. I’m biased but I not the biggest fan of the star ratchet system DT-Swiss uses. I’d prefer a I9 1/1 hub at this point with 6 paws and 60 point of engagement compared to the 36 star tooth ratchet in the dt-Swiss 350 on this bike. For me I9 hubs are also much more home friendly serviceable hubs that’s my humble opinion. Again though these are minor swap outs I’m picky about just me licking to service my own stuff at home I’ve learned which products are a little more user wheel set. Each rider is different and you might just be a die hard DT-Swiss guy and this is the perfect wheel set for you that comes on the bike.

The frame itself I was riding a large I normally size down in frames anyways at 6’2ft and 260lbs I’m no small rider by any means. I do have shorter legs and a longer torso so this gives me the edge to size down if you’re the same height but have longer legs you might size up to the XL but before you legitimately buy a bike always find a local demo to really find out what you think fits you best. Often I find myself playing around with stem sizes and Bar heights but if I’m being completely honest the 45mm pivot stem and 780mm provided on the size large was as accurate as it could get for me. I felt right at home on the bike. This almost never happens on a bike for me.

Riding the Pivot switchblade was better then I anticipated. I had raced Downhill bikes from 2009-2014 so riding a MTB is no new task to me but I have been riding a lot of road and gravel over the last 3 years or so. My pedalling efficiency might be a little different then the normal consumer just because I’m road riding you’re pedalling most of the day. Where riding a MTB most of your pedalling is going up. Not all most! I will say the pivot firebird pedalled extremely well. I left the fork open and put the rear shock into the firm setting and had 0 issues pedalling up my local trails. In Collingwood we have a lot of clay based terrain which when wet can get interesting at times. I ran 30psi in the front tire and 38 psi in the rear had 0 issues along the way this bike pedalled extremely well for a 160mm travel bike in these settings and honestly was a extremely enjoyable ride up. It’s easy to navigate and point this bike with a nice and short rear triangle you’re not to worried about where the rear tire lands it tends to just follow where you go. Back to where I talked about a shorter crank arm I did manage to hit a few roots along the way and that goes back to what I said about a shorter crank arm. I think this would’ve drastically made a difference for my personal preference as I found I was just skimming the roots I hit. Minor changes like I said. This did not take away from how good this bike was to pedal up. It’s not an XC bike keep in mind. This is a all mountain bike I might be selling it as that but when comparing it to most bikes I’ve owned in The past this bike is confidence inspiring when going up. Going downhill this bikes absolutely incredible. Pivot has changed their frame designs over the years but this bike reminds me a lot of the first phoenix they had. If you’re old enough to remember is was the reincarnation of the beloved iron horse Sunday Sam Hill once dominated on. This bike reminds me so much of those bikes going down. Point and shoot style of riding. The DW-Link is iconic in the mountain bike world. One of my all time favourites Dave Weagles design is one of the best ones ever produced. And over the years I think any bike his DW link has been in has proven itself behind the riders riding it.

So who’s this bike for? Question a lot of people probably already know and I’d say everyone. Living in Ontario, Canada I think if you’re looking for a bike you can ride in Ontario, take to Quebec, Vermont, NY, South Carolina, out west this bikes a one and done. I think this is 80% of the consumer nowadays. We all would love to have a garage full of bikes myself included but logically it doesn’t make sense. We have families, houses, jobs that only allow us to go ride after work or on the weekends. Pivots really hit the consumer with a bike that has no problem riding anything. This bike could ride anything. You won’t win a UCI DH race on this bike but you could ride a bike park on it no problem. I wouldn’t ride a bike park 7 months straight on this bike. I’d opt for a firebird at that point. But if you don’t have access to lift access and go once in a blue moon to a bike park. Ride a lot of local all mountain trails. The local grom enduro event I think this lands right in the hands of what you want. I wouldn’t worry about riding some technical up trails and good steep downs. It jumps well. I didn’t make any massive hits on this bike but I did manage to find a few larger tech gaps at my local trail network and never seemed to bottom out. I’d probably do some suspension tuning if I was to buy one of these to my liking to really get a preferred ride but as a first time ride out the box with some PSI added and little suspension adjustments without tokens or volume spacers I’d say my experience with this bike was extremely enjoyable. I’d rank this bike in my top 5 bikes I’d own living on the east coast. If you live in Ontario. Ride at 3 stage, Horseshoe, Dundas, the Don Valley, trail hub, Mansfield, Northern Ontario weather that be Thunderbay or Sudbury, North bay this bike definitely checks a lot of the boxes for us in these areas. It’s enough bike going down doesn’t feel like a war zone but doesn’t feel like a complete effort going up. If you’re wanting to break a record going up on your local Strava efforts maybe consider a e-bike. If you enjoy cycling for its purest form and love spending hours on the bike I think this bike might be for you. This exact spec is priced out at roughly $10,907CAD before tax unfortunately the dollar in Canada isn’t great at the moment making the price of bikes much higher here on this side of the boarder. When you compare it to other bikes in the same category and Price I think the pivot is right there with its competition giving the consumer a great spec’d bike at a comparable price to its competitors. This is a bike I’m seriously considering adding to my collection. I’ve had the chance to ride a Hightower, Kona Process 153 and a last gen Norco Sight. This bikes without at the top of that list at the moment. It’s Fun, Lively, and adaptable. Thanks to Summit Social house and OTE Canada for the demo day at the local Collingwood Off Road event this past weekend.

Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed my review on this bike. If you did all I ask is that you like and subscribe to this blog for more cycling content in the future!

Happy riding everyone