Pivot Mach 4 Race Report

[Brighter-Lights]

From South Africa: Oudtshoorn Maxxis 300km 3 Day MTB Marathon



I’ve always raced hardtails, but recently got this bike in preparation for a 24hr solo. I did my previous 24hr solo on an Ibis Mojo Carbon. Besides hardtails, I have ridden a Cannondale Scalpel and Orbea Oiz Carbon, so I cannot comment or compare the Pivot Mach 4 to other dual suspensions, but I will comment on my experience riding it in the Maxxis 300km race and training in various terrain.

I was warned about sharp rocks and changed tires the evening before the start. I replaced the light tires with UST ones since I didn’t want to take chances. The setup was as follow:

Pivot Mach 4 X-Small
Pace RC 39 C-Type
Fox RP23 with rebound set in middle of range.
XTR crank and front der
X9 rear der, cassette, trigger shifters
Xpedo pedals
Syntace seatpost with Selle SLR 135 saddle.
Juicy 7 Brakes, Race Face stem, EC70 bar, foam grips
American Classic disk wheels, Kenda 1.9 Small Block 8 UST rear, Maxxis Crossmark UST 2.1 front.
Camelbak 1.5L

Complete weight 10.9kg with UST tires.



I’m used to riding a 9.3kg carbon hardtail and got this bike a 10 days before the Maxxis 300km race.

I will first give a wrap up about the race and then my thoughts about the bike and how it handled.

Day one:

The Maxxis MTB marathon is essentially a hardtail race. 80% of the 300km is on good gravel roads, with 5% on tar and 15% technical jeep track on day 2.

Day one started at an easy pace with the pro’s scattered in the bunch and people chatting and joking. We were on a corrugated gravel road and climbing steadily out of Oudtshoorn at about 28 to 30km/h. Some pro’s attacked hard on a few jeep track sections but I could hold on. On the first climb with my HR at 188 I lost contact with the leaders and continued climbing at my pace with riders scattered around me. I was the only dual suspension rider with no lockout. I don’t count locked out soft tails. Once over the climb, me and 5 others formed a fast train and caught the leaders. On the major climb of the day I fell off the leaders again and ended up going over in 15th. I rode alone into a hectic headwind for the next 15km until I caught another ride who also fell off. It soon started raining and the 2 of us were survivors fleeing the chasing bunch behind us.

Day one:

101km – 3:34:14 – 14th position

Day 2:

We started with 8km of tar and turned off onto a fast gravel road with 30 to 50km/h in a huge bunch. Skies were blue with snow on the peaks. For the first 35km we rode in this bunch until the first climb, where I again fell off the leading group. The same 6 of day one regrouped after the climb and we rode very hard together. At 60km we turned off into jeep track with lots of loose rocks. I was suffering and sat at the back of the group. We soon caught some pro’s who fell off the main group and formed a bigger 2nd bunch. 10km later I started feeling better and constantly noticed how slow the hardtails around me were on the rough stuff… We started climbing with lots of loose stones and rocks and the bike tracked like a dream.



I soon had a gap and before I knew it, I was away from the group with 3 other riders on my wheel. When we reached a long very rocky downhill I went for it and made a big gap. The hardtails just couldn’t descend as fast. At the end of the downhill was a loose climb again and I stood up and sprinted for as long as I could and made the gap even bigger. To my dismay I ended on good gravel…alone… The riders behind me worked together and the 3 caught me with 15km to go. I rode my heart out and had nothing left the last 5km… after seeing the results: I made a 3 minute gap on the 2nd group in the last 25km… some were pro’s and most were very fast.

Day 2:

107km – 3:48:48 – 10th position

Day 3:

We were freezing as we headed out of Oudtshoorn. Most were too cold to try anything heroic. About 30 mins later the pace upped when we reached the first climb. I broke myself to stay with the leaders and went over the top about 50m behind the group. I soon caught them, but other riders also joined from behind. This was a hectic fast stage, doing 40 to 50km/h on the flats with no time to rest...this was the last stage and no one worried about the next day. The front group dropped us again on a climb and we formed the 2nd bunch of 9 riders. On one downhill I reached 80km/h!!!

