2023 Pivot Shuttle SL - Super Light

eddiemac47

Member
Mar 4, 2020
28
55
East Coast, USA
AXS is nice but makes it too confusing for me when you go full AXS. Should be connected to the battery…
Carbon Rims: nice but really reliable light ones are hard to find. Had too good experiences with Newmen rims. On slowbuild.de für 370€ with DT350. 1750g. No more carbon rims for me.
BUT I still don‘t like Super Boost. Would like to keep my wheels for fast swapping of the tire set up: bike park/wet (Assegai/DHR II), tour (Butcher/Eliminator), commuting/extreme dry (Ground Control). Makes 3 Boost wheel sets for 2 boost bikes…

I agree, super boost is the one thing I am disappointed about because I won't be able to swap some of my other rims. Wish the industry would have a standard and actually stick to it.
 
Feb 3, 2021
49
19
UK
AXS is nice but makes it too confusing for me when you go full AXS. Should be connected to the battery…
Carbon Rims: nice but really reliable light ones are hard to find. Had too good experiences with Newmen rims.

I mean't that for £10.5k I would expect full axs spec with carbon rims. Alloy rims and cable X01 totally ok with me Just Not at that price point.
 

TorAtle

Member
Aug 4, 2018
102
95
OSLO
Pricing according to what the market can bear. Plus ça change.
True, but you can tell which brands have built-in wiggleroom for discounts by comparing the price in local currency vs USD or EUR. Trek is more expensive here. Specialized too. You should always count on discounts with these brands, even for new models. It sounds like this is the case with Pivot in the UK, if I wanted one I would call them and ask for a better price.
 

caseyherring

New Member
Sep 4, 2022
7
20
PNW
for anyone who care - I impulse bought the World Cup SL yesterday because... it was there. I have had both carbon and aluminum Rise, Levo and kenevo sl, and just about every major ebike from the last couple of years. all hecklers, levo gen 3, yeti 160 etc... I say all that to say I dont really commit to any bike for that long and I just enjoy the nuances of them.

The SL is sweet... I also have had the trail 429, switchblade and new firebird. It legit rides like the trail 429. that dosnt really matter though, all bikes, even heavy ones are fun to ride to some degree. the motor and range is what I was curious about. I had a DHF on front and rekon on rear so it was fairly fast rolling but the power to weight was impressive. I typically ride e bikes in full boost mode because I know what I like and it isn't going uphill... the power in blue (which is middle power) was plenty most of time and the purple (which is boost essentially) felt slightly more powerful than boost on the rise. Range was just above 4000 feet climbing and 21 miles in 70% boost 30% mid setting. All in all, I would say its my favorite e bike I have ridden. I like long travel bikes more when given the choice but I didn't have a choice so... this was just fine. I rode what would be called aggressive blues and really aggressive blacks and did not feel the need to hold back... significantly. The best part of the bike relative to all the other lightweights I have ridden was it was quiet and looks the least like and e bike, except for the super bright LED lights. If I had to choose a light weight rig right now and live with it for the next year and not ride other bikes, it would be this.

Hope this is of some help. I find the interwebs super useful for learning about these diverse, sweet products but also it can lead to some analysis paralysis. My suggestion is grab one if you can.

Cheers!
 

sgtcurry

Member
Apr 27, 2021
37
19
Houston, Tx
for anyone who care - I impulse bought the World Cup SL yesterday because... it was there. I have had both carbon and aluminum Rise, Levo and kenevo sl, and just about every major ebike from the last couple of years. all hecklers, levo gen 3, yeti 160 etc... I say all that to say I dont really commit to any bike for that long and I just enjoy the nuances of them.

