The innovative and best-selling Mach 4 just got better for 2011. We made it a 5/8ths of a pound lighter, yet stiffer for an even more efficient riding experience. Using the cutting-edge dw-link® suspension design, the Mach 4 accelerates instantly during hard, out of the saddle efforts and gives amazing traction while climbing and accelerating out of corners. It's downright snappy! The suspension soaks up the bumps in a smooth controlled manner that lets you go faster. The 92mm BB shell, carbon reinforced double row bearing lower dw-link®, high-modulus carbon fiber upper link and one-piece rear triangle make for a zero-flex bike. Mountain Bike Action said it best: "It gives riders all the benefits of a shorter-stroke XC racer, like sharp acceleration and a dizzying rate of climb...and it delivers the downhill handling of a longer-stroke trail bike." We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Beyond the Boundaries
As with all of our suspension bikes, the Mach 4 is all about striking the perfect balance. In this case that perfect balance is providing the rider with World Cup winning cross country performance, without the narrow focus. It's a race bike that shatters the boundaries between the single purpose, race day-only machine and a bike that can be ridden anywhere and everywhere. The Mach 4 has been to the top of the podium in Pro and Expert class cross country races across the country. It has proven itself in the world's toughest endurance and 24 hour events including the 24 hours of Old Pueblo, the 24 hours of Moab, the TransRockies, the Leadville 100, and even South Africa's grueling Cape Epic.
The Mach 4 is also a bike we (and many happy customers) have had the pleasure of riding all across the country on every type of terrain imaginable. It's been ridden hard on our own National Trail, traversed the technical rock- and root-strewn trails of western Pennsylvania, powered through the forests of Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, and has tackled Fruita, Colorado as well as just about everything Moab has to offer...including Porcupine Rim-right alongside riders with 6" travel bikes.
For those not buying into the notion that more travel is always better, the Mach 4 could be considered your ultimate trail bike as well as being one of the fastest, most efficient race bikes on the planet.
Low Down on the High Tech
So what is it that gives the Mach 4 this amazing combination of pure race performance while also being a fantastic all around bike?
There are more than a few things that go into the Pivot Mach 4 that set it apart, making it truly unique in the 4" travel class. First and foremost, we designed a bike that is firm and responsive under pedaling, in or out of the saddle. The dw-link(R) suspension design, custom shock tuning, and pivot suspension rates all combine to make a bike that is a rocket in or out of the saddle, and when climbing or sprinting.
One of the primary benefits of the dw-link(R) suspension design is position-sensitive anti-squat. Put simply, the dw-link(R) is the first and only suspension design that takes into account the rider's weight and position on the bike (i.e. the rider's center of mass). When you stand up to sprint or shift your weight back to climb, your weight is the dominant force on the suspension. This bob or "squat" caused by the rider's mass shift is a good part of the reason why Propedal, SPV, Brain, lockouts and a host of various other "platform damping" solutions exist: to resist suspension bob and squat. With the dw-link's anti-squat design, the dual suspension links are positioned in such a way that your weight shifts do not result in unwanted suspension movement or "squat" under power. This allows us to tune the rear shock with lighter valving, making the bike free to absorb bumps and follow the terrain better.
We combine this with a slightly rearward travel path through the beginning 1/3rd of the travel to give the Mach 4 incredible square edge bump performance and increased traction on climbs. The combination of Pivot's suspension rates and the dw-link's anti-squat properties give the Mach 4 incredible pedaling performance, zero hesitation on acceleration, and that lively snappy feel a discriminating cross country racer demands.
At the same time, there are very few if any true pro-level XC bikes that actually get 4" of travel at the rear wheel. For most XC race bikes, "4 inches" is a number at the brochure, not at the rear wheel. This is certainly not the case with the Mach 4. Real, usable, controlled travel is another reason why the Mach 4 can go fast and maintain control in technical terrain that will completely overwhelm the suspension on other cross country bikes.
Raising the Bar
While we were busy designing the best performing suspension in the world, we decided the rest of the frame needed to set a new bar as well. The Mach 4 is a well thought out machine from tip to tail. This is not a bike where new technology has been used simply for the sake of technology. Better stiffness, better shifting, easier set up, longevity and a host of other performance criteria were addressed.
A lot has been said in the press about our 92mm wide bottom bracket, eight cartridge bearing dw-link(R), direct-mount front derailleur and obsession with frame stiffness. All these things add up to a better bike that will last longer and perform at a higher level. Most riders don't realize the amount of flex that occurs in other bikes. This flex translates immediately into lost energy and high wear on the suspension pivots. With all the work we put into the suspension to make sure none of your power is lost to suspension bob, or squat, we certainly want to make sure that it isn't wasted on flex either.
The Mach 4 relies on large, thin wall hydro-formed tubes, hollow 3D forgings, wide oversize pivots and the highest quality suspension bearing pivot design to make sure that every last bit of your energy goes into allowing you to go faster, ride more efficiently and have more fun.
