Pivot’s ultra-versatile Mach 5.7 is now available in a carbon frame version to boost its all-rounder ability even further. A great ride and impressive weight make it an awesome bike.
Ride & handling: An absolute blast, whatever you’re asking it to do
Nudging towards 6in of travel (the Pivot has 145mm/5.7in) normally means a compromise between pedalling feel and acceleration response, but the Pivot drives remarkably well. In granny gear, stand up charges or churning through soft, deep gravel there was no obvious bounce or power loss, and there was just enough traction-enhancing pedal lift to claw us up the steeps or charge out of corners.
With a complete bike weight in Shimano XT based trail trim of 11.9kg (26.3lb), there’s little for gravity to grab hold of either. The Kashima coated Fox shock and DW-Link suspension design work superbly together – plush enough to keep the ride communicative without ever feeling dead or dull at any point in the stroke, and the Mach 5.7 not only handled every potential suspension-shaming situation, but also created skill-flattering speed out of every challenge.
The bottom bracket looks low on paper but the consistently crisp and pert ride height makes it less of an issue than you’d think on the trail, and it’s stable enough to slide the tyres sideways without worry. While the Mach 5.7 doesn’t let you pop its front wheel as easily as more rider-responsive suspension designs, compact sizing means it’s a great bike to move about on and use your bodyweight.
Top this blank-canvas ‘ride what you want, how you want’ character with an accurate, twist-free tapered front and screw-through axle rear, and the new Mach 5.7 is an absolute blast whatever you’re asking it to do. The scope to make it a lightweight trail bike or a longer travel skill stretcher makes it supremely versatile too.
Frame: Lightweight and stiff carbon chassis
At 2.36kg (5.2lb) with shock, frame-only weight is 200g less than the already lightweight alloy version. The Hollow Box high internal compression construction gives significant stiffness increases, and there’s minimal flex from the tapered head tube right through to the 142x12mm screw-axle rear.
The 92mm wide press-fit bottom bracket allows for better bearing support, and the dropper seatpost cable guides and post mount brakes make setup easy. Rubberised leather frame protectors on the rear stays and down tube reduce noise and chip damage, with a retrofit ISCG mount due to be available by next spring.
The Pivot Carbon will come to the UK as a frame-only deal, but there are some bits worth commenting on here. For a start, while XT works great you could definitely save some weight by spending more or choosing SRAM. The 5.7 is begging for a wider handlebar than the relatively narrow FSA SLK too.
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This article was originally published in Mountain Biking UK magazine.
