AM Pivot Firebird

[Chriso_29er]

So I was on the hunt for a new bike late last year, test riding a few 29er Trail/Enduro bikes.
I'm right between sizes so was having a hard time with the modern geo with large feeling too big but then mediums feeling cramped for seated climbing.
Then it all went out the window and put on hold after breaking my ankle on my last ride of the year 2022.

Fast forward 6 months and I'm finally riding single trail again, so the hunt was back on.

One of my riding mates had just upgraded, so this was looking for a new home. It was suggested I should take a look at it. Fell in love with it first bounce down the road, so it's now mine lol. Decision cemented on first ride this morning, now I see why you all have such love for a DW Link Rear end!

Frame – Pivot Firebird 2018, 170mm travel. Large.
Rear shock – Fox Factory Float X2
Front shock/fork – Fox Factory 36, 170mm travel
Handlebars – Renthal Fatbar Carbon 35
Stem – Pivot
Headset - Pivot
Grips – Specialized
Saddle – Pivot
Seatpost – Bikeyoke Revive Dropper
Dropper remote - Bikeyoke
Front brake – Sram CodeR
Rear brake - Sram CodeR
Cranks - Shimano XT 1X M8000
Chainguide - yes
Chain – Shimano SLX
Pedals – Shimano XT clipless / Crankbrothers Stamp3 Magnesium.
Front derailleur – N/A
Rear derailleur - Shimano M9000 XTR
Front shifter – N/A
Rear shifter - Shimano M8000 XT
Cassette – Shimano XT 11 speed 11 - 46
Front hub – DT Swiss 350
Rear hub – DT Swiss 350
Front rim – DT Swiss M1700
Rear rim – DT Swiss XM481
Spokes – DT Swiss Race
Nipples -
Tyres – Fr- Maxxis DHF 27.5 x 2.5 exo, R - 27.5 x 2.5 Maxxis DHF exo
Tubes - Tubeless
Total weight – 14.4kg

 

[ozzybmx]

Nice job @Chriso_29er looking forward to the new videos of you going big... Without crashing

 

[caad9]

Lot more squish than the trance, get ready to launch!

 

[Chriso_29er]

Nice job @Chriso_29er looking forward to the new videos of you going big... Without crashing

Already seems WAY more forgiving than the Trance lol.

 

[Chriso_29er]

Lot more squish than the trance, get ready to launch!

Love how much room it has for moving it around, has already taken flight on the bigger Youies gaps
May or may not have landed flat over the back of the moon booter on Cressy's lol

 

[The Reverend]

@Chriso_29er damn fine rig you have there. Super capable and Pivot know how to put a frame together.

We do however have the small matter of your username. Will this have to be changed to chriso_27.5er from here on?

Enjoy the rig.. the colour is blazing!

 

[Asininedrivel]

Great upgrade! Imo Pivots seem almost as overbuilt as Nicolais, so well made. Still miss my old Mach 6. Assuming you can just run the shock open all the time?

 

[fjohn860]

Slick looking rig Chriso!

Very nice

 

[Chriso_29er]

Great upgrade! Imo Pivots seem almost as overbuilt as Nicolais, so well made. Still miss my old Mach 6. Assuming you can just run the shock open all the time?

Yeah the frame is a thing of beauty. Even for its age seems very well made.

I ran it open for steep tech climbs, settles well into the travel, but the long front end kept the front still feeling planted. Flicked the climb switch for fire road.
Seated position feels almost identical to my XC bike which is awesome. Trance always had me hanging off the back on steep climbs

I swear it seems to peddle as nice as the trance. Way better than 170mm has any right to.

Still found it had plenty of pop to move it around on the trail. But would then just plow anything big that came along.

 

[Chriso_29er]

@Chriso_29er damn fine rig you have there. Super capable and Pivot know how to put a frame together.

We do however have the small matter of your username. Will this have to be changed to chriso_27.5er from here on?

Enjoy the rig.. the colour is blazing!

Cheers mate.

Yeah, my user name has been a bit off for years now lol

 

[pink poodle]

That thing is porn! I approve.

 

[Jabubu]

Nice!

 

[Chriso_29er]

That thing is porn! I approve.

Thought you might like it.

 

[pink poodle]

Thought you might like it.

I feel like a fat kid looking at a pie.

 

[slimjim1]

I remember test riding one of these and being very surprised at the pedalling efficiency, even for a DW.

The Pivot frames really are solid and well built. My second gen trail 429 which was a similar shape to your firebird just did not deflect off things at all. Massively overbuilt for a 120mm rig.

 

[Chriso_29er]

I remember test riding one of these and being very surprised at the pedalling efficiency, even for a DW.

The Pivot frames really are solid and well built. My second gen trail 429 which was a similar shape to your firebird just did not deflect off things at all. Massively overbuilt for a 120mm rig.

Yeah, it seems very solid. Performed very well through the YouYangs rocks.

I was out at Red Hill last weekend on the Trance, felt like I'd been belted up afterwards. Even after 30ks of youies rocks yesterday, upper body feels like I'd been riding a road bike and I'm in far from peak MTB fitness.
Looking forward to see how it performs on my local trails.

 

[mike14]

Beautiful!
I've always wanted a Pivot. And yeah, DW is the shiz

 

[Chriso_29er]

My first ride had been captured by my mate.
So this is an interesting view of the bike in action after he strapped his camera to his ass and then tracked the frame to my helmet haha.
Cressy descent for those who know it, so not exactly this bikes target trail.
Reverse view from 3:18

 

[wkkie]

That reverse view is good! Good to see that trail from a different point of view.

 

[fjohn860]

Agreed looks great from that view.

That top rock garden looks like a pebble path!