Listen up all you speedy XC folks, because the brand new Pivot Les SL has launched, and it comes with the bodacious claim of being one of the lightest production hardtail frames in the world. Yeah you read that right. Having been fully re-engineered from the head tube to the dropouts, the Les SL is designed to be lighter and more aggressive than its predecessor, while incorporating plenty of modern touches to keep it ahead of the pack.
Pivot Les SL overview
The Pivot Les SL is the Arizona brand’s premier XC race hardtail. It’s one of the few Pivot models that doesn’t have rear suspension, which is where the name comes from (Pivot Les. Geddit?). It’s designed for a similar purpose as the Mach 4 SL, albeit with a greater focus on minimising weight and maximising responsiveness when you’re stomping it around the race track.
Being a high performance XC bike, the Les SL is of course built around a carbon frame and 29in wheels only. Complete bikes are spec’d with a 100mm travel fork, though the Les SL will accept up to a 120mm travel fork for riders who want to kick back the angles a touch and add a bit more comfort.
Bigger rubber, smaller seatpost
Building on that theme, the new Pivot Les SL features increased tyre clearance with the ability to swallow modern 2.4in XC rubber. Pivot has achieved this using standard Boost 148x12mm dropouts (not Super Boost like we’ve seen on some of its longer travel models) with a 52mm chain line. This differs to the Cannondale Scalpel HT we recently tested, which has adopted the wider 55mm chain line.
Also updated over the old bike is the move to a SRAM UDH to make things easier when sourcing a spare. The frame also shifts to a 27.2mm seatpost diameter (from 30.9mm) to improve seated comfort and reduce overall weight. This does make upgrading to a dropper post a little trickier, but with the new Fox Transfer SL and RockShox Reverb AXS XPLR being offered in a 27.2mm size, there are now more options on the market than there ever has been.
Pivot Les SL weight
Thanks to slimmer tubes and improvements in the carbon lay-up, the Pivot Les SL is said to have dropped a whopping 300g over its predecessor. Claimed frame weight is now just 800g for a Medium size including paint. A complete bike with the Team XTR build is said to weigh just 9kg, making this one of the lightest mountain bikes on the market.
Here’s how the claimed frame weight stacks up against some of Pivot’s competitors;
- Mondraker F-Podium: 775g
- Specialized S-Works Epic: 775g
- Pivot Les SL: 800g
- Orbea Alma: 830g
- Canyon Exceed CFR: 835g
- Cannondale Scalpel Hi-MOD: 895g
Geometry updates
Along with the lighter frame, the Pivot Les SL has also received some notable updates to its geometry.
The head angle is a degree slacker at 68.5°, reach has grown by some 30mm for a Medium frame, and the seat angle steepens by around two degrees. Additionally, there’s now an Extra Small size that joins the range.
Pivot Les SL price & specs
Globally there will be six different spec options available in the new Pivot Les SL, with Race, Pro and Team models, all of which can be had with a Shimano or SRAM groupset.
Prices start at $7,999 AUD for the Pivot Les SL Race XT build, and will go up to $14,999 AUD for the Team XX1 AXS build. Shown below is the Team XTR model.
Pivot Les SL Team XTR
- Frame | Hollow Core Carbon Fibre
- Fork | Fox 32 Step-Cast, Factory Series, FIT4 Damper, 44mm Offset, 100mm Travel
- Hubs | Industry Nine Hydra
- Rims | Reynolds Blacklabel 309/289 XC Carbon Rims, Inner Width: 30mm (Front), 28mm (Rear)
- Tyres | Maxxis Rekon Race 29×2.4in Wide Trail EXO 120tpi
- Drivetrain | Shimano XTR 1×12 w/Race Face Next SL 34T Carbon Crankset & 10-51T Cassette
- Brakes | Shimano XTR M9100 2-Piston w/160mm Centerlock Rotors
- Bar | Phoenix Team Flat Carbon, 760mm Width
- Stem | Phoenix Team XC/Trail
- Grips | Phoenix Factory Lock-On
- Seatpost | Phoenix Team Carbon, 27.2mm Diameter
- Claimed Weight | 9kg
- RRP | $12,999 AUD
