Interbike Demo Ride: Pivot Mach 5.7 Carbon

Here we are again, Interbike; land of pre-production prototypes like the Pivot 5.7 Carbon I swung a leg over this morning. The 5.7 Carbon was announced just over a month ago and there are just a handful of bikes floating around the show.

Nearly every detail of this frame has been hashed out, but there are still a few minor tweaks in the works to shave the last few grams down to fighting weight, 170-grams lighter than the aluminum 5.7. According to Pivot Engineer Kevin Tissue, the carbon bike is also 5-10% stiffer across the board than the aluminum bike.

On the kitty-litter trails around Bootleg Canyon, the 5.7 Carbon pedaled efficiently and responsively regardless of the protest from my jet-lagged legs. Geometry is identical to the aluminum bike with a 67.6-degree headtube angle, 13.2” bottom bracket, and 16.9” chainstays yielding a bike that provides a stellar balance of stability as speed increases and terrain gets rougher, while also providing a spry and responsive ride you’d expect from a sub 44” wheelbase. How does carbon change the ride characteristic? From my quick spin, I’ll go out on a limb and say the Carbon bike felt just a touch livelier than the aluminum bike.

Both versions of this rig are solid all around trail performers, which leaves me wondering how and why folks will choose between the two. Price points aren’t all that different, with, I’ve been told, just $400 separating the aluminum and carbon versions. For most, I think it’ll come down to weight, the depth on your pockets, and your willingness to wait for production bikes sometime after the middle of October.

Keep reading

It doesn’t end here, we’ve got a lot more coverage of Interbike 2011, including demo rides.