The current production Pivot Phoenix was released in 2019, giving it a solid run of five years in the market. As of last year however, some curious prototype frames started appearing amongst the Pivot Factory Racing team. These futuristic-looking frames made use of a new in-house construction technique where CNC machined alloy lugs are bonded to custom-made carbon fibre tubes, all of which happens inside Pivot’s HQ in Phoenix, Arizona. This approach allows prototypes to be designed and manufactured within 3-4 weeks, a significant reduction compared to the typical 2-3 months that it would take to get an alloy sample frame from Taiwan.
We had the opportunity to see the production process in the R&D lab last year, and you can read our interview with Pivot’s CEO Chris Cocalis to learn more about it.
Following input from the Pivot Factory Racing team during the 2023 and 2024 World Cup race series, Cocalis and his team have been working on turning the prototypes into a fully-fledged production frameset. With plenty of learnings along the way, Pivot is now ready to launch the new Phoenix at this weekend’s World Cup round at Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada.
Regular Flow readers will know that we don’t normally cover downhill bikes, but given how many interesting points of discussion there are around the new Phoenix and what clues it may hold for the rest of the Pivot mountain bike range, we just had to take a closer look!
An overview of the new Pivot Phoenix
The new Pivot Phoenix is a full carbon downhill race bike that has been purpose-built around a mullet setup with a 27.5in rear wheel. Compared to the old frame, the extra clearance from the smaller rear wheel has allowed for a significant boost in travel, which grows from 190 to 210mm. Up front is a dual-crown fork with 200-203mm of travel.
Pivot has also completely overhauled the suspension design, which it’s calling a ‘Mid-High Pivot Six-Bar dw-link’. The goal here was to get a more rearward axle path for improved square edge-eating performance, but without going so extreme as to end up with the less desirable attributes of a really high pivot platform.
Why Six-bar?
To achieve the mid-high pivot location while incorporating an idler system and keeping the chainstays to a reasonable length, the engineering team realised there was very little room for a single link between the seat tube and the chainstay yoke. Working closely with Dave Weagle of dw-link fame, a six-bar design was concocted that would instead employ two tiny links behind the seat tube.
Of course Pivot isn’t the first brand to use a six-bar suspension design. The Commencal Supreme is a notable example, and so too is the latest Scott Ransom. Atherton Bikes builds all of its models around the DW6 suspension platform, which is another Dave Weagle special.
Using six-bars does increase complexity and the number of moving parts, but it’s also said to provide more independent control over characteristics like anti-rise and anti-squat. Pivot explained to us that it was a combination of packaging and kinematics why it went down this route. It also says that rather than adding a pivot around the rear axle, like you’ll find on the Supreme V5 and Ransom, it relies on a small degree of flex through the seatstays as the shock cycles through its travel. How much flex? Less than 1°, which was not worth the increased complexity.
Two chains baby!
Visually speaking, it’s the dual chain drive system that really sets the new Phoenix apart. The result of a relatively new patent by Dave Weagle, this system sees the chainring connecting to an upper idler with a small length of chain. This drives a secondary outboard idler, which then links to the cassette and derailleur using a separate chain.
Compared to a conventional high pivot bike that uses an idler, there are numerous purported benefits for going down the dual chain drive route. The main benefit is said to be efficiency, with the larger sprockets resulting in much less aggressive angles for the chain to articulate around. It’s for a similar reason why you’ll see many professional road racing teams using oversized pulley wheels on their rear derailleurs.
There’s also considerably better chain wrap, which spreads the load across more teeth to reduce friction and wear while also improving overall retention. As a result, the dual chain drive on the Phoenix doesn’t require a lower chainguide pulley like you’ll find on other downhill bikes.
Lastly, ground clearance is improved with the dual chain drive. This is because the primary chainring uses a smaller 27T size, so it’s better tucked out of the way when smashing through rock gardens. Once the gear ratio is taken into account with the upper idler sprockets, Pivot says the effective chainring size is around 35-36T.
Suspension kinematics
The end result of the Phoenix’s complex six-bar suspension design and dual chain drive system is a bike that is claimed to deliver ‘virtually no pedal kickback’. This is all about reducing the negative interaction between the drivetrain and rear suspension to deliver a smooth and quiet ride, while still incorporating the benefits of having a rearward axle path.
According to Pivot, the axle moves 17mm rearwards by the time the shock has sagged underneath the rider. It travels another 5mm rearwards during the main bump zone, before moving forwards slightly in the final 1/3rd of the travel.
To provide a snappy pedalling performance, anti-squat hovers around 120% until about halfway through the travel before it drops off dramatically. Anti-rise sits above 100% throughout the travel, with the aim of reducing pitching and maintaining the bike’s dynamic geometry when the rider is hard on the brakes.
Adjustability
There are loads of neat details to be found in the Phoenix chassis, including a reach-adjustable headset that provides 5mm of adjustment in either direction. There’s also a new flip chip at the lower shock mount that provides linear and progressive leverage rate settings, and you’ll find the same Hi/Lo flip chip in the rocker link that Pivot has built into its trail and enduro bikes.