We were on tar again and 7km to go… I started worrying about a possible sprint finish, as it was impossible to ride away from these guys on hardtails with locked out forks. On the last climb close to the finish I just got up and sprinted until I couldn’t stand anymore and upped the cadence in seated position. I got a good gap, and at 17km/h I was climbing faster than the group… I got away!

Day 3:

101.7km – 3:19:13 – 10th position.

After 3 days: Overall: 309.7km – 10:42:15 – 11th position

The bike:

I’m 70kg in race kit and ride the Mach 4 at 140psi rear and 100psi for the Pace in front.

First impressions:

Because I’m a hardtail racer, I need a bike that climbs very well and which obviously is light enough. I took the Pivot to my training loop and could do the climb at the same speed as with my hardtail. (seated – I’ll comment about standing up later)
I had WTB Nano Raptor 2.1 and Wolverine 2.2 with Stans. Most noticeable was how stiff the rear end is. No flexy feelings there!

Coming from a hardtail, this bike is just FUN to ride.

Suspension:



Although a hardtail would suite certain types of racing better, this could very well be the perfect all round bike. In loose terrain and rocky climbs, the Mach 4 tracks amazingly well and actually climbs better than my hardtail. When putting power down, the hardtail just bounces around and I loose traction. With the Mach 4 I can sit, or stand up and the bike just climbs.

Where it does fall short is when climbing/sprinting in standing position. I stand up a lot and the suspension obviously compresses when standing and powering. A lock out rear shock will solve this. While I was not able to climb standing like on a locked out hardtail, this bike certainly performed well when standing up and it’s even possible to sprint up steep inclines with propedal on. (I had I on 3 – stiffest)

Pedal performance is excellent. When spinning fast in an easy gear, there’s some suspension movement, but nothing as obvious as a Cannondale Scalpel or Rocky Mountain Element. When I increase power output the suspension becomes more solid and no pedal bob is visible. The bike goes forward and feels fast.

There’s 2 things to the suspension for me. Firstly, it feels like a short travel suspension which stiffens up towards 40 to 60mm of travel. It essentially feels like it could be a 50mm suspension when riding normally…until you hit something big and hard. Then it feels like a long travel bike… The impression I get when jumping hard is that this bike could be given some air… I think it easily would handle a 3 foot drop off (not that I would ever attempt something like that)

The suspension is active and I can pretty much feel how it’s working underneath me at all times.

This bike can be hammered hard. Because of the excellent pedal performance, I can stay seated over rough terrain and just keep powering, while with my hardtail I normally would stand up to save some weight on the rear wheel.

The suspension reacts well to square bumps, but on repeated square bumps at high speed it feels a bit harsh for me. At 45km/h over lots of loose rocks I can only see the suspension move over the biggest hits, the smaller stones have a hardtail like chatter feeling.

Tracking through corners at high speed is a dream. I reach over 60km/h often and the bike is very stable. Even when I got 80km/h on stage 3, I didn’t feel uncomfortable for a moment. It didn’t feel like 80… I’ve reached 80 once before on the hardtail and it was scary with the rear wheel drifting and feeling loose.

The pro pedal on the RP23 does make I feel slightly firmer, but not a lot. As someone who needs a fast race bike, I would rather prefer solid lockout for those moments when the locked out hardtails stand up and sprint up climbs.

In my first race I ran 150psi with about 9mm sag. I've played with the settings since and running the rear at 130 psi gives a very comfortable ride and feels very plush, but is too soft to put serious power down. 140 to 145 psi suits me best. This gives a good balance between small bump sensitivity and stiffness when standing up for a sprint of climb.

When riding a big gear and sitting down with max power and pulling up hard on the pedals, I compress the suspension somewhat and this takes time to get use to... On the hardtail I can push and pull very hard. (Obviously)

This bike feels like a real dual suspension. The Scalpel and Orbea Oiz Carbon feels very stiff in the suspension action and feels like soft tails, or hard tails with a little give on bigger bumps… the Pivot Mach 4’s suspension feels active and reacts to bumps every time.

It feels like a big travel bike with pedal performance of a soft tail.

For the person who wants to be fast, and have a fun ride, this is an awesome bike. For 24hr it’s perfect. For the racer who wants to win, this bike just falls short in the climbing category.NB! It obviously very much depends on the type of terrain... I'm talking smooth hardpack/non technical. On technical courses this bike will give any hardtail a run for it's money because you can just sit down while aiming it! Light tires and a full lockout shock would make it climb faster, but at a reliability cost.

