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Review: Pivot Firebird 29 Pro X01


Coming off the Trek Slash 9.9 (one of my favorite bikes), I wanted to give another popular enduro bike a chance. Admittedly, due to the bike industry boom my riding time was unfortunately limited in 2020, as I was busy getting you all onto your bikes!  However, I was able to ride a decent amount on the Firebird during early season and wanted to provide my review.

I chose the Pro XO1 build, which retails for $7599.99. Though it’s far from cheap, it’s a competitive price for what you get. It is arguably a “perfect” parts spec for a bike of this caliber, or at least the one I seek out on every bike I ride. This includes a buttery smooth Sram XO1 Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, Fox Factory X2 rear shock, and new Fox Factory 38 GRIP2 fork up front. Other notable features are Pivot carbon handlebars, Maxxis rubber, and the reliable Fox Factory Transfer dropper post.

 


Blue Pivot Firebird Street

Tan Pivot Firebird Woods

With an impressive 170mm of front travel and 162mm of rear suspension travel, the Firebird sits firmly in the long travel enduro bike category. Immediately after my first ride, there were two things that stood out to me as far as how the bike handled: first, an extremely agile and playful feel on very fast, steep, and chunky descents, and second how incredibly light it feels overall.  The Firebird reacts as if it was much smaller than it actually is, considering it weighs in at just over 32 pounds fully built. On a side note: The Pivot Switchblade, a smaller bike, weighed in at the exact same, so I was especially impressed with this from the Firebird. This category of bike is not known for its climbing ability, but I found Pivot’s DW link suspension to be fairly planted going up, with little wandering from the front end. The new Fox 38 fork is extremely stiff, and pairs perfectly with this category of bike. That being said, I don’t advise slapping this attractive “new and shiny” Fox 38 fork on a bike smaller than a Firebird (sub 160mm travel bike); it’s just far too big, too stiff, and belongs firmly in the 170-180 travel category. The Fox 36 would be much better suited for the shorter travel enduro bikes such as the Pivot Switchblade, Trek Fuel EX, or Santa Cruz Hightower. Akin to Pivot’s reputation, the geometry of the Firebird felt spot on. A steep-enough seat tube angle at 74.5-degrees that aids in climbing when you need it to, and a slack-enough 65-degree head tube angle to handle the steepest of trails here in Utah. This bike also runs big so be sure to test one out (if you can find one) before buying. At 5’ 9”, I sit borderline between medium and large in most models, but the large on the Firebird is far too big for me and the medium felt perfect. I will also say that Pivot’s paint jobs are 100% spot on, I have yet to find a color that I do not like, and thankfully they have a mix of both matte and gloss finishes to choose from.


I would have suggestions for the manufacturer with any bike I ride, and for the Firebird there are few. I was not a fan of the stock saddle - it’s paper thin, and feels like it belongs on a road bike. The new Pivot Phoenix Factory grip has solid reviews, but I found it to be slippery under wet conditions and opted for the Chromag XL Squareweave grip instead. The Firebird can also be a tad noisy, so it’d be nice if the internal routing ports had some type of rubber sleeve added for the housing to run through. The cables start chattering under chunky conditions, and you can resolve this by adding housing foam internally. Additionally the $7599.99 price tag is massive, but to be fair similar builds from other brands will be in the same range. The Santa Cruz Megatower is $7499.99 and you are still stuck with the problematic Rockshox Reverb dropper post, and a Fox 36 fork that now feels small for a bike this big; the Trek Slash 9.9 carries a staggering price tag of $7999.99, but you do get carbon wheels. Overall, I feel that the Firebird’s price point is very competitive against other brand’s models in the same category. If you’re looking for a long travel do-it-all bike, the Firebird sits near the top of my list. I’d give it an edge over the Trek Slash, even though that bike was recently re-designed. For me, the Firebird is the fastest, most energetic, long travel enduro bike we carry right now

 -   Dr. Josh Mueller