Review: 2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Pro X01

Intended Use
Trail / All Mountain
Motor
Fazua Ride 60
Battery
430Wh
Fork Travel
150mm
Rear Travel
132mm
Weight
18.6kg (measured/estimated)
Price
9.999 U$
The lightweight Pivot Shuttle SL is out, and we had a chance to ride it. The test bike is a Pivot Shuttle Pro X01 in size Medium. We did two videos of the bike, one review and one with riding footage only. Check them out or keep on reading below.


The Pro X01 is the second cheapest model in the line-up. It isn't particularly cheap, though. Still, U$ 9.999 compares well to the competition, none of these bikes are cheap. And you get a very well-equipped bike.

Specs​

As the name implies, you get the Sram X01 12-speed, a very fine mechanical drivetrain. Shifting is precise, even in the wet and muddy. Surprisingly, the Sram shifting is paired with Shimano XT dual calipper brakes. An unusual, yet great combination.

Sram X01 12-speed 10-52t drivetrain.


Suspension and seatpost are all top-of-the line Fox. The 150 mm travel ebike-specific Fox 36 Factory is pretty much perfect on such a bike. The same can be said about the Fox Float X Facory shock. And Fox Transfer Factory seatpost is great with 175mm travel for size L.

2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Pro X01

The 175mm seatpost drops the saddle very low.

The big 29” aluminium Newmen wheels are new to us. They seem to be nice and solid, the specsheet says DT Swiss wheels though. Tyres are the not too burly Maxxis Dissector 29x2.4 3C. Lightweight emtbs usually have lighter tyres. The bike showed up with the beefier Maxxis Assegai up front and Maxxis Minion DHR ll on the rear. We prefer those, although testing the bike with the standard components is better.

Shimano XT M8120 brakes
Sram X01 shifter.
The Shimano XT brakes and Sram X01 gears, a fine combo.

The bike weighs in at 19.23 kg including pedals and the heavier tyres. The standard rubber is about 250g lighter. So, weight should be about 18.6 kg with a tubeless setup and no pedals. Many of the lightweight emtbs we’ve tested are just below 19kg, so this is fairly common.

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The Fox 36 Factory ebike specific fork.

The new Fazua Ride 60​

The Ride 60 will be on several brands for 2023. This is a reasonably powerful 60Nm motor. The 450W maximum power is only available using the Boost function that activates from the handlebar remote. It’s a bit difficult timing the Boost though, so we’re not sure how useful it is.

Fazua Ride 60, a silent motor.

Fazua Ride 60, compact and silent.

The motor amplifies rider input by up to 350%, much more than the previous Fazuas and the TQ HPR50. It’s about the same as the most powerful lightweight motors such as the Shimano EP8-RS and Forestal EonDrive. Those two feels more generous with the power though.

The Fazua Ride 60 has a good amount of assistance, but it feels a bit stingy. You have to push to get the full motor power. It makes the motor feel more natural. TQ HPR50 have received praise for the natural ride feel. Fazua has prioritized this too, mixed with a bit more power. We’ll be back with a more in-depth review of the motor system.

No screen, just 5 diodes to indicate battery % and assistance mode.

No screen, just 5 diodes to indicate battery % and assistance mode.

Fazua supports two ways of implementing the battery. Pivot opted for an internally fixed battery. This is the cheapest and most lightweight option. There is also a detachable battery. Both have a capacity of 430Wh, significantly more than the usual 320-380Wh batteries.

The various Fazua components.

Fazua components

Geometry​

The Pivot Shuttle SL is an “all mountain”, all-round trail bike. Such bikes are designed to be nimble and inspiring on the flatter trails, usually at the cost of all-out descending capabilities. The 65.5* head angle is perfectly fine.

High geometry
Low geometry
There is a flip-chip to adjust the geometry. We only rode the defaul Low setting.

The chainstays on the size L demo bike are 434mm, properly short. Chainstay length varies between 432 and 438mm, depending on frame size. The 1.240 mm wheelbase is fine for a Large. And it tells us the front part of the frame is pretty long, since the rear-center is short. Seat tube angle is pretty steep at 76.5*. Geometry seems sensible, nothing extreme.

