The Pivot Shuttle e-Bike is Very e-BBBRRRRRAAAAAPPPPPP!!!!!

So I have a business idea. I've been working on it for a while and I got all the kinks worked out so don't steal it, and if you do you have to give me a cut or at least make a statue of me and put it in your house to remind you.

Anyway, here it is: A Downhill Bike Park.

OK, yeah I know that there already are tons of downhill bike parks, all over the place. But here is what makes my park different: instead of building expensive ski lifts to take riders and gear to the peak, I will put everybody on e-bikes, and they can ride up and down! Double the fun!

To test my concept, I took a pre-pandemic trip to Golden Colorado, where I test-rode the new Pivot Shuttle super e-bike up and down Tabletop Mountain.

And guess what? My business plan is brilliant. Now all I need is $525,000 to buy fifty Pivot Shuttles for the fleet, and maybe another $500,000 for some land and bribes and whatever else I need.

But back to that $525,000 for fifty Shuttles: yeesh, that's $10,500 per bike.

What do you get for $10,500? Well:

KIT	Team XTR - 29"	Race GX - 29"
PRICE	$10,499.00	$7,999.00
FRAME	Shuttle	Shuttle
MATERIAL	Carbon	Carbon
WHEEL SIZE	29"	29"
REAR SHOCK	Fox Factory Float DPX2	Fox Performance Float DPX2
FORK	Fox Factory E-MTB 36 29", 44mm offset, FIT4 - 160mm	Fox Performance E-MTB 36 29", 44mm offset, GRIP - 160mm
HEADSET	Pivot Precision Sealed Cartridge	Pivot Precision Sealed Cartridge
REAR DER	Shimano XTR SGS 12-Speed	Sram GX Eagle 12-Speed
SHIFTER	Shimano XTR M9100 12-Speed	Sram NX Eagle 12-Speed
BRAKES	Shimano XT M8020 4-piston	Shimano MT520 4-piston
CRANKSET	Shimano XT M8050 w/ Shimano E-MTB 34t	Shimano E8000 w/ Sram Eagle EMTB 34t
DriveUnit	Shimano Steps DU-E8000	Shimano Steps DU-E8000
HANDLEBAR	Phoenix Team Low Rise Carbon	Phoenix Race Low Rise Aluminum - 750mm
GRIPS	Phoenix Team Padloc	Phoenix Team Padloc
STEM	Phoenix Team Enduro/Trail	Phoenix Team Enduro/Trail
SEATPOST	Fox Transfer Performance Series 125mm (SM), 150mm (MD-XL)	KS Rage I 125mm (SM), KS Rage I 150mm (MD-XL)
SADDLE	Phoenix WTB Pro High Tail Trail (SM), Phoenix WTB Pro Vigo (MD-XL)	Phoenix WTB Race Hightail Trail (SM), Phoenix WTB Race Vigo (MD-XL)
CASSETTE	Shimano XTR M9100 10-51t	Sram PG-1210 10-50t
WHEELS	DT Swiss EB 1535, 30mm - 29"	DT Swiss EB 1935, 30mm - 29"
TIRES	Maxxis Minion DHF 29" x 2.5" TR, EXO+, 3CT Maxxis Minion DHR II 29" x 2.4" TR, EXO+, 3CT	Maxxis Minion DHF 29" x 2.5" TR, EXO+, 3CT Maxxis Minion DHR II 29" x 2.4" TR, EXO+, 3CT
ROTOR	Shimano XT RT81 CenterLock - 203mm Shimano RT-EM810 CenterLock - 180mm	Shimano RT64 CenterLock - 203mm Shimano RT-EM600 CenterLock 180mm
CHAIN	Shimano CN-M9100 12-Speed

Neat, right? I tested the Team XTR version, which adds a few grand over the Race GX, and it's probably worth it, so long as I'm not the one paying.

So here's the real review:

The Pivot Shuttle is the funnest bike on the planet.

That's it.

I really wanted to hate the bike just so I could call it the Poovit Shittle, but this thing won me over. I was a genuine e-bike skeptic because I felt that one must "earn one's turn" as they say, but no longer. All hail Shuttle.

Here's just three reasons why the Pivot Shuttle is the bike of dreams:

1. It's basically an electric dirt bike. 
2. It looks like Darth Vader designed it. 
3. It's durable. I dropped my rental at least 20 times, down rocks and cliffs too. No cracks, no snaps. 

But for $10,500 it damn well better be the best bike on the planet. 

I would love to compare it to other MTeB's in it's category, but there're really aren't many. You got the Santa Cruz Heckler, the Focus Sam, the Merida eOne-forty. A few others. They're all great. At the premium price range you get the best.

Another reason it's a good bike is that while it's expensive and high-tech, it isn't weird. All the parts are off-the-shelf snap-ins from top companies, which means it's easy to work on and easy to replace broken or worn-out parts, and will continue to be replaceable for years. This is a key feature because in the years to come eBike companies will try to distance themselves from each other by implementing more esoteric designs. You see this already in road racing bikes, like the absurd Cervelo PX series. So, I predict, now is the time to get into e-MTB because the bikes being made now will last decades.  

How does it ride compared to non-e-Bikes? Well, I prefer the Shuttle. The battery and motor weight sit low and provide a good bit of ballast. I hit a few pretty wacky jumps and landed just fine. Same with big drops and descents, the Shuttle provides confidence that traditional bikes can't. 

Now for the controversial statement:

IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING AN eBIKE OR A DIRT BIKE, GET THE eBIKE. 

The shuttle can do almost anything a dirtbike can, but it can ride, legally, on most bike and hiking trails. And it's light enough to lift into a car trunk. And you can store it in your room without stinking up the place with gasoline whiffs. 

So if you're rich just buy it, OK?

Well, I don't know, what if there is a bad, bad thing about the Pivot Shuttle:

The Shuttle has a fault. It's the same fault that all bikes in its category share. 

Overconfidence. 

Like all e-MTBs, the Shuttle enables. It enables a lot. The Shuttle takes the average Joe Jerk cyclist and gives them the pedal wattage of a world-class sprinter. And that strength is nonstop. As long as there's power in the battery, the rider is superhuman. Mix that with lightweight, big tires, and nigh-unlimited suspension and, well, you see where I'm going...

What's bad about this is that most people shouldn't be superhuman. World-class strength comes from years on the saddle at world-class pace. The good people at Pivot let Joe Jerk buy the power, but you can't buy skill. 

This became clear to me a descent overlooking a sheer cliff. I overcooked a switchback curve, freaked out, hit the brakes, and nearly high-sided off the saddle. I got lucky and grabbed a branch, but this event stands as the closest I've ever come to ending myself on a mountain bike. 

So buying the Pivot Shuttle is a guaranteed loss of $10,500 and if you're as dumb as me you might lose a bit more. Is it worth it? I can't really say for anybody else, but for me - no. I can't trust myself with that much power, its just too dangerous.