Weight
Having a light bike is certainly one of the most important items when deciding what and how to build your next cross country race bike. Ironically, we believe the number one goal a racer should consider is getting the bike on which you can go fastest. A rider shopping purely by the scale is overlooking the balance of stiffness, efficiency, and lightweight that will result in the fastest lap times, and here's why:
First, there are no big secrets among those who know how to build cutting-edge aluminum and carbon fiber frames. Most high-end suspension bike frames have a front and rear triangle, a linkage, a shock, usually four pivot points and all the basic parts that make a bike frame a bike frame. The top builders all use similar cutting edge materials with similar properties.
That said, we always find it interesting when a company claims an unrealistically light frame weight for their cross country suspension frame.
In the case of the all-new Mach 4, this frame was designed with the finished product in mind. Every extra gram of material that's been shaved has been done so by optimizing the entire frame design, and not at the expense of durability or stiffness. The new Mach 4 is designed to be one of the lightest complete bikes in the world with complete XX equipped bike coming in at 21.8lbs.
Just the FAQs
- Seat post size: All pivot frames use a 30.9mm post. For reference, if you are coming off a Specialized or Santa Cruz and are switching parts over, they also use a 30.9mm post.
- Front derailleur: We use the term "direct-mount", but Shimano now has two "direct-mount" options. If you are getting a frame, you will need to order en E-type front derailleur. This is a standard front derailleur from Shimano. In order to install the E-type on your Pivot, all you need to do is remove Shimano's "e" plate with one screw and it will bolt right up.
- Headset: The headset on the Mach 4 is a 1.125" to 1.5" tapered Zero Stack, and almost every headset manufacturer offers high-end versions of this headset. Even Chris King offers this option. It is a press-in, non-integrated headset that allows us to make the bike with a larger diameter headtube, reduce the overall front end height of the bike, while building a stronger frame, and reducing overall bike weight.
- Shock Specifications: For those looking to try something different on their Mach 4, we like to provide the shock and hardware specifications. We do a ton of testing on these frames and feel the set up we provide is the best, but we understand and support a rider's need to test and try different things. For this reason, we want to make it easy on our customers by designing the frames with standard shock lengths and readily available hardware. The Mach 4 XX-Small and X-Small size frame use a 6.5" length X 1.5" stroke. The Small through X-Large frames use a 7.25" length X 1.75" stroke. All bikes use 8mm hardware, and the spacer width is .86" (22mm) and 1.4173"(36mm).
- Sag setting: By design, the Mach 4 (and all Pivots) do not bob/squat under power. Other suspension designs to not have this benefit and thus racers have learned the best way to get their suspension bike to pedal better is to run less sag. The Mach 4 is a different breed. For 2011 all Pivot frames will include a shock sag indicator on the shock to allow you to quickly and easily set the sag without needing to measure. If you lose the indicator, and need to measure, we recommend 30% sag and highly recommend that if you are going to cheat, then run too much sag�not to little. The bike will pedal the same with 20%, 30%, or 40% sag. However, if you run less then 30%, you won't get full travel and the bike won't handle and perform as designed. Run at 30% and you will be a faster, happier racer. For the XX-Small and X-Small size frame, run .45" (11.5mm) of sag. For the Small through X-Large frames, run .57" (14.5mm) of sag.
- Why Propedal? One of the questions we get a lot is the reason for running a Propedal shock on the Mach 4 if the suspension is designed so that it does not require it. First, the RP23 is Fox's top of the line performance shock and we like to give our customers only the best. Next, we have worked with Fox extensively to valve the RP23 so the shock will offer a high level of versatility and tuning capabilities for the individual rider. Most riders will run the Propedal in the "off" position, but there are racing situations and rider weights where the 3 Propedal options provide a nice benefit. The valving and settings we offer provide progressively stiffer pedaling options (more of a locked out feel), but with a very clean transition to an "open" setting.
- Fork choice 100 or 120: All sizes of the Mach 4 were designed around a 100mm travel. We have riders asking us if they can run a 120mm on their bike. This is not an issue. It will not affect the warranty and the bike will ride nice with a 120mm. It will slow down the handling a little, but still provide the rider with faster, more reactive steering than our Mach 5.7. For many riders in the Mid West and Eastern United States, this makes for a nice trail bike set up.
- Bottom Bracket design and options: The press-in BB design on the Mach 4 was designed in conjunction with Shimano. It is an XTR bottom bracket that is lighter and supports the bearings better than the standard thread-in designs. The bottom bracket carries a three year warranty from Shimano, and comes installed as part of your new frame. If you ever need to replace it, it is easily removed and replaced with the same ease as replacing a headset. This is a standard Shimano part and FSA also offers a replacement bottom bracket with ceramic bearings. The FSA ceramic unit does not weigh any less than the XTR BB, but it comes with red anodized cups. SRAM also offers a BB to fit this standard, and if you order a complete bike from Pivot outfitted with X-9, X/O, or XX, it will come with the proper SRAM bottom bracket. Pivot Cycles is the innovator of this system, but you can be assured that it is quickly becoming the high-end standard for others to follow.
Size Options
- XX-Small
- X-Small
- Small
- Medium
- Large
- X-large
Color Options
- Anodized Jet Black
- Anodized Cobalt Blue
- Alpine White w/ black decals
- Hot Pink/Night Black (women's)
- Alpine White/Baby Blue (women's)
Geometry
Build Kits:
