Pivot Mach 4 SL Team XX SL review

Pivot’s latest XC rig gets adjustable travel GBP £12,500.00 RRP

Pivot Mach 4 SL Team XX SL specification

SRAM’s XX SL drivetrain found its way onto the top-end test bike.

Matt Jones / BikeRadar

This is the top-end build, and so features some rather fancy kit. It’s also the most expensive in the range, thanks to the use of SRAM’s latest XX SL Transmission. A similar build with Shimano’s XTR groupset is available too, for a lower price.

The bike sits on Fox Factory suspension – a 34 StepCast fork with 120mm travel and a Float rear shock. A SRAM TwistLoc remote flips the shock between Open and Firm modes.

1 of 3

Enlarge photo

Internal (but not head-tube routed) cables will please many.

SRAM’s XX SL Transmission drives the bike forward, while SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth two-piston brakes provide the stopping power.

Article continues below advert

Reynolds’ Blacklabel 309/289 wheels add some carbon bling, and Maxxis Rekon Race tyres, in a 2.4in width, sit on these (though, my test bike had the slightly more aggressive Rekon tyre fitted to the front).

The Fox shock is controlled via a remote.

My test bike came with a Fox Transfer SL dropper, rather than the listed RockShox Reverb AXS.

The size-large bike weighed 11.3kg, without pedals.

Pivot Mach 4 SL Team XX SL component details

Reynolds supplies carbon hoops.

Matt Jones / BikeRadar

This model is undoubtedly dripping in top-end kit. On the whole, I was suitably impressed.

The Fit4 damper of the Fox SC 34 fork offers three compression modes, with adjustability of the Open mode too, to tweak the feel even more. It’s a decent lighter-weight fork, which has a touch more authority than the lightest SC 32 or SID SL forks.

Article continues below advert

The Reynolds wheels are stiff under power, and in many ways suit the bike. Previous experience of Reynolds’ wheels suggests they might be on the harsher side over the rocks, so I’d like to try this bike’s setup on home trails to see whether this model is a touch more forgiving.

They offer a relatively broad bed to the (excellent) Maxxis Rekon Race (and Rekon on the front of my bike), enabling you to make the most of their 2.4in volume.

The XX SL transmission was interesting, on my first time riding it.

Shifting up and down the cassette is undoubtedly smooth, with the cassette’s shift ramps working well with the flat-top chain.

However, thanks to the shifting gates, whereby the derailleur shifts when the cassette and chain are in optimum position, dumping a load of gears at once takes longer than with previous AXS drivetrains, or Shimano’s XTR (which I rode on another bike during the trip).

This delay is noticeable, occasionally, on single shifts too, where it felt like up to half a crank revolution was completed before the shift. In a race situation, where, in my experience, you’re less concerned with drivetrain longevity, the lethargic nature might frustrate.

I also struggled to get the shifter pods in quite the right place, with the MatchMaker mount.

I have an XX SL Transmission in for review, so I’ll report back on that down the line.

Though smooth under power, the XX SL drivetrain might need some adjustment in attitude to shifting speed.

The SRAM Level Stealth brakes worked well during my tests. The 160mm rotors might be a touch small for heavier riders, or those who ride in steeper terrain, however.

Pivot’s 35mm-diameter bar didn’t feel overly harsh, and Fox’s Transfer SL is a decent dropper (though isn’t stock on this particular model).