WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE PIVOT SHUTTLE SL/AM
If you are familiar with the Pivot Shuttle AM, think of that bike but shave a few pounds, and add in a few geo tweaks. The Shuttle SL/AM is a 150mm rear and 160mm front all mountain lightweight eBike powered by Bosch’s Performance Line SX drive unit. This Pivot eMTB keeps weight low but fun high, taking the playfulness of the Shuttle SL and incorporating more gravity-oriented capability.
DRIVE UNIT AND ELECTRONICS | Unlike the Fazua-equipped Shuttle SL, the SL/AM utilizes Bosch’s Performance Line SX drive unit. This produces 600W of peak power and 60Nm of torque with the recent update. This update also took the max speed from around 17MPH to 19-20MPH, which, along with the boosted torque, made a noticeable difference on the trail.
Pivot uses the Bosch LED System Controller, mounted in the top tube, to display the SL/AM’s battery via five light bars. Each bar represents 20% battery, with battery life shown to the nearest 10% when a bar changes from blue to white. The controller also displays the current power mode via a green, blue, purple, or red display. Modes can be changed, and the walk function used, with Bosch’s Wireless Mini Remote mounted to the handlebars.
For a percentage battery reading, you will need to add a Bosch Kiox 400C display into the top tube, or access Bosch’s Flow App,. Here you can also fine-tune settings like assistance level across the different modes, perform updates, lock the bike in the event of theft, and access several other features.
The Bosch Performance Line SX drive unit features a 400Wh battery, with a range that can be boosted with their 250Wh PowerMore range extender. As such, it’s firmly in the Lightweight eMTB category.
FRAME AND FEATURES | Like all Pivot’s current bikes, the Shuttle SL/AM is a carbon frame manufactured with the brand’s proprietary molding technology. The result is an incredible strength-to-weight ratio, helping to ensure the Pivot stacks up well in this Light eMTB Group Test. In typical Pivot style, there is fantastic attention to detail throughout, from sharp lines to perfect frame alignment. One thing that has been a constant with Pivots is that their bikes always look incredibly clean, and stay together very well.
Pivot opted for a geo-adjust flip chip on the SL/AM, offering a high and low position that changes the usual suspects — HTA, STA, reach, BB height, etc. This flip chip also allows riders to run a smaller 27.5 wheel in the rear, with Pivot recommending the “high” setting for an MX setup.
Also, as we would expect, Pivot takes care of the little details that make a big difference. Cable ports are nice and tidy, and with easy (and quiet) internal routing thanks to Pivot’s tube-in-tube design. Chainstay guards help keep the bike quiet, along with quality downtube protection. Mudguards at the rear wheel combine with quality suspension hardware to stand up well to inclement weather.
While some may hate it, Pivot uses SuperBoost rear spacing as the brand claims it provides a 30% stiffer rear end over regular boost spacing. They’ve also adopted the UDH, and craft their bikes with deep seatpost depths.
SUSPENSION | Yep, it’s a Pivot, which we all know means a tried-and-true DW-Link suspension platform. This delivers 150mm of rear wheel travel, which is combined with a 160mm fork. If you’re coil-curious, the SL/AM is up for the task, but we enjoyed the performance with the stock Float X air shock.
GEOMETRY | As mentioned, the Shuttle SL/AM comes with a geo-adjust flip chip at the linkage. This allows the bike to be run in a “high” or “low” geo setting and accommodates an MX wheel setup. Our size Large Shuttle SL/AM is equipped with 29-inch wheels front and rear, and was typically set to the “low” geo setting.
Standout numbers are a 64.1° HTA — a degree slacker than the Shuttle SL — paired with a 76.5° effective STA. Stack sits pretty high at 648mm, and the BB height is 345mm, with a drop of 29mm.
The reach on our size Large (again, in low) is a conservative 476mm, and the chainstays are fixed across all sizes at 444mm. The overall wheelbase is 1,267mm.
