Interbike 2011: Pivot’s Mach 5.7 Carbon in High Demand at Dirt Demo

(September 14, 2011) LAS VAGAS, Nev. - Getting a ride on Pivot’s new Mach 5.7 Carbon at Dirt Demo required luck and a lot of patience. As soon as one demo bike came in, it was rapidly turned around and sent back out the door for another round on Bootleg Canyon’s infamously gnarly terrain. In fact, all off Pivot’s bikes seemed to be high on people’s must-ride list.

“People keep asking me why we didn’t bring more bikes to Dirt Demo,” Pivot’s founder Chris Cocalis quipped as he helped another rider adjust the sag of their shock before heading out on the trail. “I guess 80 bikes wasn’t enough?”

Pivot’s Mach 5.7 Aluminum first appeared in 2010 as an answer to the growing hunger for more travel on light-weight trail bikes. As the name implies, the bike offers 5.7-inches of rear suspension travel.

“With the Mach 5.7’s implementation of the DW-Link (a suspension design Pivot licenses from engineer/inventor Dave Weagle), we were able to create an incredibly nimble bike that can handle long rides on seriously rough terrain,” Says Cocalis.

“Since the bike’s suspension functions in a way that keeps the geometry true throughout the suspension travel, we were able to keep the bottom bracket lower so the bike is still very nimble and has a low center of gravity,” added Weagle.

As it seams, 5 and 6-inch travel bikes utilizing the DW Link are becoming increasingly popular because of the versatility they offer. They pedal incredibly well uphill but have equally impressive capabilities on the descent. Bottom line is they are more fun to ride and people are choosing them for anything from ripping lift accessed terrain to epic long rides with heaps of climbing. So it makes plenty of sense to apply carbon fiber technology to these frames and make them as light and stiff as possible. The new Mach 5.7 Carbon frame weighs only 5.25 lbs., making it lighter than many of its competitors.

Tuesday morning at Dirt Demo became a waiting game as the Las Vegas area was drenched by a rare downpour. Once the rain subsided, I patiently loitered around the Pivot booth waiting for a medium Mach 5.7 Carbon to be returned by its previous pilot.

With bike in hand, Tech Editor Jordan Carr and myself took off into the desert and greedily kept the bike for a solid two hours of riding. With cool temperatures, tacky trails, and the chance to really ride the Mach 5.7 Carbon, we weren’t about to give it back after a mere hot-lap.

Right off the gun we headed up Bootleg Canyon’s longest climb: a sandy gravel road that climbs to the highest point of the trail system. True to form, the Mach 5.7 handled the climb like a cross-country race bike. I was amazed how responsive it was even when standing up and hammering on it. Facing a 1-hour climb on this bike would be no problem at all.

After topping out on the climb, we descended a rocky singletrack, then turned north on more sinuous, technical trails that took us northwest back towards Las Vegas. Simply put, the Mach 5.7 Carbon is amazing weather negotiating tight switchbacks, powering through fast rolling track, descending rock gardens, or pedaling through loose rocky terrain.

The Mach 5.7 is a masterpiece and we’ll be pursuing a chance to log more miles on it. The frame is attractively and functionally designed with ample frame-armor in places where the carbon might take abuse from trail debris. The frame retails for a (relatively) reasonable $2599. Put the Mach 5.7 Carbon on the short list for a test ride.

Key Features:

dw-link® suspension with position sensitive anti-squat provides stable handling and the increased cornering benefits of a lower bottom bracket with more travel - all with better pedaling efficiency and a plusher feel.

• New Fox RP23 Kashima shock with custom tuned rebound and Propedal settings for increased rider tunability and incredible small bump sensitivity.

• 142mm rear spacing with 12mm through axle and 160mm post mount dropouts for maximum frame stiffness.

• Under top tube cable guide includes routing for dropper seat post

• Rubberized leather chainstay, inner seat stay, and down tube protectors for a quiet ride and higher impact resistance.

• Direct mount front derailleur design accommodates Shimano and SRAM systems. The direct mount design, eases set up, and provides a more rigid mount for the most efficient front shifting possible.

• 145mm (5.7”) of rear travel with 140mm or 150mm fork compatibility (150mm standard).

• Press Fit 92mm wide bb shell allows for wider pivots and better bearing support for increased frame strength and stiffness, while maintaining better control over chain-line.

• 1.5” tapered headtube.