For this episode of All About Bikes, CEO and President of Pivot Cycles, Chris Cocalis, along with Pivot Explorer Brice Shirbach and local Colorado rider Madison Pitts, breakdown the features of the Mach 6’s all-new design and, most importantly, how it rides.
For this episode of All About Bikes, CEO and President of Pivot Cycles, Chris Cocalis, along with Pivot Explorer Brice Shirbach and local Colorado rider Madison Pitts, breakdown the features of the Mach 6’s all-new design and, most importantly, how it rides.
Hello, this is all about bikes presented by Pivot cycles. In this episode, Chris Cocalis, along with Pivot explorer Brice and local Colorado rider Madison, go through all the features of the Mach 6 design, and most importantly, how it rides. This is a previously recorded episode from when we launched this bike in December 2020. We wanted to upload this episode for all our new listeners on this podcast. The new Mach 6 brings the benchmark stability and enduro performance of our Firebird and infuses it with the unbridled fun the 27.5" wheels can generate. So let's jump in and learn about the new Mach 6.
Chris Cocalis:Hi, I'm Chris with Pivot cycles. And this is Bryce and Madison and we're here in Winter Park, Colorado, testing and riding the new Mach 6. So had an awesome day on the trails, Madison.
Madison Pitts:Super fun, super fun. Bike was, literally had probably one of the best days out at Winter Park on it. Super fun, super flowy typically ride a 29er. So I was able to throw that bike around so much easier and like stick it places and it's just like super predictable. Super fun. I don't know, yeah, I just had a blast on it, so.
Chris Cocalis:Yeah you guys will see in the video, she's ripping. Yeah, the thing about 29 versus 27.5. Why are we launching a new Mach 6 That doesn't have 29 inch wheels? Well, we already have a Firebird 29. And this is essentially the 27.5 version of that. But it's a lot more because we've basically taken the bike and gone considerably longer. It's actually longer than Switchblade slightly longer than the current Firebird 29. But the 27.5 wheels, the bike doesn't push, it's poppy, manual over stuff, I mean, Brice,
Brice Shirbach:I like when when we first did our very, very first lap on, you know, you look at it, and you kind of think it's going to feel like a long low bike, which means you kind of have to get to a certain speed to wake it up. But you get a half crank in and then all of a sudden, you're like, oh, yeah, I can start here, and just completely transfer over to the other side of the trail, as if I'm on shorter travel, shorter length bike, but when you're on it, it's like Madison said it's super predictable. It also, it's really, really, it holds line really well when things get chattery and high speed. But it feels, it just doesn't feel like it looks. And every time every single one of us I think that's kind of, we were all a little baffled by our first couple rides, and you're just like, it looks like it should feel like a tank almost. But it's so playful. Like it doesn't it doesn't look like it has any right to be as playful as it is like I can't believe
Chris Cocalis:It has every right to be playful.
Brice Shirbach:It does. And I'm glad it is because it's it's such an intuitive bike that you're really inside of it, you you don't feel like you're you're stretched out at any point. But you do feel like you're in the bike really nicely. But you are completely in control at any speed you want to be versus like being taken for a ride, which can happen on a bigger, longer bike.
Madison Pitts:It's another thing I definitely noticed the difference is how light it was, as a female is a little bit different for us to be able to serve bikes around and just being able to like, throw it around and get the backend kicked out a little bit get a little silent, it was just like so much easier. And so flowy and obviously made it way more fun because it's less work.
Chris Cocalis:Yeah, and that's one of the cool things about the both the wheel size. And what we did with this bike, Mach 6 has always been kind of bridges a gap in our line. So it's, it's a little bit more than a trail bike. But it's it's also a park bike. And so we used to have the Firebird 27.5 This actually really eclipses that in its capabilities, but it still keeps that really snappy pedaling in the Mach 6 and the length is a cool thing. But along with that comes a steeper seat angle so top tubes didn't get excessively longer. So in the high setting. On the flip chip in the back, it's got a 76 degree seat angle and a 65 degree head angle which is 65 Same as what we're running on the Firebird 29 So you get that nice neutral handling for steep stuff. But the bike still turns in quick and even when we're pedaling up a lot today to do some of the shorter runs and do some filming and and you still get that snappy paddling.