BUILD SPECS | Ten build options are offered for the Shuttle SL/AM, retailing from $8,499. For our 2025 SL shootout, Pivot sent the $10,999 Shuttle SL/AM Pro X0 Eagle Transmission. As you might have guessed, that gave us a SRAM X0 Transmission drivetrain, paired with some 160mm Praxis alloy cranks. This was accompanied by SRAM Motive Silver brakes and 200mm HS2 rotors.
The SL/AM Pro X0 was equipped with Factory-level suspension from Fox — A Float X and a 36 with a Grip X2 damper. Also with the “Factory” label is the adjustable Fox Transfer dropper post with 210mm drop. Pivot finishes the build with in-house components. Handlebars, stem, grips, and the saddle are all from Pivot, although the saddle is made in partnership with WTB.
DT Swiss’s XM1700 wheels with 350 hubs were wrapped in our Schwalbe control tires — the Magic Mary Radial Gravity and Albert Radial Gravity.
Total build weight of our size Large Pivot Shuttle SL/AM with the Schwalbe control tires came in at 43.6 lbs / 19.8 kg.
THE DIRT
SETUP |In typical Pivot fashion, the Shuttle SL/AM arrived in tight packaging and was ready for a quick assembly and break-in process. With Pivot’s integrated sag-measuring device, our testers were able to get the bike set up and feeling comfortable quickly and easily. We spent a bit of time playing with the Bosch eBike Flow app, and tuned the Bosch SX system’s setting.
Max-power was selected for the turbo mode, while there was a longer-lasting de-tuned setting for our bigger test days, which ranged from 3,500 to 6,000 feet.
ELECTRONICS AND INTEGRATION |
Pivot have done a great job creating a clean and tidy lightweight eBike. The only thing missing was the Bosch Kiox 400c display screen, which came out after the bike was released. It could be easily installed on our test bike, as the frame has provisions for the display in the top tube. However, for the price, it would be nice to have all the goodies from the factory.
The rest of the bike was a tight package with functional features, tidy routing, and good design. We really like the charge port cover, chainstay protectors, and cable routing. However, we would love to have a shuttle guard downtube protector on there too.
DRIVE UNIT RANGE TEST RESULT | We compared eMTB drive unit performance and efficiency with a standardized test. We created a 13-mile, 1,300-foot elevation “Battery Efficiency Loop” and rode every bike in its highest assist mode until the loop was done. Our test rider, Travis, is 193lbs and was diligent about his efforts and physical state for each ride.
We rode the Bosch SX system on our Battery Consumption Test Loop both pre- and post- Bosch update, and noticed a large difference in battery consumption, as well as overall time of the loop.
Pre-update, the Bosch SX system completed the loop in 01:03:04 (5th/8), and used 300Wh of its 400Wh capacity (75%). This placed it mid-pack for energy used, and 5th in capacity remaining (predicted range: 17.3 miles, 1,730 feet).
After applying the 60Nm update, the Bosch SX system completed the loop 2nd fastest at 00:59:28, but used 388Wh of its 400Wh capacity (97%). This placed it highest for energy used, and lowest in capacity remaining (predicted range: 13.4 miles, 1,340 feet).
To see more detailed feedback on the drive unit of this bike, head over to the Main Page of the SL Shootout. We dive into the details of each drive unit, what we like about them and what we don’t.
CLIMBING | Our test crew enjoyed pedaling the Shuttle SL/AM quite a bit. Whether it was spinning away up fire roads or winding our way up flowy singletrack, the SL/AM was frequently a top pick for seated comfort and speed. The rear suspension offered a nice, compliant feel that offered up traction for techy ascents and didn’t beat us up on the bumpier seated climb trails. When it came time to really put down the power, the Pivot’s geometry helped inspire us to get more physical by leveraging and pulling the bars to boost the speed.
