2014 Pivot Mach 6 – Layman’s Review

It’s a story
that can fit into any heroic tale:
the underdog prevails against fierce competition, and wins the heart of many. In this case, the analogy is reserved for Pivot Cycles, a small bike company out of Phoenix, Arizona that’s been
gaining clout after the launch of their Mach 6 Carbon all-mountain bike, the
latest installment in the Mach lineup.

Curious
about the excitement surrounding this bike, I managed to take it for a week-long
test spin around my stomping grounds of Park City, Utah. The 6.1” travel Mach 6 Carbon (a medium frame for my 5’7” stature, and kitted with an XT Pro
build) accompanied me throughout buffed, high desert track and swoopy aspen
trails. It didn’t take long, though, to realize that—while
flowing single track was a fun and playful test environment—the Mach 6 is fully equipped to take
on much more challenging terrain.

At
the heart of the Mach 6 design is the DW-link, a proprietary rear triangle
pivot point that the company proudly touts as a system designed to prevent the
bike from squatting under power. Meaning, theoretically, any bumps and hiccups
on the trail won’t interrupt your pedaling cadence or
energy output. Set the Fox Float X in Trail (my preference) or Climb mode, and
the pedaling efficiency ramps up even more. The Mach 6 coasted up and over the
contours of Park City’s climbs—like the aptly named Puke Hill, which occasional results in hike-a-bikes—in a personal record time without hesitation.

From
a geometric standpoint, the DW-link allows Pivot to shorten the bottom bracket
height, keeping your center of gravity in a stable, compact package. Never once
did I flinch about limited clearance or jamming a pedal into a rock. In fact,
the whole frame design is extraordinarily nimble and compact, whipping and
cornering without any sluggish drag from the back end. It’s got phenomenal handling for a 27.5” rig,
overruling any notions that a bigger wheel size is necessarily more clunky than the 26'ers they're rapidly replacing.

Chalk it up
to a shorter wheelbase, with dimensions similar to a 26'er (44.85” from wheel to wheel, to be exact),
and a 16.95” chain stay that contributes to the
snappy turning and precise tracking that I needed when descending tight aspen
sections, high-speed rollers, and sudden switchbacks.

With
a slack, 66-degree head angle on the medium frame, the Mach 6 sways toward the
personality of a DH bike, and it didn’t take much to rev it into its
natural element and engage its gravity-consuming prowess. During testing, whatever
was in its path, the Mach 6 consistently reacted the same way: point it, lean
back and let the bike handle all the rugged stuff. The faster I went, the more
capable it felt – boosting
my confidence over a loose scree section that normally has me bouncing off the
chunky terrain.

As Pivot founder Chris Cocalis
informed me later, the bike is designed to ride a larger category, meaning it
can nearly handle a full downhill race course but pedals like an XC bike. It’s common
rhetoric that I’ve heard from bike companies with an
all-mountain/trail/Enduro bike somewhere in their lineup, but in this case, the
Mach 6 really does mach, both up and down.

The Mach 6 Carbon is an expert-level ride with a bottomless feel, stiff frame design and
the capacity to rip anywhere you take it. Between its horsepower, torque and
aesthetics, it’s hard to discern this carbon mountain bike from a high-end
sports car (aside from the obvious). 

But while a hot rod is better left for
mid-life crises, the Mach 6 fills the wet dreams of any mountain bike fanatic—regardless
of age. Come in hot into a berm and the bike accelerates like it’s ready to pick up a few RPMs. Open up the throttle and it
will hold its own line through hairy terrain. And, of course, its sleek, curvy
design is outright sexy.

With
seven different build options, the Mach 6 fits a range of budgets. As tested, the Mach 6 Carbon XT Pro build was spec’d with
stock DT Swiss wheels, Maxxis High Roller II 2.3-inch tubeless tires, Shimano
Deore XT 2x10 drivetrain and (amazing) XT brakes, a Fox Float X CTD shock and Fox 34 27.5” FIT CTD fork, 180mm
rotors, internal cable routing and a KS LEV Integra dropper post.

It’s quite an impressive setup straight out of the box, and I’m stumped
to find any stock part that needs to be swapped out or upgraded—other
than a more contoured bike seat for my lady bits. The only co-ed caveat would
be splurging for a carbon wheelset, if you’ve
got the cash–because if
you’re gonna own a dream bike, you may as well finish it off
with a dream build. Check out more on Pivot's website.