What you won’t find is adjustable or scaled rear centre lengths, which simply boils down to the Pivot Factory Racing team. Despite having a wide range of rider heights on the team, from Jenna Hastings on a Small through to Ryan Griffith on the X-Large, all team riders preferred having the shortest option when testing prototypes fitted with adjustable chainstays. Given these would be the folks piloting the Phoenix at World Cup races, the decision was made to keep the rear centre length fixed in favour of a simplicity and reduced unsprung weight.
Frame & drivetrain details
The 157x12mm dropouts will accept a regular downhill hub or one with Super Boost spacing, the latter of which Pivot recommends due to the wider hub flanges. The Phoenix also features a PF92 bottom bracket that skips the metal threads in favour of a 92mm wide carbon shell and press-fit cups. Praxis supplies both the BB and crankset, which combines off-the-shelf Cadet HD crank arms with a regular enduro-length spindle (rather than a wider DH spindle) to provide a narrower Q-factor.
Praxis also manufactures the chainring and idler sprockets for the Phoenix. The two idlers sit on an eccentric axle that offers the necessary range of movement for tensioning the chain. Look closely at the primary chainring, and you’ll spot a rubber bumper that sits around a raised shelf, which helps to dull any noise as the second chain bounces around. Simple, but effective!
As with all of Pivot’s mountain bikes, the Phoenix incorporates a unique carbon layup for each frame size. This is to tailor the stiffness and ride characteristics based on the expected rider weight.
Speaking of weight, Pivot claims the new Phoenix frame comes in at 5.1kg, including the crankset and drive system. Complete bikes weigh 16-16.3kg depending on the spec, which is on the lighter side for a full-blown downhill race bike.
What does the new Phoenix mean for the rest of the Pivot lineup?
There are several features in the new Phoenix that we can see being incorporated on other models within the Pivot mountain bike lineup. That includes the reach-adjustable headset and leverage rate flip chip, which are two widgets that you won’t find on the current Firebird or Switchblade.
We can only assume that Pivot is also planning on testing the Mid-High Pivot Six-Bar dw-link suspension design and dual chain drive system on a bike with less travel. Though the extra sprockets and chain no doubt add some weight, if the efficiency benefits hold true then surely that would make it applicable for a bike that’s designed to be pedalled uphill.
There are clearly some packaging benefits on offer too, which Dave Weagle has alluded to being pertinent to a bike fitted with a motor. Perhaps we’ll see a new Pivot e-MTB prototype with two chains at some point in the future?
Pivot Phoenix price & specs
The new Pivot Phoenix is due to arrive in Australia before the end of the year, though numbers will be very limited.
You’ll be able to purchase a Phoenix frameset on its own, which comes with the custom-tuned Fox Float X2 shock, Praxis crankset, BB and chainrings.
There will also be two complete bike options; a SRAM/RockShox build and a Shimano/Fox build. Read on for the specs and prices below.
2025 Pivot Phoenix Pro Saint
- Frame | Full Carbon, Mid-High Pivot Six-Bar dw-link Suspension Design, 210mm Travel
- Fork | Fox 40, Factory Series, GRIP X2 Damper, 52mm Offset, 203mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float X2, Factory Series, 225x75mm
- Wheels | DT Swiss 350 Hubs & FR 560 Alloy Rims
- Tyres | Continental Kryptotal Fr Super Soft DH 29×2.4in Front & Kryptotal Rr Super Soft DH 27.5×2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | Shimano Saint 1×10 w/Praxis DH-9 27T Crankset & 11-25T Cassette
- Brakes | Shimano Saint 4-Piston w/223mm Front & 203mm Rear Galfer Shark Rotors
- Handlebar | Phoenix Team Low Rise Carbon, 800mm Width
- Stem | Phoenix Team DH, 45mm Length
- Seatpost | Phoenix Race Alloy, 31.6mm Diameter
- Claimed Weight | 16kg
- Price | $14,999 AUD
2025 Pivot Phoenix Ride GX DH
- Frame | Full Carbon, Mid-High Pivot Six-Bar dw-link Suspension Design, 210mm Travel
- Fork | RockShox Boxxer, Charger 3 RC Damper, 52mm Offset, 200mm Travel
- Shock | RockShox Vivid, 225x75mm
- Wheels | DT Swiss 370 Hubs & F1900 Alloy Rims
- Tyres | Continental Kryptotal Fr Super Soft DH 29×2.4in Front & Kryptotal Rr Super Soft DH 27.5×2.4in Rear
- Drivetrain | SRAM GX DH 1×7 w/Praxis DH-9 27T Crankset & 11-25T Cassette
- Brakes | SRAM Maven Bronze 4-Piston w/220mm Front & 200mm Rear HS2 Rotors
- Handlebar | Phoenix Team Low Rise Alloy, 800mm Width
- Stem | Phoenix Team DH, 45mm Length
- Seatpost | Phoenix Race Alloy, 31.6mm Diameter
- Claimed Weight | 16.3kg
- Price | $10,999 AUD
2025 Pivot Phoenix Frameset
- Frame | Full Carbon, 6-Bar dw-link Suspension Design, 210mm Travel
- Shock | Fox Float X2, Factory Series, 225x75mm
- Drivetrain | Praxis DH-9 27T Crankset & Idler Pulley Assembly
- Price | $8,499 AUD
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