- Intended Use
- Trail / All Mountain
- Motor
- Fazua Ride 60
- Battery
- 430Wh
- Fork Travel
- 150mm
- Rear Travel
- 132mm
- Weight
- 18.6kg (measured/estimated)
- Price
- 9.999 U$
The lightweight Pivot Shuttle SL is out, and we had a chance to ride it. The test bike is a Pivot Shuttle Pro X01 in size Medium. We did two videos of the bike, one review and one with riding footage only. Check them out or keep on reading below.
The Pro X01 is the second cheapest model in the line-up. It isn't particularly cheap, though. Still, U$ 9.999 compares well to the competition, none of these bikes are cheap. And you get a very well-equipped bike.
Suspension and seatpost are all top-of-the line Fox. The 150 mm travel ebike-specific Fox 36 Factory is pretty much perfect on such a bike. The same can be said about the Fox Float X Facory shock. And Fox Transfer Factory seatpost is great with 175mm travel for size L.
The 175mm seatpost drops the saddle very low.
The big 29” aluminium Newmen wheels are new to us. They seem to be nice and solid, the specsheet says DT Swiss wheels though. Tyres are the not too burly Maxxis Dissector 29x2.4 3C. Lightweight emtbs usually have lighter tyres. The bike showed up with the beefier Maxxis Assegai up front and Maxxis Minion DHR ll on the rear. We prefer those, although testing the bike with the standard components is better.
The Shimano XT brakes and Sram X01 gears, a fine combo.
The bike weighs in at 19.23 kg including pedals and the heavier tyres. The standard rubber is about 250g lighter. So, weight should be about 18.6 kg with a tubeless setup and no pedals. Many of the lightweight emtbs we’ve tested are just below 19kg, so this is fairly common.
The Fox 36 Factory ebike specific fork.
Fazua Ride 60, compact and silent.
The motor amplifies rider input by up to 350%, much more than the previous Fazuas and the TQ HPR50. It’s about the same as the most powerful lightweight motors such as the Shimano EP8-RS and Forestal EonDrive. Those two feels more generous with the power though.
The Fazua Ride 60 has a good amount of assistance, but it feels a bit stingy. You have to push to get the full motor power. It makes the motor feel more natural. TQ HPR50 have received praise for the natural ride feel. Fazua has prioritized this too, mixed with a bit more power. We’ll be back with a more in-depth review of the motor system.
No screen, just 5 diodes to indicate battery % and assistance mode.
Fazua supports two ways of implementing the battery. Pivot opted for an internally fixed battery. This is the cheapest and most lightweight option. There is also a detachable battery. Both have a capacity of 430Wh, significantly more than the usual 320-380Wh batteries.
Fazua components
There is a flip-chip to adjust the geometry. We only rode the defaul Low setting.
The chainstays on the size L demo bike are 434mm, properly short. Chainstay length varies between 432 and 438mm, depending on frame size. The 1.240 mm wheelbase is fine for a Large. And it tells us the front part of the frame is pretty long, since the rear-center is short. Seat tube angle is pretty steep at 76.5*. Geometry seems sensible, nothing extreme.
Climbing wet rocks.
The rear linkage is a “DW-link”, a virtual pivot point design. DW is short for Dave Weagle, a well-respected rear linkage designer. We’ve ridden several emtbs with a floating pivot point. The first one was the original 2018 Pivot Shuttle with 140mm rear travel.
Automn wet and automn colors.
We found the old Shuttle comfortable and composed on the descents. But we were sitting a tad deep in the rear travel. It took a bit of force to get the rear wheel off the ground. We don’t get that feeling at all on the new Shuttle. We recognize the feeling of sinking into the rear travel, but there is good mid-stroke support.
DW-link and a Fox Float X Factory shock
The new bike is still comfortable and stable when descending. The rear end is composed and tracks very well, offering good grip. It does of course help with the extra burly tyres. Still, this is a nimble bike that inspires us to pick creative lines. The Pivot Shuttle SL is perhaps the best descender of the 150mm travel emtbs we’ve tested. And that’s a bit surprising, considering the 130mm rear travel.
Pedaling on the flat trails is efficient thanks to the nice mid-stroke support. There is a nice pop to the rear end when we try to jump on, or over the trail obstacles. Steering is light and fast, we’re riding in a different way than we usually do on a full-fat emtb. This kind of handling should be appealing to people coming from a non-assist bike. I definitely find it appealing.
A lightweight, mid-travel emtb can compromise on the descending abilities. But I’d rather say the Shuttle makes the sacrifices going uphill. The short rear end combined with a motor that is tuned for a natural ride feel doesn't make for an ideal climper. Bike balance is a bit rear biased, and there are motors with more power when grinding slowly in the steep. Still, it’s an emtb that will climb stuff I wouldn’t even attempt without assistance.
The flip-chip for adjusting geometry.
The Pro X01 is the second cheapest model in the line-up. It isn't particularly cheap, though. Still, U$ 9.999 compares well to the competition, none of these bikes are cheap. And you get a very well-equipped bike.
