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Pivot PhoenixNew big bike from the USA - Pivot Phoenix now with double chain drive

Dimitri Lehner

 · 04.10.2024

Tester and celebrity Bernard Kerr shows the new Phoenix in its "natural habitat" and at its natural speed: full throttle.
Photo: Jakob Jewett/ Pivot Cycles
The Pivot bike label from Arizona is known for exclusive bikes at exclusive prices. Image and innovation cost money, that's the way it is. In return, you get the cherry on the bike evolution cake. Pivot's latest piece of jewellery is the final expansion stage of its Phoenix downhiller. It is named after the capital of Arizona. This is not a retread as is so often the case, but a completely new development. A spectacular feature is the double Idler deflection with two chains.

Its predecessor was also called the Pivot Phoenix, albeit the Phoenix 29, and the name said it all: full 29 tyres. The predecessor had a modern geo, wrapped in carbon fibre and pressed into angular, masculine shapes. In our Test we were completely satisfied with the bike, praising the surprisingly playful character of the large calibre and the low weight (15.8 kilos). At the time, team rider Bernard Kerr had just won the Red Bull Hardline with the bike. Four years have passed since then, so it's high time for a self-respecting manufacturer to come up with a new model.

We have been watching Bernard Kerr experiment with prototypes for some time. The prototypes of the new Phoenix were reminiscent of an Atherton bike with its straight round carbon tubes glued into sockets. But they only served to allow BK to test the ideal geo and kinematics.

That worked well - as his World Cups and Hardline participations showed. And it didn't work out so well when the sockets came loose, for example. But that's probably part of the dangerous life of Bernard Kerr. Take a look at this clip!

The new Pivot Phoenix Pro Saint for 8499 dollars with Fox Factory suspension.
Photo: Pivot Cycles
The Phoenix is also available as a frame kit and in the colour combination Black Gold. Price: 4799 dollars.Photo: Pivot CyclesThe Phoenix is also available as a frame kit and in the colour combination Black Gold. Price: 4799 dollars.Clean look, clean cable routing - that's what we're used to from the luxury label Pivot.Photo: Pivot CyclesClean look, clean cable routing - that's what we're used to from the luxury label Pivot.Full protection for the down tube: Pivot armoured it with thick rubber plates to keep the carbon fibre intact.Photo: Pivot CyclesFull protection for the down tube: Pivot armoured it with thick rubber plates to keep the carbon fibre intact.A close-up of the Phoenix's biggest innovation: the double chain drive. It is designed to generate maximum traction and allow the chassis to function perfectly in all situations.Photo: Pivot CyclesA close-up of the Phoenix's biggest innovation: the double chain drive. It is designed to generate maximum traction and allow the chassis to function perfectly in all situations.
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Pivot Phoenix V5 in Mullet - model year 2024


Good slogan! Pivot says about its new Phoenix: "We took our time to get faster!" In fact, the development of the new US downhiller took four years. Pivot believes it has created the ultimate downhill bike. Pivot boss Chris Cocalis says: "Race suitability was at the top of the priority list!" Team rider and scene star Bernard Kerr also knows that he wants an agile, manoeuvrable bike. That's why the geo is designed in such a way that even the freeriders among the downhillers will have fun with this bike. In other words, the chainstays are not too long so that the bike tilts willingly into the manual.

The centrepiece of the bike, as everyone can see at first or second glance, is the double chain drive that suspension mastermind Dave Weagle has devised. It is designed to make the suspension work more smoothly. No bouncing, no brake stuttering, no rocking, no, the Pivot team want to generate full traction at the rear (210 mm).

The Phoenix is available in four sizes (S1 to S4) and two configurations: equipped with Fox Factory suspension and Shimano or with Rockshox and Sram. Pirese: 8499 dollars or 6899 dollars. Two colour variants are available: Black Gold and Red Mint. We think: Red Mint looks particularly fast.

Adjustments are of course also available - a point of honour! A vario headset creates more or less reach (+/- 5 mm). A flip chip lowers the centre of gravity further with a high/low option. This also influences the steering angle by 0.5°. It is 62.5° in the flat setting.

The good news at the end: We already have the Pivot Phoenix in the cellar, ready to get tested. As soon as the rain stops, we'll head to Schladming and give it a good whack down the mountain. Then we'll let you know whether theory and practice match up.

For the adjustment freaks: low or high. We ride low. Low is cool! But we're not after hundredths of a second like the racers. In technical, steep terrain, the high setting makes more sense.Photo: Pivot CyclesFor the adjustment freaks: low or high. We ride low. Low is cool! But we're not after hundredths of a second like the racers. In technical, steep terrain, the high setting makes more sense.

The geodata of the Pivot Phoenix at a glance

Pivot Phoenix 2024: A quick check of geodata.Photo: Pivot CyclesPivot Phoenix 2024: A quick check of geodata.

Dimitri Lehner

Dimitri Lehner is a qualified sports scientist. He studied at the German Sport University Cologne. He is fascinated by almost every discipline of fun sports - besides biking, his favourites are windsurfing, skiing and skydiving. His latest passion: the gravel bike. He recently rode it from Munich to the Baltic Sea - and found it marvellous. And exhausting. Wonderfully exhausting!

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