The SL is sweet... I also have had the trail 429, switchblade and new firebird. It legit rides like the trail 429. that dosnt really matter though, all bikes, even heavy ones are fun to ride to some degree. the motor and range is what I was curious about. I had a DHF on front and rekon on rear so it was fairly fast rolling but the power to weight was impressive. I typically ride e bikes in full boost mode because I know what I like and it isn't going uphill... the power in blue (which is middle power) was plenty most of time and the purple (which is boost essentially) felt slightly more powerful than boost on the rise. Range was just above 4000 feet climbing and 21 miles in 70% boost 30% mid setting. All in all, I would say its my favorite e bike I have ridden. I like long travel bikes more when given the choice but I didn't have a choice so... this was just fine. I rode what would be called aggressive blues and really aggressive blacks and did not feel the need to hold back... significantly. The best part of the bike relative to all the other lightweights I have ridden was it was quiet and looks the least like and e bike, except for the super bright LED lights. If I had to choose a light weight rig right now and live with it for the next year and not ride other bikes, it would be this.

Hope this is of some help. I find the interwebs super useful for learning about these diverse, sweet products but also it can lead to some analysis paralysis. My suggestion is grab one if you can.

Cheers!
Thanks that’s what I thought about this bike.
 

Sebov

Member
Jul 24, 2022
47
39
Bavaria
for anyone who care - I impulse bought the World Cup SL yesterday because... it was there. I have had both carbon and aluminum Rise, Levo and kenevo sl, and just about every major ebike from the last couple of years. all hecklers, levo gen 3, yeti 160 etc... I say all that to say I dont really commit to any bike for that long and I just enjoy the nuances of them.

The SL is sweet... I also have had the trail 429, switchblade and new firebird. It legit rides like the trail 429. that dosnt really matter though, all bikes, even heavy ones are fun to ride to some degree. the motor and range is what I was curious about. I had a DHF on front and rekon on rear so it was fairly fast rolling but the power to weight was impressive. I typically ride e bikes in full boost mode because I know what I like and it isn't going uphill... the power in blue (which is middle power) was plenty most of time and the purple (which is boost essentially) felt slightly more powerful than boost on the rise. Range was just above 4000 feet climbing and 21 miles in 70% boost 30% mid setting. All in all, I would say its my favorite e bike I have ridden. I like long travel bikes more when given the choice but I didn't have a choice so... this was just fine. I rode what would be called aggressive blues and really aggressive blacks and did not feel the need to hold back... significantly. The best part of the bike relative to all the other lightweights I have ridden was it was quiet and looks the least like and e bike, except for the super bright LED lights. If I had to choose a light weight rig right now and live with it for the next year and not ride other bikes, it would be this.

Hope this is of some help. I find the interwebs super useful for learning about these diverse, sweet products but also it can lead to some analysis paralysis. My suggestion is grab one if you can.

Cheers!
Great to hear. Thanks! The shorter travel and slightly steeper hta holds me kind of back.
but it also sounds like you really like the motor system. Maybe the longer travel Relay would be the perfect bike ;)
 

eddiemac47

Member
Mar 4, 2020
28
55
East Coast, USA
I'm not Rob or the Loam Wolf guys, but I have had a bunch of emtbs and here is my short term review:

For reference, I am 51, 5'10 185 lbs and went with a size large.

Over the last 6 years, I have had quite a few e-mtbs - 16 Levo Expert, 19 Levo Expert, 20 Levo SL, 21 Trek Rail 9.8XT and 21 Orbea Rise M10. I have sold all of the above with the exception of the Trek Rail which I love. I really liked the Orbea, but when I had neck surgery earlier in the year, I couldn't justify having two bikes worth 9K each sitting in my garage collection dust. Now that I have fully recovered, I picked up my Team XTR Shuttle SL on Thursday and now have about 20 miles on it.

First, weight. Everyone wants to know. My large with flat raceface atlas pedals and garmin mount and the Pivot tool holder box weighs 40.59 lbs ready to ride set up tubeless. For reference, my large Levo SL with Roval Traverse Carbons was 39lbs, my Orbea Rise M10 size large was 42.2lbs.

Fit and finish - Pivot makes really nice bikes. They definitely put the time in to engineer a great bike...... as they should considering what this thing cost. (more than my first car)

Set up - simple, Fox factory is great stuff and I set mine up with 15% sag up front, 20 in the rear. That seems to be fine for the flowy trails I have ridden so far. I haven't added any tokens, but may add one in the rear eventually. I know some people were worried about the 132mm of rear suspension travel, but I will say it 'feels' more than that. Probably due to the DW link which is awesome.