I’m still very impressed by the Pivot Mach 4 and would highly recommend it. To average 29km/h over 3 days and almost 310km, this bike can be very fast.

Personally, I still prefer the hardtail for most of my races which are corrugated gravel roads with some jeep track and few technical sections. (Simply because of weight and rigid platform when standing up on long climbs) I must admit, I'm also still getting used to riding this bike and by changing some habits it could just get better (like jumping out of the saddle on climbs)
For XC and marathons, the Pivot Mach 4 surely is a dangerous weapon.



Johannes Gerber
www.brighter-lights.com
www.twowheelstrading.co.za

[stevemtu]

Thanks for the ride (and race!) report. I saw the 2008 Cape Epic film. Sounds like similar terrain. Most everyone there (except the winners! and Sauser) were on a hardtail for the reasons you mentioned.

I had just about written the Mach 4 off as a xc race bike, but may now have to reconsider.

[Boxer]

WOW! thanks for the great ride ande race report. It sounds like that bike is almost the one bike for everything. Congrats on the race too.

[Evil Patrick]

One small correction:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duel

I'm certain you meant "dual".

[brook_63@yahoo.com]

first that is a great race report!!!
just a quick question:
have you ever rode that course before on a hardtail?
what was your time? how was your fitness?
sometimes what feels fast is actually slower according to the clock:-)
just curious..as i know what you mean on the climbs when standing, as you need to do this if it fits your climbing style; al la armstrong who climbs at high tempo out of the saddle or ulrich who just sits and mashes monster gears no matter how steep..lol

[Brighter-Lights]

Thank you to everyone.

brook_63 : I've never rode the course on a hardtail. It appears to be similar times than on my hardtail on my training routes which are all good to moderate gravel roads with some technical rocky sections. I can pretty much sit 12hr + on a hardtail and my technical skills are good BUT... on the few technical sections I have on my training loops, this bike is faster because I can simply aim it and sit down and not worry about killing my rear wheel. Speed wise, standing on a hardtail might be as fast through these sections, but economy wise the dual suspension saves me and help me to recover on those downhills and rough patches.

I love standing up every now and then on long climbs just to stretch out. If the gradient suits me, I'll keep standing and bounce the pedals. It's a matter of me getting used to the bike and change some of my habits slightly.

I will do some comparison tests on my trails with the Mach 4 and my hardtail.

In the recent 300km race, I was 28 minutes behind the winner and 20 minutes away from podium. It sounds a lot, and it is a lot, but not that much over 10 1/2 hours of racing and remember that I'm not a pro, I'm just someone who started riding 3 years ago and who's trying to reach his full potential and hopefully attract some sponsors...and that's my main goal with the 24hr solo.

[avwrites]

Have you tried ProPedal setting 3 on the shock? This doesn't totally lock out the shock, but it adds a considerable degree of stiffness for those uphill, stand and climb road sections. Setting 3 is a noticeable difference from 1, one of the main reasons we don't spec a lockout on this bike. Pedaling performance on this bike is excellent, even compared to some of the nicer full sus bikes in this category.

Adam @ Pivot

[Brighter-Lights]

Hi Adam,

I have the ProPedal on #3. I increased the air pressure a bit and it gives me a better platform.



2008 Eastern Province SteelTek Half Marathon MTB Championships

The famous Castrol Winterberg Motorbike Enduro happened the day before and adrenalin filled my body as I encountered returning team vehicles loaded with equipment and powerful off road motorbikes on my way to the start of the 2008 Eastern Province SteelTek Half Marathon MTB Championship.

SteelTek Half Marathon MTB Championship happened to share the start of the Castrol Winderberg Enduro at PPC Loerie and when I got there, some campers were still packing up their big machines while the occasional thumping of a 4 stroke enduro bike created even more of a racing atmosphere.

SteelTek MTB Enduro’s are known to be anything from notoriously difficult to reasonably easy. The 2007 one was one of those ‘hike ‘n bike’ sessions with many impossibly to ride sections.

A welcome number of new and old faces filled up the parking area while people leisurely chatted, cameras flashed and bikes were checked.

