2017 Pivot Firebird

Fit and Geometry

The Firebird is one of the longest bikes on the market – the Medium I rode had a reach of 445 mm, which is more stretched out than the vast majority of bikes in this class. That long front end combined with a slack 65° head angle makes for a bike with a rangey 1204 mm wheelbase, which again is longer than most bikes in this class, and it’s also longer than a lot of full blown DH bikes.

But while the length of the Firebird certainly has an effect on it’s trail manners, the size medium that I rode didn’t feel uncomfortably huge for my 5’9” frame. It’s worth noting that this sizing is a departure from most of the other Pivot bikes. With the exception of the new Switchblade, Pivot’s bikes tend to be short, and I’d opt for a Large on a bike like the Mach 6 or 429 Trail. But I definitely wouldn’t be looking to size up on the Firebird.

The Ride

When I first hopped on the Firebird, the first thing that came to mind was “Dang. This thing is a downhill bike.” And yeah, those first impressions held true for the rest of my ride.

The Firebird isn’t a particularly efficient pedaler, and unless you’re into self abuse, any climbing would involve liberal use of the Float X2’s climb switch. While it’s true that the Firebird’s weight is entirely respectable (29.8 lbs as tested, without pedals), the suspension and geometry make for a bike that’s less inclined to go uphill than most of the other bikes in this class. And on flatter, slower trails, the Firebird feels fairly stupid. It’s long and floppy, and it feels pretty cumbersome at “normal” speeds. To some extent, this is true of most enduro bikes, but the Firebird felt less at home on rolling terrain than bikes like the Transition Patrol or Devinci Spartan – the Firebird is more downhill oriented, but at the cost of versatility.

But give the Firebird a little bit of speed and all of a sudden, the bike’s purpose becomes evident. It does a better job than anything shy of a true DH bike at leveling the trail. Any obstacle that’s less than curb height can essentially be ignored. This is particularly noteworthy because the Firebird of old, as well as some other DW-Link bikes, had a reputation for being a bit less supple over smaller chatter. The old Firebird gave up some small bump performance, but retained a bit more pedaling efficiency. The new Firebird is quite different – the pedaling efficiency is significantly reduced, but suspension performance is maximized.

The suspension is fairly progressive, so while the Firebird does a great job of smoothing out smaller obstacles and maintaining traction in corners, it also doesn’t get overwhelmed by larger hits. Even on some bigger jumps that landed in rocky debris, the Firebird’s suspension didn’t flinch.

In addition to its impressively effective suspension, the Firebird has a stiff, overbuilt frame. Throwing the bike into chunky corners revealed little, if any, flex. That stiff frame combined with a moderately short rear end makes the bike a bit easier to play around on. I’m not sure I’d go so far as to call it “playful,” but it’s not the kind of bike that’s only happy when it’s on the ground plowing through chunder – it pops and pumps reasonably well.

Bottom Line

The Firebird, more so than any other enduro bike I’ve ridden, is a mini-DH bike. And to be perfectly honest, I’d actually say it’s more capable than some dedicated DH rigs. While the Firebird isn’t quite as slack as some modern downhill bikes, a fairly long wheelbase combined with excellent suspension make this a surprisingly capable bike on even legitimate downhill trails.

If you’re looking for a trail bike to get rowdy on, the Firebird might give up a bit too much ground on the climbing efficiency and flatter trail fronts for a lot of people – I wouldn’t call it a versatile bike. But for those that are looking for a downhill weapon that, yes, can get to the top of the climb when it needs to, the Firebird is very, very tough to beat. If I was looking for a bike that’d be used for 50% lift / shuttle laps, and 50% rowdy descents with fireroad climbs, I’d put the Firebird at the top of my list.