Climbing the Pivot Shuttle SL
Climbing wet rocks.

On the trails​

150mm travel is considered moderate in the world of emtbs, just what we expect from an All-Mountain bike. Most such emtbs have 140-150mm rear travel. It’s only 132mm on the Shuttle SL, but we couldn’t tell when riding it.

The rear linkage is a “DW-link”, a virtual pivot point design. DW is short for Dave Weagle, a well-respected rear linkage designer. We’ve ridden several emtbs with a floating pivot point. The first one was the original 2018 Pivot Shuttle with 140mm rear travel.

Pivot Shuttle SL in the wet.

Automn wet and automn colors.

We found the old Shuttle comfortable and composed on the descents. But we were sitting a tad deep in the rear travel. It took a bit of force to get the rear wheel off the ground. We don’t get that feeling at all on the new Shuttle. We recognize the feeling of sinking into the rear travel, but there is good mid-stroke support.

DW-link and a Fox Float X Factory shock

DW-link and a Fox Float X Factory shock

The new bike is still comfortable and stable when descending. The rear end is composed and tracks very well, offering good grip. It does of course help with the extra burly tyres. Still, this is a nimble bike that inspires us to pick creative lines. The Pivot Shuttle SL is perhaps the best descender of the 150mm travel emtbs we’ve tested. And that’s a bit surprising, considering the 130mm rear travel.

Pivot Shuttle SL Pro


Pedaling on the flat trails is efficient thanks to the nice mid-stroke support. There is a nice pop to the rear end when we try to jump on, or over the trail obstacles. Steering is light and fast, we’re riding in a different way than we usually do on a full-fat emtb. This kind of handling should be appealing to people coming from a non-assist bike. I definitely find it appealing.

2023 Pivot Shuttle


A lightweight, mid-travel emtb can compromise on the descending abilities. But I’d rather say the Shuttle makes the sacrifices going uphill. The short rear end combined with a motor that is tuned for a natural ride feel doesn't make for an ideal climper. Bike balance is a bit rear biased, and there are motors with more power when grinding slowly in the steep. Still, it’s an emtb that will climb stuff I wouldn’t even attempt without assistance.

The flip-chip for adjusting geometry.

The flip-chip for adjusting geometry.

Conclusion​

The Pivot Shuttle SL Pro X01 isn’t the most expensive lightweight option. The 9.999 U$ does buy you a very well equipped lightweight emtb. We think Pivot made some good priorities. The bike is okay going up. But it impresses us going down. The rear suspension design deserves much of the credit for the descending abilities. The Shuttle SL is settled and composed at higher speeds. And it’s playful and inspiring, the way a lightweight emtb should be.

2023 Pivot Shuttle SL Pro
About author
knut7
Started mountainbiking in the 90s. Moved to emtbs in 2014 and have been reviewing them since 2016. Contact me here https://emtb.no/contact/

Comments

Nice review. I really like Pivot and have owned a couple in the past 10 years. That said, $10k is an awful lot to be just 'OK' going uphill. Going uphill is why I got on the e-bike bandwagon in the first place so maybe I place a higher priority on that than others may. Great looking bike though.
 
I'm interested in Knut's review and comparison of this motor compared to the Eon & the TQ; and of course the 2023 Spesh SL.

Regarding the Pivot, I just don't like their geo, in particular their short CS lengths. I also want more bike for an e-bike. I'm just not the target audience for this unit.
 
Nice review. I really like Pivot and have owned a couple in the past 10 years. That said, $10k is an awful lot to be just 'OK' going uphill. Going uphill is why I got on the e-bike bandwagon in the first place so maybe I place a higher priority on that than others may. Great looking bike though.
It all depends on what his climbing exceptions are and what bike/bikes he‘s directly comparing this bike too. For instance I have my Rise in boost set to 56nm max torque for climbing which is just enough to take the pressure off my knees when the climbs get steep.

I haven’t been riding much over the past 5 weeks and on my last few rides I encountered a couple 20-22% grade short climbs that spiked my HR and kicked my butt. I probably should have been in profile 2 @ 60nm, but I’m getting what I expect from the bike, so his opinion might be a little subjective on the climbing part.
 
