Pivot Cycles from the United States are well known for interesting bike concepts and innovative details. A few days ago they announced a new partnership with the bike legend Aaron Chase, however nobody was expecting his involvement in Pivots new bike release, the Pivot LES Fat Fatbike.
Aaron Chase and the LES Fat Fatbike, an unlikely pairing that works
The Frame
The heart of the Pivot LES Fat is the versatile carbon frame
The LES Fat features our newly patented Swinger II dropout system, enabling you to run almost any available ‘plus’ or fat bike wheel size, easily switch between singlespeed and geared drivetrains and choose your chainstay length based on conditions and desired handling characteristics. With the option to run every tire size from 26 X 3.8, 26 X 4.8, 27.5+, 29+ and anything in between, your bike is really a quiver of options that take you into any season and any condition.
By the Swinger II dropout system the length of the chain stays and the height of the bottom bracket can be changed easily
Riders also have the option to set chainstay length within the Swinger II system. The shortest possible setting gives you a flickable, playful ride previously unknown in the big tire category – we feature the shortest chainstays for every wheelsize category. Adjusting for maximum wheelbase and tire clearance (the LES Fat accommodates rubber up to 5” in diameter) gives you an incredibly stable ride for heavy loads and messy conditions.
The full carbon frame of the Pivot LES Fat features leading-edge materials and our proprietary hollow-core, internal-molding process. This coveted technology enables us to create an ultra-lightweight frame featuring slim top tube and seatstay profiles, as well as the largest downtube in the category. When combined with a 132mm Press Fit BB, the result is best-in-class power transfer and vertical compliance that makes epic rides comfortable and fun.
Extra slim seatstays are designed to provide comfort, internal cable routing for a tidy arrangement
The LES Fat includes a Pivot-designed taper-steerer carbon fork with 150mm dropout spacing and is also RockShox Bluto compatible – one wheelset will work with both fork options. This identical spacing makes it easy for riders to transition between uses, whether they are gearing up for winter training, long distance touring or seeking more aggressive terrain.
The special E.13 developed crankset should provide a low Q-factor
We want riders to be able to use the LES Fat as their daily driver. With that in mind, 2x, 1x and singlespeed gearing compatibility makes the LES Fat an ideal choice in any terrain, and the LES Fat rear spacing is a generous 197mm with an innovative low Q-factor design (the lowest in the category) when built with the Pivot/E-Thirteen co-designed fat bike crankset. The combined gearing options and knee-saving Q-factor provide the best possible pedaling performance in high-cadence racing, training and trail-riding applications.
The LES Fat can get ridden with a RockShox Bluto fork as well as with the Pivot own carbon fork
The Geometry
The Facts at a glance:
Clears 5” tires for unpacked snow, mud and sand
Fits all fat and plus wheelsizes (26 X 3.8, 26 X 4.8, 27.5+ and 29+) via the patented Swinger II dropout system
Full carbon frame featuring proprietary hollow core internal moulding technology and largest downtube in the category
Pivot carbon fork with 150mm spacing
Full length internal cable routing via Pivot’s exclusive, Cable Port System including internal dropper compatibility
197mm rear spacing accommodates tires up to 5 inches
Optimized low Q-factor design when built with co-designed Pivot/E-Thirteen fat bike specific crankset included in our complete builds.
2x, 1x and singlespeed compatible
Shimano side-swing front derailleur compatible via a low profile e-type mount
Rear rack mounts
3 bottle cage mounts
Sizes S, M, L for riders between 5’6” and 6’4”
In Action
Aaron Chase has a lot fun with the Pivot LES Fat in the Highland Mountain Bike Park
Price and Availability
The LES Fat will retail for $2599 USD for the frameset (frame, fork and headset with 18mm and Zero Stack lower headset cups), or for $4699 for a complete bike with X01.
Our Opinion
With the LES Fat,Pivot has created an extremely versatile and very visually appealing Fatbike. Thanks to the swingers II Dropout system (variable dropouts) it is not only the length of the chainstays that can be changed, but also the height of the bottom bracket, making it very compatible with all the new standards. The frame is certainly an interesting basis for various builds, but as always, nice kit holds a nice price, and at $2,599 it is very expensive.
Words: Christoph Bayer / Pivot Cycles | Pictures: Pivot Cycles
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