Specs
As the name implies, you get the Sram X01 12-speed, a very fine mechanical drivetrain. Shifting is precise, even in the wet and muddy. Surprisingly, the Sram shifting is paired with Shimano XT dual calipper brakes. An unusual, yet great combination.Suspension and seatpost are all top-of-the line Fox. The 150 mm travel ebike-specific Fox 36 Factory is pretty much perfect on such a bike. The same can be said about the Fox Float X Facory shock. And Fox Transfer Factory seatpost is great with 175mm travel for size L.
The 175mm seatpost drops the saddle very low.
The big 29” aluminium Newmen wheels are new to us. They seem to be nice and solid, the specsheet says DT Swiss wheels though. Tyres are the not too burly Maxxis Dissector 29x2.4 3C. Lightweight emtbs usually have lighter tyres. The bike showed up with the beefier Maxxis Assegai up front and Maxxis Minion DHR ll on the rear. We prefer those, although testing the bike with the standard components is better.
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The bike weighs in at 19.23 kg including pedals and the heavier tyres. The standard rubber is about 250g lighter. So, weight should be about 18.6 kg with a tubeless setup and no pedals. Many of the lightweight emtbs we’ve tested are just below 19kg, so this is fairly common.
The Fox 36 Factory ebike specific fork.
The new Fazua Ride 60
The Ride 60 will be on several brands for 2023. This is a reasonably powerful 60Nm motor. The 450W maximum power is only available using the Boost function that activates from the handlebar remote. It’s a bit difficult timing the Boost though, so we’re not sure how useful it is.Fazua Ride 60, compact and silent.
The motor amplifies rider input by up to 350%, much more than the previous Fazuas and the TQ HPR50. It’s about the same as the most powerful lightweight motors such as the Shimano EP8-RS and Forestal EonDrive. Those two feels more generous with the power though.
The Fazua Ride 60 has a good amount of assistance, but it feels a bit stingy. You have to push to get the full motor power. It makes the motor feel more natural. TQ HPR50 have received praise for the natural ride feel. Fazua has prioritized this too, mixed with a bit more power. We’ll be back with a more in-depth review of the motor system.
No screen, just 5 diodes to indicate battery % and assistance mode.
Fazua supports two ways of implementing the battery. Pivot opted for an internally fixed battery. This is the cheapest and most lightweight option. There is also a detachable battery. Both have a capacity of 430Wh, significantly more than the usual 320-380Wh batteries.
Fazua components
Geometry
The Pivot Shuttle SL is an “all mountain”, all-round trail bike. Such bikes are designed to be nimble and inspiring on the flatter trails, usually at the cost of all-out descending capabilities. The 65.5* head angle is perfectly fine.|
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The chainstays on the size L demo bike are 434mm, properly short. Chainstay length varies between 432 and 438mm, depending on frame size. The 1.240 mm wheelbase is fine for a Large. And it tells us the front part of the frame is pretty long, since the rear-center is short. Seat tube angle is pretty steep at 76.5*. Geometry seems sensible, nothing extreme.
On the trails
150mm travel is considered moderate in the world of emtbs, just what we expect from an All-Mountain bike. Most such emtbs have 140-150mm rear travel. It’s only 132mm on the Shuttle SL, but we couldn’t tell when riding it.The rear linkage is a “DW-link”, a virtual pivot point design. DW is short for Dave Weagle, a well-respected rear linkage designer. We’ve ridden several emtbs with a floating pivot point. The first one was the original 2018 Pivot Shuttle with 140mm rear travel.
Automn wet and automn colors.
We found the old Shuttle comfortable and composed on the descents. But we were sitting a tad deep in the rear travel. It took a bit of force to get the rear wheel off the ground. We don’t get that feeling at all on the new Shuttle. We recognize the feeling of sinking into the rear travel, but there is good mid-stroke support.
DW-link and a Fox Float X Factory shock
The new bike is still comfortable and stable when descending. The rear end is composed and tracks very well, offering good grip. It does of course help with the extra burly tyres. Still, this is a nimble bike that inspires us to pick creative lines. The Pivot Shuttle SL is perhaps the best descender of the 150mm travel emtbs we’ve tested. And that’s a bit surprising, considering the 130mm rear travel.
Pedaling on the flat trails is efficient thanks to the nice mid-stroke support. There is a nice pop to the rear end when we try to jump on, or over the trail obstacles. Steering is light and fast, we’re riding in a different way than we usually do on a full-fat emtb. This kind of handling should be appealing to people coming from a non-assist bike. I definitely find it appealing.
A lightweight, mid-travel emtb can compromise on the descending abilities. But I’d rather say the Shuttle makes the sacrifices going uphill. The short rear end combined with a motor that is tuned for a natural ride feel doesn't make for an ideal climper. Bike balance is a bit rear biased, and there are motors with more power when grinding slowly in the steep. Still, it’s an emtb that will climb stuff I wouldn’t even attempt without assistance.
The flip-chip for adjusting geometry.