Another aspect of the Pivot that impressed was the power and tunability of the Bosch drive unit, much like all the other Bosch-equipped bikes in this Lightweight eMTB Shootout. The Bosch SX unit delivered reasonable low-end grunt, flat-out speed and the ability to soft pedal easily. It also can be easily tuned in the app. Riders can have an “easier” physical experience, or tune their unit to maximize range or traction for the most demanding technical climbs.
DESCENDING | When Pivot released the Shuttle SL/AM, there were claims that this bike was designed to ride a lot like the Switchblade. That bike happens to be one of our favorite all-around mountain bikes. As such, it was not a surprise that the Shuttle SL/AM quickly felt at home beneath our riders during this Lightweight eMTB Group Test.
The Shuttle SL/AM is the Shuttle SL that we had been waiting for! The increased travel and the geometry set instilled a bit more composure and confidence on gravity-focused trails. Our testers enjoyed the comfortable suspension feel and how it smoothed out terrain, while still offering a good platform for popping and pumping on smoother trails, too. The SL/AM offered a very balanced ride, and with the slightly higher bar position, it was an Lightweight eBike that regularly had us pulling up and yanking for gaps or manuals whenever possible.
While we really liked the bike as a whole, two testers noted that on the roughest, extended chunder-filled downhills, the Shuttle SL/AM’s rear end could feel a bit rough. It could be a matter of weight distribution due to chainstay length and rider size, but if the speeds were very high and the hits big and successive, there were some other bikes that slightly edged out the Pivot’s rear end performance. And we do mean only ever-so-slightly! But with so many excellent bikes, we are tasked with trying to find the small differences between them in different terrain.
Just about everywhere else, the Pivot Shuttle SL/AM was at or near the top of the podium when it came to bike handling, descending, and all-around fun-having capabilities. This bike was a true asset for riders of all levels and styles, with its well-rounded nature and lively suspension feel.
FINISH AND VALUE | Pivot’s may not be known for being cheap, but there is no denying they are a refined, top-tier brand who offers bikes that customers are proud to own. The finish of the paint, hardware, and cable routing ports are all impressive, and the stellar frame alignment is the icing on the cake.
While value may be a tough pill to swallow at this price point, there is no denying that the bike is on par with other high-end lightweight e-bikes, and is possibly even better value when compared to bikes like the Specialized Levo SL or Yeti MTe if you look at all aspects of spec, drive unit and battery size.
COMPARISON AND RANKING | Evaluating the Pivot Shuttle SL/AM against the other 12 bikes in this year’s best lightweight eMTB group review, this bike is absolutely worth considering for many reasons. It is a high-quality product with great attention to detail, and a ride characteristic that backs it up. While the Bosch SX drive unit and 400Wh battery aren’t our first pick compared to the TQ HPR60, this could be something that some riders are willing to overlook for how good the other aspects of the bike are. We ask all our testers and guest testers if they could pick a bike to make their own, which one would it be? More than one of them asked, is it free or do I have to pay for it? If the answer was free, the Pivot Shuttle SL/AM was often the bike they picked. And that says a lot when the competition is so good.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Overall, the Pivot Shuttle SL/AM is an awesome lightweight eMTB that offers its pilot just about everything you could ask for. While the Bosch rattle and 400Wh battery size were topics of discussion for some, the performance on the trail make this bike an easy recommendation otherwise. It offers big hit capabilities, a light and snappy feel, and a playful demeanor, but the confidence to push hard. In short, we like the Shuttle SL/AM a lot, but it’s not perfect. 
Price: $10,999
Weight: 43.6 lbs / 19.8 kg
Website: pivotcycles.com
SHARE THIS REVIEW
Thanks again to our amazing sponsors who made this group test possible.
SUPPORT AND JOIN THE LOAM WOLF PACK
Did you find this review helpful? Would you like the chance to review (and keep) products? Are you interested in saving big bucks by getting exclusive Members Only discounts from industry brands all while helping support a small, rider-owned media crew? We have big plans for our members beyond big discounts and product giveaways! To learn more and help support small, independent media, visit our Member’s Page.