I’ve washed and serviced every part of the Pivot Mach 4 the previous day and the bike still appeared brand new, even after some weeks on it. I still had to put the chain on and needed to check shock and tire pressures. My competition's body language let me know that this won't be an easy race. The half marathon champs is only 40km's and I knew it would be fast with no mercy and possibly very technical, considering previous years.

My game plan was to go flat out at the start and to see what happens. We started on a long fast downhill which were announced a neutral zone for safety reasons while all riders were still together. Our first river crossing was at the bottom of this downhill and once over the crossing we could open up. I went over first to have the advantage on the sharp left turn right after the crossing and as I went into the turn I sprinted flat out. The first 100 meters were quite rough and I knew I had an advantage over the hard tail bikes around me.

I kept 40 to 45km/h on an undulating section and thought that no one would be able to keep this pace. I looked back and could see no one behind and thought I got away. I hit a short climb and saw the others coming from behind as I got closer to the top. It was Charl Joubert on a GT carbon hardtail who sprinted up the climb and closed the gap. He was on my wheel as we approached a very fast downhill with another river crossing at the bottom. It appeared to be deep and I got off. To my utter frustration I battled to clip in after my shoes got some sand/mud at the crossing and Charl got a 30m gap on me. (XPedo pedals and Exustar Carbon shoes)

I kept a steady pace behind him and soon we reached a dry riverbed with big rocks where one really needed to think fast to pick a line in order to stay on the bike… I got off and ran while Charl managed to stay on the bike. I again battled to clip in but soon caught Charl and we rode side by side. I was surprised by his sudden good form.

We were now clear from Jason Eldrige on an Orbea Alma in 3rd but knew how strong he could be late in a race. Then, another river crossing where we got off with some sandy single track just before a steep sandy climb out of the riverbed which we ran. Charl was in front when we approached a mother of a steep climb… ! MAN! We tried riding up but I fell off halfway up and had to walk the rest which proved to be a killer on our calves. It was a very hard walk at less than 3km/h and the steepest uphill I’ve ever been on. (was impossible to even think of jogging)

After another river crossing and more sand with undulating farm roads through citrus trees, we reached a section of tar. Until this point my HR have been over 180bpm constantly and I knew I had to recover somewhat before the long climb. I was at max effort again on the climb with Charl on my wheel. Near the top he fell of and as the road took a turn I could see what was happening behind me… Charl was about 100m behind with Jason not far behind him.

Just when I thought the summit was near, I was directed into some bumpy single track which the motorbikes rode the previous day. It was well ridden out and a buster as it was much steeper than the gravel road climb I had just been on.

I felt relieved when I finally went over the summit and the next 2 or 3 km towards the finish was an absolute dream on the Pivot. I found myself on bumpy jeep track which looked more like single track after the Castrol Winterberg. The corners were ridden out well and I could follow the motorbikes’ line without braking through them. WOW... this was fast fun!

I was still alone and dropped my pace somewhat to recover and found a good rhythm on lap 2. I knew what was coming and I was prepared. This time I rode through all river crossings but one, which were just too deep. I still had to walk up that very steep climb though.

At the finish I was about 2 minutes clear of Charl in second and Jason about 3 minutes behind me in 3rd .

This race was made for the Pivot Mach 4 and I had an excellent ride. I had the rear shock at 145psi and the rebound to max minus 2 clicks. The extra pressure gave me a good platform without using pro pedal #3 much and the extra rebound took care of kicking my rear end up on hard hits. I used about 85% of the available travel with this setup which is good considering no drop off’s or jumps.

I’m still playing with shock settings. The Mach 4 changes color with different shock pressures. With 130psi it feels like a long travel trail bike and is super plush and smooth. At 150psi it’s firmer and feels like a soft tail even while I use 90% of its travel on harder hits.

Final stats:

Position 1st – MAX SPD 67km/h – DST 40km – TME 1:36:48 – AVG HR 178bpm

[jadis3]

Brighter-Lights, Pivot recommends a 30% sag. Did you found something better?
Great marathon and review!
I am also very happy with my Mach 4. Yesterday I won 60km mountain marathon among funs. I never had a such rolling bike. Dream perfomance!

[Brighter-Lights]

Beautiful terrain! Thanx for the photos and congrats!

For gravel roads and a harder feel, I like 8mm sag and 12 to 15mm for a plush ride on rough terrain. In a 24hr solo I would probably set it up with 12 to 15mm sag wich will be very comfortable with great pedal performance since I won't put down the kind of power I do in a short race.