Handling - So far, I've got about 20 miles of single track. The bike handles really well, especially if you like a quick turning bike. I really like short chainstay bikes, I prefer my bikes to bite hard off the front end and this thing turns great. I know those chainstays aren't the best for steep climbing, but the DW link masks a lot of that, I didn't notice it being overly nose light on climbs. What I did notice is how efficient the suspension is. Again, that DW link more than likely.

Power. This is a tough one. My 'other' bike is a Trek Rail with the brilliant Bosch system. I love my Trek. IMO, it is the best handling monster truck of a full fat out there. But, it's a beast, at 52lbs and anyone who says you don't notice the weight is nuts, because you do. The Shuttle doesn't have anywhere near the power of the Bosch. But, that's fine, because the bike is so light and the DW link is so efficient, I don't think you need the extra power. Sure, if you are going out to ride with buddies who are on full turbo all the time, you are going to need Armstrongian legs to keep up. But anything under full turbo and you will be fine. I haven't messed with the settings on mine yet, just sticking to the factory settings from Fazua and they seem to work fine. In terms of power, it has more than the Levo SL and I would say its on par with the Orbea. What is does infinitely better than both is how quiet the motor is. It doesn't sound like a power drill like the Levo SL and doesn't rattle like a paint can like the Shimano EP8. I haven't heard the new Trek Fuel EXe in person, but the Fazua motor is the quietest thing I have ridden so far.

Who is this bike for? I ride with buddies a lot, but I also spend a ton of miles by myself. Biking is my happy place and allows me to escape from real life and helps keep me sane. I really enjoy riding by myself and most of the places I ride are flowy, rooty with lots of turns and shortish climbs. For this type of riding, the Shuttle SL is simply amazing. When I go out to the mountains, I would take my Trek over the Shuttle, because it is more suited to that type of riding. But for everything else, I'll grab the Pivot.
 
Last edited:

Just in time

Member
Sep 20, 2022
15
17
Minnesota
I’ve been riding this bike for 1 day now and the plastic ring controller is already sticking up and down I could tell right away that thing would be a problem. Also the bike has not worked a couple of times with showing 1 white light on the screen . Curious if anyone else is having any issues as well? It’s working for now until this happens again.

5D1EA004-94B0-4B3B-A400-8744DE323FE9.jpeg
 

MarkE192

Member
Aug 1, 2022
17
26
USA
I have had the same 2 issues with the bike. The bike has been to my LBS on 3 times now to look at the single white light no power issue. On the last go round they updated the software. The only time this happens to me is when I do not power off the bike manually. Apparently when the battery goes into sleep mode it doesn't want to wake up. I have only ridden the bike a few times since the latest software update. Have not had an issue since but I also have not let the bike go into sleep mode.( I have been turning off manually with the ring controller). Was also told that Pivot was going to manufacture their own ring controller with additional ball bearings to eliminate the sticking issue. Not sure on the ETA on that fix but hopefully soon.
 

eddiemac47

Member
Mar 4, 2020
28
55
East Coast, USA
Mark, if you get an answer on the ring controller, please let us know. Mine sticks too and I have already cracked the housing. I didn't even hit anything, just grabbed it to rotate and it snapped at the bolt. Wasn't amused at all.
 