Nice review. I really like Pivot and have owned a couple in the past 10 years. That said, $10k is an awful lot to be just 'OK' going uphill. Going uphill is why I got on the e-bike bandwagon in the first place so maybe I place a higher priority on that than others may. Great looking bike though.
Yeah, its' like @Chicane says. It depends on your reference. The less powerful motor makes climbing harder. If uphill performance is your thing, the Shuttle LT seems a better option.
 
I'm interested in Knut's review and comparison of this motor compared to the Eon & the TQ; and of course the 2023 Spesh SL.

Regarding the Pivot, I just don't like their geo, in particular their short CS lengths. I also want more bike for an e-bike. I'm just not the target audience for this unit.
My take used to be; you need to know you want a short CS bike to go below 440mm. Still, the Shuttle SL felt nicely balanced.

I will be back with more details about the motor :)
 
so his opinion might be a little subjective on the climbing part.
There are lightweigt emtbs out there that climbs better. Like your Rise. The Rotwild R.X375 has 450mm chainstays and the 85Nm Shimano EP8. This is the most capable climber of the lightweights I've tested. Pivot made different priorities, and that's fine. Climbing is of less importance on these bikes I think.
 
Yeah, its' like @Chicane says. It depends on your reference. The less powerful motor makes climbing harder. If uphill performance is your thing, the Shuttle LT seems a better option.
Good point by the two of you. I actually have a Rise for the same reason Chicane mentioned. Not a full powered emtb, but plenty for me!
 
My take used to be; you need to know you want a short CS bike to go below 440mm. Still, the Shuttle SL felt nicely balanced.

I will be back with more details about the motor :)
Good info.

Personally, I'm really homing in on the Transition Relay as my first e-bike. Transition does things right (I own one now), it can go Mullet, geo is Spire like which is basically perfect, and it looks like the Fazua 60 performs really well being nearly as natural and quiet as the TQ but with a bit more kick and battery juice.

But that Siryon still calls my name!
 
There are lightweigt emtbs out there that climbs better. Like your Rise. The Rotwild R.X375 has 450mm chainstays and the 85Nm Shimano EP8. This is the most capable climber of the lightweights I've tested. Pivot made different priorities, and that's fine. Climbing is of less importance on these bikes I think.
Thanks for clarifying. As of now in the US, the Rise will be the best comparison to the Pivot SL.
 
Great review, surprise that you got out of spec wheels and tires, I wonder if that affected true weight. I just recently purchased it, coming from a fuel ex-e (great bike too but had to take it back due to motor issues). Expensive but the 24/0 loan helped, lol. Can't wait for the weekend to give the Pivot its first trail run, hopefully this motor is more reliable . First impression is it's a tad lighter than the EX-e 9.7. The weight balance is more neutral, EX-e was heavier on the rear end. I love the components in the package, best ones I ever had and I like the ebikes graphics. Handle bar was too low for me and grips feel thicker. Had to change to 35mm rise. The display is subpar as in non. Trek display wins on those end. Fazua rider app does not work but says updates are in the works but no timeline. A proper display like EX-e in the future is deserving specially at this price point.
 
After 3 months I'm really enjoying this bike, handling is very good compared even to my non ebike. Descending and flow trails this bike really shines. Best thing I did was make it a mullet and switch to high geo which gives HA of 64.5 and drops the BB, for what I ride this makes the bike handling even better and with the short chainstays the geo is not adversely affected.
 
I recently did 4 demo rides on the lower level Shuttle SL. I don‘t own an ebike yet, and don’t have a ton of riding experience on them, but I’m leaning toward one of the lighter ones to suit my age (75) and tight New England trails. My riding group includes a couple of old guys on Orbea Rises and some fast younger folks on regular bikes, so I don’t need to keep up with full power bikes. I liked the Pivot a lot, but there some small niggles (the handlebar control felt a little flimsy, I couldn’t get the walk mode to work on a regular basis, and the dropper lever was hard to adjust to my preference), and one show stopper (the upper chainstay pivot fouled my knee). I tried several different pedals, including flats, but never totally resolved the knee interference issue. Too bad, because it was a solid feeling frame with plenty of power from the Fazua motor.
 
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