JG
www.twowheelstrading.co.za
www.brighter-lights.com

[Brighter-Lights]

Some Mach 4 updates. I've recently put ultralight tires back on and rode some very technical terrain. At 70kg with race kit I'm riding the 420g tires at 2 bar pressure and the rear shock at 120psi... vs the 140 to 150 previously. I just don't stand up as much anymore but the bike has been performing remarkably well with the softer suspension.

I did a 9 hour training ride last week on 40km laps and got to know the bike even better.

I also think it's a matter of adapting my hard tail manners somewhat and I can tell you that this ride just keeps surprising me. Lately, with the super light tires, I'm flying up the climbs in comparison with the heavy UST's and I feel fast. I'm a bit conservative on the downhills for the tires sake.

Some more photos and updates after the weekend's race.

JG
www.brighter-lights.com
www.twowheelstrading.co.za

[stevemtu]

are you keeping it in a propedal (1,2 or 3?)setting at the lower psi all the time, or just for long hills and gravel/paved roads?

Is this bike going to replace your hardtail for all races or just the marathon/endurance events?

Most of the races i do are two to three hours and on single track (sand rocks roots) and bumpy two track, with only about 20% gravel or paved road. I am trying to decide between some lighter 4 in travel frames (anthemx, asr, epic) and the pivot. My main concern is the climbing, since that is where I am weakest. Do you feel any 'power suck' or sluggishness when climbing smooth, steep single track with the pivot?

Thanks for sending out all these reports and look forward to any updates.

[Brighter-Lights]

Hi Steve,

I have propedal set at #3, but these days I barely use the propedal anymore. I've learned to be efficient on this bike now... there's so many place where I just use momentum on singletrack courses. The bike pedal's so well and I've changed my style slightly so there really is no power suck or bob. I does however bob when I stand up and jump the pedals now that it's softer, but like I said, I sit more now and ride bigger gears.

I'm riding a sponsored frame which is the South African distributor's personal frame (size XS.) To answer your question: It's not a super light frame, but it's supension action is far superior to the super light ones like Orbea Oiz Carbon, Scalpel and Scott Spark... So.. the XS doesn't have a water bottle mount inside the main triangle. I will replace my hardtail permanently with the Mach 4 if I can get one size bigger for the water bottle inside the main triangle. It's easy to get the mach 4 down to 10.5kg with light components.

We rode very steep singletrack uphills and downhills the weekend with sharp switchbacks on the downhill where my hands were numb with even disk brakes and the bike handled awsome through the switchbacks. I never felt like I'm going to crash over the bar or that the wheelbase is too long.

As for very steep climbs, I feel no suck and it surely climbs better than the hardtail in ultra steep and rocky or loose climbs. I've seen it twice now... where my hardtail competition struggled to climb out where I did... It's because with the hardtail, you loose traction when putting power down and every time you hit a bump, the tire looses some traction or bounce. The Pivot just sits like a duck and I can climb those places with even the semi slick tire I race with on the back wheel.

Like with all bikes, my advice is to find a dealer and try one out. Coming from very light carbon hardtail, it took a while to get to know this Pivot, but it just gets better and better.

[jadis3]

Originally Posted by stevemtu

are you keeping it in a propedal (1,2 or 3?)setting at the lower psi all the time, or just for long hills and gravel/paved roads?

Is this bike going to replace your hardtail for all races or just the marathon/endurance events?

Most of the races i do are two to three hours and on single track (sand rocks roots) and bumpy two track, with only about 20% gravel or paved road. I am trying to decide between some lighter 4 in travel frames (anthemx, asr, epic) and the pivot. My main concern is the climbing, since that is where I am weakest. Do you feel any 'power suck' or sluggishness when climbing smooth, steep single track with the pivot?

Thanks for sending out all these reports and look forward to any updates.

Although Pivot is heavy frame the same time it is an excellent uphill performer. It does not require propedal that needed all FS I ever seen. Equipped with Monarch 4.2, my Mach 4 climbs like hardtail - without bobbing, but swallows all roughnesses of road. I want notice about incredible BB stiffness of my Pivot. It appears It is most impotant thing in a bike frame. You could not feel that stiffness at a moment but after a first couple of rides you will understand it advantages. I had a very light FS frame, have now and have tried mid weight FS, now I spoke for a Pivot.

