Hidden in plain sight

Most brands go racing to market their new products. Pivot went racing to develop its next generation Phoenix downhill bike. And it’s a strategy that’s not without risk, as anyone who witnessed Bernard Kerr tearing the head tube clean off the prototype bike at the Rotorua DH will testify.  But when Bernard was three seconds faster at a Fox suspension test day on the new prototype, there was only one decision  to take. Race it.

Where it started: Prototype Phoenix mid-high pivot DH bike

Need to know:

• New Phoenix DH is designed for MX wheels 
• Rear travel is now 210mm
• Twin chain mid-high pivot suspension layout
• DW6 suspension use flex stays
• Four frame sizes – reach 430mm to 525mm
• Headset cups offer +/-6mm reach adjustment
• Flip chip for +/- 0.5º head angle adjustment
• Two progression rates: 39.6% and 46.6% 
• Hub spacing is 157mm
• Two models: Pro £9,500 and Ride £7,800

Now, whatever way you slice it, £9.5k for the the Fox Factory equipped Phoenix Pro build is a stack of money. So if you still want the Kashima coated Fox bling at a fraction of the cost, then check out our Direct-Sales Downhill bike test of the YT Tues, Canyon Sender and Propain Rage.

And as cool as that prototype DH bike looked, with its carbon tubes neatly bonded into alloy lugs, it was always going to be a prototype only design. This approach meant that Pivot could cut the time to get a sample frame from three months to three weeks, at a fraction of the cost. The first prototype was built to within 3% stiffness of the old bike and the rapid turn around allowed Pivot to make multiple changes to the design before committing to the production bike that’s a full monocoque carbon construction. 

Developed by the team for racing at the highest level

New DW6 suspension

Speed is the essence of racing and the rapid prototyping method enabled Pivot to play with the geometry for the MX wheel format. It also gave it the freedom to explore different suspension designs. The bike started with the standard DW4 design the mid-high pivot, before moving to DW6 layout.

High and low geometry settings on the new frame

Why mid-high pivot? During development the Factory Race Team and test riders didn’t like the dramatic swings in weight distribution associated with the more rearward axle path that goes hand in hand with a high pivot design. So the decision was made to go with a mid-high pivot layout instead. 

New DW6 suspension uses flex-stays to reduce the pivot count

Granted that probably could have been achieved with the standard DW4 suspension, but Pivot also wanted to reduce the chain forces on the suspension, so it settled on a twin chain idler design. The DW6 layout helped package everything into place and because there’s only a couple of degrees of movement where the dropout pivot would be on a regular 6-bar suspension design, Pivot simply replaced it with flex in the carbon stays to reduce weight and complexity. So it’s still a 6-bar.

The elegant design hides the complexity of the 6-bar design

The problem with idler designs

Now, if you’ve ever ridden a longer travel idler bike, you’ll know that the lower chain guide is a necessary evil. Yes, it helps keep the chain in place and reduces how the lower run of chain pulls on the derailleur, but it also generates a lot of friction when pedalling. There’s also a high risk that it can move and jam up the drivetrain. Not what you want on any bike, but certainly not on a race bike. 

No lower chain guide, means there’s less drag in the system when pedalling

So switching to a twin-chainring design, like on the new Pivot, solves both of those issues. And because the design has two separate chain rings at the idler, you can replace the “regular” drivetrain chainring, as it will wear faster due to side loading as the chain moves across the cassette, than the chainring that’s driven directly by the chainset below it.  

We asked Pivot if it was possible to play with the satellite cog sizes to change the characteristics of the anti-squat and pedal kickback, but that’s not something it currently offers. 

More adjustability as standard on the new Phoenix

MX wheels and more travel

The old bike was full 29in as standard, the new bike comes stock MX. Rear travel has also increased from 190mm to 210mm, and there’s a shock flip chip that offers two progression rates: 39.6% and 46.6%. So your options are: high or higher progression.  

Oversized head tube for angle and reach adjustment

More geometry adjustment that before

The frame is available in four frame sizes, S1 to S4 and the reach numbers span 435mm to 515mm in the low setting. All sizes share the same rear centre measurement 443mm, but you can tweak the reach by +/-6mm with headset cups to fine tune the fit and weight distribution of each size. Also with the addition of a flip chip you can now tweak the head angle by +/-  0.5º with a corresponding shift in BB height.

All the numbers on the new Pivot Phoenix downhill bike

Meet the 2025 Pivot Phoenix range:

Pivot Phoenix Ride Build

Pivot Phoenix Ride $6,899, £7,800 

The entry-level bike of two, the Phoenix Ride shares the exact same full carbon frame that the Pro build, but it uses a more affordable build kit. The RockShox Boxxer fork and Vivid shock are both Base models, but we’d be reluctant to call the SRAM DH GX 7-speed drivetrain a downgrade. SRAM also supply’s the powerful Maven brakes, so combined with the Super Soft Conti Kryptotal tyres, you’ll have no issue slowing the Phoenix down. 

Pivot Phoenix Pro Build

Pivot Phoenix Pro $8499, £9,500

The top-end Phoenix Pro build get’s 4-way adjustable Fox Factory suspension, with an air sprung Float X2 shock and the latest Grip X2 damper in the 40 fork. Yes, Shimano’s Saint 10-speed drivetrain looks long in the tooth, especially with spy shots circulating of what looks like a new Saint groupset, but it’s still bombproof.  As are the DT Swiss FR 560 rims and 360 hubs that the bike rolls on.   

Off to the races on the new Pivot Phoenix DH bike