In a time where it seems like the amount of mountain bikers on the trails has seemingly doubled, I somehow find myself with fewer riding buddies than ever before. Why do you ask? I am not entirely sure, however considering most of my favorite personal routes make you question “what type of messed up person would choose this combo of trails” has most likely not helped.
There are only so many times you can take your friends on rides where the intention is to see whose body will shut down first before they stop responding to your “ride tomorrow?” texts. Well lucky for me, the Pivot Switchblade exists to keep me company during those rides!
The Pivot Cycles Switchblade might just be one of my personal favorite bikes I have ever ridden. With 160mm of travel up front and 142mm of travel in the rear, this “do everything” 29er is everything I think a trail bike should be in 2025. It features a DW-Link Suspension design, has a very stiff yet compliant frame, and also has a relatively conservative geo, letting its bigger sibling the Firebird be the more aggressive of the two.
So what makes this trail bike so special?
Climbing:
This is where I first truly fell in love with the Pivot Switchblade. DW-Link has always been one of my favorite suspension designs, however Chris Cocalis seems to take it up a notch! With a magical ability to have this XC inspired feel to it, when you pedal the Switchblade, in no world does it feel like an “enduro” bike. It has this acceleration both in and out of the saddle that makes you want to push this bike as hard as you can uphill, knowing no effort is being wasted.
The same goes for out of the saddle sprints. When you get out of the saddle on the Switchblade and put the power down, the suspension tightens up, and you get this XC feel out of the bike that somehow puts a smile on your face, even when you are in the red zone! The bike feels lighter than it is on the trails as well and constantly I found myself baffled at how fast my times were on climbs and pedal sections that I had only PR’d before on XC bikes.
The real magic though is when you let off a bit on the power in more technical sections of climbs and you notice the bike’s suspension design suddenly feels more active, giving you the traction you need to clean techy climbs with ease. It's this weird “how is my bike doing this” feeling, almost as if you are running a lockout, however you are not even touching the shock at all. In fact I never took the Switchblade out of the open setting on the trails, as it really never felt like it needed it! And yet time and time again the Switchblade performs almost as if it has an invisible lock out!
Downhill:
I'm a bike reviewer, not a surgeon. However if I was to describe how the Switchblade did when it came time for the downhills it would be “as precise as a surgical knife”. The Switchblade is a bike that allows you to put it exactly where you want to on the downhills. The frame has a very stiff feel to it, while remaining compliant, taking the harshness off of whatever tech you throw at the bike, while allowing you to hold the exact line you want! The short chainstays make throwing the bike in and out of corners a blast, as well as picking the front end up and wheeling off of rock moves. You name it, the Switchblade will do it.
The suspension design also is the perfect blend of traction and poppiness, allowing you to make sure you are stuck to the ground but can also jump the Switchblade when you want to. The higher front end stack height also gives you a bit more control over your line choice while out on the trails, as does a slightly higher BB. Now while both of those things, combined with a more conservative headangle take away slightly from the high speed stability of the bike, the Switchblade still remains plenty capable. And what it lacks in high speed stability, it more than makes up for in confidence in steep tech as well as playfulness out on the trails!
The Switchblade really is that perfect trail bike for someone that wants to have fun on a wide variety of trails. Whether it is a green trail or a double black, the Switchblade is up for the job and ready for anything that you throw at it!
So if you want a bike that puts a smile on your face both uphill as well as downhill, and you are looking to replace a friend group that doesn't appreciate type 2 fun, the Switchblade is the bike for you!
No friends required.
-Mo Awesome
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