Long travel 29ers are on everyone’s lips, and the Firebird 29 doesn’t only represent Pivots foray into this segment, they want to set the benchmark. However, rather than a monster truck, the Pivot Firebird 29 is designed to be a playful enduro bike, despite the generous amount of travel. We’ve summarised the details.

The heart of the Pivot Firebird 29 is a stylish carbon frame, similar in design to the rest of Pivots latest releases, like the Mach 5.5. In contrast to the Firebird 27.5, the lines are much straighter, and the shock is attached to the down tube as on the Phoenix DH. The Firebird 29 features Pivots trusted DW-Link rear linkage, offering a total of 162 mm travel. The beefy rear end too was inspired by the Phoenix DH and supposedly offers unrivalled stability and stiffness. According to Pivot, the frame is built using leading edge materials as well as a unique production process, weighing about 3.2 kg (incl. shock), their lightest complete build weighing 13.5 kg. Apart from the 10-year guarantee, tinkerers will be pleased with the continuous internal cable guides.

Pivot Firebird 29 Geometry

The Pivot Firebird 29 is available in four sizes, suitable for riders from 1.65 m to .,04 m. Regarding geometry, the Pivot is bang on trend, relying on a slack 65° head angle and a generous reach of 475 mm in size L. The Firebird 29 is the longest bike that Pivot has ever made, and it should be super composed in demanding terrain.

The geometry can be tweaked with a flip chip

Like with the Switchblade, the Firebird 29 comes with Pivot’s 12 x 157mm Super Boost Plus rear axle, thereby keeping the chainstays 431 mm short and giving the Firebird 29 unprecedented agility for a bike of this type. Curved seat and chainstays leave enough room for the riders’ heels, and the Q-factor remains at 168 mm despite the wide axle. Another benefit of Super Boost Plus is copious amounts of tyre clearance for up to 29×2.6″. However, if you prefer, you can ride the Firebird 29 with 27.5×2.8″ wheels instead, provided you use the included spacer under the headset. A flip chip in the shock mount adjusts the angles by half a degree (65.5° head angle instead of 65°) and lifts the bottom bracket by 6 mm, without changing the suspension kinematics (table shows the slack setting).

Size S M L XL
Seat tube 394 mm 425 mm 457 mm 495 mm
Top tube 596 mm 625 mm 648 mm 670 mm
Head tube 95 mm 105 mm 115 mm 125 mm
Head angle 65° 65° 65° 65°
Seat angle 74.5° 74.5° 74.5° 74.5°
Chainstay 431 mm 431 mm 431 mm 431 mm
BB Hight 348 mm 348 mm 348 mm 348 mm
Wheelbase 1,186 mm 1,217 mm 1,242 mm 1,266 mm
Reach 428 mm 455 mm 475 mm 495 mm
Stack 604 mm 613 mm 622 mm 631 mm

The Pivot Firebird 29 Build Kits

Depending on the version, Pivot specs the Firebird 29 with either a FOX DPX2 or X2 shock, supported at the front by FOX 36 forks with 170 mm of travel and 44 mm offset. There are a total of 6 build options available. The FOX X2 factory shock and Reynolds carbon wheels are optional upgrades on the Pro models. There are two colours to choose from, “Sandstorm” with orange highlights and “Steel Blue” with yellow highlights.

Team XX1 Team XTR Pro X01 Pro XT/XTR Race X01 Race XT
Fork FOX 36 Factory FIT GRIP 2 170 mm FOX 36 Performance GRIP 170 mm
Shock FOX X2 Factory FOX X2 Performance FOX DPX2 Performance
Brakes SRAM Guide Ultimate Shimano XT 4-piston Shimano SLX
Drivetrain SRAM XX1 Eagle Shimano XTR 1×11 SRAM X01 Eagle Shimano XT/XTR 1×11 SRAM X01/GX Eagle Shimano XT/SLX
Wheels Reynolds Blacklabel Enduro / Industry Nine hubs DT Swiss M1700 with 36t-freehub upgrade SUNringlé Duroc 30
Tires Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5 WT/ DHRII 2.4 (v/h) – TR/3C/EXO/MaxxTerra
Seatpost S: LEV INTEGRA 125 mm
M: LEV INTEGRA 150 mm
L/XL: FOX Transfer 150 mm
Price € 10,999 € 9,949 € 8,999 € 7,599 € 6,599 € 6,099
Eddie Master sends it on the Firebird 29

Our first impression

Pivot is going full throttle, introducing one new model after the other; there are few premium brands whose bikes are as up-to-date. With the Firebird 29, the American brand has filled one of the last gaps in its portfolio, finally offering a long-travel 29″ bike for demanding trails. We’re looking forward to taking it out for a test ride, and we’re curious if the Firebird 29 will meet our expectations.


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Words: Photos: Pivot