Pivot

Mach 6 Carbon XT Mountain Bike

Longer and lower geometry updates continue its swath across aggressive trail bikes and enduro machines. Bikes now ride like mini DH sleds and it has us attacking trails with vigor and at speeds we've never hit before. Pivot's renowned Mach 6 isn't immune to these tweaks and its angles, lengths, and heights all received updates establishing it as the new benchmark for super capable trail bikes. Pivot utilized feedback from its athletes and performed extensive testing to dial in the perfect combination of progressive geometry and superior pedaling efficiency. It has the chops to tackle the most technical trails at blurring speed, yet pedals well enough for all-day epics and saves energy on transfers to the next stage. The Mach 6 Carbon XT Mountain Bike is the enduro's racers dream come true or any rider who likes to tackle difficult terrain at speed, while still having an agile ride that pedals well. Some riders may have a difficult time deciding if the March 5.5 or 6 is the way to go. While both bikes are similar on paper in terms of travel and blur the line of enduro and trail, the Mach 6 is more of a bigger hit all-mountain and enduro bike and the Mach 5.5 is more of an aggressive trail bike.

The Mach 6 Carbon slackens the head tube angle to a gravity friendly 65.75-degrees, and the reach and wheelbase get lengthened as well. Descending, you'll feel more "in" and less "on" the bike, experiencing unflappable stability and confident control at high speeds on technical trails. This bike is light and flickable but isn't afraid to plow. Getting up the mountain is easier with the new 74-degree seat tube angles and roomier cockpit keeping the front wheel planted as the rear wheel grabs for traction enabling you to claw up steep and uneven terrain with ease. Tackling what looks like a un-rideable uphill feature is almost as fun as going down. Smaller riders also benefit from customized geometry in every frame size. While sizes medium, large and x-large see significant increases in reach measurements, sizes small and x-small are more compact, keeping with Pivot's rider-size-specific design philosophy, while still offering the climbing advantages of the steeper seat angle, and nimble, capable handling on descents.

The Mach 6 Carbon continues with the industry's much-lauded DW-Link suspension, optimized for long travel applications. The DW-Link's anti-squat delivers excellent traction without losing pedaling efficiency. The variable wheel travel path provides unmatched square-edge bump absorption and control on technical descents. The responsiveness and bottomless feel of the Mach 6 is matched only by the exceptionally efficient climbing capability for faster, easier transfers, getting you to the next descent before everyone else.

Pivot's exclusive hollow core internal molding process and high quality materials create an incredibly durable and light chassis, with stiffness and strength that levels comparable to their DH bike, the Pheonix. The large tube cross-sections, double-wishbone rear triangle, and large, suspension specific, EnduroMax bearings all contribute to unrivaled frame stiffness and precise handling needed in a race bike. Further evidence of the new Mach 6's big hit intentions, it shares the same ultra-stiff clevis and linkage design with its bigger travel brother, the Firebird. Internal and Di2 ready cable routing keeps the lines clean, housing from snagging any trailside booby-traps, and future-proofs the frame. Clearance for tires up to 2.6-inches let you install the latest enduro rubber for maximum grip and comfort.

The Shimano XT build on this Mach 6 Carbon, packs in a lot of value and performance for the money, featuring a mix of Shimano's trustworthy XT and SLX 11-speed components. Paired with the XT M8000 crank, the setup simply works very well in a variety of conditions and terrain. The wheels are DT Swiss M1900 Spline wheels with 370 hubs, and the hoops have a 30mm internal width. This plumps up the wide Maxxis tires and works perfectly for any width up to the frame's max tire rating of 2.6-inches. The custom-designed 35mm Pivot handlebar and stem work as a system to provide stiffness and compliance where you need it.