[stevemtu]

jadis and brighter lights

thanks for the feedback.

I agree a demo is best, but unlikely given where I live. Based on the race results you guys have posted, it seems that the mach 4 is at least a passable xc/marathon race bike. From what every review has said, I have no doubts about the ride quality for all day xc epics, so if I pick the frame up I know I will have a nice trail bike...

[motobutane]

Thanks for all the great info guys

[Brighter-Lights]

Mondi Addo 85km MTB Extreme Challenge 1/11/2008



This race features some of the best prize money in MTB races in South Africa and attracted many of the big names – XC champ, Marathon champ, top finishers of the Cape Epic, Trans Baviaans 230km winners, Olympic athlete, and roadies.


I'm race number 5. John Lee Augustyn (Barloworld) left, Kevin Evans (Raleigh MTN in white)

Because of this big field of pro’s, I didn’t really stress about finishing tops but hoped for a top 10 finish.

I had an advantage of knowing the route and having pre ridden it, as it’s a local course.

We started with a neutral zone for 500m and once on a gravel road, the pace was easy. Max Knox (Garmin DCM) suddenly put the hammer down and we chased like hunted rabbits - the race was on.

Leading were Kevin Evans (Raleigh MTN), David George (Raleigh MTN), Max Knox (Garmin DCM), Brandon Steward (Garmin DCM) and Stephan Strauss (NMMU Mecer)

We were on gravel farm roads through orchards and doing 35 to 40km/h when at the next corner Stephan stopped to fix something with his chain. The 4 leaders increased the pace and made somewhat of a gap. I was sitting near the front of the second group with Anderson Transport riders and John Lee Augustyn amongst others.

The 4 leaders finally attacked and opened the gap, thinking back, I should’ve went with them, because they would’ve carried me for a while and helped me to make a bigger gap on the second group. But I sat in the second group. When we reached the main gravel road towards the mountain I tested them and went to the front. I increased the tempo and on undulating hills I noticed that they were climbing slightly slower.

We reached the first steep section and I didn’t really attack, I just stood up and climbed harder and started a gap. Someone yelled at me ‘what are you doing?’ possibly because these pro’s don’t know me, but I knew the route and although it appeared to be the main climb, I knew it turned off into single-track before joining the main road again so off I went, soon joined by Shan Wilson (Anderson Transport)

We rode together for a while until he dropped me on the first very steep section. On the second steep section I saw David George (Raleigh MTN) ahead of me and started to reel him in. Just as we got out of the single-track loop back onto the main road I passed David and he looked finished…

I could see Shan Wilson ahead of me at stages and also saw that I was making a gap on David. At the top of the climb I was well clear of the Anderson Transport riders and John Lee and 1:15 behind Shan.

We turned off the main road onto jeep-track and continued to climb the mountain until we reached a monster of a downhill. 2km single-track with countless switchbacks and 340m descend. The Pivot was like butter underneath me even though my fingers were numb from hanging onto the brakes.

The next section had single-track winding through beautiful forest sections and cattle paths with rocks. I was alone and trying to recover as I had signs of cramping and high heart rate.


We rode the route again the day after the race and a friend took this pic of me charging into a corner...

I got a bit negative as I reached a good gravel road back to the start…I was alone into a headwind…and behind me was a group of pro riders with a Tour De France rider amongst them and I thought they would surely reel me in, but I kept my head down and rode as hard as I could with the already damaged legs I had left…

About 25km from the finish we turned off onto a steep loose climb and I could see Shan Wilson ahead of me… still about 2 minutes. The climb was followed by sick single-track with stick-like thorn bushes/shrubs all over the place… this was like riding through the bush and I just prayed for my tires…

After that bad section some more gravel road through orchards and I was paying the price, I was suffering to the point of getting negative, but on one climb I saw Shan ahead of me and when I got to the same point, I saw someone behind me and it was like I suddenly woke up…pain aside, I kept fighting.

My speed was above 30 and although I felt like dying, I knew I was going fast. In the next 5km I slowly got nearer to Shan lost sight of John Lee behind me… All this time I thought I was 4th so when I noticed that I’m getting closer to Shan, my mind was on a high… I could only be dreaming of 3rd… on the last very steep climb I passed Shan Wilson…we both were empty on drink and paying the price.

