Pivot

Firebird Carbon 27.5 Pro X01 Eagle Mountain Bike

If a hard tail 29er is a gravity rider's nightmare, we're willing to say that the Pivot Firebird is their paradise. With light weight, easy handling, and slacked out geometry, the 2018 Pivot Firebird Carbon Pro XO1 Eagle Complete Mountain Bike has the travel and precise handling you'll need to up your confidence to charge down steep and ledgy descents, bust out bike park laps, and pull double-duty by pedaling it back up again. While we won't try to convince you that this war-bird climbs like an XC speed demon, we will say that we’re impressed with the way the 170-millimeters of DW-link suspension can maneuver its way up mountain sides, and would even go so far as to say that it climbs better than a bike with so much travel should be able to. But going uphill isn't what the Firebird was designed to do, and while its pedaling platform is important, cut it loose pointing downhill and it will show you just how at home it is chomping up roots, gobbling up boulders, and launching its self over road gaps.

The 2018 Firebird takes queues from the Phoenix DH Carbon's geometry, with long reach to accommodate a stubby stem, and super short chainstays for snappy power transfer and flickable maneuverability. The Firebird features a remarkably steep seat tube angle at 74-degrees which contrasts sharply to the 65-degree head tube angle, allowing you to stay much more forward on the bike when you're pedaling, helping eliminate front-wheel liftoff on steep switchbacks to keep your tread planted and secure. The 65-degree head tube angle stretches the bike's wheelbase out, and shines through when you point it downhill, delivering stability and handling in the chunkiest of conditions.

Always worth drawing attention to, the Firebird's DW-link suspension design continues to shine through as the star of the bike. Sliding through nearly seven-inches of supple travel, you might find yourself baffled by its linear ramping and support that pedals light and lively, in a way like no other 170-millimeter bike, but don't fool yourself into thinking that it won't transform like a beast on a full moon night into a chunder monster that's ready to schralp big lines through chunky terrain. Through its travel, DW-link offers a sturdy path that balances suspension to all but eliminate pedal bob, while offering square-edge bump compliance and plowing up and over terrain that others might consider hike-a-bike worthy.

While the Firebird took a hiatus for quite some time, its resurfacing in 2017 marked a new era for this long-travel beast. Slackening the head tube, steepening the seat tube, and stretching the bike to be more capable than before are just a few of those changes. The hubs were pushed outwards with the new Boost technology, which allowed for shorter chainstays, and larger tires that grip loose and gravelly terrain like glue. While the Boost hubs definitely aren't the show-stopper on the 2018 Firebird, they do play an important role in enhancing the eagerness on climbs and powerful tracking through tight switchbacks and big lines. With this wide spacing the Firebird can accommodate up to a 2.5-inch tire for the perfect wide-trail grip. Massive changes happened to the suspension design, taking inspiration from the Phoenix with a shock relocation to help the travel maintain a more linear path for better support both up and downhill.

A critical choice was to pair the redesigned suspension with the proper shock, and Pivot's engineers opted for the FOX Float X2 Performance Black to seal the deal. It's tuned specifically to support you just right through its stroke, and has three different settings to help you experience a bottomless feeling descent, and a stiff, supportive climb. Up front the Fox 36 Factory fork tracks through rough terrain with its beefy stanchions supporting you, while soaking up the blows. This build features a Sram Eagle XO1 drivetrain, with more gears than we can count on our fingers to get you through any situation you throw yourself in. This twelve-speed drivetrain allows for quick-propelling small rings to accelerate down steep faces with power, and a big and easy 50-tooth bailout cog to give you a break when pushing up the last few steps of a punchy climb. Its paired with Shimano XT 8000 brakes for impeccable modulation and handling, and DT Swiss Spline-Two M1700 wheels with 30-millimeter inner diameter to fit bigger tires, and an upgraded 36-tooth star ratchet for faster actuation and direct power transfer. Topping everything off, the Firebird is given another callback to its Phoenix roots with the Phoenix finishing kit that adds scuff-guards to the bottom-bracket area, chain stay, and seat stay to keep your bike as shiny as the day you bought it long after you've been rallying it through bike parks and chunky ledges.