Brice Shirbach:Yeah, absolutely. I mean it's it's, it's I spent a lot of time on the Firebird 27.5 for a few years and this feels as planted. You know when things get high speed and a little bit hectic. It doesn't feel like there's as light as it is and as playful as it is as it is, it feels as planted as that bike did. But yeah, you know, when you're, you can just lift this thing so easily. And it's so responsive and snappy in ways that that the 27 Firebird 27.5 Firebird definitely was not.
Chris Cocalis:Yeah, that bike was a great bike for it
Brice Shirbach:It was I loved it.
Chris Cocalis:but things come along, and even the DW link on this is longer, it's actually kind of very, it's the same length is what's on the Firebird 29. Combine that with the metric coil-over shock on the bike, and you really get that rearward wheel travel path, but at the same time, still get the pop out of the bike. And what do you guys think of the coil over shock on there?
Madison Pitts:Oh, I think it had a lot to do with how predictable it was. That with the rear linkage, everything put together, it was just like super easy to just get where my bike was going and throw it where I wanted to, it was fun.
Brice Shirbach:Yeah, honestly, this is my this is my first time riding a proper coil shock. And I mean, you know, when people see this, like, I know, I know the Firebird 29 and the new Switchblade, you made a pretty clear like they are coil compatible. This is pretty, this is cool to see a spec Pivot with a coil-over Like, it's, it's definitely something that I think it's gonna be the first thing people are asking about. And I mean, it's pretty interesting to me to to like, see that decision be made by you guys. And, and I'd love to know, personally like, Why? Why it's okay to do it. Like why why spec it now?
Chris Cocalis:Well, a couple of things with especially with the more downhill oriented air shocks, they've got much bigger air cannons and much more linear feel to them. So we can have a linkage that'll still work and not be too rampy for those type of shocks. And but work well for coil-over Shock and with this one. This bike we really aimed for that coil-over Right out of the gate. So it's it's a very nicely progressive linkage designed for the coil. But also, because we have such a wide range of riders that have typically looked at the Mach 6, and we have a new extra small come in with this, it has extremely low stand over it, it'll cater to people that might not also want to coil shock. So right we'll also have versions of the bike Pro and team builds that have a Float X2 air and a fox 36 instead of a fox 38 on the front. And both of those options. That'll take about a pound and a half out of the complete package. It's already like frame's about the same weight as a Switchblade. The smaller wheels rotate up faster all that stuff makes for a great handling package. But the coil Yeah, it, the bike, the Mach 6 is about fun, you know, we all know, if you're going to race enduro, you're going to do it on a 29er. I mean, the courses the the way the braking bumps develop everything, it just gets pounded in for 29 inch wheels. And they are just faster, but you're also kind of forced to, you know, you're in a line around the berm, you got to take that line, you're kind of locked in for the duration where this you can be like halfway through the berm and go, No, I like it over there better and just Yeah, pick the bike up and toss it over there. And it'll do whatever you want to do. So for a lot of people, it's the more versatile bike and that it's just got the massive travel of the Firebird 29. It's 158mm on the rear 160mm on the front can take up to 170mm on the front, no problem. But you just have a bike that also on cross country trails and just up and down rolly stuff, it just pedals great. And with the smaller wheels, the contact patch is a little bit different and it just doesn't push the same way. Like when you're on a really long 29er with a really slack front end, you got to charge all the time, there's like a speed you got to go. You can't take your mind off of it. And the front end starts to slide if you're just you know, on like something below green trails. And sometimes, if that's your general bike, you're you can't always be riding with your eye on the ball and you just want to have fun most of the time for most of us. And the Mach 6 really fills that bill.
Brice Shirbach:Yeah, and you know how much I love the Firebird 29 But it doesn't, you got to wake it up. Or else it don't get all out of that bike as you can, you know, but it takes a certain speed it takes a certain type of terrain or certain pitch where this there's a versatility and a playfulness you're getting with this that it's like when you just when you look at it, you don't expect it and that's kind of the honestly that's a credit to what you guys have done because it's so fun. So fun. It's been so much fun to ride these last few days.
Chris Cocalis:I'm glad you guys are enjoying it and yesterday I mean, we you we basically got the bikes built up, got your sag set went up, and you guys went under the rope on banana peel which they just finished rebuilding last night, well we have we're permitted, yet really other than parking lot warm up yeah, it picked the pro line trail and just sent it.
Madison Pitts:Yeah, it was it was you know I've hit that trail a handful of times and I had the most fun on it on this bike than
Chris Cocalis:I'm glad you guys both had fun. Just some other I have hitting it all season. You know, in the mousetrap, jumping the little gap into there's like a tight berm, this thing handled that way better. I kind of feel sketchy on my other bike, doing it. And, you know, this just handled it real well and just was super flowy through everything. And I don't know I adapted to it really, really good. took it down the air downhill trail. My last run just now and I was like dang, this thing's like super fast. And I think a big part of it was being able to like just rip through those corners, which was different than my 29er that I ride so it's super fun. quick details on the bike. Like all pivots, we use our Pivot cable port system. And on the front end of the bike that means that there's a blank cable port on each side that you can either use for moto style UK style breaks or regular style breaks sending it each way. super quiet guys hopefully noticed how quiet the bikes were.
Brice Shirbach:Crazy quiet.
Chris Cocalis:The way we've done the cable ports and continuing to refine the cable routing on the bikes. super quiet. We unveiled this year our our new Pivot tools and in collaboration with topeak. And on this bike where we used to have a port underneath the bottom, which was the DI-2 port it also served as a ability to kind of get your hands inside there to route the cables easily and route the dropper, we still wanted to have that on the new bike even though there's not a current DI-2 system to work with it. So the mount for the tool system actually is incorporated in the bottom of the down tube. And so you guys will see that yeah, later. And it really allows a lot of versatility with tool holding on the bike. So you can carry your co2, your allen wrenches, everything's Quick Access, not hidden in any place where it takes 15 minutes to get out your tools.
Brice Shirbach:Gimmick free, gimmick free, it's legitimately really smart design implementation.
Chris Cocalis:And then, of course, we've got water bottle cage access, even the extra small frame will be able to take full, large 24-28 ounce water bottle. And, and then Live Valve compatibility. So there's a there's a version of the bike with full Live Valve on it. That's really for the people who are doing, they're doing a lot of climbing on the bike and they
Brice Shirbach:That's awesome. they like stuff to the park level, they'll handle the whole range. That's a 36 live fork on the front. And it's tuned specifically for the Mach 6 as well. So you know, typically like the Mach 4 SL and even the Switchblade when the Live Valve activates and stiffens up the suspension also stiffens up the fork. And typically for a bike like this, you know, you never touch the fork lockout on climbs. Never, never. So we've done a lot of tuning on the Live Valve as well to make sure that you still get that park enduro feel even when the the Live Valve is activating. And so it can allow you to get even a softer suspension feel on the descents and then automatically make it firm everywhere else and on flats and stuff. So for the person who wants all the bells and whistles and maximum climbing capabilities, there's that option as well.
Madison Pitts:Do it all bike
Chris Cocalis:Yep. Thank you guys for joining us for all about bikes.
Brice Shirbach:Yeah, thanks for making a killer bike.
Madison Pitts:Yeah, thank you.
Chris Cocalis:We'll see everybody on the mountain.