With 8km to go I thought I was in 3rd (later found out 4th) and rode my heart out - pain became my best friend…I’ve never felt that bad on a bike but I had to keep going… race paranoia kept me fighting (when you can’t see someone behind you and it feels like they/he might appear any moment…)

I reached the line in 3:39:16 in 4th… wow! What better could’ve happened to me on the day!!! My best result ever! Sharing the podium with the top pros.

Statistics:
Time: 3:39:16
AVG HR 180
Time above 180: 64%
KCAL 4444
TRP DST 89.7km
Max SPD 63km/h
Pivot Mach 4 XS. 10.8kg 140psi rear. 72kg (rider, Camelbak, tools)


Sharing podium with the best...


My trusty race rig...

[davelieu]

Really enjoy reading your race adventures on your pivot. They inspire me to ride my mach 4 harder.

[Brighter-Lights]

Thanx,

The Pivot Mach 4 is a great all round bike, very stiff and plush suspension, but I've since moved to a Giant Anthem (2006 model).

The Anthem is lighter and faster for what I do.

I recently won my first 24hr Solo on the Anthem with 437km (38 laps) in 22 hours on the bike.

[Vespasianus]

Originally Posted by Brighter-Lights

Thanx,

The Pivot Mach 4 is a great all round bike, very stiff and plush suspension, but I've since moved to a Giant Anthem (2006 model).

The Anthem is lighter and faster for what I do.

I recently won my first 24hr Solo on the Anthem with 437km (38 laps) in 22 hours on the bike.

Well that sticks a fork in it!

[Holeshot]

Originally Posted by Vespasianus

Well that sticks a fork in it!

Not really! There is more to this story than meets the eye ..... Brighter Lights can elaborate if he so wishes, but the decision to change to Giant was not based on the Pivot Mach 4's performace ....

[Brighter-Lights]

Before the Pivot was 'sponsored' to me, I raced a 9kg hardtail.

I accepted the offer to ride the Pivot frame because I needed a full suspension to do my first 24hr solo. I built my parts onto the Pivot frame, their XTR crank and Pace RC 39 fork.

The distributor told me that they want an ambassador for their products at races and a long term relationship with a top rider, but that they don't have thwe kind of budget to fully sponsor one rider. Fine, I thought I'd give it a go and see where it goes. I was willing to be a prostitute in the beginning to reap the benifits later, but as it turned out, it didn't take me long to get the drift. If I choose to neglect my business to ride for myself it's my choice and responsibility, but the moment I'm doing it for someone else, I expect some reward, and in the end I was the only one putting money into riding and advertising someone elses bike.

I raced the Pivot for 3 months (travelling to races and entering with MY money), wrote all these race reports, got some good results - All this time I was pretty well aware that I'm slower than on my hardtail, because of the extra weight and because I couldn't stand and climb like on my locked out hardtail...

I kept riding Pivot and advertising it because I was under the impression that Pivot would give me a bike if I continued performing like that... and my long term goal is to become a 24hr solo specialist...well, a week before the 24hr I got this email which kinda made it clear that I won't get anything for free...they wanted me to use as many of their products at the 24hr, but I had to buy it at cost - no problem, but I already had all of it in other brands (gloves, tyres, grips. saddle bag, pump) - so I wasn't willing to buy stuff I don't really need, because I race on a tight budget. Like all of us know, advertising cost money, the time to write the reviews and articles cost me money, to service the Pace fork once a week cost me money - so this sponsorship was costing me a lot more than riding my own bike.

They can reason 'but you're riding a R30 000 piece of equipment' - fact is: who would've ridden it and got the results I did? + doing advertising at races + writing reviews and reports + using MY money to maintain the bike, enter races and travel to races.

Because I went to win the 24hr (and we all knew I had a good chance after coming 4th amongst some big names in Mondi). I found the lack of support discouraging and decided just there that I'm not doing any further free advertising. I was focusing on pulling off the biggest thing I've ever done and didn't need any confrontations and negative vibes, so I ignored any further emails and phonecalls from them before the race.

I bought the Anthem frame 4 days before leaving for the 24hr... only had time to ride it for 50km before the race and I still won - 437km is a long way. First 108km came after 5hr20min, 250km by midnight. Sat a whole hour in pits before finish when I had the race bagged. I can ride a bike and I'll be fast one any decent dual susp. - could've won the 24hr on a Pivot if I just got a little more support...

