2023 XC Bike & Equipment Thread

I set mine up with a remote for both front and rear shocks. I bought a new damper for the fork and a used rear shock to make the conversion. I am using a Fox 2 stage trigger.

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Heavy, and I don’t think they provide a good shifting experience (from reading reviews), but I really, really like that they’re playing with closer ratio

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Oof, yeah the close range cassette is certainly a little heavy. FWIW I have the older Helix cassette on my bike currently and the shifting performance has been fine with SRAM GX (non-AXS). It’s admittedly not the quietest setup, but the shifting is reliable enough and doesn’t lag appreciably. I very well may be not discerning enough to complain, but I’m happy with it, and the cost-weight ratio was the best option when I was building my bike up.

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Yeah, it might be just some people nit-picking as well. Some people find SRAM fine, others Shimano only, I’ve got a Garbaruk winging it’s way to me. If it were cost effective to get a regular HG freehub for my new hubs I think I’d have just about gone for the new 11-52T option.

As it is I’m hoping I’ll be happy with 10-52. Definitely cool to see other options though as I’ll eventually have to replace cassette (hoping for increased lifespan/durability with the mostly all steel construction).

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New Pivot Mach4 SL XC race bike:

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Great news!

Notes:

I’m surprised at the geo, it looks like they only half committed to updating it.

No mention of LiveValve at all.

Still a very expensive option.

Not sure why you’d choose this bike over the ibis. Other than aesthetic reasons (ibis being super unfortunate looking). Even the Anthem I think looks a better bike than this, just down on bottle cage mounts.

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Its like one of those bikes they make to just have something in the segment.

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The Mach 4 seems like it’s quite a bit more aggressive (both in geo and travel) assuming you get the XC build and not the WC build. I was thinking about an Epic Evo but am supposed to be able to get a team deal on Pivots and might be picking one of these up in lieu of the Epic Evo.

The WC M4SL and the Epic Evo are quite different on paper.

I’m a big Pivot fan, but am disappointed they didn’t push the envelope here.

The 120/115mm version looks pretty good, though the reach is short and the STA still a smidge slack and HTA a smidge steep.

120mm of XC tuned DW link would be awesome. I wonder if it’s the same shock tune between the two models.

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I sort of agree at least on the reach. In one of the writeups it says they based the geo around the WC model (which they say will only be 3% of sales) and then added a 120 fork which seems backwards to me. If the reach were 475 mm in the large XC model I’d be slightly more stoked but on paper the geo is identical to other very popular ā€œdowncountryā€ bikes on the market. I really dig the flip switch too. I mostly just ride mellow-ish flow trails (central oregon trail builders seem allergic to creating trails with rock gardens) but would prefer something snappier for the 4-5 races I do every year.

It should certainly be snappier.

Which bikes are you comparing that are identical?

In XL with the 120mm fork it’s only 482mm. I’m sure that’s fine, but when Pivot first came out with the bike it was one of the early ā€œslackā€ XC bikes. I expected them to at least build a bike that would be modern when it came out.

(It’s the exact same reach as the Blur TR, so maybe you’re right that it’s in the ballpark - I’d just expected ~500mm and ~66°HTA for the rowdy version)

I’m mostly comparing to the Epic Evo but also the current RC Spark (all in size large)

  • HA - 66.7 Mach 4/ 66.5 Epic Evo
  • Reach - 462 mm Mach 4 vs 460 Epic Evo
  • Wheelbase - 1189 Mach 4 vs 1194 Epic Evo (mostly due to the longer CSs)

I only use the Epic Evo because I think it’s one of the more aggressive ā€œraceableā€ bikes on the market at the moment. The Blur TR is a bit more conservative (though the size large seems geared towards shorter riders). I’ve also been considering the new Orbea OIZ which has pretty similar geo (same wheelbase but 67 deg HA and 472 mm reach in size Large)

You are completely right, I take most of it back. It’s squarely in line with every model right now that’s in the middle of the geo range.

I’m back on the bandwagon.

I still think they should have gone to geo closer to the Spark RC than the Evo/Blur TR etc.

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That XL Spark is significantly larger than the others, very interesting. In size large it’s much closer to the others but you also have the adjustable headsets with the Spark. I have a close friend who’s Scott sponsored and is quite adamant I buy a Spark but I definitely prefer a pretty supportive bike for general riding (mostly for ā€œpopā€/fun factor) and the reviews of the Spark all seem to indicate it’s kind of wallowey in the descend mode but it might be better in the RC models.

To be fair I only ever look at XL geo columns.

I expect the next iteration of bikes to come in at the sort of 490-510mm reach for XL, which is why I thought the new Pivot would skip to that. They’re kind of out of step with development cycles now.

It definitely seems like an excellent option.

I’m coming from a 2021 Spark 910. I put a 120mm air spring in which brings the geo similar to the new RC (but way shorter and slacker STA). I think the Spark is an absolutely incredible bike and I’d love to try the RC. I think the shock tune on the 900 series might be softer, which is why I wonder about the tune of the M4SL between versions. That’s just a guess as it’s just a bit more plush than you’d think, and I’m looking forward to trying a more supportive XC tuned frame in my new (to me) Large Vitus Rapide FS. It for sure won’t be as capable a descender, but it gains in geo.

I have had an experience when I received a warning from my head unit (Wahoo) that my battery was low. I charged the derailleur battery thinking it was that but it was actually the shifter. I think I just get a good or low but not a percentage.

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Perfect :ok_hand:. Hoping Garmin is the same :crossed_fingers:.

Anybody here have lots of saddle time on a Fox Transfer SL?

I would very much like to know your experience.

Thanks!

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I have it and it is light and that brings a few things with it :slight_smile: