Pivot Cycles LES Fat – first look

Highly adjustable carbon fat bike

Pivot's first fat bike features a carbon frame and internal routing

Courtesy

Josh Patterson

Published: January 13, 2015 at 8:31 pm
Courtesy
Courtesy
Courtesy
Courtesy
Courtesy
Courtesy
Courtesy

Pivot Cycles has just rolled out its first fat bike, the LES Fat. This new model features a full carbon frame and compatibility with 27.5 and 29 tyres in addition to the largest fat bike treads on the market.

Pivot did its best to cover as many tyre sizes and emerging niches as possible with this new model. The LES Fat uses the 197x12mm thru-axle standard and a 132mm-wide with a press-fit bottom bracket. It can accommodate 26in fat bike tyres up to 5in wide.

Like many other fat bikes on the market, the Pivot LES Fat is also able to accommodate 27.5 and 29 . Pivot opted to built the LES Fat with sliding dropouts, dubbed Swinger II, that allow this fat bike to be run as a singlespeed or give geared riders the ability to fine-tune handling by adjusting the chainstay length to suit their preferences — the dropouts can be moved forward for nimble handling with smaller, 26x4in or 27.5 tires, or slid back to make room for 26x5in or 29 treads.

Pivot includes ZeroStack and 18mm lower headset cups with the LES Fat to make adjustments to front end geometry and preserve handling characteristics across wheel and tyre sizes.

Sliding dropouts allow the les fat to handle different tyre width and wheel sizes combinations: sliding dropouts allow the les fat to handle different tyre width and wheel sizes combinations

Adjustable dropouts allow the LES Fat to accommodate many different tyre widths and rim diameters

The les fat when set up for 26in fat bike wheels: the les fat when set up for 26in fat bike wheels
The les fat when set up for 27.5 and 29 wheels: the les fat when set up for 27.5 and 29 wheels

The LES Fat is compatible with the RockShox Bluto fork and comes with Pivot’s own carbon fork. Like the Bluto, this rigid fork uses 150mm-wide front axle spacing.

The LES Fat uses the Pivot’s internally routed cable port system, which was introduced on the Mach 4 Carbon last summer. This modular routing system uses large, easy-to-access ports with interchangeable covers to allow for a variety of routing options — even accommodating Shimano’s XTR Di2 drivetrain.

Other notable frame features include rack/fender mounts, three sets of water bottle mounts and routing for a stealth-routed dropper seatpost.

The LES Fat will retail for US$2,599 for the frame, matching rigid carbon fork and headset with ZeroStack and 18mm lower cups. A single complete bike with an XO1 build will be offered for US$4,699. (UK and Australian pricing was not immediately available.)

Pivot expects to begin shipping framesets and complete bikes in two weeks.

For more information visit www.pivotcycles.com.

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024