Just in time

Member
Sep 20, 2022
15
17
Minnesota
Just talked with my lbs and I guess Pivot only has some ring controls on hand is what they said. Fazua said they don’t have any right now. Pivot said we gotch you . I have to say without my complaints this bike is riding just about how I expected it . Definitely hitting the sweet spot right . Im 160lbs 6’1. On a large and the power to weight ratio and “I’m coming from a Gen 3 Levo” is really brilliant IMO . Not as smooth as the Brose motor but what is . Anyways I appreciate your feedback friends!

cheers
 

Ace Freely

Active member
Jul 31, 2019
146
196
Wenatchee, Wa
Just talked with my lbs and I guess Pivot only has some ring controls on hand is what they said. Fazua said they don’t have any right now. Pivot said we gotch you . I have to say without my complaints this bike is riding just about how I expected it . Definitely hitting the sweet spot right . Im 160lbs 6’1. On a large and the power to weight ratio and “I’m coming from a Gen 3 Levo” is really brilliant IMO . Not as smooth as the Brose motor but what is . Anyways I appreciate your feedback friends!

cheers

...glad to hear you are happy with it! I'm still waiting on mine to show up...also coming from a Gen 3 Levo!

Ace
 

eddiemac47

Member
Mar 4, 2020
28
55
East Coast, USA
Well, mine got the white dot tonight, twice, and lost drive. It happened while I was moving, not timing out. I guess I am headed to the bike shop to get an update. Fazua needs to get with the times and allow updates over the phone like Specialized, especially at this price point. No matter how awesome the bike handles, this is annoying as hell.
 

grantini

E*POWAH Master
May 7, 2019
611
539
Delaware
Has anyone seen the ProX1 yet? I've decided to consolidate my 2020 Sworks Levo and my 2020 Levo SL Expert Carbon into the Shuttle SL. I'm a SRAM guy so that's my target. My LBS sells a ton of Pivots but he rep told him next Spring before he will see a ProX1 in medium.... I'm wondering if the other levels are available? I would probably suck it up and go for one of the XTRs if they were available and the Pro isn't.... He is also putting some pressure on his rep... We have a huge number of Specialized EMTBs in our extended riding community and I know he would love to get some Pivots out there.
 

Ace Freely

Active member
Jul 31, 2019
146
196
Wenatchee, Wa
New technology always has some blips and short comings in the beginning... yes it's annoying being part of the "R and D" team for a company, but it's how life seems to work.

...hoping that the bugs get worked out swiftly!
 

JStrube

Active member
Sep 15, 2022
278
211
Atwater, CA
Reading through this, when I get to buying my bike, it makes me want to be closer to a dealer than I would be with the Pivot... I hate to buy a bike based on the dealer network availability, as I live in a pretty unsupported area, but...

"Local Shop" used to be a Giant & Spec dealer, but now, Giant are gone, and Spec is not really what I am after...
 

Ace Freely

Active member
Jul 31, 2019
146
196
Wenatchee, Wa
Reading through this, when I get to buying my bike, it makes me want to be closer to a dealer than I would be with the Pivot... I hate to buy a bike based on the dealer network availability, as I live in a pretty unsupported area, but...

"Local Shop" used to be a Giant & Spec dealer, but now, Giant are gone, and Spec is not really what I am after...


... it's not a "Pivot" issue, it's a "Fazua" issue... it's their hardware that needs beefing up. The ring will be handled by both them and the after market world. I, for one, would like a billet piece instead of the plastic...

Ace
 

eddiemac47

Member
Mar 4, 2020
28
55
East Coast, USA
The bike is pretty darn awesome. If I sat down and drew up plans for a bike, it pretty much would be this thing. It's just growing pains I guess with a new motor system, not Pivot's fault. Just like the Brose in the Levo's, Specialized built a great product, but the motors are sometimes the weak link which took some time to get right. I know Pivot is on top of this as the local rep is pretty much calling my dealer daily with updates.
 

R2thek

Member
Apr 10, 2022
83
25
Colorado
The bike is pretty darn awesome. If I sat down and drew up plans for a bike, it pretty much would be this thing. It's just growing pains I guess with a new motor system, not Pivot's fault. Just like the Brose in the Levo's, Specialized built a great product, but the motors are sometimes the weak link which took some time to get right. I know Pivot is on top of this as the local rep is pretty much calling my dealer daily with updates.
As long as they have spare parts.
 

EMTB Forums

Since 2018

The World's largest electric mountain bike community.

556K
Messages
28,099
Members
Join Our Community

Latest articles


Top