I don't have any hard feelings now, I just realized that some people will use you as long as you give them something for free. I can make a lot of money with my day job, so when neglecting it to advertise someone elses stuff I expect a little decency.

So... Lets compare them if you want.

Anthem + crank + LX front der is 308g lighter than Pivot with XTR crank and XTR bolt on der.

Pivot pedals better with propedal open.

Pivot is stiffer overall.

Pivot sucks when standing up and climbing hard (propedal #3)

Anthem feels more like a race bike with the 70 deg head angle. It handles quicker and I LOVE it.

Anthem with Propedal on gives a solid platform and I can actually stand and climb on it without going boing-boing.

I enjoyed the Pivot, it's a fun bike, it's a well made piece of equipment, the suspension works very well, but it's still too heavy to compete with 2kg full susp frames, even though the suspension works better - top racers have good tech. skills to make up for that anyway. Pivot might be king on more technical xc courses, but in South Africa, 80% of riding happens on fast gravel roads and hardtail works better.

[stevemtu]

based on your results and reviews, I assumed that Pivot was at least giving you a discount.

I had an anthem two seasons ago that was ripped off. I did the hardtail thing this past season (ouch) and was looking to go back to a FS. Your comments have been very insightful.

[_dw]

-Brighter-Lights

I've been reading your reviews for some time, always meant to comment, just never had the time. Based on what I have read, and from my experience with the Mach 4 as a rider foremost, but as the suspension designer also, I have one suggestion.

I would bet that you are throwing your hips/ lower-middle body around quite a bit when you are out of the saddle on the climbs. This is a trait that the vast majority of competitive road and XC hardtail riders develop over time. This same trait absolutely kills you on a full suspension bike. The Giant bike uses a shock with far more propedal than the Mach 4. Setting 1 on the Giant is equivalent to something like a hypothetical setting 5 or 6 on the Mach 4. Setting 3 on the Giant has a HUGE amount more low speed compression damping than the Pivot. This is the difference that you are feeling in the standing climbs.

I bring this up just because I think that this may be ab area where you could spend some time thinking about when training, and it may allow you to take further advantage of your bike's suspension (any bike) in the future. Concentrate on spinning circles, and keeping your hips stationary. You can still use your arms to push and pull on the bars, but your hips should "hover" over the BB. Not only will this approach make you faster on your full suspension frame, it will help you to conserve energy also. It will feel a little weird at first, but you will get through it. I've been through this with A LOT of professional athletes with great results. Hopefully this helps you come closer to attaining your ultimate goals.

Best of luck!

Dave

[Brighter-Lights]

Thanks Dave,

Yes, I've noted that the RP23 on the Pivot has the least pre shimmed compression while the Anthem is shimmed #2 or in the middle of the 3 bar graph on the outside.

All my best
Jo

[_dw]

Originally Posted by Brighter-Lights

Thanks Dave,

Yes, I've noted that the RP23 on the Pivot has the least pre shimmed compression while the Anthem is shimmed #2 or in the middle of the 3 bar graph on the outside.

All my best
Jo

Plus, your Pivot has the 2009 spec shock, and if your Anthem still has the 2006 spec shock, then there are some major internal differences, the 2009 level 1 shock is much more open than the 2006 Level 1 shock. This would mean that if you wanted the same performance on the Anthem with the 2009 shock, you would need level 3 plus something added. I don't even think that you could get that much low speed compression with the 09 shock without internal modification.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the body movement side of things once you get a few weeks to play around!

Thanks!

Dave

[Brighter-Lights]

Hi Dave,

I have some video of me standing up and climbing a very steep section on the Pivot. Just need to find a way to resize them and you can see what my body movement is like.

Regards
Jo

[_dw]

Originally Posted by Brighter-Lights

Hi Dave,

I have some video of me standing up and climbing a very steep section on the Pivot. Just need to find a way to resize them and you can see what my body movement is like.

Regards
Jo

Nice, that would be really helpful to see!

[DRTRIDR]

Great ride report!

[Brighter-Lights]

Hi Dave,

Send me a mailing address and I will put the video on CD and mail it to you.

Regards
Jo